Daryn came very late that night and avoided her at all costs. He received a call from Caleb that he would join him for tea the next morning.

Daryn and Maya had sat down for tea in their front garden in the pergola that was covered with bluebells on the top. Maya's face was beaming with excitement. She smiled at Daryn and said, "I am sorry about what happened in the office yesterday Daryn. This won't repeat." She stopped to pick her cup. After having some tea she continued, "I know that you don't want to join me for social gatherings. It's okay with me if you don't want to, but this cannot continue, especially after our wedding."

​​

Darn exhaled heavily. He ignored her, sipped his tea and flipped the page of the newspaper. He got particularly interested in an article by DW. He contemplated on contacting the man and hiring him for his Company. DW's insights on the market were amazing. His attention was broken by a shrill ringtone. Maya's phone rang. He noticed that she picked up the phone immediately.

"Just a second," she excused herself from him with a sweet smile that contradicted her face's nervous expressions. She walked away from there to a distance so that Daryn couldn't listen to her.

"Why have you called?" she asked in a whisper. "I have already wired you the money."

"You have to give us her address. She can be easily killed near her home," the man said.

"I have sent you all the information I have about her," she replied in a jarring voice. "Don't call me again until the job is over."

"Okay, but keep a watch on your fiancé. I don't want him to come sniffing after me."

"Then do your job well!" she said and pressed the red button on her phone. "Ass!" she muttered under her breath.

Daryn's hair on the neck stood. His mind became numb. Who was she talking to? Who were they planning to murder? And why did he say to keep a watch on 'your fiancé'? He picked his jacket from the back of his chair and walked out. He had to find what she was up to. Did this involve Dawn?

"Where are you going?" Maya asked. Surely he couldn't have heard the conversation. She had walked very far from him.

He didn't reply.

"Daryn," she ran after him but he slammed the door of his car and dashed out.

She gritted her teeth. He was in such a great hurry to meet her. Soon she would be killed. Maya closed her fists tightly and walked back.

Darn drove to Neal's place. He narrated everything to him. "She is getting out of control."

"Why don't you confront her Daryn?" Neal said leaning forward with a frown on his face. "I told you that this is going to have serious repercussions. Maya is too smart. On the outside she is showing that she is the victim of the marriage while on the inside she is getting Dawn killed. I warned you that before also. Maya is way too powerful for Dawn. And as for you, if you go and refute her or expose her, she won't suffer a bit, but every pureblood is going to come after you if she opens her mouth about Dawn. Do I need to tell how much neotides are hated?"

Daryn turned his head away from Neal. It was such a tight situation that he felt like ripping Maya off her life. She was like that poison ivy who was gripping the walls of his life and his family. He looked at Neal and said, "Find out the call details of whom she talked with. At the same time, gather a team of your men to keep a close watch on all the forest area."

"Why don't we simply keep a watch on Dawn's home?" asked Neal.

Daryn lowered his eyes. The girl had given them the wrong address on the resume but how could he say that. Maybe she had reasons. He would dig deeper into this issue later. "No, that would tick the killers and they would never come out. We have to keep this operation under wraps until they strike."

Neal shook his head in exasperation over Daryn's protectiveness about Dawn. "Okay, I will do that," he said and got up to get ready.

For the next two days, Daryn and Neal along with their teams combed the forest and the adjoining areas to find the killer but there was no luck. There were no incidents of murder. He hadn't even gone to the office. It was out of desperation to meet Dawn that he went there that day. He didn't want to say anything to her for the fear that she would become uselessly afraid but just warned her generally.

When he met her, she looked lovely. He absorbed all he could and left, motivated to save her.

On the night of attack, Neal and him picked up the smell of rogue neotides in Ensmoire Forest. They ran to them and were aghast to see that they had surrounded Dawn who was now critically injured. He attacked them the moment he saw them. He wanted to protect Dawn, sit next to her and kill all of them, but three more came and with only Neal besides him, he had to fight with them. They chased the neotides and killed them. After killing them, when he returned to take her back home, she wasn't there. His heart pulsed like mad. Rest was history. He felt he would wither away unless he listened to her voice. He left messages and called her a number of times. Only when he heard her breath on phone, did he feel peace at heart.

---

Present

Neal had traced all the calls and the record was with him. He was going to meet Gayle. Suddenly his phone rang. It was from his father. "I will meet you in your office after lunch. Something has come up."

Daryn pursed his lips. He knew that his father had come to know about his hesitance in marrying Maya and was avoiding him. He opened his tie, and shirt and wore a hoodie over jeans. He drove to the office. Dawn's car was standing in the parking. He rushed up to meet her. When he reached his floor, he found that she wasn't there. Reyna informed him, "Ms. Dawn is in a meeting with the procurement department. A process needs to be followed for allocation of funds for the project."

He nodded and waited for her wishing that the time would speed up. He couldn't focus on his work and kept looking at his office door hoping to pick her fresh scent. Maya must have called him more than ten times but he didn't pick her call. There was a ping on his phone. It was a text from Maya. He picked his phone to read when all at once he heard chatter on the outside. Dawn was there. His breathing grew heavier. Daryn rose from his chair, opened his office door and pinned her with his stare.

Her body froze and found his eyes conveying rage that prickled under his skin mixed with hunger.

"Ms. Dawn, please come into my office," his voice was more of a plea than an order.

Her breathing accelerated and she clasped the file she was holding to her chest.

She nodded and walked inside as he held the door open for her. As soon as she closed the door, Daryn held her hand and pulled her against the wall.

"Daryn…"

There was that look again and she forgot to breathe. She realized that it wasn't rage and hunger but it was hunger and rage.

He leaned down and placed his hands on either side of Dawn.