"Julie told me you knew about her and the Corvin," said Roman, making his way to where the vampire stood.

  Mr. Evans had a simple smile on his lips, but seeing his smile, one could easily tell that he knew more than what he had led other people to believe. "I expected that she would mention it to you. Where is she? Even after you have started turning into a ripper, I am hoping she's still alive."

  Roman would have never guessed that Mr. Evans, the counsellor of the Veteris, was aware of Julie's lineage. No one knew anything about Julie's background, and it made him question how far and how much Evans knew about witches. There had always been a doubt in his mind about how Evans had ended up in their town. It was because he had never seen the man before him being turned into a vampire. The most information he had gotten was that Evans was a traveller and just came to visit the town but had ended up in the crossfire of the fight between the humans and the vampires.

  Before Mr. Evans could say anything, Roman raised his hand to stop the vampire from speaking. His eyes briefly took in Dennis's body, who was tied to a chair inside the cell.

  He walked to the door in front of the cell, unlocking it before he stepped inside where Dennis was. He came to stand in front of the morm, lifting the person's head upwards, and said, "You might be good at faking your consciousness to others, but don't think I wouldn't notice it."

  Roman raised his hand and punched right at the morm's face, and Dennis' face scrunched itself in pain.

  "I thought you were also one of the foolish ones in here like the others, who would not notice it, Moltenore," muttered Dennis under his breath, while feeling as if his skull had been dropped on the ground and was split open because of the pain he felt. "Keep on hitting me and you will only get into much more trouble. Not just you, but everyone in Veteris."

  "Threats like those don't scare me, Mcoy. You should know that better," said Roman, and he raised his hand again, turning it into a fist before he dropped another punch right across the person's head, knocking him to the ground along with the chair he had been tied into.

  "I must tell, Moltenore, your hearing ability seems to have gotten quite better," Mr. Evans' words sounded slightly impressed, while the expression on his face remained unfazed. "Is it because of the ripper characteristics?"

  "Probably," replied Roman, and he turned to look at the counsellor and asked, "How do you know about Julie? I thought you were eagerly looking forward to waking up the Elders, while knowing how much they hate the witches and the humans for that matter."

  Roman stepped out of the cell, and Mr. Evans said, "Don't be impulsive, Moltenore. You should know by now that we both expect nothing but the best for Julianne. Where is she?"

  "In the dorm. Resting," replied Roman, and Mr. Evans nodded his head.

  "That explains why the Corvin had disappeared so quickly from the shadows. I didn't know that she had told you about what she was, or if she knew about the vampire's existence," Mr. Evans' lips twitched, and his eyes looked clearer than before.

  With Dennis, who was knocked unconscious, it was just Roman and Mr. Evans in the dungeon. But Roman heard something crackle behind him, and he noticed the shadow that spread on the ground. He turned around, and he saw the woman whom he had seen earlier near the forest.

  "It was you," remarked Roman.

  Her dark brown hair had been tied into a bun with a middle partition of her hair. Her features were serene and calm, while her eyes looked brighter than the flame of the torches fixed on the walls.

  "I wasn't sure if what I saw was right or if I wanted to see, but I had decided to come and pay a visit again. More properly," said the woman, who wore clothes that looked nothing to this time of the decade.

  Roman stared at the woman for a few seconds before he said, "Opaline La Fay."

  "This is the young vampire whom I was talking about, Lady La Fay. Roman Moltenore," informed Sullivan, and the witch nodded her head.

  The woman stared back at Roman. A faint smile appeared on her lips, and she said, "It's good to know that some vampires are smart, but it should be expected for who you are, Roman. I saw you were with Julianne before. Don't you know that vampires and witches don't get along? We are nothing less to sworn enemies."

  "I thought it was only in the past and things have already changed now," responded Roman, his eyes fixed on the woman in front of him.

  The witch smiled, stepping away from the shadows, which left a slight mist behind her. She said, "I think that depends on what your answer to my question will be, Mr. Moltenore. What's your relationship with Julianne?" she questioned him.

  "What's your relationship with her?" asked Roman, knowing that Julie was probably related to this woman as a descendant. But he didn't understand what she was doing here now. If his memory served him right, she was killed along with the rest of her family members when the curse fell on Willow Creek.

  "You will need to answer my question first before getting an answer from me. Don't you know the rules of trade?" asked Opaline, her eyes slightly narrowing at the vampire.

  She had never been fond of vampires because of their greed, and this was clearly changing into something else. "I learned to not give away any information freely to anyone. You never know what it will be used for," Roman returned Opaline's question, and there was a curious look in her eyes. Then he said, "She's important to me. If that is what you wanted to know. I hope you aren't here like the Corvin, who wants to keep her away from me."

  Opaline slightly furrowed her eyebrows, and her lips were set into thin lines as she weighed the vampire's words.

  "Would you give up your own life to protect her?" questioned Opaline, and this time it was Roman who smiled.

  "What do you think?"

  Opaline finally said, "Julianne is my youngest child. My daughter, and I won't allow a vampire to get close to her if I sense even a speck of doubt or ill intention."

  "Julie's mother is already dead," replied Roman, not knowing what this witch was talking about.

  "She was only a surrogate to Julie, just a vessel and nothing more than that," replied Opaline.

  "Explain it to me," said Roman, and Opaline, who had pursed her lips, said,

  "Julie holds similar powers as me, being my youngest child, I had carried her for a longer time than the rest of them. So that I could protect her and make sure no harm would ever come to fall on her. Recently, she sent a girl back to the time when I was still carrying her in my stomach," stated Opaline and this time, it was Roman who furrowed his eyebrows.

  "Natalie," he murmured.

  "Yes, that's the girl. I believe it was unintentional, and she didn't expect for it to happen. I sent Natalie back to another time, similar to how I had sent Sullivan to the time when your town was having a massacre," said Opaline, her eyes shifted to look at Sullivan, who stood a few steps behind Roman. "I have visited Sullivan twice now, this being the second time, and I wanted to see my daughter."

  Roman took more than a couple of seconds to wrap his head around this matter where Julie's real mother was the powerful witch, Opaline La Fay, while Natalie was her surrogate mother. The same girl who had tried to hit on him and who had made Julie's life miserable.

  "I had to make sure Sullivan would not be late when it came to waking up the Elder vampires," stated the woman and Roman's eyes narrowed.

  "And why would you try to wake up the creatures that you aren't particularly fond of?" asked Roman, his head tilting to the side.

  "I am not particularly fond of them, but I am worried about people going after Julianne for their benefit. I have come ahead of my own time, while learning I will be killed soon," replied Opaline, and she turned her head to look in the direction of the passage which led towards the outside of the dungeon.

  "Why didn't you take your family and move to another place, when you already know that your family was about to be beheaded or set on fire," remarked Roman.

  Opaline shook her head, "That's not how it works. Though there are some things that can be manipulated, there are some that are out of our control, Mr. Moltenore. Time is a tricky subject that cannot be played with by anyone. Sometimes it causes more than an imbalance and destruction. Like a butterfly effect that doesn't know that it has the ability to create a tornado. We witches, we are not allowed to play with time, because it changes a lot of things, and it only brings us destruction."

  "You said you are worried that people are going to target Julie. Do you know who they are?" questioned Roman.

  "There are a few vampires who have always wanted to gain more abilities than what they already have. To level higher from the rest so that they can dominate the lands and more control," explained Opaline, "The last vampire who was in Willow Creek, it was Enoch. I don't know what exactly he was looking for, because he could have made an alliance with us witches, like how many other vampires had done, but for some reason he believed that killing my family was the right thing to do."

  "From the days that I have counted and reconfirmed, the deaths isn't too far," said Mr. Evans, and Roman frowned.

  "What does Julie have to do with all these things apart from her being your daughter?" questioned Roman.

  "Everything," said Opaline. "The Corvin have mentioned that you and Julie have already been there, near Willow Creek. She's the key to open it. There are things in there that belonged to the witches and her power lies in there. I took away most of her abilities, but it seems like every time Willow Creek makes its appearance, some essense leaks out and reaches to her."

  "Do you plan to meet and talk to her?" questioned Roman because he knows this was something Julie would like, but he didn't know if Opaline was looking forward to it.

  Opaline shook her head, "I think it would be best if we don't meet." For a mother, who had sent her daughter to the future, and who had not been able to see her daughter grow up, she seemed quite level-headed.

  "I am not sure if I will be coming here again to talk to you or to Sullivan, but if you have any questions, you can ask him. He knows most of it and also," the witch paused for a moment, and she said, "I am entrusting my daughter in your hands, Mr. Moltenore. I have seen how you didn't sink your teeth into her even though I could sense your raging thirst for blood."

  "You seem to know quite a lot of things," remarked Roman, and a faint smile appeared on the witch's face.

  "It must be because of the years I have spent studying about vampires," replied Opaline, then she said, "You seem to be in a bad condition."

  "It was because of the Silverbullet. Nothing that won't pass," said Roman in his nonchalant tone, but Opaline didn't seem convinced as she stared at him.

  "Do you care to join me out on a walk, Mr. Moltenore?" asked the woman, and Roman faintly realized how she would be his future mother-in-law.

  "Sure."

  "Good job, Sullivan. I hope to see you again someday," said Opaline, and she received a bow from Mr. Evans.

  "It has always been a pleasure to serve you," said Mr. Evans, while Opaline and Roman made their way out of the dungeon.

  The night was cold, the fog around the dungeon and around the grounds of the forest had increased, making it look like there were clouds in here. Roman quickly took a look around them to make sure no one was lurking before he joined the witch, walking next to her.

  "What did you want to talk about?" questioned Roman, his voice was steady, but his fangs had started to ache. He bit into the inside of his cheek to draw blood, feeling the pain that spread across his cheek for a moment to distract him.

  "Your heart. It is different," stated Opaline, her long gown sweeping across the little twigs and leaves with her.

  "Looks like everyone is interested in my heart today," murmured Roman under his breath with one corner of his lips that had quirked up. "I was turned differently."

  "How so?" questioned Opaline, her head turning to meet Roman's bright red eyes.

  "I was attacked first and then my maker poured his blood directly into my heart," answered Roman, without going too deep to explain it.

  A frown appeared on the witch's face as if she was thinking about something too deeply, "I don't think I have ever encountered this before. Did your maker ever try to turn anyone else before that?"

  "He's picky. I would have been happier if he could, at least I would get him off my back," commented Roman, hoping Donovan would stay in the club forever and never return to Veteris. But then, it was only his wishful thinking.

  Opaline stopped walking, and she then turned to face Roman. She said, "You wouldn't mind if I checked something, would you?" Her hand raised up to his chest, beneath where his heart continued to beat slowly.

  A white light appeared from her hand, glowing the place around them, and she quickly snapped out of it, and the light disappeared. She then looked up at him, "You are different. It looks like your heart has been corrupted for quite some time now. And it isn't something that happened recently. Like years ago, and the corruption, which is like black threads, inking your heart has wrapped itself around you. Who is your maker?"

  "Azazel Donovan," replied Roman and Opaline's face turned a little serious.

  "I see, he's still around……"

  "What does the different coloured light mean? Julie has a light blue light when she does something," stated Roman and Opaline smiled at his words.

  She shook her head, "It isn't of much difference. Every time I carried a child, I drank a potion, just to make sure they could digest and protect themselves when the time would be right. But I don't think it worked. My other daughters and sons, I had to take their powers away, just so that they could grow up normally. But I don't think witches could ever live normally. The vampires will either use you or kill you. That's how it has been. I drank the sapphire for far too long to keep Julie in my womb and to delay her from coming out quickly."

  Roman would have urged Opaline to escape with her family from Willow Creek, but that would change every event, not just for Julie but for him and the people who were connected to each other.

  "If Natalie and Douglas weren't her parents, and you are her mother, who is her father?" questioned Roman. If Julie wasn't going to get the chance to meet this woman, he thought he would just ask the questions on behalf of her.

  Opaline didn't answer Roman's question, and she stared at him, her eyes slowly averting to look in one direction of the forest.

  "Maybe some other day, if time ever allows," she said, and she continued to walk like a ghost, where Roman accompanied her.

  "Before I leave, I would like to thank you. I heard from Sullivan that you have been taking care of her. It seems like I can leave this place in peace and have less to worry about what her future might hold. All the answers she's looking for are right at her reach."

  They took the inner route of the forest, which the other patrollers of the night weren't aware of, and it made it easier to speak to the woman.

  "It is pitiful that I couldn't see my daughters married, with no grandchildren or my sons too. I had a very different life and most of them have different fathers," confessed Opaline and Roman's eyebrows subtly raised.

  "Looks like you spent your youth well, Lady Opaline La Fay," remarked Roman, and the woman's lips twitched.

  "One does what one has to do to survive," replied Opaline, and she held the sides of her dress so that she could walk freely and step forward. "We witches lived our lives better than the humans, and I hold no regrets over my actions."

  "You know who Julie's father is though," Roman's words were neither a question nor a statement.

  "I do," her eyes held a distant look in them, and she said, "Some love is hard to let go and at the same time, not meant to be. What happened tonight to get your vampire side to snap further? If you weren't corrupted earlier where your heart has slowly gotten used to it, which is one of the reasons you might suffer from constant thirst for blood, then you might have turned to something worse. If it were so, I would have killed you myself so that my daughter doesn't die in your hands."

  They then entered the cemetery where the dead laid, resting in their graves. The witches continued to walk while Roman's footsteps slowed down as he had been here a few hours ago.

  "Who died?" asked Opaline, turning behind, her eyes met Roman's eyes.

  "Everyone dies."

  "They do… but something seems very odd. Like someone is alive in here," murmured the witch, looking around the grave, and it took a second for Roman to remember that one of Griffin and Mateo's friends had been put back into the casket, which was later locked.

  "You can leave the person be. He's more useful with him inside the casket than outside," responded Roman in a dead tone, and Opaline looked in the direction of a particular casket.

  "Looks like you hold very little compassion towards people."

  "He wanted to expose and kill Julie," stated Roman and Opaline's expression turned grim.

  "I guess as he's a vampire he should be able to survive," came Opaline's change of words as this was regarding her only surviving daughter in the future. "I can smell death sometimes, Mr. Moltenore."

  "You can call me Roman," said Roman and Opaline gave him a nod.

  "I smell the fresh death, and it is," Opaline walked until she came to stand in front of Piper's grave. "Here. I am sorry about it."

  As if sensing someone was about to come, Opaline said, "It was good to meet and know you for these few minutes, Roman. Let Julie not know the truth now, I know she will be confused and consider everything to be a lie of what she has lived until now. Her memory of the grown up Natalie as her mother is more important than me."

  Roman stared at the woman, "It was a pleasure talking to you too, Lady Opaline La Fay. I promise to keep her safe."

  "I know you will," replied Opaline, and her hands reached for something around her neck before she unhooked the chain and handed it to Roman. "Let this be something of mine, that she can keep with her as long as she wants to."

  He took the thin silver like a chain with a sapphire stone in it, slipping it into his pocket.

  Opaline then raised her hand and waved her next to her, which created a slight change in the medium, as if the air had turned into water…… With one last look, she stepped back inside the portal, and Roman stood alone in the cemetery.