Chapter 40: Rendezvous

Rakiza was startled when she heard Theo's voice echo in her ears. Rakiza yelled at Theo, "Captivity? Is that what I am to you? Your captivity? "
Ajella was taken aback and couldn't believe what she had just heard from Theo. Her face turned pale, and her eyes rolled with repressed rage.
"Yes! You are my captivity until your wound is healed! I know how stubborn you are, and it is my responsibility to take care of you as long as you can't walk." Theo continued.
"It's not your problem whether I can walk or not, and it's not Ajella's idea to help me get into her car; I just want to go home! And I begged her to help me go home!" Rakiza was furious at Theo.
Then she turned to Ajella and begged. "Please, Ajella, take me home."
"Don't you dare take her home, Ajella. She is now my responsibility, and you know what I mean." Theo moved quickly to pick Rakiza out of the car, and Rakiza protested but had no strength to oppose Theo, while Ajella left the area with her skidding car, and she was very angry with both Rakiza and Theo.
Rakiza and Theo were arguing as Theo carried her into his room.
"This is kidnapping, Theo," Rakiza screamed angrily, "and you can't keep me here against my will! You're going to prison for what you've done to me! "
Rakiza had no chance of escaping Theo's grip, no matter how hard she tried. Theo was adamant about keeping her in his home. And she felt as if all of her strength had been depleted. Theo carefully placed her on his bed, ignoring and evading her claws on his face, but some of her fingernails struck his forehead, which didn't bother him.
Rakiza's body was paralyzed, and she sobbed angrily.
"I'm doing this for your own good, Rakiza; we need to talk about something important, and I won't let you fall into the wrong hands!"
"You're insane, Theo, and your actions are unforgivable!"
"If protecting you is a heinous crime, so be it; I'm willing to pay the price as long as you're safe from them!" Theo's demeanor softened. Rakiza couldn't remember what Theo had done for her, so he devised his own plan. His room faced the field leading up to the mountain, allowing the cold wind to cool the room.
"This is insane, Theo," Rakiza screamed once more.
"Don't waste your voice; it will only harm your voice box," he said as he tossed a blanket to Rakiza. "That will keep you warm." He sat on the wooden chair and stared at her, saying, "Now, say whatever you want, except go home."
"As of now, I won't let you go home, "he said, before falling silent again and staring at Rakiza.
Rakiza was taken aback and exclaimed, "You're unbelievably annoying."
"I know, but this is how it's going to be; I'm your guardian, and I have to protect you."
"Protect me from whom?" screamed Rakiza. "Don't just hand me a vague issue; tell me what you're afraid of."
"You're not paying attention to what I'm saying," Theo said solemnly. "Vampires want something from you, and it should not fall to them. And you have to tell me what you saw in Muriel's wake. Did you notice anything unusual? "
Rakiza then remembered Muriel's eyes opening and staring at her, and realized that Theo was correct: something was wrong in Muriel's eyes. But she was hesitant to discuss it with Theo.
"What have you seen, Rakiza?"
"Muriel's eyes," she mumbled.
Theo rose to his feet, walked, and sat at the edge of his bed, his gaze fixed on Rakiza. "What did you see in Muriel's eyes?"
"She opened her eyes and stared at me, but when Susan looked at her in her coffin, Muriel was already closing her eyes, so it was her eyes that opened," Theo confirmed.
"It's impossible; she's no longer alive!"
"How many times do I have to tell you that Muriel is not dead? Just wait until you see it."
She then recalled what happened at the wake and stated, "I was the only one who saw it, not Susan."
"Because it only applies to you, Rakiza." They wanted you to see it, to connect with Muriel again, and that should stop. Never connect to the undead, Rakiza. "
Rakiza retorted, "I'm not sure what you're talking about, but I don't believe in vampires; they're just comic stories." Suddenly, her headache became more severe, and she was forced to lie down on Theo's bed. The pillow collected his masculine scent, which bothered her a little.
"It's impossible; she's no longer alive!"
"How many times do I have to tell you that Muriel is not dead? Just wait until you see it."
She then recalled what happened at the wake and stated, "I was the only one who saw it, not Susan."
"Because it only applies to you, Rakiza, they wanted you to see it, to connect with Muriel again, and that should stop. Never connect to the undead, Rakiza. "
Rakiza retorted, "I'm not sure what you're talking about, but I don't believe in vampires; they're just comic stories." Suddenly, her headache became more severe, and she was forced to lie down on Theo's bed. The pillow collected his masculine scent, which bothered her a little.
"What are you thinking?" asked Theo.
"It is none of your business."
"I'll prepare something to eat and get some sleep," Theo said as he walked to the door and stepped out of the room quietly.
Rakiza had no choice but to submit to Theo's authority. She knew he couldn't be persuaded to change his mind about what he had planned for her. As a result, she closed her eyes and took a dreamless nap. When she awoke, the food had already been placed on the table.

Toasted bread and hot coffee piqued her interest, and she became hungry all of a sudden. She moved to get some bread, but an excruciating pain struck her and stopped her. She had a cold and a fever, and her entire body ached.
The door opened, and Theo entered with a small basket of various fruits. There were grapes, apples, and oranges among the fruits. "You can nibble on these later," Theo said as he set the basket down near the table. "How do you feel?"
Rakiza admitted, "I think I have a fever."
Theo became concerned when he touched her forehead with the back of his palm. "You should take some medicine," he said as he exited the room, and returned with the medicine. "Fill your stomach first." And then he left her again.
Rakiza awoke with a chill, a severe headache, and body pain the following hours. Theo entered the room once more, this time carrying a small basin of warm water and a face towel.
"You should freshen up," Theo said as he began wiping Rakiza's face with a face towel.
Rakiza said, "Let me do it," turning down Theo's offer to look after her. But she was too exhausted to re-bat Theo.
"Rakiza, don't be so hard on yourself, "he said as he continued wiping Rakiza's face. Rakiza had taken the medicine, felt drowsy, and promptly fell asleep again. The next time she was awake, she noticed she had changed into pajamas. When Theo returned, she was enraged.
"Where are my previous clothes? Did you change me into these pajamas?" Raiza yelled at Theo.
"You were drenched in sweat, and I had no choice but to do it myself."
"Did you touch me?"
"Yeah, how can I put you in those pajamas if I haven't touched you?"
"How dare you do this to me?"
"Think of me as your doctor; don't worry, I was closing my eyes when I did it." Theo hurriedly left her and went outside.
"Rakiza, don't be as hard on yourself, "he said as he continued wiping Rakiza's face. Rakiza had taken the medicine, felt drowsy, and promptly fell asleep again. The next time she was awake, she noticed she had changed into pajamas. When Theo returned, she was enraged.
"Where are my previous clothes? Did you change me into these pajamas?" Raiza yelled at Theo.
"You were drenched in sweat, and I had no choice but to do it myself."
"Did you touch me?"
"Yeah, how can I put you in those pajamas if I haven't touched you?"
"How dare you do this to me?"
"Think of me as your doctor; don't worry, I was closing my eyes when I did it." Theo hurriedly left her and went outside.
Rakiza was angry and amused at the same time. She was trying to hear some movement from outside the room, but heard nothing. Then she became enraged with Theo once more and considered suing him. She wanted to call the cops and have Theo arrested. That's what she was thinking before falling back asleep. She was having a dream about Nikolas Augustus this time. In her dream, Nikolas was standing outside the house in her dream, and she could see him through the open window of Theo's room.
Nikolas motioned for her to follow him, saying, "Come back to me, Rakiza," before leaping out the window.
Rakiza screamed in agony at the prospect of losing Nikolas and then awoke. Her heart was racing, but she felt better. She sat down slowly and then walked to the door, which she opened. The living room is empty. The fire was turned on. With appliances, the living room was a little bare. The window was wide open, and there was a set of wooden furniture in the center. She had no idea what day it was.
As she continued to walk outside the house, she detected the aroma of grilled meat. And the smell was coming from outside. She hurriedly opened the door and saw Theo grilling and cooking on the lawn. The weather was ideal for an outdoor picnic.
"Where do you want me to set our lunch?" Theo asked, a smile on his face.
"I've fully recovered; may I now return home?"
"No," Theo stated unequivocally. "Tonight is the fifth night of Muriel's wake. It is time for you to see the evidence of what I said. Please have a seat." Theo motioned Rakiza to a vacant seat with the forest in the background. The wooden table was appropriate for the rural setting.
She was feeling better, but she still didn't have the strength to argue with Theo. He was adamant that vampires existed and that Muriel was undead. They eat lunch together in silence. Rakiza also wondered about Ajella. "What happened to her? Did she ever return?"
"I should make it clear to you: Ajella is not living here with me, so there's no reason for you to be jealous of her," he stated flatly.
"There you are again. How many times have I told you that I don't feel jealousy? My concern is myself here with you. I'm supposed to be at the dorm, but you've held me hostage here. What you've done is a crime. "
"It's not a crime to be concerned about one another, especially the injured person," Theo said, putting the vegetables and corn soup on the table. "Have a sip to help you recover completely. And to make your stay here as comfortable as possible, you should know that this is the first time I've allowed a girl to sleep in my room or in my bed. Are you completely satisfied? "
"I don't believe you," Rakiza retorted.
"And now you sound like a jealous wife," Theo said with a smile.
"And you sounded like a conceited jerk," she said quietly.
"You should be grateful for all of my concern for you. I never did anything like this to any other woman. Most importantly, I never had a mate."
Rakiza smirked, "And you now sound like a dog that is looking for a mate."
"It's better to become a living dog than an undead vampire," Theo said as he sipped his wine.
"You're so irritating, Theo." Rakiza exclaimed.
"Because you're always re-batting with me."
"Because you always thought I was self-conscious and demanding."
"I'm just spitting out what's in my head, so you can gradually adjust to what's going to happen in your life someday." Theo said flatly.
"What do you mean?" Rakiza asked, frowning.
"Wait until you see it," Theo continued, "finish your food, we're going somewhere you've never seen in your life at night."
After dinner, Theo led Rakiza into the forest, where they came to a halt in the midst of a vast shrub space.
"What exactly are we doing here?" Rakiza's gaze wandered around the only illuminated area by moonlight.
"Be patient and remain motionless. They will flee if you make a slight movement."
After a few minutes, the once-dark area of shrubs and small trees began to shine, and thousands of fireflies illuminated the wide bushes and shrubs. It was the domain of the firefly. Rakiza noticed the stunning silvery-shining trees and shrubs of fireflies. And when Theo and Rakiza became their Prince and Princess, Rakiza's heart was filled with joy she had never known before.