9. PRETENDED

In fact, Clara recalled every detail of what happened. About her quarrel with Brandon and the accident. However, her head really can't be compromised now. She had to find an excuse so that the man in front of her would not get too close to her. Clara didn't know and didn't want to believe if the man was Brandon Hover, her human husband.

"I tell you, I don't remember anything," she said again.

Brandon sighed. He remembered that the expression Clara showed when she had just woken up a few minutes ago was very different from the current one. However, because of his love for the woman, he finally relented. Brandon just didn't want Clara to hurt or be in pain anymore. Losing her baby must also have taken a hit for herself now.

"Alright," said the man. "It's okay."

Brandon asked Clara to go back to her bed. He closed the open balcony door at once the curtains. Meanwhile, Clara, who was already sitting on the mattress, kept looking at the blonde-haired man. Her doubts were at war inwardly. The man does look like her husband in the human world, but Brandon does not have the two red eyes that are characteristic of the Black Witchers.

"Why look at me like that?" asked Brandon, making Clara gasp. "Tonight, take a break. You are safe here. If you force yourself to run away like before, there will be many Immortals who are more savage than your husband out there."

"What about Jasper?" Clara's question stopped Brandon's move that was about to leave the room. "Is he going here?"

Brandon turned his head. "Do you think?" he retorted. "If he is smart, he will come here as soon as possible."

After saying those things, Brandon walked out of the room and closed the door immediately. He sighed. His memories unfolded as he and Clara fought before the accident happened. Perhaps, Clara didn't want to see him again until she had to manipulate her reaction when she met her own husband.

The man walked away from Clara's room, tracing the hallway of the mansion by himself. His steps headed outside the building, trailing in the corridor connecting the buildings to each other. His hand touched the cold foundation pole. His red eyes looked up at the sky. The Luna seemed to shine with dimness, bringing out hope and a new life for a Brandon Hover. One hand touched his chest, remembering the pounding from within him when Clara first opened her eyes. He frowned, thinking whether that taste would also be a problem for them in the future.

"You haven't slept yet?" Voice from a woman Brandon knew. She smiled as the blonde-haired man turned to look at her, then walked over.

"My head is full of flavor," Brandon said with a sigh.

However, the woman's hands were cupped by Brandon's cheeks, making the man immediately take a sip of saliva. "It's a new experience for you, right?" she asked. "There must be a lot of things you don't understand."

Brandon nodded. His eyes looked at the female in front of him. Annelise's waist-down hair looked mesmerizing when the moonlight shone on her. Both eyes were red, the other with Brandon's. Her appearance is really distinctive and rare and it actually makes Annelise look beautiful.

Anne's fingers touching Brandon's cheek were cold. The night temperature penetrated into the pores of the man's skin and made his beige skin appear to be all red. Subconsciously, Anne brought their faces closer together and put them together in a sweet peck.

Brandon's eyes widened. That touch was something he never got after he got into a fight with Clara and that bittersweet chase happened. Now, he got it from an Immortal woman and it was very gentle, also sweet.

The man's hand was raised, scooped up Anne's face and carried her in the moon's embrace. The night seemed to feel the length of the morning of the two. Bringing back something that is very difficult to achieve with all the hopes that are hidden in each other.

Anne took off her peck on the man's lips. Her eyes looked at Brandon very closely. "Don't try to deceive your own feelings," she said.

Brandon certainly knew the meaning of the woman's words. He nodded. "I pretended because she also seemed to pretend not to remember me," he retorted.

"Clara?"

The man nodded again. "She was awake earlier," he said. "At first, she seemed to know me to the point of wanting to escape, but then she didn't know me and said if she didn't remember anything."

Anne frowned. "She suddenly had amnesia?" she murmured. "Maybe she still remembers the matter of your quarrel."

"Probably yes." Brandon sighed. His red eyes looked towards the night sky. "What should I do, Anne?"

The white-haired woman was silent. Her eyes stared at the look on Brandon's face that looked worried. It was obvious that anxiety was palpable there and Anne could feel it. "Snatch her back," she said.

Brandon looked at Anne with his almost fused eyebrows. "You mean? I've snatched it from Jasper."

"I mean, take her heart back." One eyebrow Anne raised, beckoning to the man in front of her. "With your appearance being as sexy as this, where is it possible that women seem to refuse? You have to remember how you used to get her until you could marry her, Bran."

The man sighed, then folded his arms in front of his chest. He fell silent. For a moment, he stared at the figure of the woman in front of him at this time. Anne's words have some truth to it and perhaps this time is the time when Brandon will have to go back trying to get Clara's heart back, as it was before they got married.

However, the figure in front of him now seemed to hypnotize him. Anne looked beautiful in the white dress she was wearing now. It fits perfectly with her porcelain-white skin. Brandon was like seeing a goddess standing opposite him. Unconsciously, the blonde-haired man took a sip of saliva and sighed that the woman could almost see.

"Accompany me tonight," he said later.

Anne, who was originally staring at the moon, immediately turned to look at Brandon. A thin recess was engraved on the corner of his lips. He nodded in agreement to the sexy-lipped man's request.

***

Jasper punched a nearby tree until dry leaves fell down on him. Tonight made him very upset, even after he had turned into a human. The last thing he remembered was just a flash of red that made his vision blurred and resulted in himself losing control. The blood on his drying fingernails was left to him.

Meanwhile, Aiden walked up to his brother who was upset to death. He touched Slowly on Jasper's shoulder, but almost the man pounced on him before finally realizing that the one approaching him was his own brother. Jasper's breathing still seemed to be gasped with his overflowing anger.

"They really ran away and left no trace at all," Aiden said.

Jasper groaned. His shout echoed in the depths of the forest, bursting into the night sky. The birds were made flying by him. Jasper's blue eyes seemed to flash as he turned to look at Aiden.

"What about the portal?" he asked.

Aiden shook his head. "They're pretty smart—"

"They're stupid!" the man interrupted quickly. "I will definitely get my wife back."

Aiden fell silent looking at his brother. He sighed, then looked at the others and asked them to return to the mansion immediately. "We're back now," he asked the black-haired man nearby.

Jasper didn't chime in. He was still busy with his own annoyance at not being able to snatch his wife back.

"Jasper." Aiden called out in a flat tone, making the man finally obey.

"I will kill him tomorrow."

Aiden just nodded chimed in. He knew, Jasper was just bluffing. The man had one weakness that no one knew, except his brother. When his weakness is gone, Jasper will lose control of himself like Lycan and that makes Aiden have to think many times over so that his brother does not attack indiscriminately.

***