Shelbrooke crushed the tiny remnant of cigarette in the ashtray before turning to face Gorge who stood before him, eyes on the floor. He folded his hands on the table, face hard.

"What did you say is happening in Vampire City?"

Gorge looked up slightly, beads of sweat all over his face.

"The City is distracted the way I see it. They're concerned with a certain case going on in the palace."

"What case?" Shelbrooke exhaled uninterestingly as he wondered if it was going to be about Zeidan and his little bride. He tapped the table before him lightly with his index finger.

"Unfortunately, it's a case about Wikh."

The tapping stopped and he glared at the plump man before him.

"Why?" He blinked as he wondered if everything would go downhill. Now, their inside man is in trouble.

"All our plans. Everything will go to waste!" 

"We're... we're trying our best to make sure it doesn't."

"I haven't seen your best." He banged his hands on the table. "And I haven't seen your worst yet. The day you fail to put our plans back on track is the day I will kill you, because that is the worst you can ever, ever do." He pointed at Gorge who was now sweating profusely. Immediately, he fell to his knees and was sobbing already.

"Please, don't kill me. Please, don't. I'll ensure everything goes right."

"Prepare a meeting with the army. We should hasten the day we strike. But we have to be sure if everything is still normal. Write to our inside man and ask how much has been let out. If it gets to a breaking point, we'll have no choice but to break with it. I'm no man for patience."

"Right away sir!" Gorge scurried away and he remembered how fast time has gone by. Just days ago, he had killed Tate, his best man out of the three.

Rubbing his palms across his face, he let out a tired sigh as he thought of how useful Tate had been to him. if he had proven how useful he was while he was alive, he wouldn't be dining with the devil in the coffin right now. He decided to let it go as the only thing on his mind is to have the Onyx. He rose and walked to his bookshelf and removing the books like he had done the other day, he unlocked the secret door and went into the dark cave-like room.

The Onyx.

A beautiful diamond stone was gotten from the deepest core of the earth's crust and passed on from generation to generation in the Vampire lineage. It was discovered by the seven leaders of the ancient vampires who lived underground, they breathed all their powers into the stone and gave it to the youngest of them all who made an effort to leave the underground and start living a life on the earth's surface after a volcano eruption that wiped out all the Underground Vampire clans. While the young Vampire kept working in the forest, his body was unable to adapt to the everyday sun that hit his skin. He was dying until he came across two friends who saw him and took him in and started bringing him food. One was from the Werecats clan and the other was from the Vampire clans who lived on the surface.

The underground vampire gave the boy from the vampire clan the Onyx because he stood by him while he was dying which angered his friend because he thought he had seen the vampire first.

To this day, they knew that the Onyx belonged to them and he will be the one to take it and put it in its rightful place.

Back to the present, Shelbrooke ran his hands over the rocky pillar that was created to house the Onyx. Soon, their treasure will be placed there and their city will forever be the greatest. He smiled contentedly as he looked at the hole.

"I really cannot wait!"

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Zeidan walked across the corridor after concluding his meeting with the council members. Wikh had been returned to the prison immediately after he had adjourned the case to give Lyne two more weeks to find evidence to defend Wikh's innocence.

As he turned towards the quiet hallway that was dark except for the lamp on either side of the walls that illuminated part of the place, he saw Lyne come out of their room in her nightwear and carrying a pillow and a heavy blue blanket. She struggled with the load in her hands and he was sure that she didn't notice him.

"Hey." He called softly when he stood in front of her. He was always vulnerable whenever he was with her and he was sure it was because of the feelings he has for her.

"Hey." She replied as she looked up at him. Immediately, she lowered her eyes as if looking up at him was taboo. "Your highness." She courtesied slightly and it irritated him with the way she was acting feebly before him.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"I'm only according you the respect you deserve." She moved to walk around him but he grabbed her arm and made her face him.

"Lyne, why are you doing this? You know very much how much I..." He paused. He didn't want to reveal his feelings yet as he doesn't want to seem selfish. He had made his selfishness decide for him in the past, but not anymore as he wasn't ready to lose Lyne.

"How much you what? How much you hate seeing my face? Or how much you detest my presence in the palace?" 

Those words hit him like a rock and he wondered if there was more to what she had heard him say. Seeing her in pain was enough to hurt him, seeing how she doesn't show her feelings towards him hurts even more. 

Zeidan released her arm and lowered his voice. He looked right into her blue eyes that dimmed in the dark hallway and her red lips lifted as she looked up at him. He felt like grabbing this woman and laying with her here but of what relevance is his desire when her feeling isn't mutual with his.

"I just need my space, please." Her voice was shaky and it was evident she was tired. Extremely tired.

It wasn't much for her to ask, considering how much he had asked of her. He had taken her away from her roots, placed her in a place against her will. Even though he had assisted in rescuing her from her demon siblings, he still felt like he could do more to make her happy. "I can't survive with you away from me for so long." He whispered and Lyne's body tensed.