Vampire Shadows

"Thanks, Nathan" I said. Nathan and I are sitting really close to each other. He was facing me and for a moment, I could swear he was going to kiss me.

"Nathan?"

"Yeah?"

"What's the plan? You said we'll think of something, but we don't have much time."

"Yes, I know, first, we need to get to the castle. Since I work there, I know my way around the place. If Max is in the castle, he'll be kept in the special dungeon. The security is tight over there so we need to be really careful" He said, Then he took something from the horse's side pack. It was a huge perfume bottle or something.

"This is our weapon. It's a potion made by Layla. It'll make the Vampires unconscious. This works only on full Vampires so half Vampires and other creatures are perfectly safe from the effects. So you'll be in charge of getting Max out and I'll go look for your sister.

The potion will come to effect 15 minutes after spraying it. And its effect will fade after 30 minutes. That's not much time so we need to hurry up. Once you get to the special dungeon, make sure Max covers his nostrils before leaving his cell to avoid getting unconscious. Leave the palace immediately, go back to where our horse is kept and I'll come along with Kendra".

"But why is Max's prison Soo special?" I asked. That question has been bugging me. He's a young Vampire, I'm sure he can't be that strong.

"Because he is a member of the dark coven" Nathan replied.

"What? How can that be? we are cousins, and according to your explanation, grandpa is a white coven member".

"Yes, and I also said that your grandma is a member of the black coven Vampire. That made your mom and uncle partially black coven and partially white. Your uncle married Max's mother who is a member of the black coven. That makes Max's black coven side stronger than the white coven side. After his dad's death, his mom went back to her coven members and swore her loyalty to the king. Making Max a full member of the black coven". He paused and took a deep breath, then continued. "Rumor has it that she's behind your uncle's death".

Nathan's revelation surprised me, things are too deep and dark. I'm new to this and I feel like I can't take it.

.

"But, Nathan, are you a black or white coven Vampire?". I asked Nathan while we were riding.

"Both" he laughed.

"You can be both?".

"No, princess. It's because of the war. The black coven became stronger than the white. They killed our king and destroyed our kingdoms. Vampires like me who don't have a place to stay were forced to become guards and servants for the black coven. And that's how I became a member of both."

"Wow, that must have been tough".

"Yeah, it was tough, but hey, I'm fine. And sincerely, I have been loyal to the black coven, but when I heard that you and your mom's location was found, I freaked out. I was going to warn your mom but was too late. I still regret not being there on time. I hope aunt Amber forgives me".

"Wait, I thought Vampires are immortal".

"Yeah, we are. We can live for thousands of years. But a vampire can only die if stabbed with a weapon made of silver." he said.

I had many questions but didn't want to ask. The reason why I was wanted was the

main question. Why mom was killed and why Max was helping me? He was on their side by the way.

"What happened to the ancestral crystal Kara?". Nathan asked.

"What?" I asked baffled. Did he mean the crystal that Kendra broke a day before the attack? The same one he said their king gave to my grandparents?

"My sister Kendra broke it". I said plainly.

"That's the reason the Vampires found you guys. The ancestral crystal was the only reason you were safe. But now, it's easy for them to track you." he said. I think I've already figured that out. It makes me feel like slapping Kendra hard in the face. Somehow deep down I feel like blaming her for our situation. But then, I feel like it's not her fault. She's just being childish and what happened was a mistake. I hope we find her. And am sure we'll be stronger together.

After I find Max and Kendra, I wonder what the next step will be. Will we keep running and hiding from the Vampires, or what will our fate be? But I didn't want to think too much about it, so I decided to have a short gossipy chat with Nathan.

"Nathan, What's going on between Jasmine and Layla". I asked curiously, I knew it was none of my business, but I couldn't help but ask. Plus, since we left their place, Jasmine's face kept haunting me, as if it was warning me.

"I'm sorry for asking, I didn't mean to pry". I said, I noticed that the topic kinda ruined his mood and it made me feel guilty. I know I can be nosey, but I wish I didn't ask in the first place.

"let's just focus on the mission," Nathan said. then everything went silent. as in dead silence.

the guilt of being totally unreasonably nosey kept hitting me hard. _ I'm such a stupid girl._ now I can't help but think what Nathan must be thinking about me. a girl with no manners and respect for other people's privacy. but seriously, there's this mysterious thing about jasmine that pricks my interest. like there's this huge thing that happened in the past that's making her mom hate her and soon she will find out that her mom is just trying to protect her and stuff. just like a cliche novel or movie. so I guess you can't really blame me for being curious.