Chapter 10 - Loose Love

Julia had spent some minutes waiting for Michael to show up. She had left a signal for him. They should meet here at the stable.

Michael could be so careless. He must have seen the signal by now and was still wasting her time. She wished to show him her wrath once he arrived.

"Michael" she whispered as she heard some light footsteps in the stables. She walked towards the entrance.

Michael hugged him tight from behind. He was already in the stable.

"Michael?" he asked slowly.

"Yes,it's me. I have missed you a lot" he said with a sleepy voice.

That was strange. They were not this close. She shrugged to break from the hug. She turned around to face him.

"I've spent almost half an hour here. Do you want James to suspect me?" she asked furiously.

"I am a prince in this palace. I can't come here gathering attention. It is very hard for me" he complained calmly.

"And do you think it's easy for me, to serve two masters? And bring you secret messages. You don't seem very serious about your ambition" Julia paused suddenly. She felt she had talked more than she should. She was scolding her master.

"I'm sorry" she apologized immediately.

Michael said nothing but only pulled her close and hugged her tight again. He heaved a sigh of relief as he rested his chin on her shoulder.

"What is the news?" he asked calmly.

"James is going to Northlake tomorrow. He had to visit a man in person" she divulged slowly.

"Tomorrow?" he asked anxiously. "Why are you telling me just now?" he held her away from his body to stare into her eyes.

"I came immediately I got the information. This man has knowledge that could make him the Alpha king easily" Julia went on.

"This is too late for me to make preparation for a journey" Michael grumbled. He walked few steps away from her. He was greatly disturbed.

"I am going" Julia was about going out. She had nothing to do with what Michael was going to do. She had delivered her duty.

"No, there is something else. More important than this" Michael pulled her back.

"More important than this?" Julia was confused, she wondered what could be more important to Michael.

"The king wants to marry you to James. I am going to lose you to him" Michael was almost in tears. It seemed that was making him feel very bad.

"I am helpless, like you already know. There is nothing I can do to that" Julia chuckled.

Julia thought, if anything like that eventually happened. It would be Michael's fault. He handed her over to James willingly.

"You are mocking me?" he asked sternly.

"No. It's just funny. You gave him a gift and now you feel bad about it" Julia chuckled again.

"I didn't give you to him. It was a ploy to fall him and I don't care if he marries you. What I'm worried about is losing you" Michael walked back to her.

"Secrets bring people closer and they become more familiar" Michael asserted.

"Really?" Julia was still teasing him.

"What do you think gives you the audacity to talk to me this way?" Michael asked.

"You don't like it?" she asked anxiously.

"No, I don't care how you talk to me. Once you become his wife, you become one. And you become closer to him, a part of him. Then you will see me as an outsider" Michael's sadness had spread all over his face.

"So what do you want me to do?" she was feeling pity for him.

"Not as a master but a man. I am asking you, who is your choice between me and him?" he implored.

"I have only one master" she whispered.

"You are going to have a husband" he had started sobbing.

"I love you, Michael" she said quietly.

Michael grabbed her instantly. She lifted her off the ground and pinned her to the wall. He was vigorous and energetic as he moved her around.

"Say that again" he moaned happily.

Julia only giggled. She stared into his eyes without saying anything.

"Say it again, please" he begged.

"What?" she teased him.

"No, no, no" Michael shook his head angrily.

Julia grabbed his head and kissed him. He released her from the wall and she was back on the ground.

They started kissing intensely.

"You are one step away from having a bastard child" Julia breathed heavily.

"A bastard child from you is delightful than hundreds of legitimate children from another woman" he carried her quickly and laid her on her back.

*****************

Michael walked quietly across the woods. He was looking in all directions. He had come to see Ganlin.

Ganlin was the leader of the invisible vampires living in the woods. He had done some good for him in the past and now that he was in need of help. He would help him willingly.

Michael felt a movement behind him. He turned around quickly throwing his hand into the direction of his thought.

He caught Gawel, a small boy, by the neck. Gawel was one of Ganlin's son. He was a rebellious child.

Michael held him tight. He was the most appropriate for what he needed. Someone that could be in and out of Northlake without being noticed and he could also foil James plan by his numerous ways of catching fun.

"Gawel, I need you to go to Northlake for me" Michael said strictly. He released him as he realized he had started choking.

Gawel bent down and was coughing. He caressed his neck. He seemed to be in pain from Michael's grip.

"Gawel,I need you to go to Northlake for me" he mimicked Michael in a way that annoyed him. "And you want me to jump directly on the way. Because you are the vampire living in the palace?" he asked with sarcasm and took off.

Michael tried to grab him but he was too fast. Michael fell on his face on the ground. Gawel stopped ahead to mock him.

Michael rushed to his feet but Gawel had took off again. He watched him as he ran off. The next thing he heard was a scream that echoed through the woods.

"Michael" an older voice called from behind him.

"Ganlin" Michael smiled broadly as he turned around to find Ganlin holding Gawel by the arm tightly.

Ganlin was the first invisible vampire. His ability was believed to be derived from excess vampire speed.

A lot others like him were discovered later and they were sent to live with him in the woods for training as the ability could kill them if not properly managed.

"Don't you know who he is?" Ganlin asked Gawel.

"The vampire from the palace!" Gawel replied curtly. He tried getting out of his father's grip. But he couldn't and his father was not bothered by his struggle at all.

"He is a friend, more than a friend, one of our relatives" Ganlin asserted.

Gawel cried in pain. His father's grip was obviously very tight and painful. That was why he had made noise like that when he ran away from Michael. He was caught by his father.

"You want to send him to Northlake?" Ganlin asked to confirm. He had surely heard him when he was talking to him.

"Yes, Ganlin. I need him to do some things for me out there" Michael said happily. He was sure Ganlin would make him do it.

"Hope this isn't a death mission?" Ganlin inquired again. It seemed he didn't trust Michael.

"Death mission?" Michael stared at him in amazement. "How could I send your son to die?" he expressed his astonishment.

"I am not ready to lose another son and I will only let him go because of the connection between us. But you still need to tell me what he is going out there to do" Ganlin insisted.

"James is going to Northlake in the next light to meet a man that will tell him what he needs to do to become the Alpha King. I want him to be there and bring me the information before James will come back" Michael sighed. He didn't like revealing secrets like this but he had to tell Ganlin as he had become demanding.

"If it is just to get information. I hand him over to you" he opted to give Gawel's hand to Michael.

"No. Please just tell him yourself" Michael insisted waving his hands. He knew Gawel would need a lot of manhandling to be cooperative.

"You heard him right?" Ganlin asked his son.

"Of course,I'm not deaf, Father" Gawel said calmly.

"You are a good boy" Ganlin let go of him.

Gawel moved back a few steps away. He shrugged his shoulders adjusting his clothes.

"I am not going anywhere. Because I don't care who becomes the King. The only one I care about is me" Gawel struck his own chest and ran off.

"He's gone" Michael said anxiously.

"As long as he is still in this house, he must go wherever you want him to go" Ganlin smiled.

Michael looked around. This is not a house but woods. He turned back to Ganlin to get more assurance but he had also disappeared.

"I guess he has gone after him" he consoled himself.