Athena kept gazing through his harsh Hazel eyes blankly without protesting on his violent behaviour. She mentally registered her mind that she deserved this rudy behaviour of him. The hate and hurt in his eyes were so real that pierced her plumping heart into pieces.

She choked inwardly still not retaliating and her skeptical gaze read his expression briefly. Even though he was hurting her but the glimmer of softness especially for her in his eyes couldn't be void and null.

Ethan increased his strength on her tongue and leaned in as his forehead created only an inch gap between them. His hot breathing fell on her cheeks like a burning fire and she heard his hoarse voice,

" You chose to stay by your clan's side. Why did you save me?"

Athena avoided their eye contact and shifted away her gaze uncomfortably somewhere else. Ethan felt enlarged at her dense silence and shouted on her face madly,

" Tell me why did you save me? Why??

Why?? "

His roaring voice hit her heart as she shouted back subconsciously,

" I can't see you dying. I can't.."

She choked and whispered still in his grip,

" I.. I just can't.."

Ethan felt his back aching suddenly as he loosened the grip before letting out a low groan,

" Aahh.."

Athena enhaled a long breathe after getting out of his grip and noticed his painful expression. She quickly went to hold him but the man jerked off her hands instantly,

" Don't touch me. You all are murderers. It makes me disgusted on you."

Athena's figure intervaled at the midway as she watched his disgust painfully.

Did he find out everything already?

As she contemplated in her thoughts, Ethan looked around wandering,

" Where am I? Where did you take me in? "

Athena was stunned for a moment and understood that Ethan was still unknown about her identity.

But why was she feeling afraid of being hated by him?

Athena gulped down her initiative words and responded briefly,

" It's my home, master. My mom had forbidden me to visit human world anymore. That's why I couldn't go to meet you."

Ethan growled in pain before looking up at her suspiciously. Whatever happens earlier, he couldn't deny the truth that Athena had saved him several times.

Ethan took a swift look of his surroundings and asked suspiciously,

" It seems like an old castle. Why do you live here? What's your relationship with the vampire King?"

Athena's heart skipped a beat at the mention of his words. She almost made up her mind to reveal everything but she couldn't betray her brother too. If Esme wanted to leave this world on her own, she wouldn't oppose her decision. But informing Ethan everything right now, it would make her doing a worse sin by betraying her own blood relationship.

Moreover she was the main reason behind Edward's death!

How could she say the truth to Ethan?

He threw the question and waited for the answer frowning at her puzzled face deeply. After a while, Athena came up with a reasonable answer as she replied lowering her gaze to hide the guilt,

" Nothing especial. My mom works under him in the court."

Ethan gazed at her deeply before settling down himself on the bed and asked with a tone of pleading,

" Can you help me meeting Serena in that castle? How did you manage to take me here?"

Athena sighed helplessly and explained everything,

" I can't Ethan. If anyone finds us out there, we both will be prisoned for eternity. I had found about your abduction through my vampire friend, Siemus who helped me to save you. Only she has the permission to carry out any outsider in our world."

Athena's every answers seemed reasonable to Ethan thus his anger for her sudden disappearing had subsided a lot. Moreover why would she help him always when they didn't had any relationship?

They were only strangers, weren't they?

He calmed down a little and suddenly recalled the words told by the leader as his eyes turned bloodshot again. He spoke looking down on the floor blankly,

" Why do the vampires want to kill me? They have even killed my elder brother. But they told that they had been ordered to do that."

Athena also thought about this matter and agreed with his statement staring away blankly,

" Even I found out it too."

She knew that her mother had ordered to kill Edward but she always felt that there was another person with her. Queen Mother had the reason to kill Edward but why would she try to kill Ethan?

She looked outside distracted and continued,

" They were speaking about a mastermind behind all of these. But I couldn't get to know his name."

Ethan looked up at her saddened expression and asked with hesitance,

" Can you help me out finding this group of Vampires? I need to find out the real murderer behind my elder brother before I take back my sister from that ruthless king."

Athena turned her face and saw his pleading face blankly.

He only needed her help, didn't he?

Whatever she also needed revenge for Edward's death. Thus she nodded her head slightly and said,

" I will help you finding them. That's all I can do for you. Except that don't ask anything from me, Ethan. I'm helpless."

Ethan understood her and nodded comprehensively with her decisions. Suddenly his eyes saw the light red mark on her collarbone and felt guilty.

He got up from the bed slowly and came close to her before reaching out to rub her collarbone asking softly,

" Did I hurt you? "

Athena jolted at his action and somehow felt perturbed for a moment. She hesitantly stepped back rubbing her aching spot awkwardly and replied lowering her eyes,

" I'm.. I'm okay. It's nothing much."

Ethan's eyes dimmed at her sudden rejection and felt extremely distressed in his heart. They had seen each others after a long time but still this woman treated him weirdly.

His alluring gaze observed her discomfort for a while but still approached towards her boldly,

" Athena.. Did you miss me?"

This line seemed to hit the deepest core of her heart as she started stepping backwards nervously.

On the flip side, Athena also stepped back abruptly at his approach and tried to remind herself that this was her brother-in-law and they should keep distance from each others.

She moved at a corner where there was no way out of stepping back and muttered seeing his approach,

" Ethan, you.. you aren't recovered yet. Lie down on the bed until Siemus comes."

Ethan whispered softly " I will" but his paces didn't stop from moving forward. Athena's heart started thumbing violently as she breathed rapidly.

Ethan leaned his face closer to her trembling figure and whispered softly in her ears,

" You seem to avoid me, Athena. What's wrong? Shouldn't I be the one to ignore you?"

Athena's lips trembled clutching the hem of her clothes tightly in nervousness and replied avoiding his lust filled eyes,

" No.. I was just telling you to rest well."

Ethan gazed at her face deeply and stated truthfully,

" You know what?

I missed you madly. "

Athena's wavered heart sank as she lifted up her eyes partially widened in shock. She badly wanted to spit out that he shouldn't !

She was the reason behind his brother dead!

But all her words were stuck in her tongue because of her nervousness arousing from her heart or she couldn't bear his hatred no one knows!

But the next moment, she heard something unexpected from Ethan who was staring at her thin lips,

" Can I kiss you?"

Athena's mind stopped working for a while as she gazed deep through his intoxicated eyes. The love of his eyes seemed so surreal that she lost all her earlier warnings inside her brain instantly.

Feeling drunk under his hypnotised eyes, she nodded her head in agreeing without thinking about the outcome. At the final moment, her lips were sealed by a pair of cold lips harshly before she could give it a second thought.

His kiss contained roughness as if he was craving for it for thousand years. His tongue inserted into her mouth sucking each of it's corner while one of his hand pulled her frozen figure closer.

Athena even couldn't get the chance to respond but her arms completely denied her order and wrapped his neck initiatively.

This little gesture excited Ethan more as she pressed her figure against the wall still devouring her lips. To give them another enjoyable pleasure, his left hand went under her right thigh and swiftly pulled it up. He wrapped it around his waist like a chain as she kept standing in tiptoe.

His cold palm gently brushed the skin of her thigh as she quivered at his sensual touches. Her tummy started gathering butterflies and a familiar arousal started coursing from her abdomen.

She felt blank against his fiery kisses and continued staying numb. Between his fiery kisses, he heard his mumbled words vaguely,

" Athena... I...I.. missed you s..so..much.."