Verena tried to close her eyes once more, pretending that nothing weird was happening to her or around her at the moment. It's nearing one in the morning, and she still hasn't gotten the chance to sleep a wink. If she turned around and lay down on her side, she would hear loud grunts and angry noises, and when she lay flat on her back, there was a strange aura that surrounded her. She could feel a warm breeze hitting her cheeks and the feeling that someone had been trying to study every line, every pore, every hair, and every wrinkle that could be seen on her face.
"Please," she whispered. "I have given you my trust; I gave you a place to sleep; I am trying to let you rest for the time being. Is it impossible for you to not give that back to me?" She opened her eyes only to see the man breathing directly in her face. Verena felt her heart jump out of shock as she realized that his beautiful blue eyes were reading her soul like a book. "Oh, God, you are too close."
Verena moved away from Zoren to create some distance between them. As she settled into her bed, she could feel his intense gaze on her, which made her uncomfortable, and it was apparent to him too.
"I need to watch you," he said, his eyes never leaving her. Zoren furrowed his brows and leaned in closer. "When your eyes were closed, were you trying to curse me? I could see the way you squirmed. Don't you dare try to
"Alright, alright," Verena interrupted, her voice rising in frustration. She pushed him away with a sigh and sat up in bed, wrapping her thick blankets tightly around her. "I wasn't trying to curse you; I don't even know how to do that or where to start!" Her annoyance was evident in her tone, and she couldn't help but feel a bit offended that he would accuse her of something like that. "Please, sir, you can't just get close to me like that. I know our worlds are different, but you still can't sleep in the same bed as me," she added firmly.
Zoren's expression softened as he watched Verena. He could sense her frustration and was worried that he may have crossed a line. "I didn't mean to do anything like this. I was just trying to make sure that I wouldn't be tricked by someone like you," he said gently, his eyes softening. "I understand what you meant; I won't be sleeping on your bed. Even the women in my world would be upset by that, I understand."
"Oh my God, thank you."
"It's just that, with your powers being so strong, I can't take any chances. I have to make sure that you're not doing anything that could put our world in danger. My father—I can't stop thinking about him."
Verena let out a sigh, realizing that Zoren's intentions weren't as bad as she thought. "I understand," she said, her tone softening. "But please, if you have any suspicions, just talk to me. I told you, "I am going to be completely honest, and we will figure out what I could do to help you out."
Zoren nodded, his gaze still fixed on her. "Great," he said. "Although I can't be sure as to how I could trust the words of a human like you, that was good to hear."
As Verena settled back down in her bed, Zoren couldn't help but feel guilty for his earlier suspicions. He slowly sat on the floor, watching her as he leaned back against the wall, and when she looked up at him, he saw the fear and weariness in her eyes. He wasn't sure if this woman was trustworthy, but he could for sure see what fear looks like.
"I'm sorry for making you feel uncomfortable. It's just that I need to be ready; I can't stop myself; I can't afford to let my guard down," Zoren explained softly.
Verena looked at him, feeling a mix of fear and warmth in his voice. "I understand, Zoren. But I'm not your enemy. I'm just a girl trying to make it through life," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "I am still not sure how to deal with the situation that we are in right now."
"Shut up."
"Now you're being rude again?"
"No," he said, stopping her from talking again. "I sense something."
Zoren suddenly sniffed the air. His expression turned serious, and he stood up from the bedside. Verena noticed the change in his demeanor and furrowed her brows in confusion.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
Zoren shook his head and walked over to the window, trying to peek outside.
"I smell something strange," Zoren said, turning back to face her. "It's like... pungent and overpowering, with a hint of sweetness that quickly turns sour. It is sharp; wait, it's the same scent of alcohol that burns the nostrils with a bitter aftertaste that lingers in the air. It's not something that I recall."
"Liquor," she said.
Verena's heart sank as she realized what he was sensing. She knew that her uncle's arrival would only mean trouble, and she didn't want to expose Zoren to that kind of danger. She quickly got up from the bed and walked over to the window, peering out to see if her uncle was still causing a commotion.
"Liquor," he repeated. "Ah, I see, the liquor in this world smells different."
"I did not expect him to come home tonight," she whispered.
"Is there something wrong?" Zoren asked, sensing Verena's fear.
She hesitated before finally admitting, "My uncle... he's an alcoholic. When he comes home like this, he gets violent and aggressive."
Zoren's expression darkened with concern. "An you still live with him?" he asked. "I can see how afraid you are just by the sounds of his footsteps getting louder; why would you continue to tolerate such life if you can easily just leave?"
Verena shook her head. "You must not know since you are not from here, but it's not easy to just do that. I can't just leave him. After all, I've dealt with it for a long time. I just try to stay out of his way, and everything will be fine on my side."
Zoren didn't like the idea of Verena living in fear. He must not know him well, but he said that no creature was deserving of this misery.
"Rena!" The voice of the old man was gruff and hoarse, with a harsh edge that spoke of years of hard living and heavy drinking. It was laced with bitterness and anger, like a sharp knife slicing through the air, ready to strike at anyone who crossed his path.
"I'm sorry, Zoren," she said, turning back to face him. "My uncle's home. I should go check on him. Make sure to not let him know that you are here, alright?"
As she was about to leave, Nelo stumbled into Verena's room. He caught sight of Zoren standing in front of her, and his bleary eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Who the hell are you?" he slurred, taking a step forward.
Verena's heart raced as she tried to think of what to say. "He's just a friend," she stammered.
Nelo snorted. "Friend, my ass. What's he doing here?"
Zoren stepped forward, his tall frame imposing as he tried to diffuse the situation.
Nelo's expression turned sour. "You finally have a boyfriend, huh? Does he have money? Give me some; I need to buy more alcohol!"
Verena's heart sank. She knew what this meant—if she didn't give him the money he wanted, he would become even more violent and unpredictable. She glanced nervously at Zoren, unsure of what to do next.
"I haven't gotten my salary yet, uncle, but tomorrow, I promise."
"You useless bitch!" As he was about to reach out and grab her hair, Zoren quickly blocked him and swiftly raised his arm, hitting the old man's chin with his elbow.
"Oh my God!" Verena looked down on Nelo lying unconscious on the floor. "What did you do?"
"Don't worry, he's not dead yet."
"Yet?"
"I mean, do you want him dead? I can help you with that"
"What? No!"
"Then, stop trembling just because of him. You're making me want to do it."
"Did you kill him?" Verena was panting as she checked on Nelo, now lying in his bed, passed out still. Zoren rolled his eyes as she looked up. It’s obvious that he hates how Verena was so worried about a man who literally just tried to harm her."Youre scared that he’s dead?" he asked, still wincing. "Did you not realize how badly you’ve been treated by this disgusting human being?" He plugged his nose with his fingers and shook his head. "I hate having this insane sense of smell right now. He smells nothing but a dark, painful curse. This is such a torture.""Come on, just tell me, is he alive?""Look at his inflated belly!" Zoren pointed at it with a blank expression. "Can you not see how it moves up and down? He’s breathing; relax.""But-""Even though I am a monster in your eyes, I wouldn’t end someone’s life without thinking about it," Zoren stated. He walked a few steps back to save his nostrils and sighed. "Although he deserves it, based on the fear that I could sense from you,
"You are devouring that pizza like your life depends on it, yet you still accuse me of being suspicious and acting as if I am planning to harm you with food.""See, just because you say that, you added even more suspicions to my brain.""Zoren, if I really wanted to harm you, I wouldn't choose to ruin the food." Verena rolled her eyes and sat back down on the couch. "I spent my hard-earned money on that; why would I ruin it?""Alright, don’t start to yell; my ears are about to pop.""I am not yelling.""But you are about to, I could tell.""Whatever.""How fierce, especially coming from a woman who knows what kind of creature is in front of her."Verena rolled her eyes. "Try to not sleep for at least three days and then get thrown into this weird situation. I bet you would also act in a way that you are not expected to.""Humans are weak.""Maybe," Verena said. "Or you are just too powerful.""Yes, maybe."Verena watched as the werewolf finished the last slice of pizza in the box and
Verena tossed and adjusted her position in bed, annoyed that she was not able to move around much. Even with her eyes closed, she knows that she has a lot of room to at least move a bit on her bed, but it felt like she was being pushed to the corner of the wall by something.She used her hand to softly reach over to her side and tap on the mattress to check if she had accidentally left anything lying around, perhaps her bag or pillows, but there was nothing but something hard."Huh?" She was confused at first as to what it could be. She rubbed her eyes and slowly opened them, only to be surprised by something so unreal lying beside her. Oh, my God!" she covered her mouth quickly. She tried to close her eyes and get back to sleep.Finally, Verena decided to slowly open her eyes, feeling disoriented. Her heart raced as she looked over the handsome young man lying beside her, half naked. Her mind raced with questions—who was he? How did he get here? And why was he sleeping beside her?Ju
Verana stood outside of her uncle's room, afraid and shaking. She has been worried about him and his safety since last night. It's been an entire night of him staying quiet since Zoren stopped him from harming Verena. It was well deserved; she knew that much, but she was a bit scared that he wasn't going to wake up. It was actually eating her alive, the truth that she's somehow feeling relieved of how he was unconscious throughout the night, but the real her kept on reminding her brain to care. After asking him countless times, Zoren had enough. He would often shrug or roll his eyes, but he kept on insisting that he was just resting, taking in a good night of sleep. He would phrase it as if he were the sole reason that the old man was able to get some good sleep in his system."This must have been some sort of misunderstanding or something.""What are you talking about?" Verena asked. "Don't be too dramatic; I know it's not that bad.""Are you serious?" Zoren yelled as he stepped out
Verena sat still, trying to calculate her breathing as she sat in front of her uncle. In his hands, three pieces of precious gems were being clenched. A really creepy and suspicious grin was plastered. It gave Verena nothing but the chills, as if she already knew that something bad was going to happen soon. The old man's eyes grew big and glowing whenever he peered at the new stones that he just got."I guess now that I have given you those gems, you will be able to stop pestering this woman," Zoren said, sitting like a king on the couch. He sat tall, as if he owned the whole place—even the man's soul. "You won't be able to get anything from me ever again; this is the only thing that my generosity could offer.""I've seen you keep a lot," the old man whispered. "You can't just fool me like that.""I can also take your life," Zoren casually said. "I chose not to, and I hope you'd give me a fair trade for that."Nelo grinned and shrugged. "You are threatening me in my own home?""I am n
"Verena, I think it's about time you got off work.""It's too early, no?" Verena looked at the clock, showing that it's at least thirty minutes before her shift ends. "Yeah, it's too early, auntie. I still have to wash the dishes."Oh, my goodness, you do not need to worry about that right now," the older woman chuckled. "You have to spend time with your boyfriend.""My boyfriend?" She noticed how the old woman pointed at Zoren, who is leaning at the door of the restaurant, waiting for the time to pass."I've noticed how girls kept on coming in since he chose the entrance as his spot," said the owner. "We've got at least five times more customers than usual. Letting you off early to have fun is a thank-you gift!""I... he's not my...""My love!" Zoren had cut off Verena's words. Not only Verena, but the entire restaurant's attention was caught. His voice was loud enough for all the girls' to crumble as soon as they heard him."What did you just call me?""My love, my lovely girlfriend
Zoren looked down on his hand, feeling a bit numb at how hard Verena was clenching it. At any moment, he has a strange guess that the tips of his fingers would turn blue, but he can't really tell the woman to leave him alone or let go of him since she's clearly scared and confused by how a man suddenly appeared out of nowhere in her eyes."Are you sure that you saw someone?" he asked. The way she nodded so quickly made him believe how serious she was. "Then what happened?"Verena looked at him with confusion. "What do you mean?" she asked."What happened to the guy that you saw?"Verena grabbed his whole arm, scared to her core. "Nothing happened to him, Zoren, nothing!""Where did he go then?""He..." Verena hid her entire face behind him and pointed at the bench. "He is still there, sitting and watching us! What do you mean?"Zoren looked back at her with a ton of questions about to pop out of his brain, but he could tell, based on her breathing and the sound of her heart beating, t
"You can stop looking at me like you just saw a talking worm," Galen said with a huge, youthful smile on his face, looking at Verena. "What's so confusing and unbelievable about me when you have the future king of a different world sitting right beside you?" he added while taking a sip of his iced tea.He then grabbed his fork and knife to obliterate the thick steak that was sitting on his plate. He intended to treat the two to a nice meal for lunch with hopes of being able to get to know them better, especially since he really wants to be close with Zoren."You heard the guy; go ahead and eat," Zoren said, tapping Verena's knee. She hasn't given Zoren's arm back since they met up with Galen. She desperately hugged his arm to make sure that he wouldn't be able to leave her alone with the scary, cursed spirit. "He's treating us to such a nice meal, woman, don't let it go to waste.""I-" Verena struggled to speak. "I don't think that I'll be able to digest.""Don't worry about me," said