Chapter 21: Reminisce But A Sudden Call

Elrisha

As we landed smoothly on the ground of my balcony, Mirna suddenly surprised me when she kissed me on my lips. It was the same kiss that we've shared the very first time we kissed even it was a dare but the feelings were very raw, daring, and lovely. As we both need some air to breathe from our shared deep kiss, we parted our lips with disbelief written in our eyes which I can't help but let out some giggles. Mirna shook her head yet there's the smile that I've been dying to see again after I woke up from blood loss. I kissed her forehead for a while before I pinched the tip of her nose that of course, I earn a playful smack over my arm. I chuckled as she walked past me and entered my room once again. I followed her before I closed the sliding glass door of my balcony. But what not surprised me anymore was Mirna slowly taking her clothes off – well, to my eyes she was moving slowly. She was removing her top clothing which I could guarantee belongs to me and the jogger pants that she's wearing as well. As soon as her clothing was removed apart from her undergarments, she went to the bed and lay down.

"Now, explain. Why do you have dragon wings?" Mirna dropped the bomb which I am not surprised anymore. She just saw something intriguing in her eyes.

"Hmm, let just say that I'm royalty." I shrugged my shoulders as I took off my see-through bedroom robe and put them over the couch.

"Elaborate." She insisted which I just sigh but the tiny smirk on my lips was still there.

"Alright." I poured some blood wine over my wine glass before walking to the bed and sat at the single lazy-boy chair next to my bedside table on the right.

"I am not just Elrisha Cross but I'm a duchess. My full name is Duchess El Risha 'Bakunawa' Cross and I know my full name sounded weird but it has something to do with my dragon wings." I started on telling her about my vampire side that I never fully tell anyone who doesn't need to know who I really am.

"Bakunawa? It seems like I read that from somewhere." She thought for a moment as soon she heard that word.

"Well, according to my mother it's a serpent-like dragon and I am not sure if it does have four wings as I do." I cleared to her what I only knew about my name.

"Does your mother know about those dragon wings you have?" she wondered as turned around and lay on her tummy.

"Not sure about that." I shrugged my shoulders since I am not sure if my mother has any knowledge of my dragon wings.

"Okay. Continue." She waved her hand to dismissed the conversation and go back to my storytelling about myself. I thought I dodged the bullet already but nope. Not with my beloved soulmate, Mirna.

"Right. So, since you already heard my full name, now I'm going to tell you why my mother bestows me that name. At first, they were laughing at me when my mother suddenly called me in that name when I was a child but as soon as I receive a calling from the family head of the Cross clan, I was immediately appointed as one of the Heptagon pillars. The Heptagon Pillars of the whole family were known as the Seven Star of Cross yet not everyone knew our faces but our deeds at each designated land or estate that we inherited from our forefathers' grandfather were all known. We kept it that way so that everyone will focus on the deeds and not that person itself." I proceed with my storytelling which she listening carefully as if she's dissecting them inside her brain.

"Being in the Seven Star, we also the face of the family and representing the whole clan at the royal gathering or meeting with the Blood Queen. It's a heavy-duty if not flexible on dealing with nobility which I'm totally the pain in the ass since I don't care about them aside from the prosperity and the safety of everyone who lives in our kingdom." I continued which exactly I already finished my blood wine and put it back to my small coffee table near my study table beside the couch that's facing the end of my bed.

"Did someone make some move on killing you because of your point of view?" she wondered which made me smile as I recalled those times on their attempt but always failed.

"Hm…before yes, but when they saw from their own eyes what I did for my own estate and what I contribute with my family, they held back. Also, they couldn't hurt me when I've got the Aspire's family head behind me and not to mention the two people they feared the most." I honestly told her what happened through those times. Well, in their faces.

"Then ever since, no one dares to cross me aside from my cousin Freyal and Celestial." I added which I saw on how quickly Mirna's mood shifted into a blank façade and I think I know the reason.

"Freyal." She mumbled underneath her pissed sigh. See what I mean. She was still pissed over that time when my cousin suddenly gave me a torrid kiss in front of her. She always does that to irritate me and fight her back even she kept running away after stealing some kiss from me.

"So I was saying, they began to fear me not because of those people that I have behind me but because my mother was the head adviser or the shaman of the Cross family. Once she called you a name, it only meant one thing and it was not to tease or badmouth you but she sees something that reflects your power. Even my mother called me Bakunawa, I did not possess its strength or power but my mother still not regretting calling me in that name."

"You're mother came from what family?" she wondered since she heard that my mother was the shaman of the whole Cross clan.

"Hmm, she's one of the very powerful witch families of Salem. But ever since that family destroyed each other for their own selfishness, the charmed daughters of Salem's family head made things frightening but remarkable. It destroyed the Salem lineage and took another form far from each other." I answered her to what I have only known from the story of my mother when I was a kid back then.

"But why dragon wings?" Mirna wondered before she snuggled herself to me as soon as I lay down beside her.

"I don't know if it has something to do with my second name Bakunawa." I only managed to answer her while her head was laying on my chest and me, stroking her hair.

Doing that, Mirna was in her deep thought when she suddenly yawn that I chuckled a little before I kissed her forehead.

"Go to sleep and don't forget we have a meeting with Syrina tomorrow." I reminded which made her gasped and looked surprised at me.

"Don't tell you already forgot about it?" I chuckled as I asked her about her forgetfulness which was very rare to happen to her.

"Yes, and the Deputy Chief was about to get some information regarding the incident at the barn." She recalled the thing that I have already taken care of.

"Don't worry about it. I already told Terek what to do before we got into that barn and I think Deputy won't be coming here unless there's something missing to what I sent to him." I explained to her which made her smiled in defeat.

"Always ahead." She just waved it off and lay her head down once again but this time over my shoulder.

"Not much. But I kept trying since if it's you that's in trouble again, I want to be ahead of everything." I really do want to be cautious when it comes to her safety.

"Well, you can't tell when that might happen." She countered as she chuckles a little followed by a yawn.

"Maybe, unless I learn something from my mother." I winked at her then I chuckled.

"Right. Anyway, good night El. See you tomorrow." She yawned longer this time which made me left her a lingering kiss over her forehead.

"Sleep well, my beloved." I whispered even though I know she won't hear me since she's already knocked out – sleeping peacefully.

I was just letting her sleep in peace while I was stroking her hair until a song began to play inside my mind which totally reflect what I felt around her. I was indeed struck by lightning and the song that's playing in my mind was a song from Boys Like Girls which was entitled Thunder.

Today is a winding road that's taking me to places that I didn't want to go

Whoa (whoa, whoa, whoa)

Today in the blink of an eye

I'm holding on to something and I do not know why

I tried

Well, it's kinda true because before I even set a foot on that particular night party at a residential beach that was owned by one of my cousins, I was busy doing my work even we're having a company party there. And even I was late, I still drop by which I never thought I was being bet. My cousins bet on me whether if I come to the party or not which the owner of the residential beach, my cousin won the bet. I seriously can't believe that they did that to me but while I was talking to him, a lady approached us which was her.

I tried to read between the lines

I tried to look in your eyes

I want a simple explanation

For what I'm feeling inside

I gotta find a way out

Maybe there's a way out

I can't believe that my beloved soulmate just approached me and telling me about a dare which I can't help to smile from ear to ear. It wasn't because of the dare but I finally found my mate after all of my entire existence and that was the night I met Mirna James, my beloved mate.

Your voice was the soundtrack of my summer

Do you know you're unlike any other?

You'll always be my thunder, and I said

Your eyes are the brightest of all the colors

I don't wanna ever love another

You'll always be my thunder

So bring on the rain

And bring on the thunder

Even after that dared kiss at the beach company party, I couldn't get her out of my mind but when I met her sober at the PRLab-1 and got to know her, I am totally irritated. She kept talking and asking about something that caught her interest but I'm amazed that she was very attentive when it comes to working. Even though she kept asking or talking random stuff, when it's about work, she could answer them straight on.

Today is a winding road

Tell me where to start and tell me something I don't know

Whoa (whoa, whoa, whoa)

Today I'm on my own

I can't move a muscle and I can't pick up the phone

I don't know (I don't know, I don't know, I don't know)

And now I'm itching for the tall grass

And longing for the breeze

I need to step outside

Just to see if I can breathe

I gotta find a way out

Maybe there's a way out

Being away from her, I made some drastic measures of being a stalker. I even let my butlers keep an eye on her whenever I am away or doing my work but when the moon hits the night sky, I did stalk her on my own. Good thing, it changed a bit after learning that she's my partner but being with her, her scent really kept hitting me a thousand folds but I must keep neutral or human-like in front of her. I am very cautious till she took notice that something was different around me.

Yeah I'm walking on a tightrope

I'm wrapped up in vines

I think we'll make it out

But you just gotta give me time

Strike me down with lightning

Let me feel you in my veins

I wanna let you know how much I feel your pain

Today is a winding road that's taking me to places that I didn't want to go

Whoa

I can't stop smiling since there were times that I found myself liking the way I teased her from time to time and she's responding with such cute expressions that I'm never gonna be tired of. Though I know in this relationship – well, in all types of relationships there's always ups and downs that might test the love in between the couple, and this was our first relationship that I don't want to lose without giving all of my worse and best. She needs to know every flaw and greatness that I possessed since she deserved such honesty because the love I am feeling was indeed growing deeply in me. Yet, a call suddenly cut me from my thoughts.

"Elrisha, speaking." I answered the phone that's sitting at my bedside table that's located to my side.

'Bakunawa.'

"Mom?" I was a bit confused on why all of the sudden she gave me a call which was really very-very rare for her to do.

'I know that you're busy but come home after work tomorrow and bring her.'

"Wha-wait, you knew?" I was taken aback when she mentioned 'her'.

'Just bring her.'

I was about to say something when the line was being cut off. I wanted to complain but I just released a heavy and defeated sigh before lying back down on the bed beside Mirna. I gave another lingering kiss over her forehead and sigh once again. Things around will stir up especially when my mother was gonna tag along in the picture.