by Jennise K
“So, it’s settled. We’re going out for dinner tomorrow. The whole gang,” Dominic announced just as we reached Romanov, and Grayson nodded vigorously beside me.
“KFC, please!” he yelled, pumping up his fist in excitement. I laughed at the excitement in his eyes.
Romanov, on the other hand, looked extremely confused. “They have KFC here in Germany?”
My mouth fell open.
“Oh my God, yes!” Grayson exclaimed, this time throwing both his hands up in the air.
“I’m not even from here, but I knew that!” Matthew spoke up as he walked down the stairs. The smile on his lips seemed odd, and I took a few seconds to watch him as he tried to maintain a steady smile.
“We have a meeting with all the alphas in an hour, don’t we?” Matthew casually asked as he stopped beside Romanov, his gaze levelled on mine. He smiled his trademark warm smile—leaving me feeling utterly confused about the expression I had just seen a few seconds ago.
Still, I smiled back at him.
“Oh yes, we should get going,” Romanov replied, his gaze also on me. He looked conflicted, and that was the last thing I wanted him to be—conflicted between work and me.
If I was being honest, I wanted him close, too. Nothing felt scary when I was with Romanov. But I couldn’t make him compromise his duties. There were also other people who relied on him. Not to mention people who had dark intentions.
I’d seen a lot of documentaries and shows. There was always someone who wanted to dethrone the king, kick the CEO out, leech the stock shares, leaving the company’s heir penniless. From the ancient times until now, it’s still the same story of usurping. Someone sits in a high-ranking position, and someone greedy and envious fights dirty for the same position.
“Ah yes, I remember I have to set out a new patrol chart.” Grayson sighed thoughtfully.
“And I have to have a meeting with the Chief of Police,” Dominic chimed in.
Sorry eyes met mine, and I couldn’t help but want to hug even Gray—for the first time.
It was sweet how everyone felt obliged to be around me. It felt good to be cared for genuinely and not just for my inheritance.
Pushing aside the fear, I focused on the part of me that was amused, and I grinned at the men standing around me. “I’m going to be all right. Plus, I now have Adyl and Fin, don’t I?”
Romanov let out a small sigh as he stepped forward and leaned down a little. He then wrapped his arms around my middle and straightened himself back as he held me against him, causing my feet to leave the ground for a bit.
“You sure?” he whispered into my ear and began to sway me slightly in his embrace. “Keep me on speed dial. Please don’t keep your phone on silent, too. I’ll call to check up on you, okay?”
I beamed at the man holding me, thanking God for the hundredth time making him my soulmate. “Okay!”
“Don’t worry, Rome. Grayson has kept his best special tasks warriors as Olivia’s guards. I went through their records with Grayson and Dominic during their first promotions period.” Matthew eyed the two men standing behind me calmly, and I felt the both Adyl and Fin bow at Matthew.
Sweet Matthew. He can win just about anyone’s heart.
“Okay, I’ll see you in the afternoon, okay? Let me know if you go somewhere, just in case.”
“I will.” I nodded, wrapping my arms around Romanov before breaking the hug and taking a step back, waving him away.
He looked at me then, and suddenly, I didn’t know how I was going to spend the next few hours without him. Somehow, even I had grown accustomed to being with him all the time. Then he gave me a sweet smile, and in my mind, I wished he would always smile that way.
“I’ll see you in the afternoon,” he reminded me, and I couldn’t help but smile back at him..
“You will,” I said and nodded enthusiastically before playfully motioning him to hurry along.
He really needed to get going if he wanted to be on time for the meeting in an hour.
A chuckle tumbled out of the tall man’s mouth as he nodded. Giving me a final wave, he finally turned around and made his way off.
~
“If you could tell us what your plans are for today, Ma’am,” Finnigan spoke as Romanov and the men walked out of the room.
I settled myself on a sofa in the far corner and motioned the boys to take a seat as well when I noticed they hadn’t seated themselves, too.
“I have a few requests I’d like to make before we begin officially, please.”
Both Finnigan and Adyl straightened in their seats, bowing slightly, before I began.
“My requests are just these. Let’s be friends. Please just call me by my name. If it breaks protocol, you can call me by my name in private because I am literally leaving my life in your hands, and I am probably younger than you both. It feels like too much having you call me ma’am.”
I appreciated their intent stares, but I could feel the conflict in their eyes as well. This was obviously not a usual request. I continued.
“Also, let’s be open with each other, so let’s not hide anything from each other. That means not hiding things from me and only reporting them to Romanov. I should know, too. If you find out something that concerns me, tell me. If you have a hunch about something, tell me. If you feel like there is something that should be done, let’s discuss it. Let’s just be open to each other, okay?”
Their stares stayed on my face for a good moment before both men blinked and nodded, bowing again. “Okay.”
I smiled brightly. “And no more bowing.”
“Okay.” Finnigan grinned in response, taking off years from his appearance. Now he looked impossibly younger than me. How old was this guy really?
Beside him, however, Adyl suddenly grew serious. He leaned forward, and I frowned in confusion, waiting for him to speak.
“Since we are being honest with each other…Olivia, have you been to the room after yesterday?”
Last night flashed before my eyes, and I felt myself stiffen as I shook my head. “No.”
“The truth is concealed behind sheets of history. The enemy is quite near. If you do not mind…may we visit the room right now?”
My jaw fell open.
Is this guy crazy?
“You—you want me going in there? Where I almost got baked alive?”
“Mate, I don’t think that’s a clever idea this time around. She’s the queen!” Finnigan hissed, looking at Adyl with a shocked expression on his face.
Adyl turned towards Finnigan and sighed. “Have I ever been wrong before?”
His eyes then turned to meet mine. “We can only learn a way to defeat her once we take a step forward to find her.”
“You want to—to find her? Edika?” I blurted out in disbelief. This guy was acting very weird.
Adyl smiled.
“Trust me, Your Majesty. No harm will fall before you today.”
~
“Are you sure about this?” I whispered at the tall man standing in front of me. The other stood behind me, which was comforting and reassuring—but I’d rather not be anywhere near this room. Even with two able-bodied men guarding my life.
“Absolutely,” Adyl murmured back. The sound of the knob turning and unlocking clicked in the quietness of the hallway, and I felt the flutters of panic begin to take flight in my mind.
This is not a good idea. Run. Run!
I shifted on my feet, my eyes darting towards the end of the hall before I felt a large warm hand wrap around my arm.
“Don’t panic. Okay, answer questions for me. How old are you, Olivia?” Finnigan asked as we stood there. The creak of the door opening made the hairs on the back of my neck stand, and I tried to take deep breaths to stop myself from fainting again.
“Twenty-one.”
Finnigan chuckled. “You’re our sister’s age. So, you’re just like a younger sister. Don’t worry, I won’t let anything bad happen to you, okay? Just trust Adyl. I’ve known him
since we were babies…He’s gifted.”
I had to admit. Finnigan’s reasoning made me reconsider. “Okay.”
“Okay, we’re going in,” Adyl murmured in a hushed tone as he took a step forward into the room. Automatically, my feet followed him while Finnigan kept his hold on me and followed us in as well.
The room was a mess—half burnt, half salvaged—but all my belongings in here were gone. My eyes ran down my outfit, and I thanked the heavens again for having Aunt Meryl.
“Where did she escape to?”
I darted my head from one man to the other. “I don’t know. I just heard her laugh.”
Finnigan’s grip on my arm vanished, and he moved in front of me with a grim look on his face. “What about the previous times you saw her? How did she leave then?”
“I can’t remember. She just disappears.” I groaned as I began walking further into the burnt pile of rubble of my previous room, taking in everything with my eyes. I shivered when I noticed a personal belonging now completely scorched.
Stepping over the rubble, I slowly walked further into the room. I couldn’t help but cough at the dust floating about every time I took a step.
I waved my hand in front of my face. The smell of smoke still lingered in the room. It was haunting.
This is weird.
I frowned. The balcony door was slightly opened, letting in a soft breeze that hit my face. I looked at the gap in confusion. I was sure I hadn’t opened the door yesterday.
Grasping the door, I pushed it to the side slowly. It opened with a creak.
“Wait. What’s that?” Adyl asked.
I stopped and turned around to find Adyl staring at me. Or rather the door.
“Is that…” He pointed to the door as he began walking towards me.
My eyes darted to the spot in the door, and I felt my breath hitch. “Blood.”
“It’s still fresh. And had just dried,” Adyl murmured as he rubbed the blood between his fingers.
I didn’t know what to comprehend, what to assume or even conclude from this. Blood. I hadn’t bled anywhere near the balcony last night. Or any other night before that. What did this even mean?
Wait…
Blood? Ghosts don’t have blood, do they? But why was there blood here...
“Do you know what this means, Olivia?”
And blood meant humans…humans…That meant…
“Edika is human?”
“If it’s Edika at all,” Finnigan said, his own expression set in a serious frown.
I blinked. A thousand questions kept buzzing in my head. A thousand new possibilities. I’d seen and felt Edika. How could I deny that?
Could a human behave that way?
I felt my heart drop.
Could a…werewolf behave that way?
I didn’t how to react anymore. Looking from one boy to another, I scoffed.
“Does Edika exist or not?”
Suddenly, I didn’t know.
Chapter 25
Had I ever wondered how a wedding night would be? If I had, today, I did not remember.
The night is dying as I write this sentence, and I’m watching it take its last breath so that its lover may be able to live another day.
Last night had been my wedding night. What was worse than being left on the road of love? Marrying a man that still loved to cling to the essence of his past.
The night has just taken its last breath. The sun is being born again. A million dews have draped the shoulders of the nature around me, and all I can do is sigh in relief. The lonely night has finally passed.
Is it okay to be weak for a moment? If so, then I’d wonder where my husband is in this moment.
Perhaps with his two fruits.
How pitiful.
What is the use of deciding to water a flower garden when what he truly loves are his fruits.
Did he marry me only because of pity? In his heart, did I hold no meaning?
Was I wrong to hope…that I could earn even a small part of his affections?
Truly. How pitiful indeed.
– EL
“Ahh…Olivia.”
My attention returned to the land of gravity, and I turned my gaze towards the whispering Fin, who was now looking towards the door.
Frowning, I followed his gaze.
“That blood is mine.”
I looked back to the person who spoke, disbelief displayed on my face.
“Sophia? How is that blood yours? How did it get here?” I frowned at the timid-looking girl who was suddenly in the room standing in the centre of the doorway, her hands holding each other, turning and twisting in nervousness.
For what reason? I couldn’t tell, but it was plain on her face. Her long, black hair was braided today, which accentuated the paleness of her skin. She glowed almost unnaturally even in her white dress of a uniform.
“I was told to clean the room with some of the boys.”
My gaze moved to Adyl, only to find him frowning intently at where he stood, his gaze not wavering even once. “I can’t see her.”
I didn’t understand what he meant, but I decided to let it go for now and ask him in private out of respect for Sophia. Instead, I concentrated on the shy, voiceless girl before me.
“Where are the boys?” I asked, looking around the destroyed room.
Sophia walked further into the room, and this time, my attention moved to the blinding white bandage that wrapped around her arm.
“Oh! They went downstairs to organise a large garbage van to stand under your balcony.”
At the sight of my confused expression, she frowned. “Are you okay, Olivia? I’ve been worried about you!”
Automatically, my eyes darted between the two men, and Fin shrugged with uncertainty.
Had we lost our mind for a second? Was my need to dispel Edika as nonexistent so great that my brain immediately vetoed idea that she might be someone solid and human? Was my fear so overwhelming that the possibility of finding and dealing with her no longer counted as achievable?
I felt my shoulders slump with the sad realisation. Yes. I could not lie. Seeing the blood, I suppose I had jumped to conclusions in the hopes of having an enemy that I could defeat.
The thought that it could actually be one of the maids or workers never even occurred to me—simply because I didn’t want it to. I was too busy planning a way of dealing with a less dangerous enemy.
Instead, it was just Sophia.
My eyes found Sophia’s again, and I smiled at her warmly.
“I’m fine, Soph, all better now! Thank you for cleaning the place.”
“It’s okay. My brother sends you his regards, though.”
I was just about to reply when Fin suddenly spoke up, his stance completely straight and on alert.
“Do you have to go to work today, Your Majesty?”
I nodded, studying Fin’s stoic facial expression. Beside him, Adyl’s facial expression was blank, too.
It was strange, just standing there in awkward silence, watching the two men perform some strange magic of communicating with other people.
I felt as Sophia slowly moved into the room and behind me, her hand slowly reaching for mine. I turned towards the girl.
Her eyes went to my arm, and she let out a low breath. Her eyes found mine again. “Are you okay?”
I smiled and nodded. “Don’t worry. I’m okay.”
“Ah, King Romanov says to wear something warm. It’s cold outside.”
“All my clothes burned, remember? I just have this.”
Adyl smiled. “Well then, we should get going to your job, yeah? I hear it’s a boutique.”
~
“Say, I’ll look cool, yeah? The two of us wearing black, following Olivia around the boutique while she serves customers.” Fin chuckled from the front passenger’s seat.
Beside him, the recently appointed driver, Richard, chuckled under his breath and took a left turn.
“I bet we’ll boost the sales by a hund
red and fifty percent.” Adyl chuckled from my right, and I shot him a look of sarcastic disbelief.
“Do you know what’s the most intimidating thing to a girl?” I asked them.
Fin turned to look back, his eyebrows raised up in question.
“When guys are insanely attractive and they know it.”
“Well, we aren’t blind, are we?” Adyl coughed, feigning hurt, before he stopped and turned sober in a minute. “Thanks for admitting we’re insanely attractive, though. Really boosts our confidence, and that, too, coming from a queen.”
I couldn’t help but scoff. “Pretty sure you guys don’t require any. Oh, and by the way, you guys don’t expect me to let you two tag along as normal bodyguards, do you?”
I watched with shameless amusement as the two boys’ expressions turned from excited to suspicious in a matter of seconds.
“Then how are we going to tag along?” Fin asked, his confused gaze moving from Adyl to me.
I grinned. Catching Richard’s amused eyes in the rearview mirror, I grinned harder. Oh, this was gonna be fun!
“Congratulations, boys! Today you will earn yourselves a new job!”
~
“’Ow am I supposed to ’ire zhese men? Zhere isn’t even a vacancy,” Madame Crawfort whispered as she eyed the two boys standing near the doorway, looking really out of place.
“They’re bringing in so many customers already. Just think, Madame Crawfort. With those two in here, it’ll the double up the number of people coming in. See?” I motioned at the throng of girls gawking at Adyl and Finnigan. “Business is already blooming!” I whispered back.
Fin’s eyes caught mine, and he grinned, those sharp white canines of his shining under the bright boutique lighting.
I almost thought I even heard Madame Crawfort let out a dreamy sigh.
“Okay, you vin,” she whispered dreamily before sweeping towards the boys, her arms held wide open.
I couldn’t help but shake my head at her antics. Even she hadn’t been able to save herself from the two wolves.
“Got to admit they are good-looking.”
I grinned as I turned towards Abigail. “Hey. Don’t you have a mate, missy?”
My grin widened as Abigail’s cheeks turned a shade red. “I—I—I—I—”