Chapter 2

WHAT did he look like again? Just like the past weeks, Talia could not remember the face of the stranger who kept messing with her in her dreams, the stranger who possibly barged in her room last night. When she still failed to remember anything, she put down the cup of coffee on the lounge chair. She had been anxious and irritated ever since she woke up at two in the morning.

Talia was afraid not just because of the stranger. She was more afraid of herself. She was afraid of the woman she was becoming. She was afraid of her own body and of the physical needs that she had never felt before except when she was with the man in her dreams. In her attempt to forget the physical pain that she had begun experiencing half a year ago, she almost gave in and surrendered herself to him. And if he could barge in her room despite the numerous security guards outside their mansion, the other Vampires could barge in there, too, which meant trouble.

Vampires.

Talia took a sharp breath. If only her friends would know what was going on in her mind, they would certainly laugh at her. In this day and age, who would ever believe that Vampires exist? She also found it ridiculous when she first heard about them from her father when she was seventeen. He told her that he was being harassed by the Vampires. But she still did not believe him until she witnessed it one night. She saw their fangs and their bright yellow eyes. And they were chasing her father. They moved swiftly that her ordinary eyes were not able to keep up with their movements.

Talia’s father got into a car accident a few weeks after he told her everything he knew about the Vampires. Even if there were no proof since there were no CCTVs around that road, her Uncle Ram, her father’s only brother, was sure that the Vampires were behind the accident. They wouldn’t know what exactly happened unless he regained his consciousness. It had been eleven years now and he was still in a coma.

They still had no idea how her father became involved with the Vampires. All they know was that it was because of a contract. She didn’t know what that was. All her father told her was to be wary of every person she meets because the Vampires were often lurking around her, waiting for the perfect time to get her and that she had to prepare herself because on her twenty-eighth birthday, every single aspect in her life would change.

Despite what happened, Talia thrived to be the kind of woman her father would be proud of. He used to tell her that his greatest dream was to see her live her life to the fullest. She went to University of California to study Architecture. She was an only child and aside from her Uncle Ramon, her father had no one else, that’ why she didn’t want to leave the country but her Uncle told her that it was the wisest thing to do since it would be too complicated for them to stay in one place together.

Uncle Ramon took over their family business. The San Valentins owned several banks in the country with over thirty branches.

Talia was now a successful architect. Over the past years, she had designed galleries and buildings in South Africa, Australia, Japan, and Cyprus, making her one of the most successful female architects in her generation. Her latest project was the McLain Towers in Sydney. After she built SERAM, an architectural firm, along with her friends, she hadn’t gotten any vacation except now. She asked for a three-month vacation which she was supposed to use for her wedding preparation up to the honeymoon.

Talia was supposed to marry Martin, her best friend and also one of SERAM’s co-founders and directors. The plan was set. But it all changed in a blink of an eye. In the end, it was not the Vampires that changed her life. As it turned out, she was only good in designing things but not in keeping relationships. Right now, she had no idea how she would spend her vacation. But she planned to go back to work sooner. She was just waiting for the rumors to die down. The people kept talking behind her and Martin’s back in the office and she could not stand it right now.

The reason why Talia was able to fulfill her father’s dreams for her was because there were no Vampires in sight for the past years. They only began reappearing in her life six months ago. At night, she could sense people following her wherever she goes. Some of them would even introduce themselves to her through her dreams. She could see their glowing yellow eyes in places she went to. They were simply everywhere. They would often send her flowers, chocolates, and expensive jewelries as if they were courting her and it was freaking her out. She refused all of their gifts. She didn’t know how they could think that they could get closer to her through those things.

To make matters worse, it seemed that only Talia could see those creatures. Some of them were even their firm’s clients which had most of the female staff swooning. She must admit, she hadn’t seen any bad-looking Vampires yet. They were all very attractive. And that made them more dangerous.

Talia could not warn her co-architects who took the job. What would she say anyway? Besides, the Vampires never bothered her co-workers, her Uncle Ram, and his family. It was only her.

“If not for your father’s greed, things wouldn’t have escalated like this. I am so sorry, Talia. It seems like we cannot stop your encounter with them. Soon, one of them will come to you and he will take what is his.” Those were Uncle Ram’s words a few weeks ago. Whether he knew something or not, Talia would not know because he refused to say anything anymore.

Just what in the world did you do for the Vampires to flock around us this way, Dad? Why are they messing with us? With me? Talia wanted to live like any ordinary human. It was a curse to be able to see the Vampires and to feel their presence. She felt like all of them were prying on her. After her wedding got cancelled, it was like the Vampires were celebrating her broken heart. She saw how their eyes sparkled as they flocked in her office. It was a good thing she had bodyguards. They were humans like her, too, but it was better than having nothing.

Talia sighed before removing her bathrobe. She badly needed to swim to clear her head and to cool down. She had been feeling feverish for half a year now. And it was driving her crazy more than the status of her heart. She had been swimming for a while now when she suddenly had goose bumps.

That very moment, she could tell that she was being watched again. She was certain that there was a Vampire around.

Talia would often sense their presence at night. It was the first time she felt it during day time. Now alert, she went out of the pool and scanned the area.

Her eyes landed on the tall man standing near the reclining chair. He was only a few meters away from her. With his face and built, plus that silver shoulder-length hair, he could pass as a member of a Western royal family with flying colors. He was wearing dark glasses that’s why she couldn’t see his eyes. All that was clear to her was the way he carried his self which held so much grace.

After a while, Talia’s brows furrowed. She could swear she had seen him before though she could not tell when exactly. He just seemed familiar. Even the way her heart pounded for him felt familiar, too.

The man was wearing black slacks and a navy-blue turtle-neck long-sleeved which he paired with his leather shoes. It fitted his masculine body. He was incredibly sexy and he had this air around him that says he knew it.

After a while, his lips curved into a smile. It was the kind of smile that women would sin for. Talia gulped. She could not remember being that affected over a smile before. She wanted to move but her legs suddenly would not cooperate with her. Despite the dark glasses, she could feel that he was looking at her and it was suddenly making her feel hot all over. Except from the stranger in her dreams, she thought that no one else could awaken her sexuality.

But this man proved how wrong she was.

A few seconds later, the man grabbed the towel on the reclining chair and walked towards Talia. He was walking as if he owned the place. And when he was finally standing in front of her, she found it hard to breathe. His stance towered over her. The pool area was huge enough to accommodate so many people. But because of his overwhelming presence, the placed suddenly seemed so small.

He handed her the towel and took a deep breath before he spoke.

“Kindly cover yourself up, Miss San Valentin. There are Vampires watching you right at this very minute. Surely, you wouldn’t want them to keep enjoying the show,” he said in a deep voice which matched his masculinity.

And it was not fair. It was as if when God showered the world with all the beautiful physical qualities a human could have, this man took them all with his arms wide open and did not save anything for others.

But when the words he said finally began to sink in Talia’s head, she gasped. So, he knew about the Vampires, too? When she did not move and remained looking at him with that surprised expression, he drew another sharp breath. He was the one who put the towel over her shoulders. His fingers touched her skin for only a brief moment but it was enough to trigger the wild fire inside her body.

And here she thought the heat disappeared a little when she swam. But it was all useless now.

“W-who are you? W-what are you doing h-here? And how did you find out about the Vampires?” Talia asked when she finally came to her senses. Oh, God. She could not believe she just stammered. She had encountered a lot of people from different walks of life but never had she stammered like this before. Great. She must look like a star struck fool in his eyes now. But she did not want to keep entertaining that thought. What mattered to her was the fact that there was finally someone else who knew about the Vampires’ existence aside from her and her family. She waited anxiously for his reply.

But before he could speak, her Uncle Ram came.

“So you, two, finally met! Great!”

Talia turned to her Uncle. The old man looked like he had just accomplished something huge. “What do you mean, Uncle Ram? Who is he?”

“Oh, didn’t he tell you yet? Beginning today, Idris Montecarlo here is going to be your bodyguard. I recruited him straight from Britain. He can protect you better than all of your bodyguards combined, Lia, because he can ward off Vampires.”

As if on cue, the man named Idris took off his sunglasses, revealing his beautiful steel blue eyes. He bowed and gave her that heart-dropping smile. “’Glad to be of your service, Miss San Valentin.”