chapter 80

ARIELLA.

I think this is the first time that I saw Eli mad at me. I know that he raised valid points and I should just listen to him, but how could I just ignore what I found out and go back to my old self after learning the vampires' past?

I have to commit to my new goal. I'm sure that Eli would understand my point later after I told him what I found out from Darius. Right now, I have to stop him from doing whatever it was that he was planning to do. He asked me to go with him and leave Blaire, Darius, and Lawrence here but I just can't do it. They are not only my friends but I already consider them as my second family after what they did just to help me get away from David.

My silence disappointed Eli though, and now, he was giving me a pained expression on his face. "I see. So you're choosing them over me---"

"Eli, this is not about whom I choose over the other! Please, let's not argue about this anymore! I don't want us to fight! We just got back together again!"

That somehow got through to him. He took a deep breath and then sighed. "Fine. I guess I got mad quickly, but let me talk to Darius first. I want to clear things with him."

I got scared that if I didn't allow him, we'd fight again so I nodded. Eli then went out of the room and I followed him quickly. I was scared that he would actually attack Darius. I haven't seen him fight yet but I could sense that he's just as strong as his twin brother. Eli was still wounded so he would get hurt if Darius fought him. But that didn't happen. When they started talking, it didn't sound like a prologue to a fight. Eli was warning him instead.

"Listen, Darius. I will kill your twin brother if I am given the opportunity to do so. If you have a problem with that, just say it now so we can decide what to do."

But Darius shrugged and gave Eli a dry smile. "Kill him if you like. That's fine by me. But given your condition right now, can you even do that?"

Eli didn't like that. "You want to know how I fight? How about you fight me instead?"

Darius raised his hands in the air. "No, no... I don't like fighting, Eli. Besides, Ariella and I had already agreed not to use force on anyone unless it's our only option."

"Aha! So it was really you! Did you hypnotize Ariella to convince her to be lenient to you and your kind? Is that it? You took advantage of Ariella's innocence and now you're going to send her to your brother, right? I know your kind very well! You don't play fair!"

"Watch your words, werewolf, or you might regret the outcome of those accusations."

Eli was about to talk back so I finally stepped in and tried to convince him to just drop this argument with Darius. Even Blaire who was listening beside them the whole time had stepped in. "Guys, come on. This is not the time to fight each other. Eli, I know that you don't trust Darius and for good reason. But please, can we chill for a bit? David might be around!"

Eli took a step back from Darius, but the two seemed to still have some tension between them even after Blaire's pep talk. It was obvious from his face that Eli was still not convinced that Darius was our ally and I really understand why, but this was starting to get out of hand. "What are we going to do now?" Eli suddenly asked us. "I want to know your plans."

It was Blaire who replied. "I have to make a potion that will detoxify Ariella's body. I have to brew it for a whole day too, and this old facility where we are is the perfect place to make it."

"My brother knows about this place though so you better hurry," said Darius. "He must be looking for us now and he might come here. There is a snowstorm outside so he knows that we need to take cover. and there are only a few places in this area where we can hide. You should make that potion as fast as you can, Blaire."

"Thank you for putting pressure on me," said Blaire to Darius. "Really appreciated that."

"Or if you want to gamble, Ariella, maybe you could use your powers as the Moon Goddess. If your tears could turn us into humans then maybe you can remove the vampire venom in your own body as well, right?"

"Oh... That's actually a good theory. I should try it right away..." I said but then I saw Eli looking at me again and I just stopped what I was about to do. He seemed to be upset at me, and it broke my heart. I tried to talk to him but he suddenly left, saying that he would patrol around the building where we were to clear his mind.

That made me cry. Darius reminded me to collect my tears as I cried and drank them, but I didn't feel any changes in me at all. I could still feel the venom's presence in my body so I think my tears can't do anything about my hybrid situation.

Meanwhile, it had already been three hours since Eli left the building, so I was now worried. I told Blaire that I would go look for him outside, but they didn't want me to go there alone so Darius reluctantly went with me.

"If not for your safety, I wouldn't join you here," Darius said as we walked through the icy ground. It was already past midnight so it was dark everywhere.

"Why not? I don't think that I could take a stroll here alone."

"Isn't it obvious? Your mate doesn't like that you're close to me. He's jealous, and as he should be."

I smiled weakly. "Are you insulting him or what?"

"I'm just telling the truth. His anger towards me is not only because he despises vampires. He's not like that with Lawrence. It's because he sees me as a potential threat to your mating bond."

I paused when I heard that because now everything has become clearer. "I see... I kind of knew that was his reason, but I think it's a combination of a lot of factors. He is right though. I shouldn't have befriended you in the first place. I don't even know your goal in all of this."

"Yeah. I seem to be a wildcard, right? That's because I am. But to tell you the truth, I do have my own goals that I want to achieve. One of them is to become the leader of the vampires so I'll lead them differently."

That intrigued me. "Interesting. So you want to be the next Vampire King. Go for it then. I support you, Darius. I think you'll be a great leader. You'll be better than David, for sure."

Darius chuckled. "You think so?"

I nodded. "Of course. But if you want to become the Vampire King, then David should resign or die, right?"

"Right."

"So you're okay with David dying?"

'Not really. But your mate is right. My twin brother is evil. I don't think that you can still redeem him. He needs to go for the sake of the future generations of vampires."

"Should I be hurt that you said that?" said a voice in front of us and I was petrified when I saw David standing in front of us. He was mad at his brother. "How are you, my traitor twin brother?"