NO COMING BACK

The trip was a long one, Zoey was about to lose her fight against sleep when the carriage finally stopped, she could barely see but the lights from the huge mansion in front of them illuminated the whole place, her heart dropped in fear and anxiousness.

The carriage door opened and Matteo stepped out. "Get her out too" he told a man in suit, talking about Zoey.

"So, we'll see tomorrow or when?" Adam asked from inside the carriage "I've been hanging out with you a little too much, my brain might actually rot, I think I need a break" Matteo said, already walking towards the mansion with a little smile on his face "you suddenly need a break when you got yourself a slave.. mmhmm!" Adam yelled out with a chuckle, then hit the frame twice, signalling the riders to start moving.

Matteo stopped in front of the mansion doors, waiting for Zoey and the butler to catch up to him, he then entered together with them.

Zoey walked into the biggest building she had ever seen, asides being the biggest, it was the most beautiful. The grand hall was huge and designed intricately, the walls were a mix of golden yellow, shades of brown, royal red and white. The floors were made of marble and the ceiling, it was like one was looking up to the heavens! Still, there were lit chandeliers hanging from it.

The pillars in the reception hall had some weirdly beautiful designs that looked like an insignia of a culture of sorts, there were also lit candles, burning bright red, sitting inside the pillar spaces.

Matteo dismissed the butler and looked back at Zoey, he didn't say a word and just walked up the stairs.

The stairs led into another floor, this place was also grandly designed, and it was furnished unlike the ground floor, there were these huge expensive looking antique chairs and a square golden glass table in the middle.

And far behind, there were just three steps and tall double doors that were closed. Matteo glanced at the door but still continued up another staircase.

Here there was a big space, it had a living room setting, then there was a single door, he opened the door and entered. It was a bedroom, the design was a little different from the other spaces Zoey had seen so far.

He gestured for her to come in.

It was a huge room alright, and the big bed frame was intricately designed with gold and white, the rest of the room was just basic, the walls were painted white, the window rims were golden and the floor was also marble, there were minimal furniture and just another door which obviously led to the bathroom.

"This is my space, you'll be staying here" he said, Zoey didn't say a word though. He looked at her, glanced at her cuffed hands and chuckled. "Your hands are bruising, take your cuffs off" he said.

Zoey's brows furrowed, what is this man saying? Or.. does he know I already undid the cuffs?

Matteo smiled and removed the cuffs easily, "You're an interesting one" he said and left the room.

Zoey was too stunned to move

HE KNEW!

She looked back to be sure he was really gone, she tried opening the door but it didn't budge.

'He knew my cuffs were undone but he didn't say a thing, he must be really confident that I cannot escape'

Zoey went to the windows, she tried to open them but they didn't budge too.

The bathroom door was opened, she stepped in, looking for openings, ignoring the beautifully placed bathroom fixtures. The white bathtub to the side and the transparent cubicle with a shower head to the other side. The toilet was sitting gracefully too, at the far back.

Zoey quickly went towards the window of the toilet, though the window was high up, she climbed the toilet to get to it but it was also locked.

"Oh my days! There's no escape here!" Zoey said to herself in frustration, already climbing down the toilet when she slipped and hit her head ceramic sink and fell unto the marble floor, she lay there, unmoving.

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Mean while, back in Saffron hilla village, Kavi and Scarlett had arrived Yasmine's home.

"Kavi, you didn't say you were coming" Yasmine had a confused look. Kavi was standing in a front door with and elderly woman.

"Sorry for the unannounced visit, it's an emergency" Kavi saida and Yasmine's brows furrowed the more. She let them in.

"So, what is this emergency?" She started

"Where's Zoey " Scarlett hit the nail on the head. "What?" Yasmine was confused.. "who are you?" She asked. Scarlett chuckled and took a few steps forward "where is my granddaughter, I won't ask you another time" Scarlett threatened. Yasmine burst into laughter "Kavi, what the fuck is going on?"

"Yasmine, please just bring Zoey out, I know you hate her because of Xavier but she's far more than what we can handle" Kavi was referring to Scarlett. "Kavi, I wish I had Zoey.. I couldn't buy her..." Yasmine said "...and, is she Zoey's mother or what?" she side eyed Scarlett.

Scarlett smirked.

She suddenly appeared Infront of Yasmine, and grabbed her neck, Yasmine didn't have any reaction time and was soon choking under Scarlett's grasp.

Yasmine's neck skin started burning and steaming, it was getting all red "ahahhahahahahaahhhhhhhh ahhhhhhhhhhrrgggghh" Yasmine wailed in pain, Scarlett ignored this and pressed on, her fingers releasing a liquid that seemed to the burning Yasmine's skin.

"Scarlett, if you kill her we won't know where Zoey is" Kavi tried to calm Scarlett down and it worked, she released her, Yasmine fell unto the floor, gasping for hair and coughing hysterically.

"YOU.... *COUGH* *COUGH* HANNYA" Yasmine said with terror in her eyes.

" I swear I don't have Zoey, I wanted to buy her but the auctioneer said there was an issue of misplacement and she wasn't meant to be sold because she was unmarked" Yasmine desperately explained.

"What happened to her then?" Scarlett was asking the questions.

" The ..." Yasmine paused "the blood wraiths, they were the VIPs of the auction. Th ey bought her.." she said, looking at Scarlett.

Scarlett faced changed, her expression shifted from rage to worry and fear. "..they bought her for fifty million, without the slave mark" Yasmine completed.

Scarlett couldn't believe her ears. She didn't want to believe. The blood wraiths have her granddaughter.

She gritted her teeth and turned back with folded arms, she was obviously nervous.

Kavi and Yasmine exchanged glances in silence, they didn't dare say a thing, the hannya could kill both of them on the spot.

After a short while of silence, Scarlett walked out of the place without a word, a lot of thoughts running through her head.

Vampires like the blood wraiths are part of the reason why hannyas like her have to stay in hiding because they actively hunt for hannyas, using fellow hannyas but the evil ones, called Viles. Viles are a hybrid, mix of vampires and hannyas. They are the natural enemies of hannyas.

Some powerful vampire kingdoms are rumoured to capture hannyas and breed them with vampires to create Viles, and the blood wraiths are undoubtedly the number one vile breeders.

They rule the largest vampire kingdom, Nyxoria which is well known for going to war with other vampire kingdoms doing similar business to capture their hannyas and aggressively takeover their kingdoms.

They have a powerful force of Viles and evil hannyas on their side and they themselves, come from a royal bloodline, they are the seventh generation of the almighty vampire lord Wraith who is now in eternal slumber.

Their bloodline rumoured to have evolved from the normal regular vampires to strong, super fast, and have strong resistance to some hannya power and spells. It's also said they have power to read minds, and influence one's actions too!

Scarlett bit her lip "There might be no coming back from this one"

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"Good that you're here" Matteo opened the double doors, there was a single lady eating on the long table surrounded with chairs. It was a dining room.

"Where's the person you came in with?" The lady asked, wiping her mouth with a serviette, she gently placed her cutlery on the plate.

"Saffron hills, they had midnight potions" Matteo ignored the lady's question. "they definitely have some hannyas then, we should invade them" Matteo completed.

"Brother, greedy as ever, we have hundreds of hannyas under us, but you still want the few tens that are outside" the lady said, with an amused look.

"We need to get to them first... We can't risk the blood fangs having one above us, they seem to have gone quiet but that makes them seem more dangerous" Matteo said, his narrow eyes scanning his sister's, to see if she was reasoning along the same line with him.

" Calm down Matteo, they're quiet because they're scared, we put the bloodfangs in their place, besides, we'll be signing a peace treaty soon"

Matteo scoffed "a peace treaty? Like that would put a leash on them, that'll only give them time to get stronger, it won't be long untill they break it"

"Well, we'll be ready for them when that time comes, where's Adam"

"not here" Matteo said and proceeded to walk out.

"What of the human you entered with? Slave? Since when?"

Matteo paused "stay out of my business, Claudette".