I have a hold on you

"Atty"

"Atty"

I blinked once, twice, thrice. Despite the fact that my vision was obscured, I could see Marg and Eva's strained faces.

"Is she dead?"

I asked, already knowing the answer. That monster would not have spared her. Tears started to fill my eyes. How can I ever forgive myself for this? She was just a kid.

Eva released a breath of relief before smiling a little and pointing her finger to the right. I raised my head, which weighed more than my entire body, and almost cried seeing Rosalie hold that girl by her shoulder. The kid looked so scared and innocent. I glanced at Marg questioningly, who still had tears streaking down her cheeks. A part of my heart was overwhelmed to see so many people worried about me, but my emotions were not important right then. Marg shook her head and shrugged her shoulders.

"I can't even understand."

She said this, raising her hands in the air. What made the monster go soft on that child? I think he has some heart left. I wonder.

Eva handed me some water, which helped me sit upright, and my throat, which resembled the Sahara Desert, felt much better. I was so exhausted physically and mentally, but there were so many questions. First of all, when did I pass out?

"Do you remember anything that happened yesterday?"

Rosalie asked, approaching my bed, and the girl joined her.

"Yesterday? I was blanked out for this long?"

What in the world? I had been bedridden for over fifteen hours, and I still felt drained. Was I hit by a truck last evening?

"So you recall nothing. Do you?"

Eva inquired while placing a soft pillow behind my back, and I murmured a thank you before shaking my head. All I remember is seeing her throat pressed with a knife.

"You were a total bitch yesterday. God, the way you shouted at him! Actually, you threatened him."

What? I heard the entire story described by Marg with utter incredulity. Initially, I thought it was a joke, but their expressions gave me no solace.

What the hell took over my body yesterday? I stared at my gauze-covered arm and didn't know what to make of it. I wasn't even confident about getting vaccinated, but I slit my wrist over and over so that I passed out from blood loss. Nothing was adding up.

"I need some space."

I muttered and pleaded with them with my eyes. It was too much to take in, and my head was about to explode. Marg was a little disappointed, but she understood my mental state, and they all left except that little girl. It seemed like she needed to tell me something, so I called her to me. At first, she hesitated, but slowly made her way over to my bed and stood next to my head rest.

"Hello. How are you?"

I asked, trying to soothe her tensed face. It was a task to push out the words from my throat, but I couldn't show my pain to the innocent kid. She was already terrified of what had happened, and I looked at her bandaged skin.

"Thank you for saving me back there."

Her voice was meek, and she looked so gullible.

"Don't thank me; I would have done the same if you were my sister. And I am honest when I say that. I never had a sibling, but if I had one... You know."

I made a 'duh' face, and a small smile escaped from her, but she soon covered it.

"You know you should smile more. It's a God-given gift, and it's absolutely free. So use it properly, Angel."

She giggled like a normal girl for the first time. She was so adorable.

"I am not Angel."

She corrected me, and I raised my palm in defense.

"Oops sorry. Then what's your real name? You look like an angel, though."

"Namrita, but dad calls me Nami. So, you can call me Nami too."

Her eyes glinted when she mentioned her dad, and I felt awful for her. I was indirectly responsible for the separation from her dad.

"That's a privilege. What does your mom call you then?"

She was silent, then looked at me with teary eyes.

"She's dead."

I wanted to comfort her but remained silent. How much has this poor soul suffered?

"I know that feeling. I lost both my parents when I was a child. Though I had my grandparents to look after me, I felt alone. At least you have your father."

Now was her chance to be quiet.

"You have me."

I didn't expect that to come out of a seven-year-old, presumably. I suddenly felt a close connection with her. I leaned forward and hugged her. She was taken aback at first, but later hugged me back. We remained in that position for a few minutes.

"And you have me, Nami."

I whispered, and she hugged me more tightly.

I must protect her.

...........

I have gotten more acquainted with everybody in the course of recent days, and each of them holds a new position now. Nami, my cute little sister; with Marg to accompany her. Eva and Rosalie are my best friends. Neha, Jeril, Edmund, Alice, and Rose are my protective friends. Sid, my brother, along with Nathan, who has become more cheerful after a little push from me. And ever since Nami's arrival, he had taken on the role of a protective uncle and communicated more with others. Marg was happy to welcome him into the circle, and soon everyone forgot that he was from another species, especially Rosalie. And you won't believe me when I say Adrian has also become my friend. It seems like the tough one is the jolly type. He makes jokes that will make one cry. For example, one day we were all sitting near the tree, and he entered, telling us that he had just found a riddle.

"Okay guys. While I was eating, I discovered a new riddle, and let me tell you, I am so good at it. Do you want to hear one?"

Marg yelled "No", followed by Sid. The rest of us didn't understand why they were acting weird, so we encouraged him to bring it on. Marg covered her ears instantly, making me punch her lightly.

"Why are you acting like that?"

I asked, confused. Only if I knew then.

"Okay, here we go. One day, a person was trapped in the desert alone. He was hungry and tired. What should he do to escape and satisfy his appetite?"

That was actually a nice question. Each one of us called out different answers, but nothing came out right. Even Marg and Sid joined us after a few minutes. Nami was the one who tried most of the answers, but nothing suited him. We all gave up at last.

"Haha, I knew it. It's a tough one. Now listen."

We all sat, eager for him to speak, with our ears perked up.

"People inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide, right?"

All heads nodded.

"That man exhaled carbon dioxide. He separated the carbon from the carbon dioxide into a car and a bun. He used the bun to eat and the car to escape."

He said it with a winning smile. We all looked at each other, speechless. He didn't just say that, did he? Car? Bun? It was not even the same spelling, and what kind of logic was that? How can anyone come up with such a stupid question?

"Who's first?"

Marg asked seriously, and Eva nodded at her, taking a rock from the ground.

"I'll do it."

"Do what?"

Adrian asked, confused.

"KILL YOU!"

We all shouted in unison and went after him. That was really a fun day. However, 'Ryan the mystery' is yet to be revealed.

Sometimes he appears out of the blue and vanishes the same way. I tried to avoid him as much as I could, and after two days, he understood that I wanted my space and never showed up again. We have not talked after that, and I haven't apologized to him or thanked him for letting Nami go unharmed. Call it my pride, but I was not ready to have a face-to-face conversation with him. But I occasionally wondered what he was doing. What was his job? His hunting methods. I should know something about his whereabouts, right? After all, I am his mate. That idea alone sent chills down my spine.

Currently, I am staring down at the paper where I wrote my assumptions about Ryan and folded it neatly. Today I will find out about him. I pledged to myself.

At night, after Nami and almost everyone else slept except the guards, I sneaked out of the room wearing black jeans and a hoodie. It was a classic stalker uniform, and I borrowed it from Eva, saying to her that I just wanted to try it. Thank God, vampires also sleep at night. Who the heck said the sun was harmful to vampires? They are more active during the day, just like humans. Stupid movies!

I slowly tiptoed to his room on the fourth floor, where the door was slightly ajar. I peeked through it and found a brown-lit room with black walls. Almost everything in it was black. How typical! The bed, couch, table, drawer—everything. I noticed that the bed was empty. Where did he go in the middle of the night? I walked inside the room, suddenly hit with his manly cologne. It felt like he was near me.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping now?"

I jumped like a cat and turned to find jet-black eyes staring at me, amused.

"You almost gave me a heart attack."

I exclaimed, placing my right hand over my heart, which was beating furiously.

"This is what happens when you sneak into others' rooms."

He stated the obvious, and I wanted to wipe the smugness from his face with a slap.

"Hello... One day this is going to be my room too."

Just as the words left my throat, I sealed my lips tightly, and my cheeks flushed in embarrassment. When will I ever learn to control my mouth? However, Ryan had a huge grin plastered on his face.

"Oh really. I'm glad to know that you accepted it."

Was he being sassy? Stupid, arrogant vampire. God, I hate myself.

"Whatever."

I muttered like it was no big deal and turned to leave the hell out of the place when he grabbed my wrist.

"What do you think you are doing?"

I demanded, suddenly conscious of my surroundings. I am alone here... with him... in his room... Shit! This is my fault.

"Not what you were expecting."

He whispered, smirking. I lowered my head, unable to deal with his captive eyes. Did he read my mind? No way; he doesn't have that ability. Was my face too obvious?

"Don't you want to know about me? That's why you came here after all, isn't it?"

I lifted my head abruptly, which hit his jaw. Was he this close? He lost his balance a little, and luckily that brought enough space between us.

"You've got a strong skull there."

He said this, massaging his temples, and glanced at me, impressed. Was that supposed to be a compliment?

"Are you really praising me, or am I dreaming?"

I suggested being proud of myself. He gripped both my shoulders unexpectedly, taking me off guard.

"Now... now... don't go too filmy there. I still and will always have a hold on you. See?"

He added, coming closer.

Hell with the butterflies.

Hell with the somersaults forming in my stomach.

Hell with him.

Ryan leaned more closely and whispered into my ear.

"Come with me. You shall get your answers."

*********************************