Julie, whose arms had circled Roman's waist, stared at the large gates, remembering her uncle's words the first time they had shown up here. Of how this place looked like a prison, she should have known that something was up here.

  "Rome," Julie called him, and Roman turned his head to give her attention. "Can we take a walk in the forest?"

  "I don't see why not," replied Roman, and he rode the motorcycle to the left side of the road before stopping it. "Don't want to head back to the Dormitorium yet?" he asked, helping her remove the helmet and letting it hang on one of the motorcycle's handles.

  She knew they would have company if they were to go to the Dormitorium. Not that she disliked it, but right now, she wanted to spend just a few more minutes alone with Roman.

  "The air is cold," murmured Julie, and the next moment she felt Roman put his leather jacket around her shoulders. "But it's bearable," she said, turning to him and seeing him offering her a smile.

  "It will make me feel better if you have it on you than me," answered Roman, and they started to walk into the forest. "When you look back at the memories, it feels like it was only yesterday where I caught you walking out of here with Evans and Borrell."

  Julie nodded because it was true. There was a time when she was trying to stay out of Eleanor's sight, but now she didn't care about the human.

  "When will we be moving into the house?" she inquired, her footsteps careful on the forest ground as she didn't want to trip on something.

  "Whenever you are ready. If you want, we can move our things first thing in the morning," replied Roman, his eyes turning to look in the direction where the Veteris buildings stood before he looked back at her. "But I am guessing that you want to spend a little more time here, considering Melanie is here."

  "Yes…… I was hoping to stay here for her and make sure she would be fine. She's been in panic since her mother has been bitten and turned into a vampire," said Julie, and Roman turned his gaze to look ahead of him. He slipped his hands into his trouser pockets, and an inaudible sigh escaped from his lips. "Is there no way to turn her back?"

  "There was… until the actual transformation started," came the blunt reply, and Julie's eyebrows raised.

  "Like a cure?" asked Julie in surprise.

  "Not an actual potion of cure, but the dead vampire's ash who bit her mother. I believe Simon has or had it," stated Roman. When Julie continued to look at him with a curious expression on her face, he explained, "If I am not wrong, Melanie's mother was bitten by Enoch, and maybe if she behaved well, he would have given it to her."

  "But she didn't," murmured Julie, and Roman gave her a nod.

  "Melanie's mother is very stubborn, and if she were to turn herself back into a human, she would not understand the pain and the plight of a vampire. It is Simon's side of life and he has his own way of dealing things. How do I put it," he hummed with a thoughtful expression. "You suffer, I suffer. We both suffer together."

  Julie already knew that. She said, "Mrs. Davis seems to be more willing to listen to the vampires. And Simon."

  "Indeed. It is a win-win for Simon and Melanie's relationship, and who knows, maybe the woman will change for the better," replied Roman, and his eyes fell on something that shimmered on the ground.

  Julie, who had pulled the leather jacket closer to her, noticed the shimmer on the ground like Roman. Her eyebrows furrowed, and she asked, "Did something happen in our absence?"

  There were thin silvery lines like roots on the ground, and somewhere it looked like it even connected to Roman.

  "Something must have happened. Do you sense any dark magic in here?" asked Roman, but Julie couldn't sense it. She bent down and touched the ground, trying to touch the roots, but they only moved away from her.

  "It feels like any regular magic," replied Julie, and then she said, "It looks like it is moving towards something."

  "Let us see where it leads to," said Roman, and both of them followed the root-like lines closely, half walking and half running to catch up with it.

  Julie felt the increase in the coldness, and she wondered if it had something to do more than the weather this month.

  Far away from them, near the main building of Veteris and on one of the benches where Donovan and Lilian were sitting and talking, the woman felt the vibration from the hairpin.

  "What is it?" questioned Donovan, sensing the hairpin respond to something with magic.

  The woman stared at the hairpin, twirling it in her hand before she noticed the disappearance of the three stones from the remaining six stones in it. A soft smile appeared on her lips, and she said,

  "Magic. Magic is taking place on the fortunate ones."

  Donovan titled his head to the side, trying to understand what it meant. Lilian then turned to look at him with a wide smile on her lips, "People are going to come back, Azazel."

  Finally understanding what she meant, he asked her, "Are you sure the ability of the stones are not disappearing to only get inside of you?"

  "No," replied Lilian, the smile on her lips not leaving her face. There was a look of peace in her eyes, "Each of these stones represents a characteristic, a relation connected to the heart. The stones are disappearing to give life to the one's whose time was unfairly stolen," answered Lilian. She then asked Donovan, "Do you know where the closest graveyard is?"

  "We have it right there in the forbidden side of the forest," replied Donovan, and he stood up before stretching his hands for the woman he had held dear in his heart. "Allow me to hold your hand, and this time you have my word that I won't let it go."

  Lilian replied, "I don't doubt it," she placed her hand in his hand before getting up, and they made their way towards the Veteris's graveyard.

  Back in the forbidden side of the forest, Julie and Roman followed the shimmering lines directed towards the graveyard, where the dead bodies of the vampires and deceased humans were buried.

  "They are coming from the graves," whispered Julie as she followed one of the lines.

  Roman followed another line, his footsteps firm on the ground, and before he could reach one of the graves,he noticed a person who stood right next to it. For a moment, he didn't know if he was dreaming or if it was real. And even if it was a dream, he would take it in a heartbeat. There stood Lady Petronile, her face holding elegance, and she stared back at him with a smile.

  Before he knew it, his foster father, Malcolm Molternore, appeared right next to her.

  "Son," called Malcolm, taking a few steps to reduce the distance between him and Roman.

  "You are alive," Roman was surprised on hearing the heartbeats that existed in their chests. Malcolm smiled before they both embraced in a tight hug.Roman was glad to see them here like this, even if it was just for a few minutes, because the last time when he had tried to reach out for them, he had found their dead bodies.

  "I am so glad to see you here. How have you been doing?" asked Malcolm, and when they pulled back, Roman gave him a nod.

  "I have been very well," he replied, and he saw Lady Petronile who came and stood next to her husband. She raised her hand to place it on the side of his face.

  "You have grown well, Rome. We are so proud of you," she let him know.

  The words coming from Lady Petronile meant a lot to Roman as she had been someone whom he had always looked up to. In the past, when he didn't know that Malcolm and his mother had nothing between them, he respected Lady Petronile for accepting him as part of the Moltenore family.

  "Of course, he grew well. He grew up with me and under your care, mother," came the male voice from behind Roman, and Roman felt the jolt in his heart on hearing the voice.

  Julie, who had been following the shimmering lines earlier, stopped in her tracks seeing the man and the woman, who was now joined by another male… who was none other than the person she had seen in Moltenore's family portrait. It was Roman's brother, Tristan Moltenore.

  Roman, who was often composed, looked at Tristan in shock before he finally smiled. He apologized, "I am sorry for not coming to you and the others sooner, to help you."

  Tristan shook his head, "It was not your fault, brother. I am glad that you survived and lived. It seems like you finally found something important to live for," and he turned to look in Julie's direction.

  "I did," replied Roman, wishing that even if this was a dream, it would last longer so that he could spend time with them. And while they were catching up, he heard footsteps approaching them from behind, he turned and caught sight of Donovan, who was not alone.

  The Elder vampire stood not too far from where he was, with his mother next to him, who was alive.

  —