Chapter 7
1264 Words
Jack's POV
“Yeah, I know it’s not ideal to leave in the middle of a school day, but this is an emergency. I hope you understand. Thank you, Headmaster.”
I hate lying, but what choice do I have?
Louisa is barely holding herself together, and I need to bring her home.
Dante assured me he’d take Titus to the nurse’s office and then meet me at my house.
He also promised he wouldn’t harm the boy, though with him, I can never be completely sure.
As I drive, my thoughts keep circling back to what happened.
That strange, unmistakable feeling in my head, pulling at me—telling me Louisa was in danger.
I tried calling her, but the line didn’t connect until Dante answered her phone instead.
“Your daughter is fine. She managed to cast a demon out of a boy,” he said.
A demon?
How?
There’s no point in speculating now.
I’ll just have to wait for answers.
When I pull into the garage, I carefully carry Louisa out of the car and take her upstairs to her room.
She’s been using her abilities more frequently lately, and it’s clearly draining her. I just hope I made the right decision by bringing her home instead of leaving her at the school’s infirmary.
Knock. Knock.
A knock on the front door jolts me from my thoughts.
I head down and open it to find Dante waiting, calm and collected, as always.
“Hello again, Jack,” he greets me with a faint smile.
“Dante,” I reply, stepping aside to let him in.
He takes his time scanning the house with those sharp, assessing eyes before turning his attention back to me.
“Coffee?” I offer.
He nods, and I head to the kitchen, preparing two mugs.
“When did you get a daughter, Jack?” he calls out casually. “I never heard you were married.”
I return to the living room and hand him his coffee, sitting across from him.
“I wasn’t,” I reply, keeping my tone even.
His brow arches. “So, you adopted her?”
I take a slow sip of my coffee. “Didn’t know you were so interested in my personal life, Dante.”
I’ve known him long enough to be cautious.
Trusting him—or anyone, for that matter—isn’t something I do easily.
Yes, Dante is a vampire.
Count Dante Emanuel Romacort Vlad. A direct descendant of Vlad Dracula himself.
No one knows how old he truly is, though I’d wager he’s older than Morpheus.
But what’s he doing here?
I didn’t even know he was in the country.
“Your daughter has power,” Dante states matter-of-factly, his piercing gaze locking onto mine. “You’re aware of that, aren’t you?”
I say nothing, keeping my expression neutral then he continue.“I heard about what happened with the Governor’s son. I have to say, I was surprised to see her cast ‘Mormo’ out of the boy.”
The name sends a chill through me.
“Mormo?” I echo, unable to hide my shock.
Dante nods. “You know him. One of Satan’s sons. He thrives on devouring the souls of children.”
I frown. Titus isn’t a child anymore.
Dante, clearly hearing my thoughts, chuckles.
“He’s 17. In our world, that’s still a child.”
I roll my eyes. “Right. I keep forgetting. To you, 18 is the magical number when humans stop being children.”
Dante’s amusement lingers, but his tone shifts.
“Now, Jack, tell me. Who is your daughter?”
******
Vroommm.....
I exhale deeply as I watch Dante drive away.
He’s different now—more subdued, more human-like.
The last time I saw him in Romania, he was ruthless, a predator cursed by a witch who’d f*******n him from drinking human blood. A punishment that should’ve killed him.
The witch had loved him, of course, but Dante had only used her, as he did with everyone. When she cursed him, he retaliated, leaving nothing but destruction in his wake.
I thought he’d disappeared for good after that. Turns out, he was hiding here all along.
“Dad?”
Louisa’s voice pulls me back to the present.
“In the kitchen, Lu,” I call, grabbing a glass and pouring her some orange juice.
She walks in, looking tired but thankfully better than before. She sits at the counter, taking the glass with a small smile.
“Thanks, Dad.”
“You scared me when I couldn’t reach you,” I say, leaning against the counter. “Are you feeling okay now?”
“What happened, Dad?” she asks, her voice small. “I really thought I wasn’t going to make it.”
“You don’t remember?” I reply carefully.
She shakes her head.
Then, as if something clicks, her eyes widen.
“Titus! Dad, what about Titus?” she gasps. “The girl—the spirit girl—she brought something… a demon, Dad!”
“Titus is fine,” I reassure her. She exhales in relief, drinking her juice.
“Can you tell me what happened back there, Lu?” I ask, though I know it’s probably too soon. She still looks exhausted.
Dante’s warning echoes in my mind.
“She’s in danger with her power. If she doesn’t learn to control it, it’ll destroy her,” he’d said.
When I asked if he could help her, his response only unsettled me further.
“It’s better if I stay far away from her,” he’d muttered. “I need to look into something about her.”
What does he mean? What does he know?
I’ll protect Louisa with everything I have, but I can’t be by her side every second of every day.
What am I supposed to do?
**********
Louisa's POV
Yesterday, I was supposed to meet the three Barbies during break, but after what happened, I couldn’t show up.
Now, I’m standing in front of the three of them as they glare at me, arms crossed. I already know they’re not going to forgive me for ditching them.
“Sorry, guys,” I say, trying to sound apologetic. “My dad called, and we had to leave immediately.”
“Maybe hanging out with us isn’t your priority since you didn’t even bother to text,” Briana snaps.
Melanie nods in agreement. “So, we’ve decided it’s better if you don’t hang out with us anymore.”
“Bye,” Catherine adds with a smug smile before they all turn and walk away.
I stand there, stunned.
I thought I was finally making friends.
Oh well...
“Poor you. Lost your shot at being famous,” a familiar voice teases.
I turn to see Titus standing nearby, looking better than ever.
“Well, well, well,” I say, smirking. “Look who’s standing here, alive and healthy.”
He chuckles. “Rachel’s gone. Thanks to you.”
We start walking toward the school together, start making people start looking at how we look close.
“I don’t remember much of what happened, but I’m glad you’re okay,” I tell him, noticing the way people are staring at us.
“Looks like people aren’t used to seeing you with anyone,” I tease.
“Cheer up, Lu,” he says with a grin. “I’m giving you the chance to be famous as a thank-you.”
I roll my eyes.
Great. This isn’t exactly how I imagined today going.
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- Writer
