I had never shot more bullets ever in my life. The sound of flying bullets echoed throughout the whole forest disturbing wild animals and bird. We had been running and running for what seemed like hours. Nick had his muscular arm on my shoulder as I helped supporting his weight while I kept glancing back every five seconds to make sure no one caught up to us. It was hard works alright.

" These are Prada. We are definitely coming back for them. Do you understand? " I asked looking at him sternly.

His eyes went down to my feet as I took off the heels I would have died for but not now. I couldn't die today so ditching the heels was a necessity because running in them hurt like a bitch.

" I can buy you more. " he shrugged as we ran passed the shoes with a sad expression on my face.

" Don't act nice now. If we die, I'm going to spend the rest of our afterlife reminding you that this was all your fault. " I grunted as we ran past hundred and hundred of trees without stopping.

" I apologize for not catching the bullet that flew into my shoulder. " he rolled his eyes.

This was it. This was my special moment and my golden ticket out of this mess. I could just kill him and left him here to become wild animals breakfast tomorrow.

But, no. I couldn't do that because apparently my attraction to him didn't stop and only got stronger every other days. And, it pissed me off a little.

" This is your chance to run for your freedom. Go. " he said looking straight ahead into the dark forest.

He had caught me completely off guard. I watched his side profile, his grey eyes shined against the moonlight so brightly I could almost see the light behind its darkness making me wondered how many people those eyes looked into before he sent them to hell.

My eyes lingered on his sharp jawline remembering all the sleepless nights I had spent trailing my finger down the sculptured bone as I watched him slept so peacefully liked a creep I was, wondering what could he and his family have done to make my father hated them so much that he even went above and beyond to create a weapon just to kill them all.

" I can't run. I still have unfinished business here. " I stated the bitter truth not caring if he would suspect me and went back to questioning the hell out of me.

" That was a test and you almost failed. I would have chase you down to the end of the world if that the last thing I would do, Ana. " he said finally turning to face me.

" So, unfinished business huh? Are you still trying to kill us? " he chuckled bitterly.

That felt like a stab straight into my heart. I flinched at his bitter sarcasm. It pained me to know that he still didn't trust me, and I could never blame him because I wouldn't trust me either. But, it still hurt when he threw that right into my face. His family had been nothing but nice toward me. Hell, they were more of a family to me than my father could ever be, making the thought of killing them right disgusted me to core.

" I was here to kill your family, Nick. I admit that. But, now I just want the truth. " I found myself saying. Guilt started to suffocate my senses.

" Truth? " he cocked an eyebrow at me.

" Nothing. Let's go. I see a building a few hundred feet away. We could hide there tonight. " I mumbled tightening his arm around my shoulder as I helped him walked, hoping he would forget what I just said.

It turned out that the building was an abandoned mansion in the middle of nowhere. This place looked like it came straight out of a horror movie. It was a two stories victorian style house with beaten windows and had no front door. On the porch stood a rocking chair that kept swinging back and forth as the strong cold wind blew freely through the air.

Lighting strike across the midnight sky making a thunderous sound almost making me jumped back and before we knew it rain water started to drizzle down on us as the moonlight dimmed onto the roof of the beaten up mansion.

" This shit looks like it is haunted. " he muttered narrowing his eyes at the building and I couldn't help but laughed.

" Are you seriously telling me that you're scared of ghost? " I giggled making him glared at me.

" I killed many people before. Their ghosts might hold grudges against me, you know. " he shook his head chuckling to himself.

" You and me both, buddy. But, I'm not scared of them, they knew they had it coming. " I said.

Oh boy, did I regret saying that. If the outside screamed haunted house, the inside was ten time worse. I was sure as hell this place was listed on the top ten most haunted place in England.

The furnitures were still in there places but we're all covered by what seemed to be white cloth filled with holes that had turned yellow-ish and old as time passed. I looked around the place skeptically trying to take in the house we were supposed to stay at for the night. The paintings around the wall were what scared me most, especially with the one of a lady holding up her champagne glass with a cigar in her mouth.

I could have sworn she was glaring at me through her eyes. Petty old fashioned bitch must be jealous I got a hot man attached to my hips.

" I know this place. " Nick's voice brought me out of my staring contest with the lady in the painting.

I turned my head toward his direction cocking an eyebrow at him in confusion. " What? "

" Look at my wound first then I can tell you bed time story. " he hissed in pain. I looked at him apologizing through my eyes for forgetting about the bullet in his shoulder.

We both decided that it was best to stay in one of the rooms upstair just in case someone followed us here. We might have a better chance killing them first from the top floor. The farthest room, which we picked, on the first floor was by far the least sketchy room in this entire place because there was a door and a balcony that we could jump from if anything happened.

" Let me help you take off your shirt. " I said after sitting him down on a small bench that was in the room.

" I would have enjoyed this if we were under another circumstances. But, I will take what I can get. " he joked earning an unimpressed looks from me.

I helped him take his shirt off slowly and carefully trying to not hurt his wound. He had lost so much blood, I didn't even know how he hadn't fainted yet. I had seen so much more blood before, both mine and others, but none of those compared to this. My stomach stirred as I stared his drenched dress shirt, it almost pained me to see him in this stage, it was at this moment that I knew I could never be able to kill him.

Again. I was totally in deep shits.

" I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I wish Eden was here. He would have known exactly what to do. " I sighed while tearing a piece of cloth off his shirt.

" I always hate it when he treated me. That motherfucker is a cold hearted jerk. " Nick rolled his eyes.

" He sounds like you. " I laughed as I covered his wound with the piece of cloth applying pressure with both of my hands trying to stop the blood as much as I could.

" You do know exactly what you're doing. " he said as I continued to do my things.

" Oh. Getting shot is my full time job and treating the wounds is my hobby. " I said making him shook his head amused.

I gathered some sticks that I found around the house to make a small campfire in the middle of the room because it was getting cold and I would rather burn down this haunted place than died in coldness.

We both sat against the wall with the guns closed to me just in case. I leaned my head against his shoulders taking a deep breath. It had been a long day and the Nicholas trying to treat me like his other minions show finished almost ending both of our lives.

The atmosphere was silence as we both stared at the dancing fire not uttering a word to one another and the sound of the storm outside dominated the room alongside the numerous striking thunders.

" You said you know this place. " I asked breaking the silence.

" Father and I used to come here a lot when I was a kid. I only noticed the place when we came inside. I hadn't been here for years. We practiced shooting here. I trained here during the first ten years of my life. I can assure you, it's not haunted, just old. " he said. I sighed in relief.

We had enough shooters, we didn't need ghosts haunting us now, did we?

" Never mind. It could be haunted. " he said making me glared at him.

" You just said it isn't, asshole. " I muttered.

" My father held his most hated prisoner here for ten years, torturing him everyday until his last breath. His angry soul must still hang around. " he shrugged his shoulders just to regret it soon after as he hissed in pain. Served him right.

If I was idolizing Seth Salvatore before, I was completely star struck now. He earned that title of his in every ways alright. The man was so brutally amazing.

" Damn. What have he done? " I asked getting curious.

" Long history between his family and mine. We had been rivals for years, since before I was born. Father didn't mind him that much because they used to be friend and all, but kidnapping and harassing my mother when she was pregnant with me was the last strike. " he said, his eyes darkened. I could almost see fume coming out of his ears.

I didn't blame him for holding grudges because I would too. Kidnapping Alana when she was carrying Nicholas was horrible. Gosh what kind of a monster was that. Whatever Mr Salvatore did to him, he definitely deserved it.

" Who's the guy? " I suddenly asked.

" He was the last Russian's leader standing. I think his name was Dmitri Petrov. " he said and my heart dropped. There was no way.

➺ ✿ ➻