Caleb looks outside of the window, sighing as he finally allows himself to rest after days of work. Forgotten Hollow is as eerie and whimsical as it ever is, with the historical architects, flickering street lights, overgrown trees and ivy climbing onto the brick walls, and the eternal veil of mist wraps around the town like a blanket. Despite the seemingly peaceful atmosphere of the town, something doesn't feel right.
Shifting his focus back to his hand, the young lord moves his fingers a bit, an odd sense of danger surging in him. He has been feeling like this for a couple of hours now, the tingling on his pale skin alerts an unknown force that is coming to the town, but Caleb has not seen anything but the townsfolk walking around Forgotten Hollow doing their everyday life activities.
This unsettling feeling… What is it that makes him so uncomfortable?
He can pick up a sense of tranquility, like a soft stream flowing through the forest, but it is overshadowed by the strong energy that fills to the brim with hostility and malice. While he has not seen anything other than the calm and serene air of this town, Caleb remains alarmed at the potential threat that has yet to come.
"My lord…" a knock on the door before Richard walks in with a folder in his hand "The report you need."
"Thank you, Richard."
The vampire lord returns to his desk, studying the file his trusted butler gives him. More information on the human trafficking ring has been collected. While there are many intermediate parties in between, Richard is able to draw a correlation between House Bloodhaven and their part in this elaborate scheme.
"The people on the lists are those who have encountered members of House Bloodhaven for the past six months and they are all connected to a bigger network that links to many nightclubs in the human world." Richard explains "They are smart enough to use multiple people for the job to thin out any possible proof that might link back to their house, however…"
"There is a prominent figure…" Caleb finishes the butler's words, knitting his brows at the name on file.
Don Lothario…
He has met this man before, when he first encountered Primrose and saved her from getting harassed by him. The vampire lord feels a tug in his heart as he recalls the unpleasant memory. Just the thought of that bastard of a human laying his dirty hand on the water mage makes him feel sick. Luck was on his side that day when he was able to stop him from damaging Primrose's dignity.
"While there are many providers for House Bloodhaven, Don Lothario seems to be the most prominent one. Most of the victims are young females between the ages of 21 to 35 and they all have the same connection, the Pulse Parasido nightclub in Evergreen Habor." Richard continues "While House Bloodhaven doesn't have a notable stand in that town, their business partner owns a logistic business there. It is safe to assume that is how they are able to establish and operate the trafficking ring."
Caleb looks at the report, the name of the nightclub, the area in which it is located, how close it is to many universities, and how most of the victims are young females. When he first encountered Don Lothario, he was harassing Primrose and none of the bystanders intervened, despite the obvious crime he was doing. If his memory is correct, he recalls how they were saying that Pulse Parasido is operated under the nose of the authorities, meaning that whatever happened in this club stays there and none of the officials can do anything.
"The club is supported by the authorities…" his knuckles turn white at the realization "Damn it…"
"Do you think that House Bloodhave may have disclosed their true nature to Don Lothario, my lord?"
"No, that can not happen. House Bloodhaven is particularly protective of their vampiric nature. They won't allow any human to know who they truly are, especially if it is Don Lothario. Too many complications for them if he finds out about their secret." Caleb shakes his head "Do you have any findings about House Cents and their involvement?"
"They are not involved, my lord. There are no traces of them in this elaborate scheme, it seems like House Bloodhaven is doing it right under their nose." Richard shakes his head firmly "Knowing Inna Cents, she would never condone that kind of action, even if she is a traditionalist. The alliance between House Cents and House Vatore is too important for her to throw it away."
The vampire lord nods, acknowledging his butler's words. While he and Inna may have disagreements about him pursuing Primrose, she would never go as far as to abandon her family and betray the trust of her allies. If she knew about House Bloodhaven's secret business, she would never tried to push Seraphina Bloodhaven onto him.
"Continue your search, Richard. We must find the reason why House Bloodhaven decided to turn against us and engage in such activity." Caleb sets down the report and turns to his butler "Maintain on standby at all times, we can not anyone know about this. And bring Lilith in here, I need to talk to her."
"Understood, my lord!"
A few moments later, Lilith walks in, smiling as she closes the door behind her. It is rare for her brother to include her in his secret meeting with butler Richard.
"Brother, Richard said that you want to see me?"
"Yes, I need your help with an investigation."
Lilith takes the report from Caleb's hand and scans through the content, raising an eyebrow when she sees a name that is circled in red pen.
"Don Lothario?"
"I need you to look into him. Apparently, he is one of our leads for the human trafficking ring. If there is anything that links back to House Bloodhaven, report to me immediately." Caleb speaks to her with a firm and urgent voice.
"Of course, Caleb. I will do everything I can."
The young lord nods, knowing that Lilith is the only one who can help him with this. While butler Richard works in the background to investigate the crime, he needs Lilith and her job as a defense attorney to obtain more information that may be deemed classified. Any additional data that can support this case is needed to ensure that House Bloodhaven will have no way to deny their involvement in this organized crime.
He hates to ask his sister to do this, knowing how it can affect her job if they find out that she has been using her power to conduct a personal investigation. Caleb finds himself being hypocritical when it comes to the benefits of his house and the morals he holds for himself. While he asks Lilith to never abuse her power again after she looks into Primrose's personal information, he allows her to take an active approach to getting important information about Don Lothario.
"Caleb, I understand that you never want to do this, but I'm willing to help you." her smile is kind and gentle as she touches his shoulder "This is not only for House Vatore but also for Forgotten Hollow as a whole. We can not afford another war to break out, brother. If House Bloodhaven is truly involved in this case, we must bring a stop to them fast."
Sighing, the young lord agrees. The civil war years ago with House Straud has put tremendous pressure on the community as a whole, as Head of House Vatore, he can not let another war happen. While House Bloodhaven may not be as strong as their former enemy, that doesn't exclude them from being a potential threat to their family and Forgotten Hollow.
"I have Richard look more into their motive for engaging in this illegal activity. Please do everything you can on your part about Don Lothario, Lilith."
"Of course, Caleb! You can count on me." she nods her head eagerly "However, should we tell Primrose about this? She is in the age range of the targeted victims…"
He hums in agreement. Although he has confidently stated that he will protect her, Caleb has spent almost two weeks away from the raven head. While they talk on the phone from time to time, he can pick up the tiredness in her voice when she speaks to him. The young lord tries to coax her into talking to him, but she remains silent on her problem. He wishes that it's only trivial things like her work and new book, but something tells him that what she is facing right now is much more severe than what they have seen so far.
"When are you going to come back to San Myshuno?" Lilith asks him, knowing that her brother can act hasty when it comes to his lovely raven head "It's almost two weeks, right?"
"Probably tonight, when I'm finished with all of this paperwork about the wine business."
"Right, I bet she will be very happy to see you, brother."
Caleb smiles at his sister's words. Just the thought of meeting Primrose again makes his heart flutter. This is the first time after their reunion that they have been away from each other for this long and if he has to be honest, he misses her every day. His lovely raven head, he can not wait to see her…
Another knock on the door and Kian walks in, wearing an annoyed expression.
"Caleb, Lilith! Inna Cents is here"
"Inna?"
Raising a brow, what does the Head of House Cents want this time?
Inna sits on the comfy plush couch, enjoying the plasma tea that Butler Richard gives her. Caleb is sitting across the table, wearing a complex look on his face. Ever since the party hosted by House Cents, their friendship has become strained.
Even to this day, Caleb can not forgive Inna Cents and Seraphina Bloodhaven for what they did to Primrose, forcing her into a duel with the Head of House Bloodhaven to prove her worth of being his mate. Even when the raven head won the fight, Inna kept insisting that he was making a mistake by choosing her instead of a more traditional vampire mate.
"Caleb…" setting her teacup down with a clank, she looks at him "How have you been?"
"Cut to the chase, Inna. What do you want from my brother?" Lilith scoffs at her question, standing behind her brother along with her husband, Kian.
"House Bloodhaven proposes a union with House Vatore."
Caleb raises a brow at the news, but he remains silent. He sends a knowing glance to his trusted butler before returning to the conversation Inna is presenting.
"They are willing to let Seraphina Bloodhaven be your second mate and she does not have to be the Lady of the House." her voice holds a hint of irritation "You can be with anyone you want and they still accept it."
The more the brunette feels bad about Seraphina's situation, the more she believes that the heiress deserves to be with Caleb as his first mate. As a vampire, Seraphina chooses to give up her dignity to be with the Head of House Vatore, whether she gets to name the House Lady or not. This shows how much she desires to be with him, to have a woman who is willing to trade everything to be with him, Caleb must see her sincere feelings and choose her instead of that lowlife human.
But Caleb feels disgusted by this. While he is flattered that Seraphina Bloodhaven wants to be with him, the thought of her giving up everything, even if it means her pride as a woman, makes his stomach turn. Whether it is the Bloodhaven family forces her to do it, or she chooses that method herself, no woman should look down on herself that much to the point she accepts to be someone else's second choice.
His heart belongs to Primrose and will always stay like that. He will not throw her feelings for him away just because someone comes in and is willing to be the mistress in their relationship.
"My answer stays the same, Inna. I will not look at anyone else but Primrose." he states coldly "Don't ever bring up this topic again. I may let it pass because you are my friend, but that doesn't mean I won't take action if you keep pushing my buttons like this."
"Caleb, is this what you truly want for your family? A weak human girl as your mate? Half-breeds as your offspring? Being looked down upon by all the nobles for your choice?" she almost sneers at him, raising her voice at the young lord "You are the Head of House Vatore, act like one!"
"I am acting like one, Inna Cents." his brow knits at her words, but he remains calm "Primrose is my mate, she will be the Lady of House Vatore. You, as our ally, will respect her."
"This is ridicu-?!"
Caleb raises his hand, stopping the brunette from continuing. He can sense it, the unsettling feeling in his heart rises drastically the moment he picks up that ominous energy entering the realm of Forgotten Hollow. Lilith and Kian jump in front of him, protecting the young lord the room is engulfed with a flash of light, blinding all of them.
When the light slowly fades away, Caleb lowers his arm and the moment he sees what is in front of him, his eyes snap wide open. In front of him, a blond and a raven head, both are covered in bruises and dirt. The former, wearing some kind of a magical cuff that binds his wrist.
"Primrose?"
Without wasting a single second, he runs to her side immediately. The raven head looks at him with tired eyes, but she gladly accepts his open arms to help her get up.
"Caleb…"
"What happened?" his worries increase with each bruise he can count on her.
Before Primrose can speak up, another flash of light flares up, with Lumera and Marlin stepping out, frustrated and infuriated.
"Caleb, is Primrose wi-? There you are!" Marlin exclaims
"M-Marlin, I…"
"No, Primrose! Not one word!" gritting his teeth angrily, the vein on his head threatened to pop "Are you that crazy? What makes you think that doing THIS is a good idea?"
She flinches at his scolding, wincing as the loud voice hits her ear. Lumera steps in to stop Marlin from getting too close to the raven head, they need to assess the situation rather than throw blame around.
"Calm down, Marlin! What is going on?" Caleb stands between her and the blond mage, asking a serious question "Primrose?"
"She broke into House Emberlynn's jail to rescue her brother. Now the whole clan is after them!" the blond mage points at his pupil "They're searching up and down for them now, and some of them just got into Glimmerbrook and asked everyone at school if they saw you guys."
"I can explain! It's not what you think!" she fights back defensively "Mom and Dad and I came up with this plan. If we didn't execute it quickly, then Nathaniel wou-?!"
"Enough, Prims!"
This time, it is Nathaniel who yells at her. He has grown tired of his sister's antic and would prefer if she just stayed silent for once. None of this would happen if everyone stayed still and let things work the way it should be. Nathaniel doesn't care about having his magic energy permanently locked, that is a small price compared to what Ember did for him. But no, Primrose has to act heroically to rescue him when the blond wants nothing more than to end this dual life of his, being a magic user in a mortal world.
"Nathaniel, why would you even think like that?"
"It's true, Prims. Admit it, this is a tired life. I just want a normal life, where Ember and I can be happy. But no, it doesn't work like that. I carry the Emberlynn name while she is the daughter of the mayor of San Myshuno, we can not have a normal life!" the blond slowly acts aggressively towards his sister and Caleb steps in, pulling her behind him "Oh look, your boyfriend is here to protect you, how great is that?"
His mocking tone stirs up her stomach but she chooses to stay silent, for now…
"I'm tired, Prims. Everything about this is tiresome. And look at me now, hiding like a coward while Ember is out there, sacrificing her whole life for me."
The guilt that Nathaniel harbors in his heart slowly translates to self-blame as all he can say is how he has used his love's happiness to trade for his freedom. But Primrose retorts back, accusing him of being so pessimistic to the point that he can not see what good things his family is trying to do for him and Ember.
"Good thing? Look at what you are doing, Prims! We're here, Mom and Dad are trapped there! You're calling this a success?"
Tension keeps rising between them as Nathaniel accuses Primrose of acting on her own self-interest, that she just wants to meet Caleb Vatore. While there are tons of places she can choose to hide, the raven head comes to the Vatore estate instead.
"You don't understand. It's the only place that-?!"
"That Caleb Vatore lives, no more no less. Just admit it, sis. I know you love him, but that doesn't mean you can take me here!" he cuts her off viciously "I don't want to be here, I don't want to see him, I don't need their help or your help! It will be just fine if you leave me be, but no! You have to act like a hero, Prims."
His words serve as hundreds of daggers slicing her heart into pieces. Tears welled up in her midnight-colored eyes, shocked and frustrated.
"Well guess what? Your plan backfire! Mom and Dad are held captive and here I am, a coward hiding in the shadow!" he yells at her, ignoring her tearful face "Just leave me be, I want nothing to do with this life anymore. At least let me do something for Ember so that her sacrifice is not in vain."
As the room simmers with tension and anger, Lilith and Kian send Caleb a look and silently ask if they should intervene. The fight between the two Emberlynns is not something they expect when seeing them. Lumera tries to speak up, hoping to ease the tense situation but Marlin stops her. Nathaniel is too aggressive for anyone to stop him now. Inna Cents stand on the side, witnessing everything with a satisfying smirk on her face. At least she can relieve her irritation by watching that lowlife human ger humiliated by her own brother in front of this many people. Butler Richard stays silent, observing the argument.
Caleb is trapped between the two, he wants to speak up for Primrose but he knows nothing about their situation. While he understands that Nathaniel's words are harsh and uncalled for, Primrose stays silent most of the time, he doesn't know how to help her but just stands there, shielding the aggressive blond away.
But Primrose always has a trick in her sleeve, or at least, she never ceases to amaze him…
"Me, me, me, me! Everything is 'me'!"
The raven head growls under her breath as she raises her head, staring at her brother with rage-filled eyes. She has reached her breaking point. In front of everyone, Primrose walks up and grabs him by the collar of his shirt. Before he can even react, she punches him across the face, knocking the blond onto the floor.
"What is this? Has the great Nathaniel Emberlynn chosen to give up everything for the sake of his girlfriend? Is that what you want to say?" her voice, loud and mocking, almost in the most obnoxious way possible "That Ember's sacrifice is now in vain because your family loves you so much to the point that they can go against the whole clan to save you!"
Climbing on top of him, she throws punches, with Nathaniel blocking all of them easily. He is physically stronger and her punches feel nothing more than someone scratching his skin. But Primrose doesn't give a damn anymore, she is upset at how her younger brother is taking their sacrifice lightly, whether it's their parents' or Ember's.
"Before even spilling nonsense out of your mouth, think for fucking sake!" she curses at him, continuing to hit her brother angrily "If you just want to give up on your life like that, then don't fucking pull us into this! Do that somewhere else instead of picking fights with Don Lothario!"
A loud boom shakes the whole room as the sprinkler system for the rose garden of the Vatore estate explodes. Marlin sends Caleb a knowing look before the two men nod, grabbing onto Primrose arms as they pull her off him. She thrashes in their held, screaming to let her go and that she needs to teach her brother a life lesson, that throwing his future away just because he wants to make amend for his mistake is the most ignorant thing she has ever heard. The angrier she becomes, the more water explosions they all witness.
"You want to be a knight in shining armor? You want to save Ember that much? Then fucking save yourself first, you little piece of shit!" her face turns red as Primrose gasps for air, screaming this loud is not something she should do, but she must in order to kick some sense into him "Until you cool down your fucking head, don't talk to me!"
With that, she storms out of the living room, slamming the door behind her with a bang. Lilith and Kian stare at each other in awe, this is the first time they hear the young maiden curse at someone. Caleb sighs, knowing that the Emebrlynn siblings need some time apart to calm down. Within a couple of months of his return to Primrose, this is the third time he has witnessed their fight.
"Marlin, Lumera. Can you please take care of the water?" receiving a nod from them, he turns to his butler "Richard, prepare guest rooms for Nathaniel. He will be staying with us for now. Lilith and Kian, try to keep him company, okay?"
After giving them the task, Caleb proceeds to take his leave, but Nathaniel stops him. Even after everything, the blond still holds a prejudice against the vampire lord, still believing that he is not good for his sister. Despite his anger and frustration, still holds concern for his sister and is curious about Caleb's intentions.
"Sit back, Nathaniel. Trust me when I say that Caleb is the only one who understands your sister the most." Marlin sighs, signaling the young lord to leave before turning his attention to the cuff on the blond's wrist "And let me get that off. Thinking this thing will be able to bind your magic? Tactless as always."