- “What’s with the tragic look? Man, your face is all twisted, bro. And you’re pale as a ghost. It’s been ages since I’ve seen you this rattled!” one of the guys in the group laughed as Patrick joined them. “Who got under your skin like this? I demand details.”
- “A girl. She came with Ivonne. I can’t figure out who she is. There’s an incredibly strong shield around her. I can sense it’s not just a coincidence,” Patrick said through gritted teeth, still stewing over the insult.
- “Want me to snoop around and dig up some info for you?” the guy asked with a sour expression, already anticipating the answer.
- “Not just for me, Adrian. For our family, for the safety of the place that’s been our home for so many years. There’s something hidden in her, and we need to find out who might benefit from it.”
Nodding with understanding, the tall, imposing guy in an impeccably tailored suit, hands casually tucked into his pockets, reluctantly set off to track down the mysterious girl his brother was so fixated on.
- “Pretty dull, huh?” a guy with the most striking blue eyes Alexa had ever seen interrupted her thoughts as he stopped beside her. He had an athletic build, broad shoulders, a strong jawline, and lips that seemed to promise passionate, skillful kisses. In short, he possessed the full package that could knock girls off their feet in an instant. And there was something in his features that immediately made Alexa think...
- “Alexandra Green,” she said decisively, extending her hand.
- “Adrian Swaydon,” he replied with a firm, brief handshake.
- “Oh, I figured as much. A relative of the groom,” she said with a hint of disappointment, offering him a condescending smile. “I’ll be blunt—I don’t like you. So, you might as well keep walking.”
- “So, I’m not worth your attention at all, or is it because I’m Patrick’s brother?” he shot back with an equally condescending smile.
- “All of the above. I’m only here for my friend. I don’t care for fancy, pretentious events, I don’t like mansions you can get lost in, I don’t trust the people who live in them, and I can’t wait to get out of here. But there’s a small hitch. My friend Ivonne flat-out refuses to leave until she sees the bride, come hell or high water. You wouldn’t happen to know where we can catch a glimpse of Patrick’s lucky lady, would you?”
- “I might, as it happens,” Adrian said with a crooked smile, his gaze locked on her sharp, deep eyes, utterly captivated. “Until our father delivers his tedious speech to all these guests, Monica won’t make an appearance. It’s some odd little plan. But I can arrange an exclusive meeting in exchange for a dance. With you. I’ve never danced with a porcupine before. Do you sharpen your quills with some special stuff? They’re awfully tough.”
- “What kind of nonsense is this?” Alexa frowned, taken aback. “Are you slow or something?”
- “It’s an analogy. You’re just so… prickly. You’re not even a hedgehog—you’re a porcupine. Hedgehogs defend themselves, but porcupines attack. You can look at me like I’m an idiot, but you’ll only get to see Monica after a dance.”
- “Wow, I’m just lucky to keep running into zoo enthusiasts today. You know, I actually love long, pompous speeches by arrogant old men. I think I’ll stick around a bit longer to hear how your dad strings sentences together. All the best, Adrian,” she said, her smile dripping with ice and sarcasm.
- “Is there an art exhibit in the bathroom too?” she hissed at Ivonne when she returned. “I had to fend off your precious Patrick’s clingy brother out there. Newsflash—the bride won’t be unveiled until after Daddy Swaydon’s grand speech.”
- “So, what’s this Adrian like? According to Patrick, everyone just adores the younger Swaydon.”
- “Are you telling me that in five months, you never got the honor of meeting his family?”
- “Lexi, I’ve explained this—the Swaydons are high society, different manners, different rules. This isn’t your Liam with his ragtag crew!” Ivonne muttered, but glancing to the side, she immediately blushed with a smile spreading across her changed expression.
- “Alexandra, I hope you didn’t miss me too much?” the now-familiar voice of the guy she thought she’d shaken off five minutes ago rang out again.
Clenching her jaw, Alexa shook her head, refusing the cocktail glass Adrian offered her.
- “Just to clarify—I’m not dense. I just have such impeccable manners that I can’t ignore bored ladies. As one of the hosts of this house, it’s my duty to entertain the guests,” Adrian said with a smile, displaying remarkable composure considering Alexa had already openly expressed her dislike for him.
- “Then you can entertain Ivonne while I take a little walk,” Alexa snapped, feeling an inexplicable suffocation.
She couldn’t quite grasp what was happening to her, but it wasn’t just this guy irritating her. The entire atmosphere of the mansion felt hostile, aggressive, as if the people and the house itself were baring their teeth at her. All these people made her feel intensely on edge, every nerve taut. She wanted to flee as far away as possible, and the only thing holding her back was the promise she’d made to Ivonne.
Strolling through the estate’s garden, Alexa found a quiet spot in a cozy gazebo. Only there could she finally breathe a sigh of relief and relax. Kicking off her heels, she closed her eyes and settled comfortably on the bench.
- “Hey,” a quiet, low voice, far too familiar to startle her, broke the silence.
- “Liam!” she exclaimed joyfully, leaning forward. “It’s amazing how you always manage to find me and sneak up so quietly! And right now, I’m so insanely glad to see you!”
Chuckling softly in the darkness, he sat beside her with a quick motion, wrapping her in a hug and burying his face in her hair.
- “This place… it’s not for me, Liam. I feel absolutely awful here. Maybe I shouldn’t have kept quiet about coming to this damn event. You guys would’ve talked me out of it, and you’d have been right a hundred times over. But that silly girl was so desperate to see Mr. Perfect one last time.”
- “Let’s go home, Alexa. Right now. With me.”
- “That’s the thing—I promised Ivonne I wouldn’t leave her tonight,” she sighed, turning to find his warm neck with her lips.
Alexa knew her relationship with Liam was unconventional, but he’d accepted it, however messy it might seem, so the need to dig into each other’s souls had long since faded.
They’d met five years ago under less-than-ideal circumstances—at her mother’s funeral. A curly-haired, sturdy guy with a sharp, burning gaze on an otherwise stoic face, he’d immediately caught her attention with that piercing look. Liam wasn’t much older than her, but his calm, wise demeanor captivated her. It didn’t take long for him to become her friend. With his ability to listen, it wasn’t surprising. A little later, Alexa herself wanted their relationship to grow closer. But passionate intimacy didn’t bring the love she’d hoped for. She desperately wanted to fall in love, especially since Liam had so many wonderful qualities, but that all-consuming feeling stubbornly refused to settle in her unshakable heart. No, she knew how to love, but it felt more like loyalty, human warmth, respect, and friendship—not the kind of love that drives you mad and breaks down every barrier, the kind she’d been waiting for. Love seemed to afflict everyone else in all its forms, but not her. Over time, Alexa came to terms with it, convincing herself that her brain simply couldn’t produce the right hormones to feel infatuation. Accepting this, she decided to leave things as they were. Though she wasn’t crazy with happiness, with Liam, she felt good and at peace.
- “I hope this crazy night ends soon. I’ll call a cab and come straight to you,” Alexa whispered, pulling away from his lips. “But for now, I’ve got to go. I left Ivonne with a persistent pest. I need to get back before she loses her head again, this time over the younger idiot.”
Her heels clicked loudly on the path as she walked away, and behind her, a pair of yellow, distinctly inhuman eyes watched with concern until she disappeared from view.
- “It was bound to happen sooner or later,” an impassive old man said, emerging suddenly from the darkness beside Liam.
- “The Nephilim sensed the protection. They’ll try to find out,” Liam said curtly, clenching his fists. “We shouldn’t have let her come.”
- “They won’t uncover what we’re hiding. Let them snoop. No one will suspect anything since she’s dating a werewolf and her father’s a warlock. They’ll just stop associating with her.”
- “And if the Nephilim reveal the truth about the worlds to her? If they confront her directly? They’ll find it odd that we’ve kept Alexa in the dark,” Liam’s hoarse voice betrayed his deep worry.
- “That’s not their concern. You’re too attached to her, Liam. You know she’ll never be yours. … There’s someone else.”
- “Or maybe not,” Liam retorted angrily, vanishing into the shadows.
Alexa returned just as a distinguished-looking man, holding a microphone, was showering the young couple with sentimental praise. The girl—a striking blonde standing arm-in-arm with Patrick Swaydon—seemed to glow from within, smiling and nodding as she accepted congratulations.
- “She’s something, huh?” Ivonne asked Alexa gloomily as she approached. “So elegant, blue-eyed. He’s found himself an angel, and… they look happy.”
- “Oh, come off it. She looks like the doll from my old music box,” Alexa shot back fiercely. “Forget him now, Iv. Draw a line and move on. He’s not the only guy out there, trust me. The world’s full of jerks.”
- “Did you manage to clear your head?” The mere question erased any semblance of composure Alexa had regained. “I just want to check how in control you are right now,” Adrian’s voice sounded nearby, but his tone was starkly different from before. Now his words were sharp and clipped, his cold gaze filled with contempt. “Come on, I’ll make your dream come true!” And with a rather rough grip, he seized the girls by their arms and confidently dragged them toward the engaged couple.
- “Congratulations,” Ivonne managed to say, a bit stunned by Adrian’s behavior, awkwardly kissing first the bride, then the groom.
But with Alexa, the Swaydons reacted entirely differently. Their icy, hostile stares pierced her like daggers. There was no relaxed posture; everyone standing nearby was tense to the extreme, as if ready to leap into a fight at any moment.
- “Monica Faye,” the bride said, extending her hand while scrutinizing the somber Alexa.
- “Alexandra Green,” she replied, shaking the cold hand. “Wishing you happiness.”
- “You’re either incredibly reckless or deliberately challenging us,” Adrian hissed, his wary eyes fixed on Alexa. “Do you even realize whose hand you just shook, Alexandra Green?”
- “Even if she’s royalty, I doubt your regal bride minds being touched by an ordinary girl,” Alexa restrained herself, though inside, everything was boiling and trembling.
- “Ordinary?” Patrick let out a nervous laugh. “This is unheard-of audacity, showing up here like this. But you haven’t managed to ruin our celebration.”
- “Ruin it? Who do you think you are? You strung my best friend along for months, then dumped her with a three-word note. You didn’t even have the guts to face her and explain yourself in person! I didn’t want to be here, I despise guys like you, but I came to support my friend. And you certainly have no right to insult people!” When Alexa got fired up, stopping her righteous anger was no easy task.
- “Don’t pretend you’re unaware of the rules of the upper and lower worlds!” Adrian barked from the other side. “You had no right to cross that boundary! Who are you, and who are we?!”
- “Oh, you’re purebred hypocrites! Nature loves balance—she gave you beauty and wealth but stripped you of brains and soul! You’re spouting nonsense, Adrian Swaydon! What the hell is this?” Alexa irritably shook her hand, which had suddenly started to go numb.
- “Who are you?!!” Monica demanded, almost syllable by syllable, her gaze devouring Alexa.
- “Me? Someone who has nothing in common with you! Sure, I don’t live in a lavish mansion, I don’t have jewels or a closet full of designer dresses. I’m a simple vet, living with my dad in a small cottage on the outskirts, but I’m fine with my life. Plain, not rich, but free from paranoia. Damn it!” Alexa couldn’t make sense of what was happening with these hostile people or her numb hand, which Monica had touched.
- “The numbness will spread gradually until you can’t feel your body at all. Didn’t anyone tell you who you are?” Adrian squinted suspiciously, sensing some trick in this highly unusual situation.
- “It’s a shame I’m not a psychologist, just a vet, but I’d recommend your family see a specialist. I feel like I’m talking to lunatics! Ivonne, we’re leaving! Now!” Ivonne’s sluggish behavior no longer just annoyed Alexa—it was starting to worry her. Grabbing Ivonne with her good hand, she pushed toward the exit without looking back. Her desire to get as far away from this cursed house as possible had turned into pure panic.
And what a relief it was when, on the driveway, she spotted two motorcyclists she recognized as Liam and his brother. She even kicked off her heels to run faster!