Secrets in the Shadows

Chapter Twenty Two

Maev sat down at the dinner table. She looked around her and noticed the maids were looking at her and whispering to one another. They all gave her the death stare and Maev looked at the food in front of her, though she was extremely hungry she pushed the plate away and got up from the table. She walked out of the dining room and hurried to her bedroom. She didn't feel safe as everyone in the mansion was looking at her as if she was a murderer. She locked the door behind her and walked to the balcony. She looked down at the entrance gate but she couldn't see anyone. She silently prayed for him, a silent prayer from the bottom of her heart.

Maev walked back and forth in her bedroom, the sight of the last sun rays indicated that the day was over, and even if they had just left a few hours ago, but for her, it seemed like they had been gone for days. Her tummy growled reminding her that she had not eaten anything and she wanted to go downstairs to the kitchen but she didn't feel comfortable being alone in this Kingdom.

A soft knock on her bedroom door startled her and she put a hand to her chest.

Who could it be? Could it be him?!, she wondered as she rushed towards the door.

She opened the door to find a young woman standing in front of her with a tea tray. The young lady hurriedly walked into the bedroom and Maev closed the door." I noticed you didn't have dinner. I would have come sooner but I couldn't let the others see me bringing you something to eat. I had to wait for all of them to go to their rooms and they surely took forever ", she said with a smile, chatting to Maev as if they were old friends.

Maev just stood there staring at her the young maid without saying anything.

" Don't worry, I'm not trying to kill you or anything!", she added when she noticed Maev was staring at her with narrowed eyes.

The young woman walked to her bathroom and grabbed the clothes basket.

" I have to pretend I'm taking out the laundry", she said walking towards the door.

" Why are you being nice to me?", Maev asked and she turned and looked at her.

" Because I believe there are two sides to every story", and then she walked away.

As she closed the door behind her Maev walked up to it and locked it.

She looked at the tea tray and her tummy grumbled again.

" Should I trust her?", Maev said to herself.

" Do you have a choice?! You are starving!", her inner voice replied.

She slowly walked towards the tray and grabbed the glass, she smelled it and the sweet smell of the Honeycrisp apple filled her nostrils and she couldn't stop herself from tasting it.

As she sat there eating, her thoughts went back to Kramer and she wondered if he was back. Since she wasn’t important to him, then he wouldn’t come to announce that he is back. She got up off the armchair and put the glass on the table and walked towards the front door. She slowly opened it and peeped out. The whole place was quiet, she walked towards Kramer's bedroom and knocked on the door. She didn't hear a reply so she tried the doorknob and it opened revealing an empty room.

" He is not in yet", Maev said in a whispering tone as she walked in.

" What could have happened to them!? What is going on out there!?", she said as she sat down on his bed and grabbed one of his pillows.

She could smell the masculine yet the elegant smell of his perfume on his pillow. She closed her eyes and she remembered that night they spent together. She hugged the pillow tightly as if she was hugging him and a tiny tear escaped her eyes.

Maev lay down on the bed and she closed her eyes. She slowly drifted away in a deep sleep.

" What kind of sorcery is this?!", Kramer said as he put a hand to his side and when he removed it he noticed there was blood on his hand.

He felt something s***h him but he couldn't see what or who hit him.

He felt another one to his back and it felt like a whip and he fell on one knee.

He quickly stood up and looked around him, he could sense the presence of someone or something but just couldn't see who or what.

" Kramer !!", he heard his uncle shouting his name.

"Let's get out of here! It's a trap!", Octave shouted from a distance and he quickly ran towards his uncle's voice. He felt he was being followed and whatever was there with him could almost match his speed.

" Let's go!!", he shouted as he heard howlings behind him.

Everyone who came with him jumped on their horse, Kramer lifted his hand and conjured up a barrier wall to protect them from whatever was out there and as he glanced towards the glass barrier he could see some men standing there with a smirk on their face staring in his direction and they looked a lot like Vampires!

She didn’t lie! Kramer said to himself, he was surprised by what he had seen out there. He remembered the day Maev had seen those men watching them and he didn't believe her when she said they looked like Vampires.

" But who and why?!", he whispered to himself. Sharp pain in his back brought him back to reality.

" Kramer are you ok? Have you been hurt!?", his uncle asked worriedly as he noticed Kramer scrunched up his face in pain. He galloped closer to his nephew, Kramer turned and looked at him.

" I'll be a fine uncle", Kramer said, wincing as he touched his side once more.

" We have to get out of here!", Octave said out loud.

" How about the others?", Kramer asked worriedly.

The other men glanced at each other, and then one of them spoke.

" We lost Martin, Sir", he said softly.

Kramer clenched his left hand into a fist and he wanted to scream in anger but he couldn’t let the others see that the news had affected him so much. He signaled for the men to leave him with his uncle and they slowly galloped ahead of them. They were safe now, the protective barrier will protect them to Kingdom.

" How do I break this news to his father!", Kramer said with a sad tone.

" I'll take care of that, focus on getting better! This war is far yet from being over!", his uncle replied.

Martin was very young and had begged them to include him in this important mission. His father was proudly looking at him as he had gotten on the horse among the King's men.

" I can't understand what was going on back there! It was as if they knew we were coming!", Kramer said.

" As if we had been set up!", Octave replied and they looked at each other.

The first name that crossed their mind was Maev.

" Maev!", they both said together.

" No she didn't know where we were going or what was going on", Kramer said to his uncle and Octave looked at him and then said,

" Well, you have a point".

" Uncle did you see them?", Kramer whispered to his uncle.

" We will talk later, now let’s hurry back so that you may get some rest", his uncle replied.

" But how can I rest, when I know my kind is against me?", Kramer said wincing

as he moved turning to look at Octave.

" Who said it was our people!? We were being lured in a sorcery that I have not once encountered in my many years that I've been around!", his uncle replied, " Now relax we are nearly home. We will gather the others and meet up for a meeting tomorrow morning", he added .

Kramer nodded and gazed back towards the dark forest.

" We have to get to the bottom Of this!", Kramer said clenching his fists.

Mara met them at the entrance of the gate and hugged him tightly.

" Kramer what happened?", she asked anxiously when she heard him groaned in pain .

" I'm fine.. I need to get some rest. We will talk later.. go to bed now", Kramer said and kissed her softly on her forehead.

And I thought she really cared! So much for her words!,Kramer said to himself as he looked around hoping to see her presence but she wasn't around and he walked inside the mansion.

He was greeted by two maids and they were both speaking at the same time asking him what had happened to him, Kramer raised his hands ,

" I'm fine, please bring me something to eat in my bedroom and then go get some rest", Kramer said and then he walked away. He thought he will see her at the top of the stairs waiting for him but she wasn't anywhere to be found.Kramer pushed open the door to his bedroom and closed it, he was about to switch on the lights when in the reflection of the lights coming from outside he noticed the silhouette of someone in his bed.

He walked slowly towards the bed and noticed it was Maev.

" Maev", he said her name in a whisper.

As if she had heard him she stirred and opened her eyes slowly. She stared at him and quickly sat up in his bed.

" Kramer you are home! I was worried sick !", she said excitedly as she quickly stood up and hugged him tightly.Kramer winced as her hands touched the wounds on his back.

He wanted to hug her as well , kiss her ,tell her he was happy that she was worried about him, but he didn't believe her words though it sounded so sincere ,he couldn't just let himself get carried away by her sweet smile and the feel of her body pressed against his.

Maev felt the wound on his back and she quickly removed her hands , looks at the blood on her fingertips and then she looked at him.

"Kramer , you've been hurt!?", Maev softly said as she lifted one hand and all of the torches in the room lit up. Kramer looked at her with a surprising look on his face as he wondered since when could she do that. Inside the Kingdom ,she shouldn’t be able to use her magic, but since she came back from her Kingdom he had noticed something different about her.

Maev stood behind him looking towards his torn shirt. Even if it was made of leather , whatever hit him was sharp enough to cut through the leather and reached his flesh. She slowly lifted her right hand and as she was about to touch the cut on his back he quickly turned and grabbed her hand.

" What are you doing in my room Maev?!", he asked her softly. His cold amber eyes pierced into hers.They stood there staring at each other , his eyes reflected anger but hers were filled with compassion.