Once Angel and Blaire’s wedding was over, the entire castle became restless. In three days time, the war would begin. Blaire’s actions at the wedding had infuriated Lord Grimm and due to that. He was now pushing for war now more than ever. Everyone in the castle was making preparations, as for Ziek. Someone who had never fought in a war before. This whole thing was a new experience for him. He had no idea what to expect or what to do or even how to prepare.

On top of that, there was the fact both of his sisters were on the werewolf side of the war. He was expected to kill them both. How could he prepare himself mentally for that? There was no way Ziek could. His only option was to let this war be it. Better for him to die than to be responsible for murdering his sisters. Three days, that’s all he has left. Sadly, the person he wanted to spend his last days with was too busy to spend time with him.

Since the day of the Lunar Ball, Ziek’s relationship with Selene had hit its all time low. Not that he blamed her. He knew going into the relationship. Selene was going to put her role as second in command before him. He could live with that but now that she’s being promoted to commander. Which, of course, he’s proud of her accomplishment. She’s finally being given her dream. Though, everything rested on Lord Alexander’s evaluation.

Lord Alexander told Selene, during these three days. He’d give her three strikes, that’s it. He was watching her every move making sure. Everything Selene did was befitting of the title of commander. Stress was high for her, she couldn’t afford any screw ups or she’d risk losing everything she’s dreamed of.

Ziek understood the amount of pressure Selene was facing right now. But, he struggled with the fact that as his girlfriend. She just wasn’t there for him. They hardly spoke to each other anymore. He tried to tell her how he was scared of the upcoming war. He couldn’t tell her about his sisters or the stress he was dealing with there. Even if he wanted to, she just didn’t have time for him anymore.

Ziek was starting to feel like she didn’t care about him. He couldn’t talk to her, he couldn’t go on dates with her, and on top of that. They hadn’t had sex since they got back from the Lunar Ball. He was starting to worry that his relationship with Selene was beginning to hit a dead end. Perhaps, he could try talking to her one more time, anything to prevent a break up. He walked over to the main hall. Selene was there standing in the hall, she had a clipboard in hand reading over it. It had some kind of checklist on it.

“Hey Selene,” Ziek put his hands in his pockets. “You got a minute?” Selene was still standing there. Her eyes fixated on the clipboard. It was filled with check marks meaning she was either double checking everything or, she was checking things off before she did them. Odds are, she’s beyond double checking. She’s most likely triple checking at this point. “Selene,” He tapped her shoulder to get her attention.

“Not now, Ziek, I’m busy.” Selene tapped her pen on the clipboard. “Let’s see, I’d better make sure we got enough weapons to supply the troops. I’d better check the storage room to see if we have enough silver to make more,” She began walking down the hall. He walked down the hall with her. “After that, I’d better check on all the training again to make sure everyone is prepared for battle. We won’t win if we’re not prepared.”

“Look, I know you’re busy.” Ziek stood in front of her blocking her path. “Believe me, I get it, you’re under a lot of pressure right now. But we really need to talk,” Selene tried to walk past him but blocked her path again. “I was thinking that we could go hang out in town for a bit. Go look around and talk over some drinks. It’ll be fun,” He placed his hands on her hips. “We can do whatever you want. I just really want to spend time with you.”

“I can’t right now, excuse me,” Selene walked past him. He grabbed her clipboard and held it up over his head. She tried to reach for it but he stood on his tip toes so she couldn’t reach it. “Ziek, give me back my clipboard before I kick you in the balls. I swear you will be ball-less if you don’t give me back my clipboard. You have until the count of three.” She crossed her arms. “One,” She glared at him. “Two,” She tapped her foot and held out her hand. “If I get to three, I’m kicking you Ziek, no joke. Two and a half.”

“Hold on, give me your pen,” Ziek reached for her pen. She rolled her eyes and gave him the pen. He began to write on her checklist. He drew a check box and wrote the words: Have sex with boyfriend. “There,” He handed her back the clipboard. “You better make sure you check those boxes. It wouldn’t hurt to triple check them either.” He winked at her after he gave her back her pen.

“Yeah, no,” Selene drew a line over his checkbox and crossed out the words. “You can just jerk off tonight. Make sure you use lube not lotion. Lotion isn’t the same thing as lube. One is better for your dick than the other. Now excuse me,” She moved Ziek over to the side. “I have work to do.” She walked off,

“But Selene,” Ziek argued. “The war is in three days. You’re telling me I can’t have sex with you at all before then.” He chased after her. “Come on, please, spend some time with me, we don’t even have to sex. I just want one day with you before the war.”

“Like I said, use lube not lotion,” Selene took out a key and unlocked the storage room. “Goodbye, Ziek.” She walked inside and shut the door. He tried to open it but she locked him out. He let out a deep sigh.

“Not even a quickie,” Ziek yelled through the door. “Damn it,” He kicked the door.

“Welcome to my world,” Fate was sitting in the hall. His pale blue eyes were reading through a medical book. He had a cup of blood sitting beside him. He picked the glass up and took a sip. “Scythe and I haven’t had sex in five years. So,” He set the glass back down on the floor. “I know your pain. Though, I’m surprised you didn’t see this coming. Selene being commander means you’re not getting laid. Enjoy the sex you had because that ship has sailed. From now on, it’s dirty mags, porn and self pleasure.”

“No, it’s not.” Ziek argued. “Selene will come around, back when we first started dating she was all over me. This is temporary, pretty soon, she’ll be back to wanting it all the time. Trust me, she still wants it.”

“Keep telling yourself that, delusion works too.” Fate picked up his glass and took another sip. “I used to say the same shit. Scythe never put out, he just stopped having sex with me. Now, it’s become the norm, we’d try for sex. But then Jayden happened and now. I’m never having sex with my boyfriend again. It’s gone, Scythe is too busy for me and I get it.” He shrugged. “That’s why I just take care of it myself. I started dating Patience because Scythe and me weren’t having sex anymore. She was the solution and now she’s gone. So now,” He let out a deep sigh. “My sex life is over and may it rest in peace.”

“No, that’s not happening to me,” Ziek walked up to the door and tried to open it. “Selene, have sex with me please.” He banged on the door. “I need you to want sex Selene, I need you to want it. Whatever I got to do to fix our sex life tell me and I’ll do it.” The door opened and Selene walked out with the clipboard. “Selene, oh thank you,” He hugged her. “You’re finally coming to your senses.”

“You’re still here,” Selene raised her brow. “I thought I told you we weren’t doing anything. Now, go away, I’m busy.” She walked away from him. Ziek fell on his ass and sulked as his girlfriend left him high and dry.

“I told you,” Fate flipped the page. “That’s the sound of your sex life dying.” Ziek sat down next to him. “You should get a drink to drown away your sorrows. It works for me.” He picked his wine glass and drank from it. “It’s okay, you’ll always have your hand to keep you company.”

“No, I have to fix this,” Ziek rose to his feet. “I will not be ignored by my girlfriend in my time of need. I’ll just go to town and buy her flowers. That usually works, women love flowers. It’s a fact even if it’s Selene. I’ll restore the romance and everything will be back to normal.” Fate cleared his throat.

“There’s only one problem with that,” Fate set his empty glass down. “You can’t just go to town and get flowers. See vampires like us,” He turned the page of his medical book. “We don’t get to go to town whenever we want. We’re not allowed,” He took out a bookmark and placed it inside his book. “There’s too many risks involved.” He shut his book and rose to his feet. “That’s why we have to get permission to use the Sun Repellant IX. One, it wastes supplies and two well, like I said it’s risky.”

“What do you mean by vampires like us?” Ziek asked. Fate let out a long sigh and shut his eyes briefly.

“You’re really going to make me spell it out for you, aren’t you?” Fate ran his hand through his dark blue hair. “Vampires who were turned and not born into it.” He explained. “We have the tendency to bond with humans on a level that most vampires can’t. Since we were human once and still have our human memories. It’s easier for us to relate to other humans. There’s always a part of us who misses our human lives and because of that.” He crossed his arms. “We’re likely to fall in love with a human. Most times, it’s not real love, it’s the nostalgia of being human that makes us vulnerable to those types of feelings. So it’s kind of like, we become infatuated with them without realizing it. We mistake that feeling for love which causes problems.”

“Yeah well,” Ziek laughed. “That’s not going to happen to me, so,” He shrugged his shoulders. “I used to be human. That doesn’t make it okay to keep me trapped in the castle like a prisoner. I should be allowed to come and go as I please. Just like the vampires who are born that way. They should have more faith in us.” He laughed again. “Besides, Selene’s my girlfriend, I can’t fall in love with someone if I’m already taken.”

“You’ll be surprised,” Fate replied. “I’ve met vampires who were born that way. Even they were able to fall in love with a human. I’m not talking about infatuation, I’m talking about love, some of them even grow to admire them. I’m telling you, it’s a risk, a dangerous risk especially for us. So I wouldn’t advise going to town by yourself.”

“Wait, but you can make the Sun Repellant IX.” Ziek pointed at him. “So how do they stop you from going into town by yourself?” He asked. “You could easily sneak out and they’d never know.”

“I can make it but,” Fate leaned against the wall. “I’m not stupid enough to run the risk of being involved with a human. So they don’t have to tell me anything. Hell, I don’t even need permission to use the Sun Repellant IX. It’s because I know the risk and know how dangerous it is. I won’t open myself up to it. Even with their trust, I still refuse to go into town by myself. It’s too risky so if I were you.” He walked up to Ziek. “I wouldn’t get any ideas, stay in the castle where it’s safe. Trust me, you don’t want any part of what that risk will get you.”

Ziek watched as Fate walked down the hall. He understood Fate’s concern but could that really be true? He’s dating Selene, he’d never get involved with a human. Besides, it wasn’t fair that the other vampires were allowed to leave just because. They viewed humans as nothing more than food. So all they had to do was control their thirst for blood. He could do that, it was one of the perks of being a former human. They’re naturally better at it than a vampire who was born a vampire. Besides, him falling in love with a human. There’s just no way. He’s not that stupid and he’d prove it. He could be trusted and besides. He was only going out to get flowers for Selene.

If Ziek remembered correctly, Blaire was on her honeymoon with Angel. This means he could go into her room undetected. She must keep some Sun Repellant IX in her room as a safety measure. He walked over to Blaire’s bedroom and struck the door with his shoulder. He made sure to use just enough strength to break open the lock. Once he was inside, he walked over to her nightstand and opened the drawer.

“Damn it, no, Sun Repellant,” Ziek whispered as he closed the drawer. He heard a light knock on the door frame. He quickly shifted his gaze over to where the sound came from. Blaire was there at the door frame. She was wearing a red button up shirt, the buttons partially undone allowing him to see her black lace bra. Over it, she wore a black leather jacket and tight leather pants. She had long heeled boots made of black leather.

“Looking for this,” Blaire reached into her bra and pulled out a bottle of Sun Repellant IX. He forced a swallow as she walked over to him. Her red lips formed a devilish smirk as her heels clacked against the floor. How could she be here? She wasn’t supposed to be back from her honeymoon until the three days were up. He’d figured she’d be back early but not this early. She just left for her honeymoon not even a couple of hours ago. What did she decide to fuck Angel and leave?

“Blaire, you’re back already,” Ziek gulped as she placed her hand on his chest. He watched as her finger ran along the edges of his solid black tank. She brought her lips close to his. “Blaire,” He pulled away. “You’re married to my brother.” She stepped forward and reached for his belt. “You shouldn’t be making advancements toward me.” He took her hands off his waist. “Besides,” She went to kiss him again and he backed into the dresser. “I’m dating Selene,” He pointed out. “She’s your best friend. Think about what that would do to her.”

“You’re right,” Blaire brought her lips close to his. “I couldn’t dare to hurt her like that.” She ran her hand down his cheek. “It was a nice thought though.” She smirked. “So is this what you’re after?” She held up the bottle of Sun Repellant IX. “Here,” She took out a single dose and gave it to him. “Go ahead and take it. Just be sure not to tell anyone where you got it otherwise we’d both be in trouble. Besides, we wouldn’t want Selene to find out about this.” She pressed her lips against Ziek’s forcing the kiss.

Ziek kept trying to make her let go, her right hand was grabbing his shirt in order to keep him from pulling away. Her other hand was running down his jeans getting closer and closer to his belt. It felt his belt snap as Blaire proceeded to remove it. The moment she tried to touch his cock and tease it. He caught her hand, squeezing it tightly with one hand. He used his other hand to swat her hand making her let go of his shirt.

“Enough, Blaire,” Ziek grabbed both of her wrists and pushed her back. “I already told you,” He zipped up his zipper. “I’m not having sex with you. I’m taking this and,” He held up the dose of Sun Repellant IX. “I’m leaving that’s it, now stay the fuck away from me.” He wiped her red lipstick off his lips and left her bedroom. He couldn’t get out of there fast enough. He didn’t even bother to pick up his belt off the floor.

Ziek just didn’t understand. Why would Blaire want to hurt Selene like that? It didn’t matter. She wasn’t going to mess up his relationship. It was messed up enough as is, that’s why he’s trying to go to town and get flowers so he can fix it. Just as he was about to leave the castle. He was stopped by Selene’s voice.

“Just where do you think you’re going?” Selene crossed her arms. “The sun’s out, you’ll burn to death unless you have Sun Repellant and-,” Ziek’s eyes shot open as Blaire came running out of her room. Her red hair was all messed up, her clothes tampered with. Her lipstick smeared and she had the look of absolute fear in her eyes.

“Selene, stop him, he tried to rape me.” Blaire yelled. “Ziek was in my room and I had just got back from my honeymoon with my husband. He was looking for some Sun Repellant and told me if I didn’t give it to him. He was going to rape me.” She rushed over to Selene’s side. “Selene,” She began wiping tears from her eyes. “Ziek tried to take advantage of me, look I have proof.” She showed Selene, Ziek’s belt. “He’s a monster Selene, he doesn’t care about you, he just wants sex.”

“What,” Ziek damn near yelled. Blaire’s trying to set him up. This was a ruse to destroy his relationship with Selene. She’s trying to break them up. Surely, Selene could see right through it. Like he’d ever cheat on her. “That’s not even true.” He argued. “I never touched her, she touched me.” He pointed at himself. “That’s not what happened. I mean yes,” He shrugged. “I went into her room but I swear I never forced myself on her. Selene,” He reached for her but she backed away. “You’ve got to believe me on this. I swear, I’d never do that.”

“So what?" Blaire wiped tears from her eyes. "You’re saying I did this to myself,” She pointed at herself. “I have his belt Selene,” She held up his belt. “He took it off himself. I’m your best friend, why would I lie to you? We grew up together, I’d never betray you like that.” He couldn’t believe this, Blaire was setting him up and Selene was falling right into it. She was considering Blaire’s bizarre story. Still, he had to try to make her see that he’s telling the truth.

“Selene, listen to me,” Ziek stared directly into Selene’s eyes. “She’s lying to you, I promise you, I did not try to rape Blaire. I swear on my life,” He placed his hand on his heart. “That’s not what happened so please, I need you to believe me on this.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out the dose of Sun Repellant. “I only came to get this, that’s it, I swear.” Selene’s eyes shifted back and forth from him to Blaire.

“Well, you got it,” Blaire’s eyes began fill with tears. “You forced me to give it to you otherwise. I’d be forced to betray my husband. Poor Angel, when he finds out what you tried to do. It’s going to break his heart. What type of friend forces himself on his best friend’s wife?” She ran to Selene and hugged her. She began crying on her chest.

“First off, Angel’s not my friend. He’s my brother and I’d never do that to him.” Ziek corrected her. “Which is why I’m telling you Selene,” He stared deep into Selene’s eyes as he said these words. So, she’d know he was telling the truth. “I didn’t do anything to Blaire. Selene, I love you, I’d never do that, you’ve got to believe me.”

“I want to believe you Ziek, I do. But,” Selene grabbed his belt from Blaire. “She has proof Ziek, if that’s not what happened. Then how’d she get this?” She threw it to him. “Besides, Blaire’s never lied to me about anything. She’s my best friend and she’d never try anything to sabotage me, or my relationships. So either she’s lying or you are. Honestly, since you were trying to get sex from me earlier odds are she’s telling the truth. I mean,” She scoffed. “I don’t put out so your next move is to try to have sex with my best friend. I thought this was beneath you but I guess I was wrong.”

“But, I’m telling the truth,” Ziek argued. “She only has my belt because she took it off of me. I never touched her, hell, she even kissed me. I’m telling you, I didn’t do anything to Blaire. If anything, it was her, she’s setting you up Selene. This is all a trick.”

“Selene, he’s a liar,” Blaire quickly spat back. “I’d never do that to you.” She smirked, “Remember, I’ve been your best friend since we were kids. We grew up together. Why would I want to do anything to hurt you?” She asked. “It’s like I told you in the past,” She glared at Ziek, he glared back at her. He wasn’t one for hitting a woman but in this case. He was starting to consider it. Blaire is no woman, she’s a monster. “Boys are nothing more than manipulators. They’ll lie to get the things they want and the moment you stop giving it to them. They’ll go to someone else. They have no loyalty unlike our friendship.” She glanced over at Selene.

“I’ve always been there for you, Selene,” Blaire pointed out. “Now It’s your turn to be there for me. So I ask you, What’s more important? Our friendship or some guy you only used for sex?” She shifted her gaze to Ziek. “He weaseled his way into a relationship you didn’t even want. Now, he’s trying to weasel his way out of this, He’s manipulating you Selene. Surely you see that. You have the power to stop it right here and I encourage you to do so.”

“Selene, no, that’s not even true.” Ziek argued. “I’m not manipulating you. I’m only trying to love you Selene. Surely you know that. So please, I need you to believe me,” Selene ran her finger through her hair and let out a deep sigh.

“I don’t have time to deal with this,” Selene rolled her eyes. “So whatever is going on with you two,” She pointed at Blaire and Ziek. “Can wait. So for now, take the damn Sun Repellant that got you in this mess in the first place and go away. I’ve got work to do,” She held up the clipboard.

Ziek couldn’t believe this. Selene couldn’t even be there for him in situations like this. Blaire is literally accusing him of raping her and she couldn’t even stop what she was doing for a second. Just to defend him when he really needed her to. Instead all she cared about was her title as commander. That will always be more important than him. He thought he could accept that but after this, he knew he couldn’t. Not anymore, she had to decide.

“No, we’ll talk about this now,” Ziek took her clipboard from her. Selene tried to reach for it but he held it up over his head. “Choose Selene, this,” He waved the clipboard at her. “Or me, I’m done placing second. Time to choose. If you can’t be there for me in times like this, times where I really need you there. Then, obviously this isn’t going to work. Unless, you choose. Us or this,” He waved the clipboard. “Selene, pick one because I’m done.”

“Ziek, don’t make me do this.” Selene warned. “You know what I’m going to choose.” She wiped tears from her eyes. “It’s my dream Ziek, don’t make me choose.” He refused to back down and stood there holding the clipboard. “Fine,” She grabbed the clipboard from him. “Now go, and if you walk out that door. Understand that there are no second chances with me. You get one,” She held up one finger. “And that’s it.”

“Well, I only needed my heart broken once.” Ziek tried to fight the tears. Deep down, he knew the answer. Even though his heart wished it was him. Selene would always pick her position as commander over him. He thought he could live with that. For a while, he convinced himself he could. But he couldn’t, he needed her to want him more and she didn’t. It was because of that, their relationship had to end.

“Lord Alexander,” Selene cleared her throat. “He wants me to gather the team as a test for my evaluation.” He could tell, she was struggling to get the words out. Their break up, it wasn’t something she wanted but she was trying to accept it and pretend like. It didn’t bother her but he knew it did. She just wasn’t the type to show it. “So um,” She fixed her hair. “I’ll call you when it’s time, just,” She let out a deep sigh. “Don’t be late. I’m sure by now, you’ve figured out how much this means to me, so. You, of all people, should be on time.”

“Yeah, I’m well aware of how much this means to you.” Ziek kissed Selene on the cheek. “Goodbye Selene,” He took a dose of Sun Repellant. Right as he was doing so, he noticed Lord Alexander coming out of the throne room. The king watched as Ziek broke the rules right in front of Selene. After seeing it, he glanced over at his Servant. The servant drew an X on her clipboard giving Selene her first strike. Ziek watched as it happened then left.

Once Ziek was free of the castle. He made haste toward the town. He figured might as well go as a way to get his mind off what happened with Selene. Their relationship was over and his heart was in shambles. He really thought things would work out between them. He really thought she was it, maybe that was his mistake. He let himself get too comfortable with the idea of being with Selene that he failed to realize. This whole time, he was nothing but her plaything. She was distraught over her sister Patience’s death. She might have just used him to get over it. Maybe that was it, that was why after the Lunar Ball. She just stopped being there for him. Or maybe, Selene was never there to begin with. He just thought she was. Maybe that’s why it hurts so much and why he feels so stupid for letting himself fall for her. Or maybe-,

Ziek stopped at a local flower shop. Through the glass window, he could see an assortment of all kinds of flowers, His eyes were fixated on the bouquet of roses. Should he do it? Should he do what he originally planned to do? Buy Selene flowers. Would flowers fix it? Would the flowers make Selene see how much he cares about her? Or was that just wishful thinking? He let out a deep sigh. No, he couldn’t go back to her. No second chances, he doesn’t do those and neither does she. It was pointless to even think about it. He started to walk away from the flower shop. The door to the shop opened and the bell above the door rang in his ears causing him to stop.

“Hello,” Ziek turned around to greet the sweet friendly voice that called to him. It was a woman, she had long brunette hair tied in a ponytail. She had it tied up with a pink bow with a small bunny pattern on it. She was wearing a pink dress with a green apron over it. He looked up at her immediately being drawn in by her gorgeous green eyes matched by that beautiful smile. “Can I help you with anything?” She asked politely.

“It’s just,” She placed her hand on the necklace around her neck. The necklace was built from string and pink heart as a pendant. “I couldn’t help but notice that you were eyeing those flowers over there.” She pointed back at the flowers. “Perhaps, you’d like to come inside and buy them.” She offered. “Pretty please,” She grabbed his hand with both hands. He took notice of the several bracelets on her wrists. She wore three on her right wrist. One was pink, one was thin and made of gold, and the third was white. She had one on her left wrist. It was thin and made of silver. “You see,” She lowered her head. “I haven’t had a single sale all day, it’s been rather slow and I could really use a customer right now. So, come on in and have a look.” She opened the door to the shop. “It would mean a lot.”

“That bad huh,” Ziek laughed. “What the hell,” He shrugged his shoulders. “I’ll have a look.” He walked inside the flower shop. “Is it always this slow?” He asked as he browsed the flowers and the prices placed beside them.

“That depends on how many guys upset their girlfriends.” She joked, he laughed. “Not going to lie. It’s usually quite a lot. But I guess they’re starting to realize that,” She let out a deep sigh. “Flowers don’t fix everything. The only thing that does is. Corrected behavior. But,” She picked up a single rose and sniffed it. “Buying her flowers is usually a good start. Besides, you’ve got to support your local businesses. Otherwise,” She put the flower back. “How would I pay rent?” She put her hands on her hips. “Heck, even a small house in town isn’t cheap. I’m barely able to make ends meet with this shop. But, somehow,” She walked over to the register. “I manage,” She shrugged. “Like today, a king came by and bought all the flowers I had for a wedding. What you see here is my reserves.”

“Really, so, you don’t need my business then,” Ziek pretended to leave. She stopped him before he could.

“No, but, I could use your company.” She smiled at him. “You see the store closes at nine o’clock at night. That’s three hours from now and well, I usually close it a tad bit early. At seven, I close up for a bit to walk around and sell flowers on the street. I come back at eight thirty and then close up at nine. I figured I made more money selling flowers on the street than I do just sitting here waiting for people to come to me. So, I started doing that, but there’s only one small problem with that.” She put her hands behind her back.

“What’s that?” Ziek crossed his arms.

“The streets aren’t exactly safe. Sometimes, I get mugged or creeps just gang up on me trying to, well,” She placed her fingers underneath her chin, “Let’s just say it’s not safe for a pretty girl like myself to be traveling the town by myself. I could use a strong guy like yourself to keep me safe. If you agree to help, I’ll give you some of the money I earn as a tip.” She offered. “That’s unless, you’d rather leave a poor defenseless girl out there to fend for herself. " She curled her lip. "Who knows what will happen to me and it’ll be your fault." She pointed at Ziek. "Because you could have protected me and chose not to.”

“Are you guilt tripping me?” Ziek raised his brow.

“That depends,” She walked up to him innocently . “Is it working?” He had to admit. The fact that she admitted it. It was kind of cute and that cuteness was only matched by her beauty. So with that in mind. He gave her a casual nod. “Then yes,” She chuckled. “I’m totally guilt tripping you.” She put her hands on her hips.

“Okay but,” Ziek crossed his arms. “How do you know I’m not one of the bad guys?” He questioned. “For all you know, I could be a murderer trying to set up his next victim. Yet you’d still trust a guy you barely met with your safety. Not a smart move on your part.” He pointed out.

“Yeah, but I can tell you’re one of the good ones.” She spoke confidently. “Even if you were, I wouldn’t say. I’m completely defenseless. I have these.” She reached into her boot and pulled out two sais with markings on them. Those markings reminded him of Angel’s curses and the markings that were drawn on Scythe’s and Fate’s swords. He was curious to know where she got them so naturally.

“Alright, I’ll bite, but I don’t want your money.” Ziek agreed. “Instead you got to buy me dinner. Also, this is my first time in town. So while you’re selling flowers. I want you to show me around. If you agree to my terms then I’ll be your bodyguard.” He held his hand out to her. “Deal?”

“You drive a hard bargain but,” She shook his hand. “Deal, my name’s Amalia but my friends call me Amy and you are?”

“My name’s Ziek,” He leaned against the wall. “Now close up shop and take me on a tour of the town. Also, I want to know how you got those knives.” She chuckled and began picking flowers out of the freezer and placing them in a wicker basket.

“That is a secret, and, technically,” Amy placed the basket full of flowers in his hands. She walked over and opened the cash register. “They’re called Sais,” She took the till to the back to lock it up until she got back. Once she was back, she closed the drawer and grabbed the store key. “Alright,” She walked over to the door with the sign reading open and flipped it to where it said closed. “I’m ready, let’s go.” She took the basket from him. “After you.” She motioned.

“Thanks,” Ziek opened the door and they left the flower shop together. “So where should we start?” Amy stood there lost in thought for a moment. “Well, any ideas?” She nodded and spun to face him.

“Yup, let’s start with town center,” Amy brought him to a waymarker. The streets were filled with people. “It’s quite lively today. It must be because the harvest festival is coming up in a few months. Everyone is trying to get ready for it.”

“Harvest festival, what’s that?” Ziek asked. “I’ve never heard of it. If I was to guess. I’d say it’s a huge event where people sell things on the street. It’s most likely some kind of party on the street but why are they celebrating it?”

“You’d be right, though, they don’t sell just anything.” Amy answered. “It’s more like fruits and vegetables. Stuff grown from farms. You know that sort of thing. Well, that’s what it used to be but now, it’s a little bit of everything. Kind of like a flea market, I guess?” She raised her brow. “There’s usually a few contests held as well. It gives up and coming inventors a chance to show off their stuff and sell it. So the harvest festival is full of once in a lifetime shopping experiences. You’ll meet all kinds of vendors. It’s really fun, I sell lots of flowers during that time as well. I usually sell out a couple days before. The mayor buys my entire stock so she can decorate the entire town with my flowers. Which is great for my pocket book.”

“So I take it,” Ziek grabbed a pamphlet from the sign and began reading over it. “You’re excited for it. So what’s this harvest festival about?” He skimmed through the pamphlet, the pamphlet displayed a map of the town. As he flipped through it was confirmed that under key events the Harvest Festival was scheduled to take place in a couple months. From what he read it sounded pretty fun. Though, there was something in the pamphlet that caught his concern. Next to the event was a logo of a wolf paw. It was another event centered around werewolves. The pamphlet read: “Join us in Celebrating The Wolf, Kami.”. He read aloud. “Kami?,” He raised his brow. “Who’s Kami? Wait,” He stopped to think for a moment. “Doesn’t the word kami translate as god?”

“Well yeah,” Amy replied. “It does. The wolf didn’t have a name back then so of course they had to name it something. So they called it Kami. Seeing as it was worshiped back then and-,” She let out a deep sigh. “I mean, you know the story. Everyone knows it.” Amy was handed money from a customer after he bought one of her flowers. “Thank you,” She bowed graciously to him as the man handed the flower he just purchased to the girl that was walking beside him. “Have a nice day,” She waved as he walked off.

“What story?” Ziek asked. He honestly had no idea what she was talking about. Maybe it was because he’s a vampire. So of course when it comes to werewolf history. He wouldn’t know much about it. But something told him. He needed to know the story. This could lead him to the werewolf elder. According to Angel’s findings, the elders are the key to stopping the war. So, if this story brought him closer to the elders. Then he wanted to hear it. “Honestly, I’ve never heard of it. What’s the story?” He asked as they made their way to the shopping district.

“Really?” Amy raised her brow. “You’ve never heard it. Interesting,” She bit her lip. “I suppose I’ll tell you. I mean,” A little girl tugged at her dress. “Here you go,” She crouched down and gave her a flower free of charge. The little girl ran over to her parents to show them the flower she got. “Um, it’s rather long though. So,”

“That’s okay, I want to hear it.” Ziek walked over to a nearby bench and sat down. He patted the empty spot next to him. Amy let out a deep sigh and sat next to him. “Alright, let’s hear it. Tell me about Kami.” He turned to face her.

“The story begins back in the late 1800’s.” Amy began. “To kind of paint a picture for you. It was when farming was a huge deal and tons of profit could be made from it. So of course, everyone wanted to do it. However,” She set her flower basket in Ziek’s lap. “Not all of them were good at it. In fact, there was a certain young man who had the worst luck as a farmer.”

“So I guess he stopped being a farmer then.” Ziek laughed.

“You would think that but no,” Amy laughed. “He refused to give up. Even though he had the worst luck. It never stopped him from trying. It was to the point his family was starving because now they had no money or food. It was becoming a waste of time for both him and his entire family. But that changed, one night,” She lowered her voice. “Out of nowhere.” She paused. “His crops started to grow. In that one night, his dream of becoming a successful farmer became a reality. He didn’t know how it happened but it did. It was like a miracle had taken place that day.”

“Did he ever figure out what caused it?” Ziek furrowed his brow. He leaned forward and was starting to take interest in the story. He had strong suspicion that this story was in fact going to lead him straight to the werewolf elder.

“Yes, one night,” Amy answered. “He went outside to see what caused such a miracle. Seeing as it was happening every night. He would even purposely neglect his farm only to see if it was something he did or if it was the work of something else. No matter what he did, his crops continued to grow and his farm continued to thrive. So, one night, he investigated the miracle where he saw a stray wolf effortlessly controlling nature allowing his crops to grow. This isn’t some random wolf either. The farm boy recognized it and once he saw it he understood why it was helping him.”

“Why was that?” Ziek asked. That wolf, it had to be the elder of werewolves. But that didn’t make sense. Werewolves don’t take the appearance of an everyday wolf. They look human until the full moon. Then they take the shape of a wolf infused with a human. Never a full on wolf, so already this wolf didn’t match the description of an average werewolf. Maybe it’s that difference that makes it the Elder.

“The wolf was spotted multiple times trying to sneak into other farms to steal food. The wolf was hungry, you see.” Amy explained. “Every time it tried to sneak food. It would be shooed away by farmers. So of course it was starving, when the wolf got to this guy’s farm. He didn’t do what the other farmer’s did. Instead, he gave the last bit of food he had to the wolf. So as a reward for his kindness. The wolf decided to help him by using its powers to help his crops grow.”

“Wow, that’s incredible. Though,” Ziek raised his brow. “A magical wolf doesn’t that seem a little far fetched?” Of course, anything was possible. Werewolves do exist, though most humans don’t know about them. Just like the fact, this wolf could be the elder. Though it troubled him. Why would the Werewolf Elder associate with humans? What would it hope to gain from that relationship? Unless maybe, the Werewolf Elder was testing them and this guy was the only one to pass the test.

“Yeah,” Amy laughed. “A lot of people think it’s bizarre but,” She rose to her feet. “There’s more to the story.” She added. “See, as time passed. His farm continued to thrive with the wolf’s help. It became one of the most successful farms in all the land.” She continued to walk around the shopping district selling flowers. “Other farmers were getting jealous of his success and people were asking how he did it. That’s when it slipped, he told them about the wolf. Once they found out about the wolf who had the power to control nature. Everyone wanted its gift and sought an audience with the wolf. So the wolf made a deal with the town’s folk.”

“Wait,” Ziek raised his brow. “The wolf could talk?” He jumped at the realization. The more the story went on. The more convinced he was that this wolf is the wolf he and Angel were looking for. This story could bring him closer to ending the war. This is great, he had to find out more. Maybe, Amy knew where to find this wolf.

“Not exactly, but,” Amy held up a finger. “The farm boy had taken the wolf in and gave it a home. Over the years, he learned how to communicate with it. No one really knows how but he could only communicate with it during the full moon.” There’s no mistake, this wolf in her story it’s a werewolf. It had to be.

“Interesting,” Ziek rubbed his chin. “So, what was the deal?”

“The wolf agreed to help in exchange for food.” Amy answered. “The town’s folk were to build a shrine to honor the wolf. At the shrine they would leave food for it to eat. In exchange, the wolf would bless their farms with its gift. As long as they continued to donate their farms would thrive and no family ever had to go hungry again. Over the years,” She reached into her flower basket handing another little girl a flower. “People began to see the wolf as a god,” She continued. “Seeing as it saved millions from starvation with its powers. It’s hard to see why they wouldn’t. So since the wolf had no name. The people agreed on a name and they began to call the wolf, Kami. All was peaceful for a time but all good things have to end some way or another.”

“What do you mean?” Ziek asked.

“Well,” Amy fixed her hair. “Kami stayed with the farm boy’s family. Even when he died of old age. The farm was then entrusted to his oldest son. Well, one day,” She handed a flower to a young lady who gave her money. She thanked her and resumed the story. “A starving boy came to their farm to steal food. Though, it was Kami who led him there thinking the family wouldn’t mind seeing as he was once kind to Kami. Kami figured his son was the same but he wasn’t. Instead when he caught the boy stealing from his farm. He punished the boy. Kami saw what he did to the boy and by seeing it. Kami saw the selfishness of human nature and how greed can consume even the purest of families. So that night,” She lowered her voice. “Kami disappeared and the crops stopped growing. They were no longer blessed by Kami’s gift. Kami never came to the shrine again and humans were left to fend for themselves. No one has seen Kami since,”

“So, Kami just up and disappeared?” Ziek asked, Amy nodded.

“People tried to look for Kami but the wolf was gone. It refused to come back so eventually people just stopped looking.” Amy explained. “ I think the wolf left because in its own way. It was testing humans and we failed the test and when we failed the wolf left. So, when it became clear Kami was never coming back. The people decided to pick a day to call out to Kami and hope for the wolf’s return. But to also celebrate all the good Kami did back then. So, the harvest festival was born and we’ve celebrated it ever since.” She shrugged. “A lot of people don’t believe the story and think it’s far-fetched but that’s the story. Sometimes, I question it but.” She clenched her necklace.

“But, what?” Ziek put his hands in his pockets.

“The more I see how people are. The more I start to believe the story. I mean, could you blame Kami for leaving?” Amy asked. “I certainly don’t, I’d leave too. The wolf watched as a family it loved grew corrupt and could do nothing to stop it. So Kami did the only thing that seemed natural for a wolf. Kami ran.”

“Honestly, I don’t blame Kami for leaving.” Ziek let out a deep sigh. It’s a long shot but he thought he’d ask. “So, do you know where Kami is?” Amy busted out laughing. “What I just thought you’d know.” She kept laughing, clenching her gut.

“Like I’d know where to find a wolf that disappeared centuries ago. Come on,” Amy wiped tears from her eyes. “You can’t be that dumb. I have no idea where the wolf is or if it even existed in the first place. I just know the story,” She stressed. “That’s it.” She kept laughing. “You’re hilarious, like I’d know where to find it. ”Amy laughed. “Come on, the next stop on our tour is the residential area.” She took Ziek’s hand.

While Amy was walking him around town. Showing him the sights. He could feel himself becoming comfortable around her. The best part was when he opened up to her. She listened, he could tell her anything. Ziek let out a deep sigh. Well, almost anything.

The fact that Ziek’s a vampire still had to be hidden. He wasn’t sure how she’d respond to that and he wasn’t about to ruin this moment by telling her. Though he wanted to, he wanted her to know everything about him. Amy was just so easy to talk to and that beautiful laugh only to be matched by her flawless smile. It was tearing down his walls and making him feel human again. Fate was right, he was falling for her but it wasn’t infatuation, this felt different and he couldn’t explain it.

“Really?” Amy busted out laughing. “You ripped up her teddy bear and blamed it on your sister. That’s horrible, you’re a terrible big brother. So um, was your childhood always this exciting?” She asked.

“Not always,” Ziek answered. “The humor helps, but in truth. My family was a train wreck.” He confessed. “My relationship with my sisters. I think that’s what held me together though, I was a lot closer to Erika than I was Claire. I could just never find anything in common with her and it wasn’t for lack of trying believe me.” He laughed. “But we feuded even as kids we fought for Erika’s attention. I think she was what we had in common. We both wanted to spend time with her. We both wanted to protect her. Erika was the centerpiece that held the three of us together like a bridge between me and Claire.”

“Sounds like she means a lot to both of you.” Amy set her empty basket down. She had sold all the flowers. “Well, this was our last stop, the only place that’s left is the Mayor’s residence and she doesn’t like visitors. So I guess,” She scooted her foot across the floor. “This concludes our tour, it’s time for me to return to the flower shop. I really enjoyed spending time with you.”

“Me too,” Ziek brought his lips close to hers. Just as he was about to kiss her, she turned away. Right, it was stupid of him to kiss her. They had barely met and already he was making moves toward her. He just felt so comfortable around her and it seemed only natural to him to want to kiss her. “My bad, I shouldn’t have tried to kiss you. I just felt a connection between us and thought I’d go for it. Sorry,” He turned his head.

“No, the kiss was fine, it’s just I have a confession to make.” Amy bowed her head and looked away. Ziek’s phone started to ring, playing a rock song with a sexual twist to it. He knew right away that it was Selene calling him. He has yet to change his ringtone for her. Hopefully, he’d find one doesn’t scream: “The girl I enjoy having sex with.”. “Is everything alright?” She asked politely. She was respectfully ignoring his phone going off.

“Yeah,” Ziek switched his phone to silent. He knew why Selene was calling. It was time for her to gather the team for her first test as Commander. But, Amy was in the middle of telling him something important and unlike Selene who was never there for him. Amy was and he wanted to be there for her. So, Selene was just going to have to get another strike and deal with it. “Everything’s fine, go on.” He gestured. His phone was vibrating in his pocket as Selene called him again. He ignored it and focused on Amy.

“This isn’t easy to say but,” Amy took a deep breath. “See, um, I know you’re a vampire. I knew this whole time. Actually, I was planning on luring you into a dark alley and slitting your throat. This was all just an elaborate trap, I wanted to lure you into a false sense of security and kill you. That was the plan, it worked flawlessly but there was a setback.” She forced a swallow. “The more we talked, the more you opened up to me, the more I started to see that you aren’t like most vampires.”

“Wait, hold up,” Ziek stepped back. “You knew,” She nodded. “That doesn’t make sense. How do you know? Humans who live in town aren’t supposed to know about our existence. That’s the deal, we agreed to stay hidden in exchange we get to come and go as we please. So, how is it possible that you know about us?”

“Well, um, I’m not originally from town.” Amy confessed. “See, usually when we first get here. We have to sign a form for some kind of test to make sure we’re suitable for the lifestyle. Which I’ve gathered is the Mayor’s way of brainwashing people into forgetting the vampires and werewolves exist.” Brainwashing? This mayor Liley is starting to sound a little sketchy. What mayor would resort to brainwashing to preserve peace? But, it does explain how they’re able to keep vampires and werewolves a secret.

“As easy as it would be,” Amy lowered her head. “to let the mayor brainwash me so I’d forget that a vampire killed my friends, my family, and destroyed my home. So I could leave all of that pain behind. I know that just ignoring it and allowing them to get away with something like that is wrong.” She tightened her hands into fists. “I pledged to hate vampires for what they’ve done. I wanted to take vengeance on all of them but I’m starting to realize. Fighting fire with fire is not the way.” She shook her head. “Yes I hate them but if I took revenge on them for what they did then. I’m no better than they are. After meeting you,”

“I realized,” Amy ran her fingers through her hair. “Not all vampires are the same as the ones who hurt me. Some of them are capable of being more human than vampire, those are the ones. Who shouldn’t be punished. So, I’m sorry I tried to trap you and kill you, I was just angry and you seemed like an easy target.”

“Offensive but,” Ziek walked up to her. “Even though this was an elaborate trap to kill me. It was fun, I rather enjoyed this trap. It’s not often that a girl takes that much interest in me or listens to what I have to say. The fact that you did even if it was so you could kill me later, it’s still flattering. In fact, I’m not even mad I fell for it, this was a great trap you did a great job setting me up.”

“Thank you,” Amy laughed. “You made it so easy too. So, really, I have you to thank for it. I asked you about your family. From there, you were just like, I have three sisters and went on about them. Then I asked about your childhood, you just gave yourself to me on a silver platter. All I had to do was listen, honestly, I think I started and this is weird because I never thought this would happen.” She blushed. “I started crushing on you a little, I mean, yeah, you’re a vampire and it’s completely wrong of me to-,” Ziek pressed his lips against hers.

“It’s not wrong, if he’s been crushing on you.” Ziek confessed. “I don’t know when it happened. As we got to talking and that laugh, man, you were killing me with that cute laugh of yours.” Amy chuckled. “See that right there,” He pointed at her. “Every time I heard your laugh I was like, I’ve got to tell more jokes. Then, that smile, your face just lights up and I love it. Selene doesn’t do things like that.”

“Selene? Who’s that?” Amy asked.

“My ex, we broke up recently actually.” Ziek confessed. “Turns out, her job’s more important than me. I thought I could handle that but I couldn’t. Not when that’s all she cares about. After a while, I started to feel like I didn’t matter to her at all. Like, I was there but she was fine with or without me. She didn’t need me or want me. I was just there and I got tired of just being there. So, I ended it.”

“I’m sorry that must have hurt.” Amy placed her hand on his. “So do you need time you know to process the break up? Because, like, what if you want to get back together with her or,-” He pressed his lips against hers.

“Selene had her shot, she blew it. That’s all there is to it.” Ziek took her hand. “Come on, let’s close up shop and get dinner. Remember, you promised me food.” Amy laughed and followed him. He’d return to the castle after he got done eating. Then, he’ll deal with Selene’s wraith but honestly. She could get the commander position even with two strikes on her belt. So regardless, she’d get the position. If he wasn’t confident in that then he wouldn’t have done it. So, they both win. He gets a new relationship and she gets to live out her dream. No reason for her to be mad about it.