The Vampire's Bride

The door in the living room opened and Brian came in followed by a man who looked restless and tired. He looked young, like a man in his mid-20s. It was his messy hair and tired look that made him looked older. Leo and his company immediately scanned the man, thinking if he was someone from their past.

"You know him?" Leo asked. Mallory shook her head but still couldn't help but feel like he looked familiar. She asked, "Who are you?"

"Are you Mallory?" The man asked instead of replying.

"Yes... and you are?" Mallory asked.

Gritting his teeth, he replied, "I'm... Phil, Kai's cousin."

Hearing her name, Zorek's face popped in her mind. Her heart started beating faster. It was getting harder to breath.

Is Kai... in trouble?

The more she thought about it, the more real it became. But if it's true, then how did Zorek find her?

"Kai? The little girl?" Jillion asked.

"Yes, we took her in a couple of days ago," Leo said.

Aldo nudged Mallory and asked, "Who is Kai?"

Mallory whispered who the little girl was, "A little girl. We saw her when we were going home. Then she lost control and we took her home."

"What's wrong with her?" Leo asked.

Phil became gloomy as he replied, "She's... missing."

"Missing? Why?" Jillion asked.

"Four days ago... I talked to her. That was the last time I ever heard of her. She was walking home when I called. I was supposed to pick her up last Sunday but she didn't answer my calls nor replied to my messages. I went to her house but she's not there. I tried asking around but nobody saw her. At night, I searched for her but she's nowhere found."

Looking at Mallory, Phil continued, "That's when I remember... she mentioned your name."

Missing? Four days ago?

Aldo watched Mallory's face turning into fear. He called her out, "Mallory... what did you find out?"

Mallory was surprised by the sudden question and everyone had their eyes on her. "F-Find out?"

"Hmm," Aldo nodded, "What are you thinking? Did something happen to Kai?"

Being with her for quite some time, Aldo knew her ways. Aldo knew that her gut feelings were almost, always correct. Aldo knew... it was a part of her powers although he can't confirm it yet.

Mallory lowered her head and clenched her fists. After a minute, she replied, "Kai... is with Zorek."

Kai is with Zorek... Kai was kidnapped and Zorek was the kidnapper.

They knew what she meant.

Phil got scared, "Zorek? He's still alive? How come?"

Zorek was quite famous for a couple of years, so it was normal for a few vampires to still remember him.

"Yes, the chances are low," Mallory said as she looked at Jillion, "that is if he chose randomly."

"What do you mean?" They asked.

"Kai was not chosen randomly... instead, she was chosen even before she transferred here."

"How can you say that? What? Zorek have been following my cousin since she was born? No... then we should have noticed it!" Phil said, going nuts by what Mallory said.

Aldo spoke, kind of controlling Phil, "Most probably."

"How?" Leo asked.

"Can you please tell us why they transferred here, Master Phil?" Mallory asked.

"Kai's parents wanted to earn more and transferred here," Phil replied.

Mallory was surprised and did not expect another story. "Earn more money?"

Frowning, Mallory told him the truth, "Actually, she told us that they were being followed."

"Followed? Nonsense! Auntie and Uncle will immediately tell the family about it!"

"But Kai told us herself," Leo said.

"Little Kai... did? They were being followed?" Phil asked worryingly.

Leo slightly frowned at the reactions Phil displayed. It was obvious that he doesn't trust anything that Mallory will say but will trust what he and Aldo will say. It was obvious that he'd rather seek help from a higher vampire than her. It was probably due to the fact that he's against time that he's seeking help from Mallory. This kind of attitude irked Leo.

"If you don't trust her, then you can't earn my trust," Leo said. His sudden statement surprised everyone except Aldo.

"Don't bother asking for help. You can leave now," Aldo said, shooing him away.

Phil became nervous. Indeed, he did not trust Mallory. He knew Orpheus since he was famous. He also knew Ian (Jillion's codename) as a master in hacking. The only person he did not know was Aldo but after feeling a tremendous aura from him, Phil knew he was someone he cannot afford to cross paths with. Therefore, looking at Mallory, his expectations went down. She was not a full-blooded vampire, she does not have a huge amount of power nor aura, instead, she was like a normal person. How could she help in locating Kai?

"I thought my friends were being delusional... Watching your reactions, they are right. Well, Mister Phil, our conversation will end now."

"Yes, Young Master."

Brian started walking towards him. After being pulled up, Phil reacted, "W-Wait! Why should I listen to her? Young Master Orpheus, Young Master Ian, you should know that her words held no worth!"

Aldo asked, "So, you did not come here to ask from her but from Orpheus?"

At first Phil hesitated to reply since he did not know who Aldo was. Seeing that he's defending the girl, he thought that he must be a low-level vampire and found the courage to speak, "Y-Yes! Because she's not even a vampire! She's a human!"

She's not a vampire!

She's a human!

Leo was angered and opened his mouth to order Brian once more but he was suddenly suffocated.

It was not only him but everyone in the room. It felt like the air disappeared and a devil was rising.

Looking at her, they were spooked. Soon, a voice resonated and it felt like she was indeed a devil who just woke up from a deep slumber.

The room was silent until Leo ordered Brian to dragged him outside.

Even as he was walking away, Phil could still feel the death glare coming from the person he deemed as weak. Rubbing his arms, trembling as he walk, he asked himself, "Who the hell is she?"

...

Everyone in the room was quiet. Jillion was surprised and got scared. He sat straight like a kid waiting for his mother to find out of his bad deeds. Although Aldo saw it coming, he still felt scared. Leo, on the other hand, looked calm but trembled in the inside. It was something that made him doubt Mallory.

'She' doesn't have that kind of power... So is she different from Mallory?

"Mallory," Aldo called.

"Y-Yes?" Her voice turned weak with her head down. She was nervous since she got angry at Phil.

"What do you plan to do with this Kai person?" Aldo asked.

"... find her," Mallory replied. Looking at her eyes, she was determined.

"What's your plan?" Leo asked.

"If Zorek has Kai in his hands, then he probably wants to meet Aldo or Master Orpheus. If that's the case, then he will not let her go unless he is satisfied," Mallory said.

"So we should meet with him? How did you even conclude that Kai's with him?" Jillion asked.

"Kai said she lost control of her body which means that she was controlled. She heard a voice which could be Zorek... is what I think," Mallory explained.

"It's the same with Aldo..." Leo said, "Kai was also forced to kill her parents and she felt hazy. It wasn't until Mallory calmed her that she regained control of her body..."

"Then four days ago... that's when we last saw him!" Jillion exclaimed.

Mallory nodded, "Yes, Butler Brian shot him so he needed blood. This is just my theory but... he could be using Kai to collect blood."

"It's not a theory. I also heard a voice telling me to get blood but I was never satisfied. That could only mean that he's getting the blood I drank," Aldo said.

"Then... Kai is in trouble!" Jillion said.

Looking at him with pity, Leo said, "Umm... that's what we have been saying, Jill."

Smirking, Aldo commented, "You're such an idiot."

Jillion gritted his teeth as he glared at Aldo. Ignoring the two, Leo asked, "But... how can we find Zorek?"

The three boys tried to think of possible ways until Mallory raised her hand, "Umm... I have an idea..."

"Yes?"