A MAZE OF GREED

Two days passed after Edwin and Lester got to know about Painite. In these two days, they tried finding more about it, but as Mrs Payne had told them, there was not much information available about it.

While Edwin was completely focused on that issue, Lester had something else on his mind too. He finally decided to talk with Edwin about it.

"What are you doing?"

Edwin was startled by the sudden disturbance. He was in his chamber, sitting on the edge of his bed. Lester saw the brown piece of cloth in his hand.

He realised what Edwin was going through, and that made him feel sad.

Lester sighed after sitting beside Edwin. "Why don't you talk to her?"

Edwin was silent at first. "I do not know what to tell her. She is not ready to listen to me." He said helplessly.

"Because you are not willing to tell her what she wants to hear." Lester argued.

Edwin leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs and, held his head with both his hands.

"I am just... I... am just..."

"Scared!" Lester finished his sentence. "You are scared of losing her."

Edwin could not deny that. Because it was the truth that he was trying to ignore but to no avail.

"How can I not be scared lester? It is not only about rejection from Ruth. But even if she accepted me as her mate and for the who I am, my world, my reality then what? You know what will be her fate after that."

Lester tensed hearing that. The curse!

Edwin was referring to the curse that had damaged the O'Dell family severely. Not everyone was as lucky as Lord Augustus in that case.

"But it does not mean that you can go on like this Edwin. Sooner or later, you need to reveal everything to her. If Ruth accepts that, then you will need to mark her, marry her.

Your authority will become sovereign only after you mark your mate and wed with her. Otherwise, our people will be in this same state of dangling like a pendulum between the two ends- you and Lord Augustus." Lester tried to explain the situation to Edwin, which he was already aware of.

"I know Lester. I understand everything. It is just that... I wonder why I and Ruth cannot have a normal life like everyone else. Why it have to be us at the recieving end of unfairness from the fate? I do not understand what the Moon Goddess has planned for us!" Edwin felt the itch in his gums.

He needed some wolfsbane potion to calm down his nerves.

He got up from the bed and walked to the table where the bottle with the rufous coloured liquid was. He began preparing two drinks- one for him and the other one for Lester.

"Anyways, why did you come here? Do you want to tell me anything?"

Edwin asked in hope of changing the subject of their conversation. He was exhausted by mulling over the same things.

"What have you decided about that?"

"About what?"

"About Mrs Payne?"

Edwin groaned at that. "Lester I have told you that I do not know anything about her and why and how she knows everything. I have tried asking her about it but she always flipped my question."

"And you are fine with it?!! I cannot believe you, Edwin! She is a human, for Moon Goddess's sake! Do you have slightest of the idea of how dangerous it is for a human to know so much about our world?" Lester was frustrated with Edwin's reluctance to suspect the old lady.

"What do you want me to do then?" Edwin's voice raised by an octave.

He already had more than enough served on his plate, and now this!

"Fine!" Lester too stood up in anger. "Just sit and watch. Do not interfere in my business with her." He warned.

"Edwin frowned and took a step ahead. "What are you planning to do Lester?"

"What do you want? To know what I am planning or the reality of Mrs Payne?" Lester challenged.

Edwin was in dilemma. He contemplated both the possibilities. He pursed his lips in a thin line. He could not win over his friend's determination, and his own curiosity.

*

*

*

Ruth found her way again to the library in 'the great manor'. But this time, she did not stop at any shelf and walked straight to the end of the large hall instead.

Since the time she had seen that big black book kept securely and away from other books, she felt that something was attracting her towards it. Perhaps it was her curiosity, she thought.

She was yet to ask Elsie about that book. She made a mental note of asking her about it today.

Dragging herself away from that book, she again found herself standing in front of the shelf that had the book titled- 'The Saga of Supernaturals."

That was the same book that she had seen with Mrs Payne. She did not pay much attention to it then, but now the circumstances had changed significantly.

Ruth pulled out the thick book from the shelf. She took it to the long table that was placed between the two shelves. Ruth sat in the chair and flipped the pages to read again the pages she had read before leaving for Bluemoon pack.

Not a single word made sense then, but now she wanted to try again by keeping her mind open.

She began reading the lines word by word, beginning with the title of the chapter- The Vampires!

--- Vampires are one of the ancient creatures amongst the supernatural breeds, who are also believed to be the most dangerous ones.

The history of the Vampires dates back to more than a thousand years ago. Many researchers have tried tracing their origin, and the lineage yet found no concrete information.

The Vampires are believed to be night creatures and has many folklores and stories woven around them. However, not everything that is told for many generations is true.---

Ruth was sure that the face she saw in her dreams must belong to a Vampire. The sketches provided in the book for reference confirmed her doubt. And since then, she began digging more into this myth that she began believing to be true.

--- Contrary to the misconception that the Vampires can not step out in the daylight, it is believed that they are actually leading a normal life just like all the other breeds and humans.

They have no problem stepping out in the daylight. They are not scared of garlic or cross. In fact, they believe themselves as religious and close to the creator.

They do not always have their fangs out and are hungry for blood. They can control their transformation according to their will and can go without blood for quite some days. They not only need human blood, but they can also survive on animal blood.---

Ruth was disgusted and terrified too. She could not imagine someone drinking a human's blood. She flipped to the next page and ran her fingers over the sketch on it. A Vampire with red eyes and long fangs had a man in his hold.

His fangs were digging in the human's neck, and the blood droplets spurted from the punctured skin. And in the next sketch, the human lay on the ground lifeless, and the Vampire had a sinister smirk on his blood-stained lips.

Ruth sucked a deep breath. That smile was very similar to the one she had seen in her dreams.

But then she could not move her eyes away from the dead human on the ground. The more she stared at the image, the more wheels of her mind turned fast.

And then it struck her.

She recalled the last image of Mr Payne in the woods. His body had biting marks all over body. She distinctively remembered seeing punctured marks on his neck and wrists.

His pale body looked like it had no ounce of blood left in it. Ruth gulped down her saliva down her dry throat.

Was that killer a... Vampire?

She shuddered visibly as the hair on her skin stood up in alert.

She flipped some more pages in an attempt of running away from those dreadful thoughts. And when her fingers stopped, she had a new chapter of the book opened in front of her- The Werewolves!

Ruth had deliberately avoided reading this particular topic for the reason unknown. She felt like she might find something that she would not like or accept. Perhaps that fear kept her at bay from that chapter.

But then how long she was going to ignore it?

She had many theories and many speculations. The people around her were not ready to tell her anything clearly. The only available option she had was gathering as much information as possible from the ones who would never lie to her.

After a deep breath and calming down her tensed nerves, she decided to delve into another fantasy of the author of the book.

But before she could do that, a servant came in search of her to inform her that Elsie was asking for her. With a sigh, Ruth closed the book and kept it in its place.

But before leaving, another book caught her eyes- 'The History of the Werewolves'!