With his hand still held to his face in shock, Damien turned towards the direction of the voice. Same as his assailant. Damien wondered who the tall, beautiful woman was. She looked so sophisticated in her short-fitted, peplum gown with red pump heels. Her red hair rested gloriously against the white of the clothes she had on, curling at the edge as if it had a mind of its own, the contrast so sharp that he blinked to be sure that he was not imagining the vividness of the colour.Damien looked behind her to be sure that he didn’t get it wrong. And yes, he was right, she was coming from the direction of the Azalea garden.Damien hoped she wasn't a trespasser that decided to check on the gardens. He was sure that the Head Gardener would not take it lightly with her even though she was….“Mum?” Damien turned back towards Sybil when he heard her incredulous question and he turned back to look at the woman.This young-looking woman was the mother of this hellcat? The mother of Andrea? His
Leticia looked at Damien again, and tilted her head “It depends on my mood and your attitude during my stay. On the other hand, why should I? Come, drive me to the house. I craved the walk moments ago but not anymore” she said as he went to her daughter’s car.“You are leaving soon, aren’t you?” Sybil asked, distracted for a moment as she looked at her mother who only shrugged and climbed into the car. “Of course, you are” she answered herself then gave Damien a deadly glare. “What are you gawking at, freak? You better don’t get comfortable because I will make sure that you leave!”She spat at Damien before she moved towards the car.“You said it depends on my attitude, right?” Damien heard her say as she entered the car. “You had better don’t …”Her voice faded as she drove past.Damien had no idea what to think of Sybil's mum’s attitude. Was he about to be sent away? Will Aliamin be in trouble? Will the butler be scolded because of him?Uncertain of what his fate will be before the
Head Gardener Salem had two workers drag Damien behind him to the butler’s allocated office. Everything within Damien rebelled against the injustice. Not only because he was accused of doing what he did not do but also for the fact that he was being rough handled like that by people who would not even be able to lift his finger if he decided to show the extent of his power.“Sir, I was not the one,” Damien said again with the hope that the man would believe him or at least listen to reason.He wondered why he even bothered when the man turned back to him and yelled at him to keep his mouth shut unless he wanted to increase his punishment.“One more word from you and you will be rue the day you were born. You criminal!!” HG Salem shouted before ordering the men to get a tighter hold of him.They pulled him along and Damien was momentarily mesmerised by the difference in the structure that housed the HG office and that of the butler as they approached. Not only that, he could see the ma
“You can start talking” Butler Shawn’s voice was heard as he entered the office. Damien could see that the room was more like a mini library as he caught a glimpse of shelves and shelves of books before the door shut. He did not know what to make of HG Salem’s last look before he entered the butler’s office but he knew that it couldn’t be something good. What should I do? He thought to himself in anxiety as he saw the men with him discussing about how he was a goner for sure. “I did not do it” he repeated for the umpteenth time and the one that met him at the garden scoffed. “You really believe that anyone would be stupid enough to believe that? Who else would be stupid enough to destroy something so precious to madam except you, the stupid newcomer?” “I know, right?” the other man said in agreement with the one that was talking. “Crazy expensive too!” he said with a near shout. “Even if I was given ten livers at once, I would never dare to go close to those flowers not to talk
“Okay, now she will definitely kill me!” Andrea said anxiously beneath her breath but Damien heard her clearly.“What did you say?” Butler Shawn tore his eyes away from the devastation in front of him long enough to look at the wide-eyed young mistress beside him.“Uhm, eh?” Andrea swallowed hard, her eyes huge on her face as she looked at the butler incomprehensibly. “What did I…oh, I did not say anything. I mean I did not expect it to be…well, I did not say anything” she completed weakly as she looked over at Damien as if to say “Why didn’t you tell me?”Damien could hear her thoughts clearly in his mind anyway and he knew that she already regretted speaking for him even before she saw the destruction. He wished she had listened when he tried to tell her on their way to the garden after Butler Shawn told her that he would have to see what she had done first before he would know if her mother would truly kill her or not.Everyone could see that the man had merely said that in part je
“You,” Smith Macmillan, gay and only son of the Macmillan’s said again as he moved towards Damien. Damien quickly brought his chin down again “I think we have… Look up when I am talking to you, you dimwit!” he yelled when he couldn’t see Damien’s face again.“You what?!” Leticia’s high-piercing shriek was heard from the house just as Damien was raising his head to face Smith.Smith’s head jerked towards the door then he grimaced as he turned away from Damien, losing interest in the identity of the nobody before standing with his head bowed before him.“Well, whatever that is. I am not getting caught in the middle of it. See you later, old Shawn” he said as he got inside the car in a hurry and the driver started the car. “You can tell my old man that I am not coming back anytime soon. His female's shrieks and yelling could try a saint and we all know that I am no saint, don’t we?” he said as he thumped the driver on the shoulder and the latter drove away at a high speed down the drivew
“What are all these noises about? Can’t a man come back to a quiet house after a busy day?” A voice said from the door and they all turned to look as an imposing-looking, man with a slight budge in his mid-section entered. “Sybil is that…oh,” He said as he entered and he saw those in the living room.“Darling, you are back,” he said with a small smile as he took in his wife’s presence.“Yes, I am back” Leticia replied in a snappy tone. “And I am pissed too! This place had turned into something else in my absence. My daughter is destroying my flowers and I have a stupid, uncouth worker who does not know that he is not supposed to open his mouth when his betters are talking. Yes, I am back and I am about to kill somebody. Right when I decide on who to start with!” Leticia said in a rapid-fire tone.“We can’t have that now, can we?” Ambrose Macmillan, President of Macmillan clothing chain and second richest man in the whole of Santa Eyre, excluding the untouchable King Saldus of course.
Damien stayed away from the staff house throughout that evening. That was after he ducked out of the way when he saw Leticia stalking back to the main house with a fury more intense than what she could feel rolled off her when she left earlier.The could see her muttering something in anger even with the distance between them and he wisely chose not to pick up on what she was saying. He knew that none of it could be favourable for him anyway. He was already on the path that led to the staff house when he remembered the look that the staff housekeeper had given him earlier and he thought that those two young men that bundled him to Butler Shawn’s office might be there at the moment too.“Better to steer clear for now,” he thought to himself. Especially since he could picture Head Gardener Salem’s forbidden look in his mind’s eyes. He took the next path that led away from the staff house and he smiled at himself when the outhouse came into view. “At least, I was left to myself here,” h
Months Later...Damien stood in the palace of Santa Eyre. He was looking down through a concealed portico at the people down in the palace waiting room.The creme de la creme of Santa Eyre was down there. All of them were waiting for him to see them on one issue or the other. It had been the routine for Damien for the past months now. There had been a lot to deal with, after their encounter with Ulric. The King's burial had been an international affair. King Saldus had been a very influential and well-beloved king. Presidents of countries, well-known CEOs all over the world, and dignitaries from different continents were in Santa Eyre, for days, to celebrate the dead king.They all believed that the king had died peacefully in his sleep. Only Damien and his inner circle knew that there was more to the king's death. There had been a dark essence to his chakras. Damien still couldn't come to terms with how much Ulric took from them. The call Allan received after the battle with Ulric,
Total darkness filled the whole house as the power supply went off all of a sudden. The only silhouette that could be seen was the dark mass gathering again in the middle of the room. It was so massive and tall that it seemed like a giant was forming out of it. The witches rallied together and a spark of fire ignited above them to conquer the dark. Light could be seen from afar but the immediate environment of Damien’s house was as dark as the void itself. “I will purge you abominations from this earth!” came the terrifying voice of Ulric as the darkness swirled around the lights and they all went out again. One of the witches screeched, and by the time the magic light was lit again, she could be seen grabbing her throat, as blood poured out of her mouth and sunken eyes. “We need to take this motherfucker out!” Liam shouted and the rest were right with him. Damien took the lead as they charged the dark mass again. Damien released the orb and every protective substance he had in t
Everyone in the room looked at each other as the mocking voice of the man they all knew, had heard of, and heard of resounded throughout the house. The distortion to his voice was horrid and the frightening element in it was only causing more fear in those around. Only the leaders were still stoic. The soldiers were half paralysed with fright as King Saldus went on and on to describe explicit ways that they would all be obliterated that night. Exactly at 11:58 pm, the voice stopped talking and Isabella’s phone exploded right there in the middle of the room. It was charred beyond recognition. A blast of wind rocked the shingles of the house. Suddenly, the witches all exclaimed “Stench of the underworld” A knock sounded at the door at exactly 12:00 am. They all looked at each other and beneath the bravado, was a hint of apprehension. They all knew that they might not come out of this alive. Still, the witches flung the door open by magic and someone tumbled inside. Even as everyone
Sky did not wake up immediately. Morgan tried to wake him up but she eventually looked up at Damien and others. “I think he used up his vitality. Ulric did something else with Sky that he had never done with any other host before. He used him up. He might…he might never wake up” she said with a sigh of defeat. “No, no. that is not possible. Do something leader. You have to do something!” Michael said in desperation. Damien knew that but then he thought of the fact that Ulric might want to use Sky’s condition as a distraction for them while he strike from elsewhere. Damien was the head of the group and their link make them strong together, just as he make them vulnerable together as well. If Damien was caught in the realm while trying to heal Sky, any damage done to him at that moment will affect the whole group as well. He was sure that Ulric had a plan to do something to them while they were trying to heal Sky. Though it was difficult for him to do; he had to ask “How long can he
“You changed her?” Michael confronted Damien the moment he got back to the house. He had to teleport Laura back with him since she was still very much out of it. He had just placed her in his room, where Morgan and Isabella were keeping an eye on her when Michael confronted him just as he came out of his suite.Here we go. He thought. Anger welled in him for the reminder of his guilt. He respected Micahel for being a stickler for rules but at the moment, he did not care to be reminded that he had failed to protect his woman. He did not need the clan leader to rub more salt unto his wound. Not at all.“If you have a thing to say, just say it,” Damien said as he bypassed Michael on his way to the main floor.“If I…” Michael paused in disbelief then he lengthened his stride to meet up with that Damien. “If I have a thing to say? We never change humans. You know how precarious they could be and you went to turn one of them?”“She is one of us now,” Damien said as he turned back to face hi
Sybill Macmillan couldn’t believe what was happening! When Andrea called her to inform her, she thought that her bratty sister was just acting up. Truth be said, Andrea didn’t appear as bratty as she used to be. Sybill felt it must have to do with the fact that she didn’t have to see her daily anymore. It had all started long before Sybll left for school. Andrea had capitalised on her invitation to the palace by the king, an invitation orchestrated by that nobody. Damien. Sybill still couldn’t think of him without distaste in her mouth but she didn’t dare say any of her thoughts aloud.Who could have thought that a mere gawking, gardener? A good-for-nothing would turn out to be a prince. A referred prince for that matter that the whole of Santa Eyre and its environs had become submissive to. Sybill snorted as she remembered the rumour she had once heard that the king intended to pass the throne to Damien. Sybill doubted if the king would be so dumb to do such a thing. Why would a man
Laura’s awakening was messy, to say the least. She woke up hours later feeling disoriented, groggy and out of it. It took her a while to recognise Damien. Then she blurted out “I love you” thoughtlessly. In the next moment, she was shouting bout feeling so thirsty, then she started pulling at her hair and agitating about hating her skin. Her clothes felt too tight. Her head hurt and she felt like she would die if she did not eat something.Damien knew what was happening. Despite how much he wanted to ignore it, the inevitable couldn’t be denied. Laura had become a vampire and if he did not do something about it, she would die within the first hour of her awakening. He tried to talk to her during that moment to see if she would rather choose to die than become a fully-formed vampire, yet it was like singing a lullaby to a deaf kid. She could hear him. She seemed to have some iota of consciousness but she was not comprehending what he was saying.“Okay, okay. Can I eat now?” was the ans
It finally dawned on Damien why Sky/Ulric wanted him to see him draining the life out of Laura. It was just so he could make a difficult decision or live eternally with the guilt of causing the death of the girl that he only belatedly realized he loved. Tears trailed down Morgan’s face as she stood up. “It is no use. I…I can’t do it. There is nothing to draw from. I can’t heal her.” She spread her bloodied hands to the sides as anguish soaked her voice. “My hands are filled with her blood, and I can’t bring her back. I was supposed to be better than this”“Now, now. You shouldn’t beat yourself up, A Ghra. This is not your fault” he looked straight at Damien over Morgan’s head “This mess was not for you to sort”“What the hell did you just call me? How can you be so cold and glib right now?” Morgan lashed out at him. “An innocent girl is dying for God’s sake. She did nothing wrong! She is dying and there is nothing I can do. That… bastard drained her lifeblood. He wanted us to watch h
Laura called him in the wee hours of the following morning. He almost couldn’t believe his eyes as the true caller on his phone identified the number. The call brought back the memory of the kiss they had shared and the messy feelings that seemed to take hold of him whenever he heard her name or that of anyone related to her. “Laura?” he called her name like a question. “You are…”“Awwn, isn’t this sweet?” everything stilled inside Damien as he heard Sky’s voice. Fuck it! He yelled in his mind, knowing immediately that damage had been done. If not, why would…Laura!“What have you done to her, Ulric?” Damien asked instantly.“Ulric? Who is that? There is only your buddy, Sky, here. Remember me?” Sky’s horrid tone said over the phone.Damien quelled all forms of imagination that wanted to come to his head about what could have happened to her as he said calmly “She has nothing to do with this. I thought you were said to be a wise man. Surely, you must know that she is a human and she i