Chapter 10 - He Never Lies

“Let’s stop this play. It’s not good for either of us. We are two strangers, battling over my dad’s company. Let’s keep it that way.” She drew a safe context for her.

“Are you afraid of me?” He turned to her side, gluing her to his bare chest.

“I’m not afraid of who you are, either as businessman or night creature.” She replied. “Stop with this! I’m not a toy!”

“You aren’t, you’re my wife. Let’s get ready for the ceremony. My assistant prepared everything. At noon we are to wed.” He said on a serious tone, kissing her once more.

“We are not going to marry! Stop with the craziness! I’m only 18!” Mika released herself from his embrace and stood up. “I want to speak to Drake. Something is fishy, but I don’t know what that is. Who’s Olivia? What does she do?”

“Olivia? Why? Jealous?” He chuckled, standing up, too.

“Why would I be jealous?” She faced him with sincerity.

“She is one of your rivals. She’s been for the last fifty years or so.” He confessed, glaring at her, to see her reactions.

“She’s a beautiful lady. I can see she’s powerful, too. She’s more suited for you than me. You should choose her. How old are you by the way?” She asked, scanning him from head to toe. “You don’t look more than 25 years old.”

“I’m 523 years old as real-life span and turned when I was 24. Olivia is not suitable for me.” He said, going slowly near her, feeling she’s not into him. That was a first. No woman would resist him, regardless of age.

“You are such an old ass! Don’t you see the lack of compatibility here? I’m mortal, you’re not. I’m young, you’re ashes. Not even ashes at your age, if you were a normal person. You better choose someone having at least one characteristic among these, that suits you.” She amended him, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms, disrespecting him.

“We can work on that. You could become immortal, if that’s what you want. But that’s soon to happen anyway. It’s already in your blood.” He hinted a secret only him and her father knew.

“What do you mean?” She asked, pushing him with one hand, as he came to take her into his arms.

“You will see when the right time comes. It’s irreversible. It’s your fate. I’m going to take a shower. Speak to Drake if that’s what you need, and get ready for the ceremony, or lose the company. Make your pick.” He went for the bathroom, leaving her with unanswered questions.

“I hate you!” She yelled, hearing a laughter in the bathroom, and running water.

***

Drake was having breakfast, alone, gloomy and without appetite, in the dining room.

“Morning.” Mika greeted him, smiling.

“Good morning. How are you? Everything alright?” He replied, changing his mood at her sight.

“It’s fine. He wouldn’t dare do something to me. He needs the company. So, Mr. Werewolf, huh?” She dropped the bomb.

“What?! Ha-ha! Yeah….” It caught him off guard. He even blushed, avoiding eye contact with her. Not normal for a guy like him.

“Still, I don’t fear you guys. I’m used to these terms and existence of such creatures. But those last night, were nasty, bad ones.” She took a seat on the other side of the table, waiting to be served breakfast by the servant.

“What? What happened last night? I have no information about that. Thomas didn’t say anything.” He had a worried grimace, thinking of possible threats and people.

“Four werewolves. In my house.” She told him, munching from a toast.

“Werewolves?” He was surprised, but immediately thought of the seventh family, who was against Thomas’s new rules for the real estate business. They were pure werewolves, and such attacks were their signature. “But why your house? Did you offend someone lately?” He stopped eating.

“Me? I don’t know. I seem to offend a lot of people lately, solely through my existence.” She took a glass of orange juice and gulped from it.

“What did Thomas say?” He made a cue to the servant to serve him with a Jack. If what he was thinking was true, war with the seventh family was around the corner.

“He just killed them. He didn’t say.” She replied, finishing her breakfast.

“That’s why he was ragged and bloody last night. Thought he was in a raid or something. He generally does that. He didn’t call me to tell me about it. I wasn’t worried because of this. I will look into it.” He assured her. “Say, what about the marriage thingy?”

“What about?” She sat comfortably on the chair, looking at him.

“He said last night that you are his bride. That’s something I didn’t know.” He had a taste of Jack, to keep himself calm.

“Isn’t that too early in the morning? Whiskey.” She pointed out.

“Hmm, it depends on the situation. I’m stressed lately. This is like a med.” He said, not mentioning his real stress at that moment.

“He’s just crazy. I don’t believe a word he says. You have better chances to have my trust than he has.” She had another sip of orange juice.

“He never lies. That would be last thing on earth he would lie about.” He was finishing his Jack, asking for another with his glass raised to the servant.

“Never?” She tilted her eyebrows at him.

“Never. He would not express things. But lie? No.” Drake answered with utmost honesty, matching his grin with his words. “That’s strange….”

“What is?” She sought his gaze, as he was circling her with his eyes.

“You aren’t afraid, and you are inquiring about things with calm. Who are you? I don’t sense you being a werewolf or vampire. Witch, maybe, but not really sure.” He was intrigued, but relieved she wasn’t running the other way around. Any other mortal would die of fright. She was acting as if she grew with such creatures around her.

“Let’s say, I’m used to it, in a way or another.” She avoided the answer.

“You don’t want to say. Is that fair?” He chuckled. “You know about us, but I don’t about you. You seem mortal, but I doubt that now.”

“I’m a hunter, like my father.” She answered on a dry voice.

“Say again?” A shock bruised his guts.

“You heard me, not repeating again.” She was watching his reactions.

“That’s…. Hmm…. Dangerous.” He concluded, having another full glass of Jack. Tension was present. Hunters were unpredictable creatures. They would sometimes side with them, and other times with people, or other parties, dependent on their interests and targets. They would also become mixed, having vampire, werewolf, demon, or witch skills. Immortality was present among them, if they came from generations of hunters. She was a worthy enemy at some point, if things progressed in a wrong way.

“I’m not dangerous. If not disturbed that is.”