I woke up around 5am and started packing my things, knowing that I might have to face Draven in the morning and probably get caught up in the guilt again. It's not like I had a choice. I had to leave. I had to leave him and go back to Dexter, where I'll most likely be used a pawn to draw Draven in. The idea and their plan was too simple. Yet, it seems to be working every time. But not again. No, I wasn't going to let it happen again. I turned, still drawn in my own thoughts with a bunch of clothes in my hand when I noticed Draven standing behind me, making my heart rip right out of my chest and almost drop the clothes.
"What are you doing." It wasn't like a question, but more like a demand.
"Packing." I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
"Your necklace," My heart dropped at those words. "Where is it?"
"I-I took it off."
"Why."
"Because, just because. I didn't think you'd want me to wear it anymore, now that we aren't together. Besides, it wasn't anything special." I added but a crack in my voice made my knees tremble nervously. Will he notice? Did he see through my lie? Will he-
I paused when a hand reached out to touch mine gently, the tip of his fingertips brushing against mine in a comforting manner.
"I was right," I held a breath, waiting for the long awaited lecture of how he was right all along, that I was nothing more than an ungrateful bitch who left him for no particular reason whatsoever-
"You really are a bad liar." He turned me around to face him and I opened my mouth to protest but no words seemed to cut out. It was so sudden, I didn't know what to say.
"I have to go."
"Go where?"
"I have to go to my parents and-"
"I called your parents. They didn't have a clue about your little plan of running away. You never called them, you never reached out to them in days, so tell me the truth, Adriana." I flinched as those accusations left his mouth. Accusations which were true, of course.
"I-I planned to surprise them."
"Where are you going?" his voice grew impatient and I closed my eyes a little, contemplating to whether I should try to tell him the truth or not.
"You really can't accept the fact that I am leaving you-"
"I really am done playing the nice guy, Adriana. I already have a gist of what's going on, so I'll take my chances and do as I please." he suddenly grabbed a hold of my cheeks and my eyes widened, completing getting sucked right into his blue eyes.
"I'm going to ask you this once, and I want the truth, am I clear?" he spoke softly, as if he knew that I was already under another compulsion besides his. "By any chance, did-" he paused and I noticed a ray of hope flash through his blue eyes. "Did Dexter threaten you in any way, while I was gone?" I opened my mouth and no words came out. I couldn't nod or shake my head, however, a voice in my head demanded that I tell the truth. That a more powerful authority was now in power, and that I had to obey him no matter what the consequences.
"Adriana, tell me the truth, now."
"Yes." As soon as those words left my mouth, a breath of relief escaped through his lips before he backed away, covering his face in relief and I felt a million bricks being lifted from my chest as well. I can't believe it. He really broke the compulsion. How? How was it possible?
xxx
"I want you to finish that." he raised his eyebrows towards my plate of food.
"You didn't say please."
"Please," he started oh so sweetly. "Finish your damn food." he finished off in his usual arrogant tone. I made a face and was about to dig in when he sat down next to me on the table.
"Thank you. For breaking the compulsion."
"I didn't do anything much. My powers are stronger than his so his compulsion is bound to break over mine." he explained and I nodded. Draven and I talked the whole day and I explained everything to him, starting from how Dexter ambushed me here and how he threatened to kill everyone if I disobeyed him. However, I did leave out Lianna and how she was a part in all of this. For good reasons, I decided to leave the worst for the last. I'll tell Draven tonight, when everything is set. The Ardelean brothers are on the look out for Dexter and Lianna had coincidentally left the mansion for a couple of days. Oh don't worry, she won't be able to play hide and seek for long.
"Were you planning to kill Dexter?" he asked out of the blue and I literally started choking on the water I was drinking. He gently rubbed my back as I struggled to catch my breath and I looked at him, only to find him staring back at me.
"I-I wasn't exactly-"
"Danny told me."
That rat.
"Maybe I was. Why?"
"Why? Because you can't hurt a damn fly even if you wanted to, Adriana, that's why." he leaned in his chair and I ripped my eyes from his bare chest.
"Stop. I don't want you to say that," I got up on my feet, my whole mood dropping at his words. The memories of Dexter's constant mental and physical torture played across my mind and I bit my bottom lip angrily. What right did he have to make me go through all that?
"I hate him. I hate him and I will make him pay for what he did to me. Constantly blackmailing, kidnapping, abusing me with his powers and hurting the people I care about, I can't take it anymore, I really cant-" I stopped snapping when hands wrapped around my shoulders, pulling me into a hug.
"I know. And you won't have to. Leave that to me. Leave him to me. You don't need to stoop down to his level. I can't let that happen to you, ever. And I won't." His thumb caressed my shoulders gently as he spoke and I couldn't help but feel relieved and happy with the way he was comforting me.
"You're being extra nice to me." I teased as he pulled away and his face remained unamused.
"Because I'm glad. That you didn't really wanna leave." he leaned against the table and pulled me into his arms. "I don't know what I'd do if you weren't under his compulsion. Never have I ever been more relieved about something than I was today." The sincerity in his words made my heart melt and I was genuinely surprised to see this side of him. He was so sweet, gentle and kind but the best part was that, he wasn't afraid to show any of it right now.
"I like this sweet side of you. Continue?" I wrapped my arms around his neck and watched one of his eyebrow lift up. 
"Never mind." he started untangling my hands and I Iaughed before pulling myself closer. An hour or so passed and Draven and I cleaned up the place a bit, unpacking my things along with him, making several phone calls to his brothers every now and then. Everything was great, we hadn't fought for one whole day, and hey, in our defense, this was a huge progress.
"I gotta take this." he motioned me to stay and I nodded, slightly feeling queasy for some reason. "Hey Lianna, where've you been?" And just like that, the pit of my stomach hardened, my mind went blank and my heart almost ripped right through my chest.
"I thought I asked you to stay put and not go out--Adriana? She's with-" before Draven could finish the sentence that could ruin all our lives, I jumped right at him, snatching his phone away and hurling it to the sofa. To think that he almost slipped those words. And for her to have the audacity to call him right now.
"What the hell, Adriana?!"
"Don't call her. Don't talk to her, don't be around her. Just stay away from her!" I snapped, getting up and brushing the hair away from my face. My fingers were trembling, my heart will still pounding against my chest and I could tell just how crazy I looked.
"What's gotten into you? You-"
"She is the one who plotted against me with Dexter." I blabbered out and watched his movements come to a sudden halt, his eyes widening. "She was there, the night Dexter threatened me. She was there, she was in on this since the beginning. Everything she told was a lie, she wasn't kidnapped, she probably ran away with him after cheating on you and--"
"Stop."
"I am telling the truth! I know that it sounds crazy and I sound crazy right now but it's all-"
"You're right." I stopped and my chest hardened when I noticed his expression. "You do sound crazy."
"Draven, how could you just--you really think I'd lie to you?" I blurted out, not knowing where to begin. Should I keep ranting on about what she did or hold on to the fact that he thought that I was a liar?
"I think that you're tired. And that that's the reason why you are blowing a fume. I know that you want answers, Adriana. But this is not the way to go. I told you to let me take care of it. I told you to not stoop that low and--"
"I'm not...why, how could you say those words so easily and-" I forced to swallow down a lump in my throat. It was hard to hear these words from him. It was hard to see him defend her like this and not me.
"Adriana, listen to me. She wasn't behind any of this. I know that it's easier to blame this on her but we both know that it was Dexter behind--"
"Enough," I forced down another lump in my throat, my eyes stinging as the tears danced inside them, threatening to spill any second. "I know that I haven't given a good enough reason or solid proof for you to believe me, but my words, my words should be enough for you at this point. I'm not desperate enough to pin anything against anyone and I could never frame an innocent person like that. So stop accusing me of stooping so low when you're the one who's purposely dragging me down to that level even when I am telling the truth." I let the tears fall, finally not able to keep it in. "She really was there. I saw her. She forced me to be with you that night when you got drunk, she mixed vervain in your drinks and drugged you that night. I was there. I am not lying." I brushed more tears, crying into my own arms as I broke down on the floor. The silence grew between us and I finally looked up at Draven, who had an unreadable expression now plastered on his face. Confusion, hurt, anger, betrayal, suspicion, all sorts of emotions flashed inside those icy blue eyes and I brushed away more tears.
"I don't have to prove anything to you. You are supposed to believe me. You believe and trust the person you claim to love, not this." I got up and started to leave, angry at him, angry at everything.
"Adriana, wait." I heard him rush towards me but before he could grab my hand, I turned to face him. "I do believe you, I want to believe you. I just--I need time. You didn't tell me any of this before."
"Because I was scared. That you'd react like this. I wanted to tell you at the right time, but I was wrong. We don't have time. She is out there, conspiring against us for god knows what reasons and here we are, falling right into her trap once again." I pushed my defense, and Draven stared at me, his eyes wavering at my words.
"It's-it's just so hard to believe that she would-- that means she's been faking the entire..." he trailed off and suddenly retreated, dropping down on the bed on a sitting position before covering his face in a frustrated manner.
"If you really want to know the truth then compel me and get the truth out of me like you did before." I pulled the long sleeved sweater I was now wearing further down and I watched him rest his elbows on his knees.
"Not planning to do that."
"And why not?"
"Because I love you," he paused to fixate his gaze on mine. "And I don't want to use my power against you like that anymore. If you say that she was behind this, then I do believe you." I almost broke down at his words. It was such a relief to hear them from him. Words that I've been dying to hear from him all this time. He gave me a blank look and suddenly stood up, walking over to the chair and grabbing his shirt, ready to slip it on when I rushed over to him.
"Where are you going?"
"Out."
"Out where?"
"To find Lianna, of course. Or Dexter. Either one of them is fine." he slipped on his shirt and I shook my head, kind of bummed that he was leaving already.
"Can't you stay for the night? We kind of just talked about everything today and I really want us to spend the rest of the night together too." I lowered my eyelashes to the ground, hoping he'd fall for my pity act.
"Hmm? Spend the rest of the night doing what, exactly?" he amused and I shivered when his breath hit the side of my earlobes.
"Spend the night just doing stuff."
"What kinda stuff?"
"Draven." I warned.
"Yes?"
"A movie is fine." I finally suggested and watched his wry smile turn into a more serious gesture.
"I would love to. But I still have to talk to Lianna and find her. I want to find out the truth. I want her to say it. I want to confirm it tonight, right now and--" He turned and stopped when I grabbed his hand.
"I know, and so do I. But...I really wish you'd stay for the night. We never got to spend a day like this, Draven. Not even once, and who knows what's going to happen tomorrow? I just wanna spend the night with you. I don't want you to leave me." I gave him my best puppy dog eyes and watched something flash inside his blue eyes.
"Adriana, it's killing me to not know. I need to know and settle this-"
"Please? Only for tonight." I begged harder and smiled when he finally let out a sigh, giving into my pleads. The rest of the night went fine, except that Draven would occasionally drift off into his own little world but I couldn't blame him. I know for a fact that he was still thinking about Lianna and why she'd do this. Or whether I was telling the truth in all of this.
"Are you still thinking about it?" I questioned as we settled in bed and he shook his head, closing his eyes and mumbling a quick goodnight. Knowing that there was too much going on in his mind, I decided not to bother him and go to sleep myself. Tomorrow we can find answers. Answers to all his questions. But tonight, he needed the sleep. We both did. And with that thought burned into my mind, I closed my eyes shut and drifted into a sleep.
xxx
I peeled my eyes open, my vision coming to focus as soon as I sat up on the bed. I noticed Draven already sitting up, leaning against the headboard before he saw me draw in closer to him.
"You are still thinking about it."
"Give me a break, doll face." he groaned helplessly and I noticed something flash in his eyes again. That familiar emotion. Hurt? Why would he be hurt?
"Draven, talk to me." I sat in front of him on my heels and he stopped to look at me, his elbows slumping on his now propped up knees.
"It's just fucked up, alright? This whole thing is-"
"So you are still thinking about her?"
"Can you blame me? This whole time, she's been plotting against me. I honesty thought that she loved me at some point and now that there's a chance that she was lying this entire time--it, it's just so much shit to process."  he spoke softly and I nodded.
"I understand. But you'll find out the truth yourself. And you'll find out soon, I promise. I'll help you if I have to and-"
"No. You're not getting involved anymore. I just want to forget about her-" he paused to run a hand through his hair in a frustrated manner. "All the memories, the kisses, her touch, her little act and everything. I just want to forget her and erase her from my memories." he turned to a side and I noticed his jawline clench before he swallowed harshly. He was hurt. He really was hurting right now.
"Then forget about her," my voice turned all soft and low. "I can make you forget about her once and for all, if you let me." I drew in closer, crawling right between his legs and watched his body tense up. His eyes met mine for a second before he turned away again.
"You should go sleep." his voice was barely above a whisper.
"Why?" I leaned closer, brushing my lips against his jawline. This was probably the first time I was making a move on him first, and I was more than enjoying it. But this wasn't just about my enjoyment, this was to comfort him too. To make him forget about her for the night even, anything was fine. His body stiffened for a minute and I noticed him swallow harshly as I slowly guided my lips down to his neck.
"Adriana, stop-" he breathed, grabbing my shoulders and yanking me away from him. My stomach hardened when I noticed him staring at me, his eye practically begging me to stay away. "Not tonight." he brushed the side of his lips, turning away and I felt my cheeks heat up in embarrassment. I was rejected.
"Sorry, I'll leave you alone then. Guess you still need time to process the fact that she tried to kill me." I spat with venom in my voice. It was supposed to come off as sweet, but seeing Draven have doubts and trust issues when it comes to Lianna, pissed me off.
"It's not like that-"
"It is. You don't believe me, Draven. And I understand that this is hard for you but it's harder for me..." I blinked away some tears, grateful that the room was dark. "I-I want you to believe in me like you believe in her--" I paused when a hand grabbed my own, pulling me closer. Arms embraced me into a hug and I kept silent, sniffling quietly.
"You really need to stop doing that. Drawing out your own conclusions like that," he pulled away and I swallowed down a lump in my throat. "She's not the one on my mind right now, you are. She's not the one I am worried about, you are, Adriana. I didn't ask you to leave because I wanted to think about her or any of the shit that's been happening lately, I wanted you to leave because I was hu--" he stopped and I flinched slightly, curious for him to finish. "Hungry. I haven't had anything to eat in a while and since I don't travel with blood bags anymore, it gets harder to deal with the thirst." his eyes wavered and I grew silent for a minute before sighing.
"You could have told me." I sighed a little, pulling my hair to a side, exposing my neck.
"No." he said firmly, turning away, an unamused expression growing on his face again.
"How come?"
"Because I am going to learn how to control and deal with it." he persisted and my eyes trailed down his neck and to his shirtless body. He looked so pale, so exhausted. I hadn't even notice how weary he looked before, till he mentioned how hungry he was tonight.
"Can you really control yourself? You said my blood was special." I raised a brow, crawling a bit closer to him and it ticked me off when he brushed me away without any hesitations. "You really don't want any?" I asked softly, purposely seducing him by brushing my fingers on his chest, running circles on them. His body tensed up under my touch and it pleased me, to know that I had this much affect on him.
xxx

Draven's POV:-
I flinched when her fingers brushed against my skin, causing my chest to heat up. I could hear her heartbeats way too clear and loud right now, causing my own to go wild. Her blood pumping in a slow rhythm made my mind go blank for a few seconds before I brushed her hand away, ready to push her away again.
"Adriana, stop-" I froze when I noticed her stop to look up at me, her mouth slightly hung open, innocence with a hint of satisfaction flashing in those big beautiful brown eyes.
"Yes?" she blinked innocently and I bit the inside of my cheeks, swallowing down the cravings one more time. "You really don't want to? But you're hungry." her soft voice drove me insane. This girl really has no fucking clue, does she?
"I'm not." I raised my voice and breathed in her scent that was still intoxicated inside the whole room. Her blood was something else. I've been around her for months, yet the smell of her blood drove me insane every time. To the point where I lose control almost every time.
"You're always being stubborn. You never let me win." She made a face, her lips forming into a small pout before she briefly bit her bottom lip, causing my eyes to widen slightly before I licked my own ones, quickly turning away. This was bad. At this rate-
"You can drink from my wrist." she kept insisting and I closed my eyes for a second, shutting out her heartbeats, the sound of her blood pumping through her veins and the exhilarating smell of her blood.
"Adriana, stop already. I said I'm fine." I grabbed her hand just as she was about to hold my hand. Don't give in. Not this time.
"Sorry," she mumbled and I couldn't help but admire the way her hair fell so effortlessly down her face before she lowered her eyelashes. "Just wanted to help." She looked up and my pulse raced faster at her expression. One...
"It's fine. Go to sleep." I mumbled and my eyes froze on hers for a few seconds. I noticed a glint of disappointment and hurt flash inside them and it tapped my emotions harder. Two.
"Goodnight. And Draven? Know that I'm here for you, no matter what." She smiled a little and I grabbed her hand unconsciously, my heart pounding loudly against my chest, my whole mind going blank. Three.
"Yes?" She questioned and my eyes flicked down to her lips before I found myself leaning forward, connecting my lips on her soft ones. Her response to the kiss caused electric jolts to run down my spine before I deepened the kiss, my arm securely guiding her body till she lay down on the bed. I can't stop, I can't. 
I licked her bottom lip, asking for entrance and she let me in easily, which turned me on even more. I pushed my tongue inside, exploring her mouth thoroughly, savoring her lips all the while. I pulled away and started trailing my lips along her jawline and down her neck, leaving kisses all over it. A moan escaped through her lips when I hit the soft spot and I smirked against her skin, tugging on her it, my mind begging me to just pierce my fangs right into her skin.
"You can drink--" I grabbed her mouth, pushing her back onto the pillow as soon as she started to get up and released my grip, my breathing's becoming more rigid as I kept staring at her exhausted form.
"You really have no clue, doll face." A wry smiled threatened to form on my lips and I watched her eyebrows tighten in annoyance. I loved looking at her like this.
"Starve to death then." she made a face and I couldn't help but chuckle at her stubbornness. Her nose twitched in annoyance before she pursued her lips, holding back a smile. My eyes trailed from her eyes all the way down to her lips and back to her eyes and my heart skipped a beat when she blinked in confusion.
"I love you, Adriana." my voice turned all soft and low, my whole body stiffening at my own words, anxiously waiting for her to reply, even though it's only been a second since I just said it. She stared at me for a while and it got me even worked up that she wasn't saying anything. After what felt like forever, her nose twitched again and her lips formed into a grin before she wrapped her arms around my neck.
"I love you too, Draven." she licked her lips and I didn't give her another chance to speak, instead I leaned into another kiss, pressing my body against her. Her back arched under my hand that was still holding her torso, causing her chest to press harder against mine, which turned me on even more. I was losing control. I trailed my hands all the way up her back until they were tangled around her hair, resisting the urge to rip her clothes off and fucking the living hell out of her there and then. She was getting too hard to resist. I pulled away when things started to get heated and watched the disappointment grow on her face again. I couldn't help but enjoy the annoyance on her face. It amused me.
"Goodnight, we still have a lot to take care of tomorrow." I reminded her and she stopped to think before nodding, a small smile plastering on her face.
"Goodnight, Draven. Tell Edward to bring some blood bags for you tomorrow." she frowned and I chuckled before nodding.
"Get some sleep." I stared up at the ceiling and smiled a little when her legs wrapped around mine before she settled on my chest, causing my pulse to race faster. Get a grip, Cruz. She needs the sleep. After a few minutes, I heard her heartbeats become more steady and even, a sign that she had finally drifted into a sleep. I looked down to stare at her, half of her face now covered with her hair, her lips curled into her usual smile whenever she slept peacefully. It's been a while since I've seen her sleep so peacefully. I slowly moved away, her head gently falling down onto the pillow as I did. I pulled the sheet over her body and watched her snuggle inside, causing a smile to form on my lips again. Don't stare at her for too long. Ignoring my conscious, I rested an elbow on the bed lazily and placed my head on my palm before watching the girl before me sleep peacefully. 
"I'm sorry," I repeated the lines I've said to her every night, right after she fell asleep. "For hurting you." I reached to pull a few strands of hair away from her face. Apologizing tonight didn't hurt as much as it did the other previous nights for the past few months. Tonight was different. The guilt was slowly starting to pass, and it was all because of her. I felt my heart starting to pound loudly against my chest as I kept staring at her, my own lips begging to press against hers, to take what's left of her and make her mine, once and for all.
"Fuck." I groaned, getting up and running a hand through my hair. "Should've asked Edward to bring me a bag this morning." I rubbed my neck slowly before turning to see Adriana. She was still sleeping, laying perfectly still and I smiled again. She was so clueless. So innocently annoying, if that's even a thing. The sound of my phone ringing caused me to bolt up and grab my phone from the table across the room within seconds.
"Shit man, you could have woken her up." I hissed on the phone and sighed when I realized that she hadn't woken up yet.
"Draven, he's got Edward," Vincent spat on the other line and my eyebrows tightened in confusion. "Dexter, he must've taken him somewhere because he hasn't returned home since our last search."
"What?! What the hell are you talking about? You guys were asked to search in groups, not--"
"Fuck it Draven, he left on his own to get something and never returned. We didn't have the fucking time to check up on him because we were busy alright--just-"
"Where is he? How do you know it's him?" I cut off Vincent and heard him huff in frustration.
"He wants to meet you tonight. He sent Francis to give you the message," Vincent's voice cracked on the other line and I bit the inside of my cheeks, the anger boiling inside of me threatening to blow right about now.
"Where?"
"Draven, it's not a good idea to face him alone when--"
"Where the fuck does he want to meet up?" I tried my best to keep my voice low, hoping Adriana wouldn't wake up. "I don't fucking care right now, tell me where he is-"
"Francis is here. He'll talk to you." Vincent said softly and I balled my hands into a fist again.
"Why the fuck is he with you guys? He is supposed to be fucking dead right now!" I snapped and glanced at the bed before holding my mouth and running a hand through my hair in frustration.
"They have Edward, Draven. We are in no position to negotiate! I'm passing the phone." Vincent spat on the other line before Francis picked up, causing my whole body to tremble in anger and hatred.
"Where is he?" I closed my eyes briefly, trying to calm down, afraid that I might hurl just about anything I could touch at the moment.
"Redwood street, near the old park you guys use to play at. That's what he told me to tell you." Francis spoke on the other line and I nodded, a humorous scoff escaping my throat.
"You tell him, that I am on my way. And when I am done with him? You're next." I finished and hung up, putting the phone away. I grabbed my jacket and ordered Vincent to bring at least two of my brothers to look after Adriana till I return. He replied back instantly and I touched the pocket inside my pocket, just to make sure that I had my own dagger before looking at Adriana. Seeing her peaceful sleeping body rinsed away all my anger within seconds and I found myself sitting down next to her on the bed, my eyes drooping in sadness and guilt.
"I'm sorry doll face," I gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and licked my lips slowly, hoping she'd understand when all of this was over. "I'll be back, I promise." I caressed my thumb against her cheeks one more time before heading out. I met Vincent and all my brothers except Edward outside and watched them nod, panic and anger radiating off their body as I approached them. 
"I'll take care of him. Nobody's coming after me, that's an order," I pointed to all of them and I noticed Finn and Kevin hesitate but nod obediently.
"I'll bring him back, no matter what," I grabbed Vincent's shoulder and noticed him flinch at my words, as if he knew what was coming next. "So take care of her until I come back. Keep her safe for me." my order came out as more of a plead but I didn't care. I wanted her to be safe when all of this was over. Vincent nodded and I disappeared within seconds, ready to face Dexter once and for all.

One things for sure though. After this fight, only one of us would make it out alive.

xxx