I fight my heavy eyelids to stay awake. I need to stay awake to find the Grimoire. Time is running out. It's been over 20 minutes since it was taken, whoever took it must be trying to get it out of here.

I inch myself slowly to the edge of the bed while I try to listen in on the Nephilims' conversation. The walls of the mansion are very thick so I have to extend my hearing even though they're just next door.

I don't hear Sacha's voice but I recognize Olivier's and Alain's among other voices. My brain is hazy but I gather that they don't want the news of the missing Grimoire to spread and so far, the information is contained within a few members of the Order and some guards. They're also stopping the temporary hired staff from leaving and checking departing guests without raising suspicion.

"We need to interrogate the Cambion." I hear one of the men insisting.

"Later. She's hurt. She's not going anywhere," Olivier is saying.

"But we don't have much time," argues the man.

I try to move faster to the edge of the bed. I don't want to be interrogated. I've been interrogated before...by Astaroth, and it's not very pleasant. Besides, I didn't take the Grimoire so interrogating me is just a waste of time.

A few seconds later, I manage to get my feet to the side of the bed. But when I lift my upper body up, the world is spinning so fast that I fall back down with a groan.

"Just where are you going, Miss?" comes a voice from the doorway. I almost let out a groan when I see him. It's the same guard who first caught me. I swear this man has a super antenna or something where I'm concerned. He walks briskly into the room and in an instant, he's standing beside my feet which are dangling on the side of the bed.

"Bathroom..." I croak out. The lie slips out of my mouth very smoothly despite my foggy brain. It comes from years of practice, habit, and experience.

The guard frowns but he nods stiffly and helps me to the washroom.

It's a short trip because I don't need to use the bathroom anyway and standing upright is quite a challenge when your world is constantly spinning and tilting and your head is pounding.

I'm back on the bed when Sacha comes striding in with Dr. Clark, a relatively young Nephilim with kind eyes.

Sacha immediately moves to cover my exposed legs with the blanket that he used to cover me earlier while Dr. Clark sits close to me at the edge of the bed.

The doctor then patiently looks at Sacha as though he's waiting for him to leave. Instead of leaving the room, Sacha goes to stand at the foot of the bed.

"Look, I promise to look after her and make sure she's as good as new in no time," the doctor says to him.

"So, get to work, doctor," suggests Sacha curtly as he continues to stand there with his eyes fixed on me. His jacket and bowtie are missing and the sleeves of his dress shirt are rolled up to his elbows. His hands are shoved into the pockets of his dress pants. His jaw and chin are set in a stubborn line.

After a few moments of a silent stand-off between them, the doctor sighs in defeat. Then he turns to me and smiles. "Hello, Danica. I'm Dr. Clark. I understand that you're not feeling well this evening." He shifts to a more comfortable position before he adds, "I'm going to see what's wrong with you and then we go from there to make you feel better, okay?"

His voice is very soothing and instead of doing a check-up on me like a regular doctor, he raises his hands to hover a few inches above my head. His eyes are closed in concentration. My own heavy eyelids slowly sweep down. It's so easy to drift into oblivion but I'm determined to fight it.

"She suffers from a concussion," the doctor announces to Sacha quietly after a few long minutes. He probably thinks that I've fallen asleep.

His hands gently cradle my jaw and the base of my neck and he slowly turns my head sideways. "She must have fallen and hit her head pretty hard." His fingers lightly probe the back of my head for a bump that I know would be there.

I keep my eyes shut and try not to wince when he continues to examine and touch my tender scalp.

"Can you fix her or do I have to get my great aunt to help you?" asks Sacha, sounding irritated.

"I might not be as good as Tata Bijou, but I think I can manage," says the doctor, chuckling. "You don't need to stress. She's a Cambion, I think she can recover from injuries like this almost as fast as us Nephilims."

Dr. Clark then returns his attention back to me. "I'm going to try to ease your pain now, okay, Danica?" he whispers as he moves his hands all over my scalp.

A while later, I feel the warmth and tingles from his fingertips starting to spread across my skin. I feel it seeping inside my skull, filling every nerve and cell.

My mind remains a bit fuzzy even after Dr. Clark has taken his leave, but the throbbing pain in my head has amazingly stopped. I'm also wide awake, but I keep my eyes shut because Sacha is still standing at the foot of the bed, watching me.

I'm used to Sacha's silent footsteps but I almost yelp in surprise when the bed dips under his weight as he sits at the edge of the bed. "I know you're awake," he says. "Open your eyes, Danica."

It's irritating how well he already knows me. I sigh and open my eyes to peek a look at him from under my eyelashes.

Those piercing hazel eyes are locked on me and I almost wince from their blazing intensity. His body is tensed and the muscle in his jaw is clenched. "Tell me, Danica. How did you get hurt?"

Clarity comes slowly to my foggy brain. Little by little, I feel the fog lifted but I still don't know how to explain things to Sacha. It's so confusing and too...strange. I have a hard time believing it myself.

He grabs my hand and holds it firmly. "Who did this to you?"

"Nobody," I reply weakly.

He exhales a long breath and he doesn't look convinced. "Then tell me what happened."

I squeeze my eyes shut and turn my head away to think.

How do explain it to him? I fell and hit my head because of the pain that I felt earlier. I have the strangest feeling that the pain was caused by the Grimoire. It's as though it was calling for me, warning me that someone is taking it away. I feel that the vision also came from the Grimoire.

But that's crazy...right? The Grimoire isn't a living entity. How could I explain that to anyone? I find it hard to believe myself. It's too crazy, no one would believe me.

"Did you take the book, Danica?"

When I don't immediately answer him, he grasps my head in his hands. His long fingers spear through my hair, tugging it as he forces me to look at him. "Answer me, Danica. Did you take the Grimoire?"

I try to shake my head as the vision from this evening plays back in my mind. When I close my eyes, I can see it clearly.

I feel him let go of me but stay seated on the bed beside me. When I finally open my eyes again, it's not anger that I see most prominent in Sacha's expression. It's pain.

"If you took it, just tell me where it is and I'll forgive you, Danica," he says.

I shake my head again.

"No, you didn't steal the book, or no, you're not going to tell me where it is?"

"I didn't take it," I whisper looking away.

"But you know something, don't you, Danica?"

I can't bear to look him in the eye but when I close my own eyes, the vision from this evening plays back in my head.

Two of the thieves were dressed in the server's uniform but one was in a tuxedo. He had the Order of the Circle signet ring on his pinkie. The same ring worn by all the prominent members of the Order of the Circle, including Sacha. If I told him that, I would be accusing someone prominent of stealing the Grimoire and that would not bode well for me. Besides, what do I tell everyone? That I saw it in my vision? I don't have a single proof and I don't even know who the person really is.

"Why?" he asks after a while. "Didn't I promise you that I'd looked after you? Didn't I promise to protect you from Astaroth and everybody else? I told you I loved you. I laid my heart open before you. I was willing to give up everything for you. Why wouldn't you tell me?"

Why? Because it's all so crazy and I'm still trying to make sense of it myself. Because if I told him and he didn't believe me, it'll destroy me.

I wish I could tell him now how much I love him but I know I can't. Not now. He wouldn't believe me if I confessed my love for him now. My eyes well up with tears even when I'm telling myself not to cry.

"Do you even like me, princess?" he asks before he captures my face in a firm, almost hurtful grasp and kisses me. The kiss is urgent, desperate, possessive, and punishing. When he pulls suddenly back, a cruel smile is curling up his lips. "Look at that beautiful face, how could I not be fooled? Look at those tears, are they ever real, baby?"

His face is haughty, cold, and menacing. I've seen him looking at people like that before, but never at me. This is it. He no longer loves me. I knew it would happen.

"Are we...are you...it's over, isn't it? We're over," I say, nodding.

Sacha lets out a harsh laugh. "Oh no, sweetheart. We're never going to be over. You're not getting rid of me that easily," he says with a calmness that scares me. "You've agreed to be mine, and you'll stay mine until I say otherwise. I told you, princess, even if you're a vicious animal, I'd tie you to my bed. I'd do anything to keep you with me no matter what." With that, he gets up and walks off.

I sit up and call out just when he reaches the door. "Sasha!" He curls his hand around the doorknob but he pauses.

"I didn't take it. Please believe me!" I tell him. "I didn't take it. I swear I didn't."

He doesn't turn around. He just hangs his head and stands there for a while before he opens the door and leaves.

I don't know if he believes me or if he doesn't. Maybe it's not enough. How do I make him believe me?

I feel like wailing but instead, I wipe away my tears and sit at the edge of the bed, thinking. Contemplating, analyzing, and calculating.

There are four things that I am sure of now:

One, I still love Sacha with everything in me no matter what. Even if he has stopped loving me, my feelings for him are irreversible. Two, someone important in the Order of the Circle has stolen the Grimoire and has conveniently framed me for it. Three, I'm going to prove to Sacha that I love him and I'm loyal only to him. And four, I might have tried to convince everyone, including myself that I've changed my ways- that I am now a nice girl. But deep down, I know I'm not nice. I am still Astaroth's daughter. I might have changed my allegiance, but I am what I am and whoever is behind this is going to pay because I'm not one taking this lying down.

With that, I hop out of bed and shove my feet into my sneakers. I'm not wearing much, but I hope the guard outside my door appreciates a little show of skin.

**************************************

Hello dearies!

Sorry for the late update. As usual, if you want to read three chapters ahead, go to Inkitt:

https://Inkitt.app.link/RA_NicoleRidd3y

Thank you for reading, voting, commenting, following, and also for your patience.

Have a great weekend and pls stay safe and healthy!

Much love,

Nicole♥