~Eliana~

Everyone said it was a miracle that I had survived the ghastly motor accident, as they’d like to put it. I knew for a fact, however, that what I had survived wasn’t just a motor accident. It had been a wild beast’s attack, but who was going to ever believe a teenager who had just lost her three closest friends, and had been high on alcohol and weed when she had been found lying in the woods? They all thought that whatever I thought I had seen was just a figment of my imagination, or that I was probably hallucinating, and going through a trauma.

It was for that reason that I had gone through therapy for a year, and when I didn’t change my story about what had happened, and how what I had finally agreed to be a werewolf had attacked my friends and I for no just cause, everyone assumed I was going crazy, and never even tried to believe a thing about what I said had happened ten years ago.

I took a sip of the glass of alcohol by my side, crossing my legs.

Ten whole years had gone by since the death of my friends. Candice and Nick had been buried side-by-side. As for Sam, his body was never found. That night, there had been a heavy rain, and many people agreed with the idea that his body had been washed away and carried off by the sea, instead of my theory that stated that the animal that had attacked us had possibly eaten him alive. Somehow, I didn’t believe that he had actually died, but I never voiced that thought out. An empty casket had been buried in his honour, and every year, I’d come to this same cemetery where I was, sitting on a cold hard bench, drinking alcohol and fighting off the pain that defined my everyday life.

Someone’s eyes were on me... I could feel it.

It was probably just another one of the spies my dad sent out to make sure I was safe from a far distance, even though I had told him countless times that I was fine on my own.

I turned my head slowly to make sure I caught his gaze just in time and without warning, before he could hide, and once again, make me question if I was sane and in my right senses.

When I caught his eyes though, it was quite obvious that he was no spy, because none of the spies my dad ever hired were good-looking like the one standing just five feet away from where I sat. He had fair skin, pink lips that I so badly wanted to kiss even though I didn’t know him, and straight jelled black hair. His sparkling blue eyes didn’t dart away, not even for a second, and he seemed awed by me.

It had been very long since a guy last got awestruck by me, or maybe not, but this was the one I had noticed in so many years. I didn’t know why, but my lips gave way to a smile. I should have yelled and asked why he was staring at me, but instead, I smiled at him. Was it my fault though? Was I wrong for being completely mesmerised by him? I mean, who wouldn’t be held spellbound by a guy that looked this good?

I stood to my feet, still smiling broadly as he made his way towards me, with fine calculated steps, that made my heart start racing fast, which was not usual in every sense of the word.

“Hi. I’m Alistair Duke, and who’s this graceful lady I’ve been honoured to come across?” He asked, extending his hand for a handshake, which I took gracefully.

“I am Eliana Venator,” I said, with the smile never leaving my lips.

He released my hand, and gave a half-smile. “What are you doing here all by yourself?” He asked.

I cleared my throat, trying not to be noisy in doing so. “I... um... I just came to say hello to my...” Pointing at their graves which were close to each other, I added, “...friends.”

“Friends?” He asked, looking confused.

I gave a nervous chuckle, nodding my head in the affirmative. “Surprised because there’s an ‘s’?” I asked.

“Yeah, I am,” He honestly said.

I swallowed, and stared at my feet for a while, before looking back at him. “I was involved in a car accident with my friends...three of them...and only I survived,” I explained.

“What the - Jeez! That must have been really hard for you,” He said, expressing a look of worry on his face.

“Yeah. I still think about it every single day. I can never get over it, Mr Duke. They were all I had in the whole world, and it’s been so unimaginably painful to live without them,” I said.

“I’m sorry about all you’ve been through, I really am,” He said.

I forced a smile. “It’s not your fault,” I said.

“So, how long has it been?” He asked.

“Today makes it ten years, but it still feels like it happened only just yesterday. I’ve never really been able to move on,” I told him.

“No one ever really moves on from shitty things like that. You know what’s surprising though?”

“What?”

He shrugged. “Today’s also my parents’ death anniversary,” He said.

“Oh my goodness! So, that’s what the flowers are for?” I rhetorically asked.

“No, they’re for you,” He responded, with a clear sarcasm.

I chuckled. “I’m so sorry about what happened with your parents. Has it been long?”

“No. It happened a year ago. Car accident,” He responded.

I shook my head, sadly. “Isn’t it funny how we all feel so happy when we get a car, but could reach the end of our lives in that same car?”

“It truly is funny. You strike me as a smart woman,” He said.

“I do?” I asked, wondering if there was another person present in the cemetery apart from me, who he could possibly be talking to.

“You do, or am I wrong?” He asked, giving me a look that sent butterflies dancing in my stomach.

I shrugged my shoulders. “Everyone around me just seems to have a different opinion,” I said, hinting that it was probably the first time someone said that I was smart.

He held me by the shoulders. “Well, everyone around you must be wrong,” He said, wearing a half-smile again.

“Thank you. You should go see your parents. I’ll just go home,” I said.

“You’re right, I can’t believe I almost forgot. Believe me when I say that I wish we didn’t have to part, but there’s nothing we could possibly do. I’ll see you around,” He said.

I gave him a small smile, then as quickly as he had come, I watched him walk away, and soon, he was out of my sight.

He’d see me around? Seriously? Where would he ever see me? He should have just asked for my number, goddammit!

A small feeling of anger surged through me and I just picked up my purse, then walked off, with many thoughts going on in my head as to why Mr Alistair Duke had just left when I had told him to, without so much as a kiss on the hand, and without bothering to ask for my number, because he obviously didn’t want to ever see me again.

Perhaps, he hadn’t enjoyed our conversation. I was just so bad at making long interesting conversations with people, but for once, I really tried to have one with him, because I felt he was worth the effort. I didn’t even tell him that a wild animal we had never seen again was the reason for my friends’ death; I had simply told him that we had been involved in a car accident, in order to be taken seriously for once.

“Shoot!” I exclaimed, upon getting outside and discovering that Davies, my driver was nowhere to be found.

I took out my phone to dial his number to order him to come back as quickly as he could from whatever tavern he had found himself in.

The message that greeted me as I turned on my phone, however, read:

“Received a call that my mother choked on something, and was rushed to the hospital. I’m sorry, ma’am."

I rolled my eyes, clenching my fists hard as the anger in me multiplied four times over, and tried my best to be calm. The idiot had practically left my keys on the driver’s seat. I mean, what if someone had stolen my precious baby? It was a White Maserati, and I had only just gotten it last year as a birthday present.

I sat in my car and touched the steering wheel, and my fingers trembled. It had been so long since I had touched a steering wheel, because I just couldn’t drive a car after that incident.

“You strike me as a smart woman,” Mr Duke’s voice echoed in my head.

A tear slid down my cheek as I remembered the only encouraging thing someone had said to me in a very long time.

“I can do it. I can do it.”

Those three words didn’t make a difference like it usually did in movies, as even though I tried to convince myself that I could actually pull off driving a car after ten long years, my hands failed me.

The memory of our car being tossed in the air like it was nothing filled my head. I was hyperventilating, and I was shaking all over. Tears formed in my eyes as I remembered trying to flee for my life with Sam, while Candice and Nick were getting burnt to ashes.

I heard a tap on my window, and fearfully turned around to see it was, with my heart beating rapidly, afraid that I may see the creature that had haunted me a decade ago.

“Are you fine?” He asked, staring deeply into my eyes, as if to make sure I was fine.

I wanted to nod my head as a positive response to his question. Instead, I shook my head profusely, as the tears that had been threatening to fall came rushing down in torrents.

In that moment, he opened the door to the driver’s seat, pulled me by the arm, and placed his hands on my shoulders, as a means of trying to calm my nerves down.

“Try to breathe,” He said.

I opened my mouth trying to get air, but I couldn’t stop myself from just shaking like a leaf being blown by a cold wind, as my heart pounded with fear.

“Inhale and exhale, please,” He said, expressing a look of concern, staring into my eyes.

I drew in deep breaths and exhaled three times, and I was beginning to get a grip of myself.

“You’ll be fine, okay?”

I nodded slowly.

“Er- do you need me to do anything for you?”

“Anything?” I managed to ask.

“Yes, anything. What should I do to make you feel better?” He asked.

Impulsively, I wrapped my arms around him, and just when my brain told me that I shouldn’t have done that, he pulled me closer into a tight embrace, and made sure my head was buried in his chest, then started patting my hair slowly.

With him, I felt safe, and I wanted to remain in his arms, comforted by his warm embrace. I really didn’t want to ruin his suit with my tears, but I couldn’t hold my tears back, and started sobbing quietly, while he held me close to him, like he was never going to let me go.

~Eliana~

Let it out. It’s okay to cry when you want to. Don’t keep your feelings bottled. Pain never truly goes away if it’s just stuck in your heart. When you give in to tears, you give out your pain. I’ll ne right here till you’re done with letting go of the pain that is making you cry this much, so, feel free to pour out your tears and soak my shirt. You’ll be just fine at the end,” He said.

As true as his words were, they were of no use to me at the time. I raised my head, and pulled back from him a little. His arms were still around my waist, and we stared deeply into each other’s eyes.

“Are you okay?”

I nodded. “Yes, I am. It’s just... I don’t think I’m ready to stop feeling this pain yet. If I let go of the pain that made me cry so much, maybe I’d forget about Candice, Nick and Sam, but I’m not ready to forget about them just yet. They died, which is way worse than the pain I’m feeling. People say I’m lucky I survived, but they also deserved to live as well. That’s why I bear the pain in my heart every single day, so I won’t feel like their lives didn’t matter,” I explained.

“Um...”

I let go of him, and shook my head nervously, then wiped my tears with the back of my palm. “You probably don’t get it. I’m sorry. I’m sure you think I’m crazy right now,” I said, trying to brush off what I had said.

He wore a half-smile again, and cupped my cheeks in his palms. “I don’t think you’re crazy at all. To me, you’re a really good friend with a good heart, and I get it. When you’re ready, let it go, and if you’re never ready, it still doesn’t make you crazy,” He said, his gaze never leaving mine even for one second.

I swallowed hard as I also continued to look into his eyes, unable to look elsewhere. Slowly, I reached out to him and placed my hand on his neck, a new emotion called passion, rushing through me.

He tilted his head, and slowly, brought his face closer to mine. Promptly, my eyes shut close, expecting a kiss from a total stranger.

A tingling sensation pricked my heart when his pink kissable lips finally came upon mine, fuelled by passion and an intense sensual desire. He moved his lips against mine, and his tongue found a way into my mouth, and I dug into his as well, touching; exploring the sweet savoury goodness that he had.

His hands slid down my ass and as he groped them, a moan escaped from my mouth, and it seemed to give him more confidence, as he held me tighter to him, kissing me harder with a burning desire I had never known before now. My breasts were pressed against his chest, and he found his way to my neck, kissing it like he was aware that was my turn-on spot, and I held his hair in my hands, drawing him closer to me, wanting him more and more as he did justice to making me aroused, and in desperate and urgent need of him.

I wanted him... I craved him like a drug I was addicted to, not until he bit my neck, and his nails dug into my ass.

I released a gasp from my mouth, but he was probably clueless as to what had happened, and why I still wanted him to continue with the good job he was performing, I couldn’t withstand the pain any much long, especially when I perceived blood, and felt it dripping from my neck, and from my ass unto my legs.

Immediately, I let go of him, fear taking over the initial emotion of sexual desire.

“Who are you? What have you done to me?” I asked, my heart pounding excessively with fear.

He bit his lower lip, looking like he was searching for answers.

“You’re not human, are you?” I asked, my psychic and inquisitive nature taking charge of the situation.

He spontaneously looked at me, and I could see him clench his fists, with a look that hinted that he was angry that he had been caught.

I folded my arms underneath my breasts, and scoffed, with a defiant look written all over my face, and a smirk playing around my lips, waiting to hear his explanation which I was sure would be a total lie, but how good of a liar was he? I’d like to know.

~Alistair~

She had this look on her face that told that she knew that something was definitely up. Fuck me! Why the hell had I groped her with reckless abandon, and ended up sinking my claws deep into her fleshy and round butt? Actually, no. Fuck the full moon! It always ruins everything no matter how hard I try to control it.

“I’m still waiting for an explanation,” She said, as a kind of reminder, with her arms folded under her breasts.

Honestly, right now, I’d like to see them without any stupid fabric covering them up.

“What are you looking at?” She asked, tightening her arms under her breasts, suddenly becoming self-conscious.

“Er-"

“Are you actually looking at my boobs in a time like this?” She asked, shaking her head to express her disappointment.

“No, it’s...it’s not like that-"

“It’s not like that? Really? Then, what’s it like?” She asked, cutting in.

“Hey, I’m sorry, okay? You don’t need to take this matter too far,” I said, then regretted it almost immediately, because the statement I had made didn’t even seem like I was trying to offer an apology.

She scoffed. “Well, now, I’m going to take this matter way too far, farther than you could possibly imagine,” She said, with a tone that screamed of determination.

I rolled my eyes, wondering why I had even succumbed to kissing her in the first place. “Just calm down, please,” He said.

“This is how I’m going to explain what you’ve done to my lawyer. First of all, you kissed me...”

“Are you nuts? That was consensual,” I argued.

“Was it? Really, do you think it was consensual? You took advantage of an emotional, young and innocent lady, just so you know. As if that wasn’t enough, you went ahead to cause me physical damage? It’s a miracle that I’m not wincing in pain right now. Actually, it’s not really a miracle. After what I experienced ten years ago, I have been unable to really feel physical pain; but that’s by the way. Now, you would have taken off my dress and fondled with my boobs against my will, and you’re telling me to calm down? Seriously?” She asked, almost at the top of her voice.

“Fine then. Go ahead and report everything to the police, and sue me to court if you must. I don’t care,” I said, unwilling to trade words with a nut-job like her, and turned around, heading towards my car which was packed a little further than hers.

“You think I’m joking, don’t you? You seem to not have any idea as to whom my parents are. I’ll see you in court, Mr Alistair Duke,” She called after me.

I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to suppress the anger that was surging through me, then turned back to face her.

“I may not know who your parents are, but I know that they’re alive. Good for you,” I said, as a mere intention to poke at her conscience, then continued walking to my car.

“I didn’t mean it that way. I’m sorry,” She yelled, when I had gotten to the door of my car.

Unbelievable! A woman actually saying sorry? Now, that’s the definition of a rare gem. I had guessed that she’d call me back after I deliberately reminded her that I was an orphan , but I never expected her to actually apologise.

I stood by my car, not turning around.

I heard her footsteps draw closer to where I was, and I just stood still, continuing to play the victim’s card.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was hers...warm, soft, soothing and relaxing.

“I’m sorry, Mr Duke,” She said, and came in front of me, giving me a puppy face.

A smile tugged at the left end of my mouth. Oh, human beings. How gullible they can be!

“I should be the one apologising. I hurt you,” I said, trying my best to sound modest.

She shook her head, dismissively. “You may have caused me physical damage, but the words I said pierced your heart, and everyone knows that a wound in the heart takes so much time to heal, even though no one can actually see it,” She said.

I felt my heart melt at the words she said, and how sweet her voice sounded.

“Thanks for understanding,” He said.

“It’s not a problem. J was actually expecting you to um... spend some more time with your...you know, your parents,” She said.

I licked my lips. “I realised I didn’t get a chance to ask you for your number, and who knows? There may be several Eliana Venator(s) on Facebook,” I said.

She chuckled. “You know what’s funny though? I’m not on any Social media platform, so...”

“...So, I’d have wasted my time in searching,” I said, helping her to complete her statement, then we both burst into a hearty laughter.

As fake as everything else was, the laughter was real. I hadn’t laughed in so long, and when I did but, it was all a pretence, but there was something about the way Eliana laughed. It made my heart sink, and made me laugh as well, even though I couldn’t get what was so funny.

“I’m sorry for hurting you. I don’t even know how that happened. There were too many emotions which got heightened, and I don’t know...I just sort of lost control,” I said, giving her a sincere explanation, hoping she’d actually believe me because I sure as hell wasn’t telling a lie.

She wore a small smile on her face. “It’s okay. Just don’t keep long fingernails anymore,” She said.

“I won’t, I promise,” I said, glad that she had believed me.

“However, there’s a price you have to pay in exchange for my forgiveness,” She said, wearing a toothed grin.

“I’m listening,” I said, wondering what her request might be.

“You have to drive me home,” She said.

“Wait, what?” I honestly did not see that one coming.

“My driver had to leave due to an emergency, and I am too disoriented to drive right now,” She explained.

“Okay then. I’ll have my driver drop you off at your house. I’m glad that I’ll get to spend more time with you,” I told her.

She let out a chuckle. “Thank you so very much. I’ll go get my purse and my keys. I’d send someone to get the car tomorrow morning,” She said, then began to walk off.

I held her by the handing, preventing her momentarily from going further, and our eyes met each other. Her pulse was racing and I could hear her heart beat loudly as seconds ran past us. Our eyes were locked in each other, and I couldn’t just look away, not until we heard Mr Coleman clear his throat.

Immediately, I let go of her hand like someone who had been caught in a bad act, and we looked away from each other awkwardly.

“I’ll go get your purse and keys, miss ,” Mr Coleman said, opening the backseat door for Eliana to get in.

“Thanks. Please, ensure the door is locked. I’d die if I lose that baby,” She said to him.

He gave her a crooked smile. “Sure thing, miss,” He said, then walked to where her car was parked.

“I wonder when he got out of the car and appeared in front of us like a ghost,” I said, when I was sure he wasn’t within hearing distance anymore.

“When you grabbed my hand for no reason, dummy,” She said, like I was actually expecting an answer to my question.

“It was for a reason,” I said.

“Oh, really? What reason?” She asked, looking like she didn’t believe me.

“I just wanted to confirm if you’re truly okay. The bleeding stopped early enough, but doesn’t it hurt? Should we stop at a hospital on our way?” I asked, feeling concerned.

“I appreciate your concern, but what exactly are we to tell the doctor at the hospital? That you dug your nails in my ass and gave me injuries?” She asked, in a sarcastic manner.

I ran a hand through my hair. “That would sound really weird, truly. What do you think we should do then?” I asked.

She shrugged. “Let it be. In all sincerity, I’m fine. I feel the sting a little bit, but it’s not all that painful. I’ll treat it when I get home,” She said.

“Okay then. I’m sorry again,” I apologised.

“Sure you’re human?” She suddenly blurted out, shooting a funny glance in my direction.

“If I’m not human, what am I?” I asked.

She shrugged her shoulders. “How the hell am I supposed to know that? What you did was totally unheard of, but for the sake of peace to reign, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt,” She said.

“Thank you, I guess. Anyways, I’m totally human being. I mean, look at me. What else would I be?” I asked, trying to coerce her into saying what was on her mind.

“You’re right. You’re definitely human,” She said, then with a small smile, she stepped into the car on sighting Mr Coleman coming back with her purse and keys.

I entered the backseat through the other door, and when the doors were closed, Mr Coleman revved the engine into life, and soon, we were on our way.

There was a beautiful silence as he started to drive through the streets of Los Angeles on that cold evening, and my eyes were closed, as thoughts started to fill my head, particularly about the beautiful innocent young lady sitting beside me.

When she asked if I were a human being, it was almost as if she could tell that I wasn’t. However, she probably just spent a lot of time watching stupid movies with the fantasy genre, and it was plausible that she had believed that the crap they showed in her television was right for a second, but she had come back to her right senses.