I woke up to see Dragos sitting beside me, bent over in a chair with his hands clasped tightly in front of him, his chin resting on them. He was lost in troubling thoughts, but the moment I stirred in bed, he leaped to his feet.
"Dawn… baby, hey…" he sounded so relieved, moving to sit on my bed.
I blinked up at him, still shaking off the haze of sleep. He looked worried, but there was something else in his expression… fear.
"You look fine," I said with a weak smile. "I'm happy about that."
His face remained tense, unsmiling, the worry in his eyes unmoved by my words.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"I thought I killed you. I thought I drained you completely." He replied.
I sat up slowly, a weak chuckle leaving my lips. "I'm tougher to kill than that."
But Dragos wasn't convinced. His eyes screamed of frustration. "Why didn't you use your powers to stop me earlier?"
His voice was tight, like he was scolding me and himself at the same time.
I sighed, brushing a hand through my hair. "You were going through my blood fast, Dragos. I didn't realize it until it was almost too late."
He closed his eyes for a moment as he processed my words. "I'm sorry," he said guiltily.
"Dragos, seriously, it's fine," I interrupted gently, reaching out to take his hand. "It wasn't your fault. You were in pain and out of control. I'm just glad I could relieve you of it."
His gaze held mine for a long moment. Finally, he nodded, his expression softening just a little.
"We need to go to Sinaia," he said. "I don't know when I'm going to be out of control again."
I nodded, "Okay, fine. We'll leave first thing tomorrow, then. What do you say?"
"Yeah. Okay." He exhaled a long breath, then reached up to touch my face, his fingertips dragging down the skin just below my eye to check my palor. "You seem to have healed... gotten your blood back," he said.
I shrugged. "Yeah, I'm feeling better."
"I'll get you breakfast," Dragos said, standing up.
He was heading toward the door when a sharp knock stopped him in his tracks.
"Come in," I called.
The door opened, and one of the staff appeared, looking hesitant.
I looked at Dragos in confusion, and he winked. He had taken care of everything—the bodies from yesterday and likely hired new staff. He was incredibly discreet and knew how to handle things quietly.
But my heart still ached for Ross, Lani, and the other staff that had been killed. I wondered what Dragos had told their families.
"A man's asking for you, Miss," the new male staff said, his tone formal, but there was a hint of unease behind it.
I frowned, glancing at Dragos.
"A man?" I asked, clueless. "Who is it?"
He shifted on his feet, unsure. "He didn't give his name, Miss, but he says it's important, and wouldn't leave"
Dragos was already moving toward the door. "I'll go with you," he said.
"I'm coming too," I said hurriedly, sliding out of bed.
Who could be asking for me here, in Fiji, of all places?
I knew no one. I had no friends here.
Together, Dragos and I followed the staff through the villa and out. As we drew closer, I spotted the man standing near the entrance, his back to us, his hands clasped behind him.
Then, as we were almost with him, the man turned to face us.
The entire world seemed to spin, and I froze, my breath catching in my throat.
It was him. Although I'd never met him, I'd recognize him anywhere because of how long I spent staring at his picture my mum thought she had hidden from me. Every morning, I'd sneak glimpses, memorizing his features, wondering why he left us.
He was the man who had haunted my thoughts for years, the one I'd wondered about my entire life. And now, I stood face to face with him.
My father.
"Who are you?" Dragos asked seriously, his eyes studying the man.
My father didn't break his gaze from me as he answered. "My name is Aiden," he replied calmly.
"Yeah, so?" Dragos shot back.
"Aiden Carter," he clarified, turning to face Dragos. "Dawn's father."
"No," I said firmly, shaking my head and pointing a trembling finger at him. "No, you don't get to call yourself that. My father is dead to me."
His expression softened, his voice quieter. "Dawn…"
I could feel the anger rising in my chest. "After all these years of silence, of wondering… you just show up at my door?" I demanded, my voice shaking. "Mom's dead! Did you even know that? She suffered… she... Where were you?!"
The words spilled out before I could stop them. I could barely breathe.
"You were never there. Never! If not for the picture Mom kept, I wouldn't even know what you looked like!"
Dragos wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close as his voice softened. "Babe… do you want me to kick him out?" he asked, glaring at Aiden.
"I know this is unexpected," my father began, his tone full of regret. "But…"
"You don't get to speak," Dragos snapped, cutting him off.
He turned to me again, his voice gentler. "Your call, darling. Just say the word, and I'll get him out of here."
I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. He had tracked me all the way to Fiji… why? For what reason?
I had to know. I needed answers.
"Why are you here?" I managed, my voice cold. "After all this time, why now?"
He was silent for a moment. "I know what you are," he finally said.
"And what is that?" I asked in a shrug.
"The Divine Purge."
The words knocked the wind out of me, and both Dragos and I froze, exchanging surprised looks.
How could he know that?
Dragos was the first to speak, his voice a bit tense. "We should take this inside, babe," he muttered, his eyes still hard as he shot Aiden a hostile glare. "I don't like him, but we need to hear him out."
I nodded, still processing, and turned to lead the way inside.
Our walk into the house was silent, with numerous thoughts and possibilities rushing through my mind.
Dragos walked close to me, his hand clasping mine, offering support, while Aiden followed behind.
I couldn't stop glancing back at him, my mind still reeling from the shock.
He looked almost exactly like the faded picture Mom had kept hidden in her things.
He had the same sharp jawline, the same emerald green eyes as mine, and the same dark hair but he looked older.
Time had touched Aiden, and although he was in his late forties, he was still a handsome man.
We headed straight for our bedroom upstairs and shut the door after us.
"You look just like her," Aiden said softly, his voice cracking just a little. "Your mother."
My heart broke at the mention of Mom, but I brushed off the surge of emotion. This wasn't the time to be sentimental.
"You said you know what I am" I began. "How?"
Aiden looked at me. "I'll explain everything. But first, you need to understand why I had to stay away."
I couldn't reply. A thousand questions fought for control in my mind, but none of them came out.
Anger, confusion, and disbelief churned inside me, and I was afraid if I opened my mouth to speak, I'd be consumed by them leading me to harm him in the process, with my powers.
He took a breath "I left to protect you. You and your mother. I had to keep you safe."
I scoffed, my fists clenching, suppressing the anger. "Safe? Safe, how? By abandoning us? That's your big excuse???"
"I was a vampire hunter," he said quietly. "Though I'm retired now."
I stilled, the shock hitting me like a slingshot to the face. "A vampire hunter?" I asked in disbelief "You?"
He nodded. "I was quite well-known in the vampire community," he added, glancing at Dragos with a look that made me wonder if he already knew who or rather, what Dragos was.
"I was a threat to them, and they hated me for it" he continued. "I had to leave or they would've come for me... for you if they found out I had a family," he said.
"You both would've been targets, and I couldn't risk that so I had to disappear. To make sure you were hidden from their world."
Dragos stood silently beside me, listening, his expression unreadable.
I tried to make sense of what Aiden had just told me. My long lost father was a vampire hunter. Gradually, the pieces started to fall into place. His words stung, but they also made sense. I knew enough about the supernatural world to understand the danger a vampire hunter's family would be in. But that didn't make the decades of absence any easier to accept.
"So, you left us because you thought it would be safer. That's why you stayed away all these years?" I shook my head once again.
His eyes met mine, full of regret. "Yes. And because I knew... I knew one day, you'd need to be kept away from their world. From this world. I kept you safe, the only way I knew how."