https://youtu.be/sSwLNNoJhi8

As the day of reckoning came closer, the number of vampires in the forest increased. Lucas asked me and Zephyr to take care of them from reaching the mansion. 

"YOU!" A vampire came at me and I shot an arrow at him, which pierced through his heart. 

"It doesn't matter how many there are," Zephyr said as he beheaded the vampire. I aimed at another vampire who was about to attack Zephyr. He got shot in the shoulder and changed his target to me. Zephyr quickly came in front of me and held the vampire by his neck.

"Like I'd let you." Zephyr snapped his neck and with extreme force, beheaded him.

"Thank you." I smiled at Zephyr and he smiled my favourite crooked smiled at me. 

"I'll kill you both!" A man in black glared at me and came rushing towards me with his sword.

"Stay back, Irina," Zephyr told me and I shook my head.

"No, I'll fight him too," I said and aimed my bow again.

"Who am I kidding? You never change." He said with a frustrated look.

"But, that's why you like me, right?" I asked with a small giggle.

"Unfortunately." He said as my bow pierced through the man's body, dropping him onto the ground. I smirked at Zephyr and he rolled his eyes playfully as he beheaded the lifeless vampire.

"That was the last of them," I told him and he nodded.

"Good job, you both." A voice echoed through the forest and we turned our heads to see Michallis coming towards us.

"Michallis?" 

"Hello there, Irina. Those were some good skills you showed." He smiled and I bowed my head in a polite way.

"Why are you here now, Michallis?" Zephyr asked.

"Lucas asked us to call you both back, saying that you both need to rest. I'll take care of the mess here. "

"Oh," I said but Zephyr raised his eyebrow at Michallis and said nothing.

"Rest? We're supposed to guard the mansion, there's no time to sit back and relax." Zephyr said.

"Yes, but you've done plenty already, which is why you should follow orders rather than being dumb enough to stress yourself out even before the attack," Michallis said, mockingly and Zephyr glared at him.

"Watch your tongue, Royal Dog," Zephyr said and I sensed a fight coming. I slowly sighed to myself before turning towards Zephyr.

"It's fine, Zephyr. We should rest, in a way. Let's head back." He looked at me for a moment before he nodded.

"Alright then. Let's go." Zephyr frowned and eyed Michallis until we reached near the mansion and he was nowhere near our sight.

We went straight to the kitchen after we entered the mansion. Jack popped out from the cooking area and came towards me. He opened his arms wide and was about to hug me when Zephyr came in front of me in a swift move.

"Do you want to be killed, Jack?" Zephyr asked.

"Ahh, don't jump in between us so sudden, Zephyr. I ended up crashing onto your rock hard chest. Apologize to me." Jack said in a moody tone, which I thought was kind of cute.

"It's because you tried to hug her without my consent," Zephyr said, firmly which made me blush a little.

"What's up with that huh? Acting like Irina's boyfriend." Jack scoffed at him and I lightly tapped my finger on Zephyr's hand, gesturing him to calm down. He raised an eyebrow at me but then pulled himself together.

"Irina's my woman," Zephyr told Jack with a smirk and Jack stared at me.

"No way! Irina, are you being threatened by Zephyr?" He asked and I shook my head with a smile.

"I chose him, Jack."

"You heard her, You don't stand a chance, Jack," Zephyr exclaimed, still with the smirk.

"And, you can't live without me, Zephyr," I said with a giggle to which he turned his head away.

"Whatever." He said and I laughed at his cute gesture.

"What's wrong with you, Zephyr? When did you seduce her? I was after her!" Jack said with a pout and Zephyr scoffed at him.

"As if I care. Irina, aren't you going to eat something?" Zephyr asked me and I nodded.

"Jack, can you please cook me some food?" I asked and Jack sighed.

"As a chef, I can't say no. Wait a minute, Irina." He walked back to the stove.

"Don't play around with Jack too much. The menu changes, based on his moods." Drake remarked from the side with a wry smile.

"Oh," I said as I sat down on one of the chairs. Zephyr sat down on the chair next to me and smirked at me, which made my cheek turn red.

"The food's ready!" Jack's joyful voice was heard throughout the kitchen as he came to the table with the food. He placed a steak in front of me and Drake while he placed a drink in front of Zephyr, The drink gave out a strong aroma which made it seem like it was poison rather than a drink. I started cutting the steak into small pieces and eating them, along with Drake.

"What's this?" Zephyr asked Jack with a raised eyebrow.

" My special tea blend," Jack replied cheerfully.

"But I didn't ask you anything," Zephyr replied back.

"Don't worry, this one's on me. Since I heard you are a lot tired lately, I heard it is really good for your body." Jack said.

"I'm surprised that you're worried about me, Jack. Pigs might fly," Zephyr said with a sarcastic smile and brought the cup to his lips.

"What?! You're actually going to drink it?" I said in shock.

"Don't worry, Irina. It's just super bitter. It's true that it is good for your health although I did faint once after drinking it." Jack said and winked at me. However, Zephyr drank the whole cup in one chug without any kind of change in his expressions and gave a smile to Jack.

"Thank you, Jack. But you must be too sensitive to faint while drinking this." He said while Jack was in utter disbelief.

"What?! How did you?" He asked and Zephyr smirked at him victoriously.

"Oh, you gave me this for my health, hmm? Thank you very much." He said and Jack took the cup away in an irritated tone.

"I'll make you an even stronger tea then, just you wait." He said, annoyingly as he walked back to the cooking area.

"Irina, lets's go back to your room if you're done eating," Zephyr told me as he wiped his lips with his index finger.

"But why? We just came here a few minutes ago." I asked, confused.

"I want to get rid of this bad taste in my mouth." He said and I chuckled slightly.

"You were holding back, weren't you? You hate to lose hmm?" I asked and he just hummed.

"But you can just eat something else, why do we need to go back?" I asked him, which earned me a smirk from him. It took me a moment to realize what he was trying to say.

"Oh." 

When we reached the room, Zephyr picked me up in his arms and carried me to the bed. He got on top of me, wearing a smirk on his face. He lightly brushed his lips around my neckline while he traced my lips with his fingertips.

"Mm..."

He moved his lips onto my face and brushed them all over until they reached my lips. It started out with a passionate kiss which swiftly turned into a deep one.

"Zephyr..."

"Thought you could escape?" He lifted the corner of his mouth, looking like he was completely enjoying himself.

"I wouldn't escape, I love you." I wrapped my arms around his neck and deepened the kiss even more.

"You're good at turning me on." He whispered in between the kiss. His firm muscular body made me feel safe, in a way that it was armour to protect me.

"Were you able to get rid of the bad taste in your mouth?" I asked and he shook his head quickly.

"No no. Not yet, I need to taste your lips more." He caressed my body as if he was touching something that he deeply cared for.

"Zephyr...Mm..."

After a few minutes, we lay together on the bed, side by side. Zephyr scooped up my hair in his hand and pressed his lips on it.

"I love you, and only you." He whispered to me and hugged me close.

"I love you too," I confessed back and brought my face closer to his.

I could sense with my entire body that our feelings for each other were slowly melting into one. Reflecting on each other in our eyes, we spent the night feeling more content than ever.