The next day, I decided to get up early and visit the library and perhaps find a way to contact my parents. It’s been too long since I’ve last talked to them and I miss them so much. Just hearing their voices over the phone isn’t enough for me anymore. I had to see them, even if it’s for a day. I was about to walk into the dining room, when I noticed Ferra carrying a luggage towards the main door and I rushed towards her.
“Hey, what’s going on?” I grabbed her hand, stepping in front of her as she gave me a long look before shaking her head, her thick brown hair dancing around her face as she did.
“I’m going home. I can’t live here when it’s not safe, not after what happened...”
“What?! So you’re leaving? What about me? Take me with you-”
“We both know Draven doesn’t want that,” she scowled a little before her expression softened again. “Anyways, thank you for what you did. If it hadn’t been for you, I would’ve probably been dead by now, so yeah…” I eyed her as she twirled some strands of hair between her fingers.
“It was the right thing to do.”
“I know, but still…an-anyways, I’m going. Be safe here and I don’t know, try not to act like a little bitch who resorts to crying every time something goes wrong.”
“Oh, I think I’ve moved past that phase,” She raised a brow and I rolled my eyes. “A little.” I added and she nodded with a small smile, her brown eyes boring into mine for a few seconds before she turned away.
“Bye, Adriana.” She said finally, opening the door and I followed her outside as she stepped out of the gate. A car was waiting for her near the gate and I watched her get in as a butler escorted her luggage inside the car. I bit my bottom lip and inhaled deeply when she sent me a weak smile through the window before turning away, causing my heart to drop.
“This can’t be happening…” I breathed, my eyes trailing along the moving car before they were out of sight.

x-x

Dinner tonight felt awfully too quiet and I played with my food, my eyes drooping on my plate. I am alone here now, how am I supposed to live here alone? I can’t…I just can’t.
“Don’t like the food?”
“No, it’s fine.” I didn’t look at Draven and the boys went back to chatting, some of them making out with some random girls, who were invited here earlier. I played with my food a little bit more and finally stood up, leaving the dining room.
“What’s wrong?” Draven appeared in front of me and I gasped a little before taking a step back from the spiral staircase.
“Nothing, I just-” I paused to contemplate whether I should tell him the truth or not. “Don’t like staying here alone. I don’t feel comfortable.” I spilled finally, finding no reason to hold back.
“Ferra left on her own, plus I wasn’t interested in keeping her for long and I made that very clear when I told her she was outta the game.”
“Game? Is this all a game to you?”
“You’re twisting my words, doll face.”
“Enlighten me. Those were your exact words, Draven." I folded my hands across my chest, knitting my eyebrows together in annoyance. His words were upsetting. 
“Alright, fine. Bad choice of words, my bad,” he slipped his hands inside his pockets and leaned his face closer before straightening his posture again. “But give it a chance. It won’t be so bad here, I promise. And I’ll keep you safe from Dexter, at all cost too. So stay,” he took a step forward and I pressed my lips together into a thin line.
“I don’t-”
“Please.” He cut me off and my heart skipped a beat before I faked a gasp.
“You’ve been using the word “please” quiet often now, darling. Have you been feeling well? Are you sick?”
“Ha-ha.” His voices dripped in sarcasm, unamused. I smiled a little then let out a sigh before shaking my head a little.
“Still, I don’t want to stay here alone. I just don’t feel comfortable and I need some company.”
“Get along with the guys then, they’re-”
“As in, with people I like.” I grumbled and he raised a brow before letting out a huff in defeat.
“Fine, maybe I can bring that Riley friend of yours or something for a few days.” He scratched the side of his jawline and I looked at him in confusion.
“Riley? I don’t have a friend called Riley…”
“Yeah, you do. We met her on the day you ran away, remember?” he emphasized and I rolled my eyes. “Was her name Riley…or…” he trailed away, repeatedly snapping his fingers, his face knotted in confusion and I narrowed my eyes at him.
“By any chance…are you talking about…Emily?”
“There we go.” He snapped his finger for the last time and my eyes widened in disbelief, my eyebrows shooting up at his stupidity.
“Seriously? Riley? Really?”
“Close enough, doll face.”
“Oh, yeah, of course,” I bobbed my head before holding in a small laugh. “So you’ll let her come over?”
“Yeah, only for a few days though.” His voice turned kind of low and deep but I quickly agreed, my mood instantly lightening up.
“Thank you!” I exclaimed before jogging past him up the stairs and I heard him “tsk” as I left.
It only took an hour for Draven to bring Emily over, along with her luggage and let me tell you, this girl almost had a heart attack as soon as she walked inside the mansion. She practically squealed every five seconds before throwing herself at me as I welcomed her and I rolled my eyes when she thanked me a million times for giving her the “glorious” opportunity of living here.
“Emily, calm down, deep breaths.” I inhaled deeply and she followed my movements but gasped when the guys walked towards us, each one of them giving her a small smile or grin of welcome.
“Ah, another day, another victim.” Raymond sang, opening his arms and rushing to hug her but I tugged on the back of Emily’s dress before she could bolt into his arms.
“Not so fast, remember what Draven said. I behave and you guys don’t get to lay a finger on her.” I reminded them and I watched Raymond groan in annoyance before backing away.
“And you,” I turned to look at Emily, her green eyes sparkling in excitement before she turned to look at me. “Try to control yourself, please? I don’t want anything happening to you, so just don’t cross the line? I need you to be here for me…” I mumbled softly and I watched her put on a more serious gesture before she nodded.
“Of course, I’m here for you.” She pulled me into a warm hug and I hugged her back gratefully.
“Sorry if I’m being selfish.” I pulled away and she simply shook her head before grinning.
“You kidding? If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t even be here.” She winked and I shook my head helplessly before introducing her to the boys and then showing her around. We took a quick look around the place and I walked her inside my room, her jaws dropping open at how spacious the place was. I helped her unpack and I couldn’t help but smile as she kept humming to herself the whole time, the smile on her face not fading away. I still can’t believe Draven would let her stay here. That was kind of…well…sweet of him. It hasn’t even been a day since Ferra left, let alone a few hours but he already understood how difficult it was for me to stay here alone, despite the fact that I didn’t like the girls, including Ferra.
“Promise me that you won’t let them use you? No hooking up, no drinking and for the love of god, do not let them use you as a mere blood-bag? You are so much smarter and worth more than-”
“Gosh, Adriana, I am not that low, come on, have a little faith in me,” she interrupted with a giggle and I gave her a look. “After all, I learned from the best.” I rolled my eyes at her attempt to flatter me. She was so hooking up with one of them.
“So anyways, tell me how you convinced Draven to let me stay? He was super nice and his personality is so not how people described it to be, expect for his looks maybe, gosh, he is ten times more hotter in real life, I could die-but that’s not where I’m supposed to go with this…” she chuckled nervously and I mentally groaned before letting out a short laugh. “So tell me how you did it?”
“Did what?” she raised a brow at me, giving me an obvious look and I shrugged.
“Get Draven Cruz to fall in love with, duh!” she flaunted her arms around and I hissed at her to be quiet.
“He is anything but in love with me, Emily. Trust me, I know.” I mumbled softly, biting my bottom lip hesitantly and I heard her gasp a little.
“You like him, don’t you?”
“I do not!
“You so do, you just bit your lip, you know you have a habit of doing that when you like someone!”
“That was back in 8th grade, Emily, can we move on?” I rolled my eyes. “Plus, he is in love with someone else…”
“Oh, who is she?”
“Well, technically, she’s dead and-”
“Boom, problem solved then.” My jaws dropped open at her harsh words. “I mean, rest in peace or whatever but you know what I mean.” She shrugged and I shot my eyebrows at her.
“What? Oh my god, it’s not like I don’t feel bad for her, it’s just that I don’t think that there is a use in holding onto the past.” She said softly and I let out a sigh. Emily has always been straightforward about stuff, maybe a little too straightforward and very harsh at that but at the end of the day, she always speaks out the truth.
“I guess, I don’t know.” I said hesitantly and spilled her the whole history about Lianna and Draven, at least as to how much I knew about them, and she let out a sigh once I finished.
“Sounds like McDreamy is in a tough spot.” She winked and I made a face.
“Mc-what now?”
“You know? Greys anatomy? McSteamy and Mcdreamy? No? Never mind.”
“Emily, you should really-” I stopped when someone knocked on the door before it opened to reveal Draven's face and he cleared his throat before leaning against the door, folding his hands across his chest.
“Gosh, hello, my name’s Emily!” she jumped up before bobbing a curtsy and I scoffed in embarrassment. She really doesn’t have to try so hard to be nice around him, he was nothing special. I-I guess.
“Nice to meet you.” He smiled a little before returning his gaze back at me, his eyes slightly softening as I glanced at Emily, who was now giving me the typical best friend teasing look.
“Doll face, can I talk to you?”
“What’s wrong?”
“I’ll excuse myself.” Emily nodded at me before walking out, giving Draven one of her sweetest smile as she left the room.
“Emily-” I called after her and stopped when Draven closed the door behind us, making my heart race ten times faster than it was before.
“You’ll be spending the rest of the night with her so give me a minute,” he took long strides towards me and I took a step back as he did. “I can’t stay away for that long.” He suddenly grabbed my waist and I gasped when he pushed me against the wall, leaving me with no choice but to wrap my legs around his torso as he pressed me against the wall.
“Put me down,” I ordered, the butterflies in my stomach going on a rampage as I tightened my arms around his neck, trying my best to rip my eyes away from his but he held such a firm gaze, it was hard to look away. “Draven.” I called in a threatening voice and I felt him squeeze my thighs gently, causing a blush to creep up on my face.
“Doll face.” He mimicked my tone and I let out a huff in frustration.
“What do you want?” my breathed hitched when he leaned his face closer, our nose slightly brushing against each other’s before he peered into my eyes, completely captivating them in for a few seconds.
“I want to kiss you,” he finally breathed, his eyes flickering onto my lips and my eyes widened a little. “So fucking bad.” His lips started trailing along my cheeks and onto my earlobes, causing goosebumps to rise on my body.
“Draven, I-”
“But I’ll let you make the first move tonight.” He whispered into my ears, letting out a small sigh inside them and I couldn’t help but let out a soft moan, causing his whole body to tense up. He pulled away and I was waiting for him to put me down but instead, he closed his face again, his eyes flickering on to my lips as he licked his own lips, painfully slow at that, then forcefully ripping his eyes away to meet my gaze, making my heartbeat go wild. Was he seriously testing me?
“If you think I’ll kiss you just because you’re breathing down my neck, then try again.” I tried to sound bold but froze when he let out a soft chuckle, his contagious laugh making me feel weak.
“Really?” His voice was barely above a whisper and I stiffened when he closed his face to mine, brushing his lips against mine as I held my breath. God, no. I have to be strong, I have to-
My mind froze when his eyes met mine and I saw the void of emotion flow through them before I crashed my lips on his. He responded almost immediately, pressing me harder against the wall as he deepened the kiss, making me moan a little. I felt his tongue slowly move inside my mouth before they wrestled with mine, taking his time to enjoy every moment and so did I, the heat from our bodies radiating off on each other by now. God, why does he have to be such a good kisser? Due to the lack of oxygen, I was forced to pull away but Draven didn’t stop there. Instead, he started leaving a trail of hot kisses along my jawline and down to my neck, nibbling and sucking on my soft spot before moving up and kissing the corner of my lips then back to my neck again, making my whole bod quiver in pleasure. I gasped when he squeezed my thighs and tugged on the skin of my neck, causing me to moan again. No, this was getting too intense and I have to control myself but I can’t, and I don’t want to. I was about to pull him into a kiss when someone knocked on the door, making me jump up a little before Draven put me down, a soft groan escaping through his lips as he rubbed the back of his neck slightly. The door opened and in came Emily, her eyes scanning us both from head to toe before clearing her throat and I gave her a hard look, trying to stop my whole face from flushing like a red tomato. 
“Sorry, thought you guys were done.” She said flatly, suppressing a grin and I cringed a little before giving her a warning look.
“It’s fine,” Draven mumbled with a forced smile and I was about to say something when Vincent appeared in front of us, making both Emily and I gasp but Draven stood still before raising a brow at him. For some reason, Vincent had an unreadable expression on and I have never seen him like that. The color on his face had drained away completely and I saw the sweat roll down his forehead before he opened his mouth to speak but no words came out, making Draven question his odd behavior.
“What’s wrong?”
“Dra-Draven, it’s-I-I-don’t know what to say-it’s-” my mouth hung open as I stared at his panicked form and I saw Draven frown at him in confusion.
“Spill, what’s going-”
“Draven…” an unfamiliar voice called and all of us snapped our heads towards the door to watch a girl walk inside the room, her long jet black hair brushing to a side before her eyes widened upon seeing Draven. I narrowed my eyes at the unfamiliar girl and turned to look up at Draven, wanting to demand who she was but stopped when I saw the look on his face. His eyes widening, filling up with so many emotions at once and I watched his hands start to tremble as he inched closer but froze again, his whole body stiffening.
“D, it’s me…” I heard her sweet voice and looked at the girl as she looked at Draven with her sterling grey eyes, causing a shiver down my spine.
“Draven?” I called softly, tugging on his arm but he didn’t budge, making my heart skip a beat. What’s going on? Who is she…?
“It-it can’t be-”
“It’s me, Draven, don’t you remember?” she cut him off, taking a step forward and I could feel Draven’s muscles flexing under my touch.
“It’s me, Lianna,” my breathed hitched and for the new few seconds, my mind went completely blank.
“I’m back…”

xxx