BLOOD AND Lightening

Chapter 33

"Have you made up your mind to stop avoiding me?" Nimia asked the young vampire who stood awkwardly

"I wasn't ignoring you," he said plastering a smile on his face, "I think it's late you should be asleep," he said

"Well the heavens had another plan, I wouldn't have seen you if I had retired to bed," Nimai said, the contrast in their charisma evidently different, one would say that they had swapped places, Zephyr stood awkwardly, avoiding eye contact while Nimai stood with a perfect posture and with a slight smile, looking him straight in the eyes.

"Let tomorrow be a new day for us Zephyr," Nimai said patting him before walking away.

One shouldn't wallow too much in their misery, sometimes the heavens toss a test to us, for Nimai it was all a test from the start, a new dawn should arrive, it was getting long overdue. she wasn't the most unfortunate being to exist so why act like her world was crashing before her, stopping herself from fully expressing herself, building up so many walls around her, that she forgot to live her life, she has so many questions but they can wait, whatever her power are she has deemed it useless, she wouldn't be known for it, she won't make it define her, she was going to define herself, as selfish as it might look to the maker and heavens she has refused their power.

"Nimai" the voice of a man called out to her, he was smiling but somehow his face scared her, he was familiar but she could swear she hasn't met a man like that before, he was richly dressed in royal regalia, Nimai felt herself shivering before him as his face turned into a deep frown, he dragged her by the hand.

"You can never betray your kind!!" he shouted as she struggled to free herself from him,

"let go of me!" she screamed with determination in her voice, as she felt another hand drag her away from the man with force, it was Haldir, and he held her into an embrace "Am sorry," he said

As Star pulled the Curtains so did Nimai got pulled away from the weird dream she was having "what was that?" she said sitting upright.

"Nothing milady, I just pulled the curtains" Star answered thinking the question was meant for her, "You shouldn't sleep with your garment on milady" Star commented with a frown as she began helping Nimai undress.

Haldir's mansion has grown busier, with messengers trouping in and out, it has become almost impossible to lay eyes on Thanatos, he was more like the duke, he always has something to do, while the devil rarely leaves his mansion he was undoubtedly busy, the last person Nimai expected to see was the supposed betrothal of the devil, but here she was anyway.

"I believe you are called Nimai?" Cara asked with an unexplainable tone, there was no response from Nimai, she only stood alongside Star looking at the maiden in front of her who also came with an aid, who clearly was also a fairy, like Star.

"I supposed you are not from Alfredo, I have asked almost every household and not a single being bares your name" Cara continued

"Almost you said milady, you haven't gone to every household, have you?"Nimai asked attempting to plaster a sweet smile but failing horribly, she ended up with a smirk.

Nimai was supposed to have her breakfast in the dining but now Cara had joined her too, they both sat in deafening silence as the cook served Nimai's food.

"What kind of vampire enjoys human feast?" Cara asked looking suspiciously at Nimai, waiting eagerly for Nimai to rebuke the label of a vampire, she could tell Nimai wasn't blue-blooded but what was she?

"Nimai" His voice came, as he emerged from the throne room, as Nimai looked over at him, she was reminded of her dream, he was embracing her in her dream just like he was embracing her for balance the previous night, he seemed okay.

"I trust your night was blissful?" he said bringing her back to reality

"Oh, you sleep in the night too?" Cara bolts in, she hates that she hasn't been acknowledged yet like she was invincible to him

"Who doesn't sleep at night?" Haldir asked now looking at Cara "in what direction is your remake going?" he asked again, she rolled her eyes in frustration, Nimai despised every bit of the moment but she also refused to get up and leave rather she stuffed her mouth and remained silent, while her mind kept pointing out that her shoulders were brushing against the devil's body,

"I don't remember inviting you to my abode Cara," He said lightheartedly but even with his laidback tone he still managed to sound cold

"The elders wanted me to come" Cara answered

"The elders have no say in my home"

"The elders had said your home lacked a female, I came to let you on the news, you will soon be called by our two families considering our engagement," Cara said

"Good then, I await their invitation and my home does not lack a female," Haldir said with a chuckle, it was a ridiculous claim or perhaps an excuse

"the person sitting right beside me is not a Male Cara, do not make this situation hard,"

Haldir said making Nimai's head spin around as she heard him, she had her eyes popping as she stared from the devil to the angry maiden, Cara wasn't hiding her emotions, Nimai thanked the heavens for the unexpected calm personalities of these bloodsuckers, she had thought Cara was going to leap over to her and suck her dry but thankfully that wasn't the case, Nimai shifted in her sit blushing her shoulders roughly against him 'what was that about?' she said inwardly.

"I came personally with the invitation Haldir," Cara said after an earful of silence, the energy surrounding Cara wasn't a hidden one, you could tell from afar that she is dangerous, just by the way her eyes dazzles anytime she smiles whether fake or not it was enough to send a signal, she isn't a very patient fellow either, but her sudden meekness towards a man she was never interested in scares her too, it infuriates her that he doesn't see her and also intrigues her and she planned to drag out the engagement.

"The elders will be waiting so will I," Cara said as she walks away with her aid, Nimai waited till she was gone completely before turning over to rant to her heart's content

" Are you perhaps doing this on purpose? " she asks him

"Doing what on purpose?" He asks with a smile, the initial boiling in Nimai’s heart dwindled as she was slightly taken aback

"what was I doing on purpose?" he asked again bringing her mind back to the initial issue she wanted to talk about.

"Are you not a woman?"

"Are you trying to get me killed, why will you say that to a woman who is in love with you?" Nimai asked with her voice higher than usual

"Are you scared?" Haldir asked with a smile like he was enjoying railing her up

"Am I scared? Is that genuinely a question you should be asking? I mean am relatively strong enough to defend myself amongst my mate but against your kind? The thought of it sounds impossible, that's requesting my death"

"Don't panic, it's not your responsibility to fight, I will take care of you" he said smiling "At least you didn't fight the fact that you are the woman in my house" he said with a smile before leaving the dining leaving Nimai with a gapped mouth

"What!" she shouted on realizing

"Are you setting me up!" She immediately followed him behind, he didn't stop, nor ask her to quit following him rather he was enjoying the new Nimai, she was still hostile but the aura felt different, it no longer felt like she wanted him to drop dead.

Haldir sat on a high chair in a study room Nimai never knew existed, she had followed him to get him to explain himself but she immediately lost herself looking around the room filled with books and shelves,

" You have a royal library?" she asked astonished that somebody like him would be interested in books

"is that what you call it? Royal Library" Haldir repeated with a chuckle, his eyes followed her around the library, as she walked around tracing her fingers at every shelve she walked past, " you can come here anytime you want," he said to her, it was his favorite place, he did most of his work in the library, too but he hasn't seen her that happy before

" Really?"

"yes woman of the house," he said on purpose making a frown appear on her face

"Do you even know what that term means?"

"what term? Woman of the house?"

"stop saying that, it's called the lady of the house, and not just anybody can be called the lady of the house"

"you are not just anyone Nimai," he said, she wasn't prepared for that reply, and receiving no reply from her he went ahead and began going through the letters on his desks.

...NIMAI

bump!! Bump! My heart rate tripled and without warning my checks flushed after that came the secondhand embarrassment, with his super hearing abilities, he could be hearing my heart, and coupled with that I have lost my words, what should I make from this situation, could it be that he has fallen for me, no way in hell.

"lady of the house could be a mother, a sister, and particularly a wife," I said leaning in he raised his head from the letter he was reading and looked at me his beautiful eyes is a huge distraction, he didn't say a word but his eyes were bugging me.

"Am sa sa saying" I stuttered trying to phrase my words "I am neither any of the mentioned how can I be called the lady of the house?" I said to him, mastering all the courage I have I continued looking into his eyes, it's a challenge I must overcome, it just there doing nothing but staring at me yet I can't help but shudder and feel intimidated.