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Lana's POV

  It was something else. Something different.. Something new. Something I hadn't done before. Ever. Being away from my family, it was heartbreaking from one part, but right.. I knew it was. It was them that were after me, and this was the only way to solve that problem names.. The Vesnetsovs. I still had no idea how my father was convinced into all of this, but whatever had him so hooked and certain, it must've been a strong reason.

  Now, I was away, making deals with vampires, and witches or whatever, just so I can save my family from whatever was going on. A whole pack. From some kind of a promise my father made to that man. A part of me felt like I was doing the right thing.. Running away.. I was stopping a mistake that could ruin so many lives. That's at least how I felt about my pack. I wanted protection for all of those that I cared about. And with my father giving all that power up, and letting some else have it.. Rule it.. It wasn't right.

  But at the same time, I thought that maybe I should've talked to him. Maybe I should've tried finding out the reason why he was doing this. Even if I knew that he would've tried convincing me otherwise.. He would know my next move and try stopping me from leaving.. That's what would've happened if I tried talking to him. But there it was. I did it. Not only for myself, but even if it was a mistake, I thought I was doing the right thing. There was no going back now..

  That girl.. Amelia. She mentioned something about a chaos coming back. Repeating.. What was it? I was curious, even though I knew it could get me in a lot of trouble, danger, or whatever.. It was part me. I always wanted to know, and I didn't let it go until I did. Now.. Well, now it was different. I wanted to know, but she gave me a fair warning. Christian did too. I should stay out of it. That's what I was told, and I kept repeating it to myself.

  But now, I was sitting in the car with the same vampire that I made a deal with. A royal. No one else but Christian Le Borusier. He was the one that was helping me out. Till now at least. So.. So, I was supposed to be the one telling him what Amelia asked from me. However, there weren't only two sides of that story. There was mine too. And I wanted to know how all of this was going to play out first. I wanted to know why was everyone trying to keep me 'out of it'. What was it that was so horrifying and dangerous to even talk about?

  I reached out for the radio, and turned the volume louder. I needed something to block my own thoughts. It was too much for me. Getting away was supposed to be my only priority at that point. Even though Amelia cast a anti-track spell on me or whatever, I didn't trust it. I was taught the old way.

  However, Christian always did the opposite of what I did. He turned the volume down. "Hey!"

  He glanced at me. "Do you want me to turn it off?" Once again that cold tone of his had me seriously curious on what it was about him that seemed so damn mysterious to me. However, his car, his rules.

  I leaned on the seat. "Just keep your eyes on the road. I heal slower, you know." I heard a dry chuckle escaping him, but there was nothing funny about be being worried for that night to get repeated. It was already super weird that the same night I ran away from home, I came across that old creepy house, where I actually saw him again.. Which made it even weirder. And then, we almost had an accident on an empty road because someone decided to burn wood.

  I exhaled. I was going to get a headache by the end of the morning if I continued thinking. "So, what did you and Amelia talk about?" I felt something sink down my stomach. Instantly looking at him, I watched how in those few seconds he simply kept his eyes concentrated on the dark road, and continued driving. This man was unbelievable. How did he know?

  I cleared my throat slightly. "How do you know we talked?"

  "Does it matter?" He said, looking back at me.

  Exhaling slightly, I broke that intense gaze he seemed to hold over me. Those dark eyes of his made me uncomfortable, and I knew I would spill everything if he continued looking at me like that. "She wanted to get to know me better. I was the enemy in the house. And she has a daughter to worry about."

  Glancing at him, I saw the smirk on his face. He didn't buy that. He was way too experienced with people like me to actually believe my lies. I had to get him off track. "Really now?"

  "Hey, I can have privacy." It would've been easier to just give up and tell him, but I wanted to see what was the whole thing with this deal. I was curious to know what he had to do with the necklace, and if I told him now, he would be even more careful around me, without giving me information that I could give to Amelia. He didn't really trust me.

  "Lana," His stern voice made me glance at him for a second, feeling how my body started tensing up. They were wrong.. Amelia and Christian. They both told me that it was something that I should't take part of, but hey, I was already a part of it. In fact, they were the ones that put me in the middle, and I was lying for both of them.

Christian first told me to keep this whole necklace hut a secret from her, and especially her. And then she was the one that told me to spy on him basically, and then give her the info, without letting him know that.. And all of that without me even knowing what was going on. What was the big deal about that chain? It was anything but fair.

  I licked my lips quickly, looking back in front of me. "I'm serious. It could be something private."

  From the corner of my eye, I saw him looking at me, and with all honesty, what he said after that was nothing but the truth. "We have passed that private line a long time ago, Lana." He concentrated on the road again. "Besides, whatever it is that's connected to Amelia, it is connected to me as well."

  "Do you care about her?" I found myself asking almost instantly. It was weird how my self-conscious worked. Sometimes, I just couldn't control the words that slipped. But mom always said that sometimes, the honesty comes out when you're not paying that much attention. I saw the connection him and Amelia had, and it was different.. Something like the one I had with my pack. It was trust that I saw, yet they were doing the complete opposite.

  "You're changing the subject." I heard him say. Well, and that too.

  I exhaled slightly, trying to seem as 'not interested' as possible. "You just seem so shook up about her finding out about this.- I mean the whole necklace thing. Which, by the way, I did not tell her about." I added quickly as I glanced at him. It was unbelievable how he found a smile in subjects where I tried being serious. However, I just went on. I was trying to change the subject, yes, but I also wanted to know. "What is it with you keeping secrets? Aren't you supposed to be honest with the ones you care about?" I looked back outside the window.. Some parts were fitting similarly as the situation I was in. "There are no such things like that in my family."

  But it wasn't the same. My father was just trying to the right thing with that marriage. I think. "Says the girl that running away from her family." His words took my attention once again as I looked at him. His profile was as perfectly sculpted as the rest of his face. I couldn't lie to myself.. The guy was quite the distraction. Dark hair, perfectly tanned skin, eyes that were like sparkly black pearls.. And then there was the rudeness and the fact that he thought he knew everything. It was easy to get o your nerves.

  "That's different." I said after a few seconds of silence; the silent music in the background the only thing filling in the air around us.. Somewhat breaking that tension that started forming for some reason.

  He looked at me. "How?"

  I was quick to once again break that eye contact, that slow way of him getting under my skin. "It just is, okay?" I turned the volume on the radio again before I heard myself mumble. "You know nothing about me. And why I left." He didn't. And there was no need for him to find out either. We made a deal for a while, but once we were done with our complicated situations, we were going on separate ways.

  However, he didn't give up just like that. Instead of turning the volume down, he just turned the whole radio off. He glanced back at me, and I could feel his eyes scanning my face from the side. "Then tell me, Lana."

  "I,-" I found myself mumbling. He couldn't be serious. I did change the subject, but only re-directed the whole situation towards me. "I can't."

  Before I could say anything else, I watched how he turned the car towards a little clearing on the side of the road, and stopped. "Why?" I glanced at him just to once again create that somewhat connected between the two of us as our gazes met. It was weird, but it felt as if he could read everything that was going on inside me with the way he looked at me. And I.. I on the other hand couldn't figure him out yet.

  I leaned on the seat, looking back in front of myself. "Because I don't trust you."

  "You're in in my car. For the second time." He didn't give up. He knew that it was our families that were sworn enemies, but I grew up away from Venedocia, a place where my ancestors once lived.. My whole family was already banished from that place. And I've been taught to never trust one. A vampire. And so I'm not.

  I looked at him, feeling this slight pressure in my chest. I was annoyed with this whole conversation, but at the same time, I was scared, because.. Because a part of me felt like I was lying to him. To myself. But I said it. I said the right thing. The one that we were both aware of very clearly. "That doesn't mean that I trust you with my life, Christian."

~

  Christian's POV

  The house had gotten colder with time. I left a few months ago, searching for a way to find the necklace. However, I had the place for two years now. Away from Venedocia, away from the whole world my father once created, and was now ruled by Dimitri.

  The place was.. It was a big villa, too much for just myself, but I had Alaya to keep the place all freshed up while I was away. Compelled humans as help around the house were one of the best choices, especially because it meant fresh blood whenever I wanted.

  Unlike the old place, this house was bigger I would say. Different. Still in the woods, but more modern. I needed something close to Venedocia, to Moondale, and at the same time a strong connection with the human world. Now, I had a guest with me, and I needed Alaya to make her as comfortable as possible. I did make a deal with the girl, and I needed her for information.

She was my first, and best connection with the Morphers, of course with her being one herself. I wanted her safe and on my side. Comfortable, and trusting. Even though she made it quite clear in the car earlier that night that there was no possible way she would ever trust me. A vampire. A Le Boursier on top of everything.. However, still the one helping her escape.

  I wanted to know why. I needed as much information as I could get for this girl. Not only did she have a well prize on her head, but she was the only one that could tell me where this necklace was. I needed to show her that she could trust me, and that was my key, the only key to get her to talk.  

  The rooms in the house seemed larger, but I had gotten used to them with time. Even after just two years, they held some memories that I still had trouble erasing. Sara firstly, and then the rest of the things that happened in the house after we put Adam down. After Amelia wanted a place away from Venedocia with Dimitri and Annabelle, I needed a fresh start as well. For me, things like that didn't really exist. Soon, it would turn into the same hell my life was.

  I needed a distraction. And what other way to keep my mind off things than having a fresh blood after so long. It was easy compelling Alaya to stay still.. The thing was, with having a few glasses of the old bourbon before, it was hard to contain control. And the last thing I needed was Lana.

  "Bon appétit," I heard her voice from the side, before I pulled away. Alaya's body was already faint, and it was good that Lana had stopped me. Quite the timing.. The girl fell on the side as Lana walked in the room casually, giving me the coldest smile I've ever seen. However, still a different reaction than I thought it be. The confidence in the posture made every inch of her body stand out, whatever she was wearing it was captivating..

  "You have quite the entrance, Lana.. And I over here thought that you would freak out." I heard a dry laugh escape her throat in response of my statement. She stopped a few meters away from me, crossing her arms over her chest as I somewhat had the chance to take in the view.

The black tank top was skintight around her waist as the brown wavy locks of her hair fell down her chest. Her thighs were firmly lined with those shorts; the dark olive color - a perfect contrast with her pale skin. Putting a stand of her goldish hair behind her ear, it still fell away, slightly over her face as she faked a quick ironic smile. "I've met other vampires Christian. I know your nature." I heard that soft tone of hers after a few seconds, taking my attention. And still no matter what she said, it sounded calming and feminine.

  I took a few steps towards her, feeling a smirk stretch my lips. It was impossible for her to look frightening no matter how hard she tried. She was just.. Too gentle for that. It didn't suit her. I pinched the bridge of my nose to hide the alight smile on my face before I placed my hands on my hips. "I would offer.. But I've learned that your calmness is never the right sign." It was fun watching how something went behind those greens. Something mysterious and something that it was too obvious to hide. I was going to find out.

  I could see how she shifted her legs. The small space between the two of us making her uncomfortable. She was interesting to play with. I knew I was going to have a fun time while pursuing this deal. She looked up at me, the humor behind her eyes disappearing as she got aware that I was playing with her. However, she continued the tough act.

"You're lucky. I'm in a good mood."

  I didn't break our locked gazes. I wanted to see how long she would last looking at me the way she did. "And why is that?"

  Blinking slowly, a faint smile was placed on her lips. The dark pink color seemed cherry like in this lightning. "Because I have good news."

  My words started coming out mechanically. I wasn't thinking much anymore. "Enlighten me." I heard my own voice, but I was still concentrated on taking in every each one of her features, never having the chance to see her so up close. Never had the chance to follow her moves the way I did that night.

  She looked on the side, before taking a step towards me. However, she just moved on the side and sat down on the couch next to Alaya's unconscious body. "I know where the necklace is."

***