Cassandra was heading down to the basement, her footsteps echoing softly on the stairs when something caught her eye. Selena and Drake were heading toward the exit—her exit. She quickly ducked behind a pillar to stay out of sight.
"This is just getting interesting," she muttered, the corners of her lips curling into a dark smirk. Her eyes followed Selena and Drake as they made their way toward the door, their bodies too close, too familiar.
"What a fool. She must be in love with that slayer if she's willing to risk everything for him. Not just once but twice"
Cassandra quietly followed Selena and Drake until they finally left the place. Once they were gone, she headed back home, eager to tell her mother what she'd seen.
*****
Drake was surprised when Selena came to his rescue. He couldn't help but wonder if she was the daughter of the man who had arrived earlier. Maybe she was a noble from her clan.
While Selena kept watch, looking for any vampires nearby, Drake's eyes stayed on her. As he studied her back, his mind cleared, and he suddenly remembered—she was the one who had saved him that night.
A rush of emotions flooded over him—relief, disbelief, and something deeper he couldn't quite understand. The woman who had risked everything to pull him from the brink of death… was Selena.
As they walked through the exit tunnel, Drake could no longer hold it in.
"You're the one who saved me that night, aren't you?" he asked, his voice thick with confusion.
Selena didn't answer. She kept her eyes ahead, focused on the path.
"Why aren't you answering me? Why are you saving me again? What's your game, huh?" His irritation slowly crept into his voice, each word sharper than the last.
"Are you mute?" he added, frustration building.
Selena sighed, but kept her silence.
"Please, just don't ask too many questions. Forget I saved you." Her voice was calm, but there was something guarded in it.
"Why?" Drake demanded, stopping in his tracks.
Selena didn't respond, her back still turned to him.
"Why?" he repeated, his tone rising now, impatience and anger flickering in his eyes.
"We've finally made it out of our territory," Selena said, her voice quiet but firm. "You know the way out of this forest. Don't ever come back. If you do, they'll kill you. And please—leave the city. Don't tell other vampire slayers about our place. We don't harm humans. We just live here, peacefully."
Drake was stunned. "Huh?" he blinked, confused. "Not harm humans? Are you crazy? Who do you think kills those young girls and others? You vampires!" His voice was sharp with disbelief.
Selena's eyes darkened, but she didn't raise her voice. "You don't understand."
"Then make me understand!" Drake's frustration was growing, the weight of the situation pressing on him.
Selena looked away, her expression unreadable. "Go home. And please… don't tell anyone about this place," she said, her tone cold now. Without another word, she turned and walked away, disappearing into the shadows.
Drake had no choice but to keep walking, each step slow and heavy. The pain in his body was unbearable, every bruise and wound screaming for attention. But it was the pain in his chest that weighed him down the most—the confusion, the questions that kept swirling in his mind.
Why did she save me? The thought gnawed at him. Selena had risked everything to pull him from danger, but why? She was a vampire, wasn't she? And yet, she had acted like… like a protector.
His mind felt foggy, his heart torn between gratitude and disbelief. What was her real reason?
As he limped through the forest, every painful step felt like a reminder that the answers were slipping farther away with each passing moment. An hour later, Drake finally saw the bright light ahead—the exit of the forest. In the center of the light, there was a shadow—someone standing there, waving and calling his name. The brightness was so intense that he couldn't make out their faces, just the shape of them. He tried to lift his hand, tried to respond, but his body was too weak. He couldn't move, couldn't speak.The shadow ran toward him, but before he could figure out who it was, everything went dark. He lost consciousness.
When Drake woke up, he found himself in his room, Lyra sitting beside him, looking worried. He shifted slightly, feeling the weight of his exhaustion.
"You can go home now," he said weakly, but with a firmness in his voice.
"No, let me stay with you," Lyra insisted, her eyes full of concern.
"I've had a long day. Go home, Lyra," he said, his face expressionless.
Lyra hesitated, not wanting to leave. But the way Drake spoke, so cold and distant, made her feel like he didn't want her there. With a heavy heart, she quietly left.