Chapter 24

Chapter 24

He suddenly felt drawn to her.

 Anastasia's long blonde hair fell to her waist, gleaming like the morning sun.

She slowly walked into the ocean, and he watched as she poured water over her head. He found it hard to take his eyes off Anastasia. She looked so beautiful, and all he wanted right then was to pin her beneath him while he savoured those strawberry lips.

He wanted to walk up there and join her for a bath. But if Anastasia saw him watching her, she would frown.

Suddenly, she stopped bathing. Before she could catch him staring, he quickly turned around and headed inside the cabin.

After Anastasia finished her bath, she dressed herself and returned to the cabin to meet Cassius. The day slowly dragged on, and they retired to bed.

The next morning, as Cassius was preparing to leave, Anastasia stood up from the bed. "Once everything is over, I will return to take you away from here," he said.

 She nodded her head in response and escorted him out of the cabin. When Cassius was away, Anastasia stood at the entrance, her eyes scanning the place, when she caught sight of someone walking through the woods. He was not alone.

 He was with someone, a tall man with a scruffy beard wearing a cowboy hat. For some odd reason, Anastasia didn't like the presence of this man. And George. When she remembered how she suffered at his hands, she shook her head. If she wanted to stay alive, she needed to hide.

 But how would she be able to survive without coming out of the cabin? There was no food, and she would have to go fishing or find rabbits around to make soup.

She heard the sound of a carriage approaching and she paused. Stepping out of the carriage was a woman in her early thirties with a five-year-old boy. With the recognition of the man and boy, she quickly knew this was his family. He led them inside the cabin, and Anastasia locked the door. She held her breath, feeling her heart race with fear. George already knew she was not human. What if he found her here? No, she must hide and find a way to escape.

A week passed by, and Cassius didn't return to the cabin. She had no idea when he would return, and she was worried, worried for herself. Two days ago, when she had gone out for hunting, she was almost caught by George and his family. She had to distract them with something else.

She hadn't left the cabin since then, and Anastasia was extremely hungry. By evening, Anastasia knew she could no longer manage it. She wanted to leave and find a way to survive. She prepared herself, wearing the long black cloak. 

She took one last glance at the cabin, wondering if this would be her last day on earth. She felt like she needed to stay a few days longer, but Anastasia knew she could die of hunger. She needed to find a way to survive. But she had a bad feeling that refused to shake off. It was likely she would be killed by the people or die of hunger hiding in this cabin.

As she carefully made her way out of the cabin, it made a creaking sound, and her eyes widened. She heard George's door open and she hid behind a tree. From where she was hiding, she spied on him to see he was holding a gun and scanning the place. 

Anastasia tried to hold her breath as much as she could. When she saw George turn around and walk inside, she breathed out in relief before stepping out of her hiding spot, only to see George standing in front of her with a gun. Her eyes widened, and she took a step backward.

"One more step and I'll blow your head off with this gun," he threatened her.

"Please don't kill me," she said. "I don't know anything."

"You are not human," he spat. "But neither are you a vampire. So what are you?"

She swallowed hard. "I don't know what you are talking about."

"It took me two days to realize you were not human," he said. "Tell me what you are, or I will kill you."

"I'm a human," she breathed out.

"A human?" He scoffed. "A little girl like you is capable of murdering the King unless you are something else."

He lowered the gun, lost in deep thoughts. "You know, no matter how hard I try to think, I don't know what you are….. unless….."

When his eyes narrowed at her, she quickly turned around and began to run away. She summoned all the strength inside of her and continued to run through the woods. Anastasia was afraid for her life. What if he finds out about her kind? He could kill her right here or even report her to the Elders.

All of a sudden, she fell to her knees, feeling a metal bullet hit her. She let out a loud scream that made George fall to his knees and hold his ears. Blood began to gush out of his nose, and he stared at Anastasia with widened eyes. The scream continued, and he fell down, closing his eyes as he slipped unconscious.

Anastasia stopped screaming and turned to see George lying unconscious on the ground. She began to crawl away, feeling weak and tired. She could feel her body slowly giving in, but she managed to find a hiding spot and sat down, her breathing ragged.