The following morning, Mason and I go outside to test if I am a vampire or not. I don’t know if I want to be a vampire or not. Even though it will explain why I can mask my scent and what happened that day with Lucas. It would explain why he smelled a vampire when I hid my scent and why I also looked pale when I did it.
“Mask your scent,” Mason says as we stand at the entrance of a cave. We came to the cave at dawn just before the sun rose.
“Done,” I say after I do it.
“Put your finger out.”
I do as he says, and I wait for the burn to come, but it does not. I closed my eyes to numb the pain when it comes. I slowly open my eyes to see why I didn’t burn. What I see before my eyes blows my mind away. My finger is glittering.
“I am like Edward right now,” I say, smiling. Edward is the male lead from this human movie that talks about my kind and vampires. The author did an excellent job in a lot of things regarding the supernatural. I walk out of the cave, still masking my scent, and bathe my body under the sun.
“You look magnificent,” Mason says, smiling.
“I know. Did your daughter also glitter under the sun”
“Yes, she did. I didn’t want to tell you that’s what happens, so you will be surprised when you see it.”
“Does this really mean I am part vampire?” I say, walking back inside the cave
“Yes, it does.”
“I can’t believe it,” I say, taking a seat on a rock in the cave. It was nice seeing my body glitter under the sun, but I remember it’s because I am part vampire.
“I understand how you feel.”
“What do I do now,” I ask Mason because I can’t even answer that question myself
I have a million thoughts going through my head right now. I don’t know if me been a hybrid puts my life in danger or not. I am sure it does because both kinds don’t like each other and would probably fight to have me. I can walk in the sun the same way originals can. I can mask my scent to make me undetectable as a werewolf. They might want to turn me into a lab rat. I must never tell anyone about me being a hybrid. I just hope Mason does not. I believe he won’t since his daughter is a hybrid also. She must not be with him because he is keeping her somewhere safe. I can’t imagine if word got out that I am a hybrid.
“Never tell anyone what you really are.”
“I won’t, and thank you.”
“For what?”
“For keeping my secret.”
“Anything for someone special like my little girl,” Mason says with a soft smile. I am truly blessed to have run into someone as great as Mason.
Later that night, Mason left to work with the hope of getting me a worker’s ID so I could go in and see mom. I want to go in first to check out the place before I plan how I will rescue her from there. I can’t help and wonder if mom was kidnapped because of me. Mason told me she is the vampire king’s special prisoner. He does not allow werewolves to live more than a week in his prisons, but he allowed mom to live for months. I just hope I am wrong, and he kidnapped her for another reason.
I also think about Theo. I wonder how he is doing. I wonder if he is alive. I hope he is alive. I don’t think I can live in this world without Theo. Once I find mom, I plan to look for Theo. I hope he is doing well and not injured or in the hands of horrible people wherever he is.
The following night, Mason and I set off to the castle. He was able to get me a worker’s Id. We were worried the palace might not hire me as they were not looking for a new worker. I am truly lucky someone quit last night, so a spot became open for me. The castle is deeply rooted in the woods. Mason tells me only a few selected vampires are allowed in the castle. The vampire king is very private about his life. If any vampire has an issue, they report it to the council. He only deals with matters that purely need his involvement.
Mason also told me he was not always secretive and closed off from his people. It was after Theo’s mother killed his brother that he became distant from his people. Theo’s mom really lost it after her mate died. At least this time, her reason for killing the vampire king’s brother is known to all. He is the vampire that killed her mate. I also found out the vampire’s mate was a witch. I think in the process of looking for the vampire’s mate. She killed every witch that came across her path.
That’s why I can’t lose Theo. I will go mad if I lose him. We haven’t completed the mating process, so I can’t feel him through the bond, but I know I haven’t lost him. What tells me he is alive even without completing the mating process is that I have not felt our bond break. I would feel it regardless of if we completed the mating process or not.
I come back from my thoughts when I smell a massive amount of vampires. I am about to shift and get ready for action but stop once Mason touches me.
“It’s fine; no one would hurt you as long as you mask your scent,” He whispers in my ear.
“You are right. Forgive me, old habits. I am used to being on the alert anytime I smell a vampire. It would take a while for me to calm down when I am around them.”
“I understand”
“ID’s please,” The vampire at the castle gates says, once Mason and I reach. He collects the IDs from Mason and checks them. I cross my fingers, hoping he won’t smell the werewolf off me even though I am masking my scent. “You can go in,” He says, after what feels like forever. He opens the small gate for Mason and I to walk through. I release a breath of relief once we walk past him.
We walk inside into the massive castle. It’s expected to be huge since it’s a castle. We walk to the kitchen to find some food to take down with us to the dungeons. Vampires don’t need food but still have taste buds. Mason told me the only reason they have a kitchen is because of when the vampire king has human guests around.
We want to lie to the guards guarding the place that it’s time for mom to eat.
“Hi, Mason. How are you doing today?” The guard in front of the dungeon says. Mason is good friends with the guard. He will allow me to enter without making a fuss.
“I am doing well. How are you doing, Sam” Mason says,
“I am good too. You must be here to give prisoner in cell 201 her food.”
“Yes,”
“Open the tray,” He says, and Mason does as he asks. He checks the tray for any sharp object. Once he is sure that there is none. He clears us to go in.
“Thank you,” Mason says, walking into the dungeon. I follow after him, but Sam halts me in my tracks.
“You can’t go in,” He says, using his hands to block my path. I look at Mason, panicking and wondering why I can’t go in.
“Why can’t she go in, Sam?”
“I don’t know her, so I can’t let her in.”
“She is the new girl in the kitchen. She is here to learn how to feed the prisoners. She will be the one in charge of feeding them soon.”
“Alright,” He says, removing his hands from the way.
“Thank you,” Mason says before we walk away from Sam
Once I feel we are a good distance away from Sam. I release a breath I was holding the whole time we were standing in front of him. He had his eyes fixed on me, and I was worried the entire time that he might see through my façade.
“I was worried for a minute he was not going to allow me to walk in.”
“Me too. Luckily for us, he did.”
“Yeah,” I say, walking with Mason inside the dungeon. The place is not lit properly, so I decide to switch my eyes to my werewolf eyes before I can do that. Mason stops me
“Don’t use your werewolf eyes. It will make you a werewolf, and they will smell you in here.”
“Yeah, that’s true” He is right because to use my werewolf eyes, I would have to unmask my scent.
As we walk deeper, I start to smell something familiar to me. I can’t believe I found her. I walk faster towards where I can smell her scent coming from
“Here we are.” He says, stopping in front of a cell.
I smell her scent mixed with blood and dirt. She must not have bathed in days. I don’t even want to imagine the horrors she must have faced these past few months.
“Mom,” I say, with tears forming in my eyes. I haven’t seen her yet, but I can hear her heart beating inside as I stand in front of the cell. I am so happy I finally found her.
“Anastasia, is that you.” She says, rushing to the front of the cell
“Yes, it’s me,” I say, with tears of joy streaming down my face. I put my hand through the bars, but before I can pass it through properly, it burns me.
“Don’t touch the cell,” Mom warns.
I look at mason, confused with why that happened. I am still masking my scent, so I am still a vampire. Silver should not burn me.
“Mason, did you see that?” I ask, wondering if he might know why I got burnt.
“I did. I don’t know why you got burn. You are not supposed to get burnt,” I am about to reply to him when mom interrupts me.
“What are you guys talking about?” She asks, cornered
“Nothing mom,” I don’t plan to keep the fact that I am a hybrid a secret from mom, but I don’t think this is the right time to tell her.
“I will go and be on the lookout while you guys talk,” Mason says and walks away.
“Thank you,” I say to him before he walks away.
“How are you? Don’t answer that. I am sure you are not fine. I am so sorry it took me this long to get here. Please forgive me.”
“I am doing fine, my dear. There is nothing to apologize for. I know you must have worked hard to look for me. I am even wondering how you got here.”
“It’s a long story…………….” I get interrupted as I hear waves crashing. I heard the same thing the day Ekaterina arrived when Theo and I were captured by human hunters.
I turn towards where I hear the water coming from and wait for her to arrive. The portal opens, and I expect to see Ekaterina walk out of it but instead, it is someone I have dreamed of seeing every day since I got separated from them. More tears of joy weld up in my eyes as I watch my mate walk towards me in fast strides.
“Theo!” I say once he is in front of me. I place my hand on his face to ensure he is real and I am not dreaming.
“Anastasia,” He says, placing his hand on my face.
Theo bends his neck and captures my lips in a kiss. You read it well. Theodore kissed me. The kiss starts off a little sloppy because I was not expecting it, but I close my eyes and enjoy the feel of his lips against mine. I kiss him back with the same passion as he kisses me. I move my hands from around his neck and pass them through his hair. I feel his arms go around my waist, and for that moment, I forget everything in the world and just enjoy kissing my mate. We break apart once we are both out of breath.
“I missed you,” Theo says, smiling with his forehead against mine
“I missed you too,” I say, smiling too