Chapter 52 : The Library

Rakiza went to the "A Tower" in the morning to see Nikolas Augustus; it was already eight o'clock. Nikolas' two rings were in her purse, which she intended to return to him. While sitting on the lobby couch, she was staring at the portrait of Queen Maruja above the grandiose stairs. The portrait's eyes appeared to be welcoming her. All eyes were on her.
"I'm sorry, Miss Zanier, but Mr. Nikolas Augustus will be ready in three hours," Lupe said from the lobby's right side. "He had an important meeting with the client." But you can wait until that time, you just have to be patient. "
"I'll wait," Rakiza said.
"If you like books, there was a library on the second floor of this building," Lupe inquired.
"I'd love to. Could you please take me there? " Rakiza stated. Rakiza's favorite pastime was reading books; time seemed to fly by without her noticing.
Lupe led Rakiza up the grandiose stairs to the second floor, where they entered a gothic-inspired room. Rakiza's eyes widened as she looked at the hundreds of books on the long, wide shelves. She hadn't expected to see so many books in one room. And there were several outstanding back-to-back book shelves. "Wow!"
"You appear to be in the right place, Miss Zanier."
"I am, in fact." I love to read books, "Rakiza exclaimed as she strolled around the shelves, touching the book covers and perusing the genre-poster racks. There was romance, classic romance, fiction, nonfiction, history, and other genres. Her heart pounded harder as she came to a halt in the werewolf book section.
Lupe vanished as she began to choose books to read.
Rakiza was drawn to one book in particular. It had something to do with the wolf warriors. Rakiza took it from the shelf and walked over to the table to begin scanning and reading. The plot revolved around an orphan boy who had no idea he was a werewolf until a full moon at the age of 12 changed everything for him. He couldn't face the truth about who he was. Rakiza was a quick reader, and after finishing the story of the life of the boy, she scanned another book about werewolf rankings. And it was there that she discovered the meaning of zeta and read it quietly. The Zeta wolf was the pack's war general; he would lead his armies and plan how to win a war. They were experts in strategy and war coordination.
So, Theo is the general in charge of war planning. She reflected. Rakiza was surprised that she was aware of Theo's responsibilities to their group. And she suddenly felt proud that she was being watched by a principled wolf.
She didn't expect herself to accept Theo's true personality so easily and quickly. And it made her wonder why. Then she remembered the bloodstone. And she was curious to learn more about the bloodstone.
After a few hours, she kept looking for an answer about the bloodstone, but she couldn't find one. When she was about to give up, she caught sight of a book with the text cover title "Mystical Stones," so she quickly pulled it from the shelf, went to the table, and frantically flipped through the book's pages, looking for the word "bloodstone." She froze on one page with the title she was looking for. The bloodstone’s-colored pictures were on one page; it's a lovely green stone with red or brown spots. Bloodstone represented a warrior's brave spirit. It was thought to be a mystical stone that warriors and soldiers carried during battle.
Carrying a bloodstone ensures that you will not bleed excessively during combat. And the bloodstone looked like a drop of blood.
Blood? Rakiza sighed, noting the bloodstone's description. In her mind, the book Zella's Blood appeared. Was there any connection between this description and Zella's book? Zella's mother, Dali's blood, was placed in a crystal container and became a cure for Zella, who became a vampire and was cured, allowing her to stand in the bright daylight sun once more. Her heart pounded harder and harder as Theo's voice echoed again. Rakiza, they were looking for something from you.
Rakiza's hair stood on end as if the wind had blown it, as if she knew she was connected to the bloodstone and the book's characters Zella and Dali. Her hands trembled as she hurriedly closed the book. She looked around the room, sensing something was wrong. Someone was staring at her. Her gaze was drawn to the wall above the shelves. Her senses were heightened, and her stomach churned for no apparent reason.
The door on her right side opened, and Lupe emerged, saying, "Will you please follow me, Miss Zanier?" and leading her into the elevator.
They were lifted to the 88th floor and into Nikolas' living room. And she waited for him to come out. Rakiza noticed the large glass wall facing the big mountain and realized it was where she had come from with Theo. Then she wished to return to the werewolf camp and the scenes she had witnessed, such as the mending of the wounds and Theo's fight with the traitor werewolf. And every detail of the camp was etched in her mind, and her heart was breaking. And the last scene she had in mind was vampire warriors in red-cape killing werewolves, and she felt pain in her heart and became teary-eyed.
The curtain on the glass wall began to roll in, concealing the lovely view her eyes were taking in, and soon the wall was completely covered by the maroon curtain.
"How are you, Rakiza?" Nikolas inquired as he emerged from the spiral staircase above.
Rakiza turned around to see Nikolas approaching her, and she took a step back, terrified.
"What is it that you're afraid of?" Nikolas' gaze was fixed on her.
Theo's voice returned to her: don't look into his eyes, so she lowered her gaze and locked her gaze on the bar.
Nikolas went to the bar, poured red wine into two glasses, and handed one to Rakiza. Rakiza, on the other hand, refused to drink.
"No, thank you; I'm not interested in drinking." She cleared her throat and said, "This will not take long...I was just here to return these rings to you," Rakiza said as she placed the rings on the bar table and moved them closer to Nikolas' hands, which were holding the glass of wine.
"What is this all about?" Nikolas frowned as he looked at her.
"I'm sorry, but I'm unable to do this."
"What are you unable to do?" Nikolas inquired solemnly. He never took his gaze away from Rakiza, waiting for her response.
Rakiza avoided Nikolas' eyes with "I'm sorry that I can’t marry you."
"And why can’t you marry me?" His voice became cold and hard. "You can’t just call it off without any reason." And I should know it. I have the right to know. And please, look at me in the eyes. "
Rakiza could feel the electrifying effects on her nerves as she tried to hold her gaze from staring at him.
"Look at me, Rakiza." Nikolas’ tone was different and new to her.
"No, please, let me leave, Nikolas." She tried to step back and go to the door, but a strong woman blocked her way.
Tessa Augustus was staring at her with sharp eyes, and her powerful voice made her tremble. "You can't leave my son like that, woman," she said as she moved closer to Rakiza, who stepped back and was pinned against the wall.
Rakiza stated emphatically, "I'm sorry, Madam, but I'm afraid I can't marry him."
"Leave her alone, mother," Nikolas interrupted sharply.
"No! I need to teach her a lesson. "She can't just call off a wedding by simply returning the engagement ring, Niko." Her rage was growing. "She'll have to pay the price, Nikolas."
"Let me handle my own problem, mother," he insisted.
"You can handle our financial assets, but you can't handle a simple woman," she snarled.
Nikolas quickly stopped her mother from touching Rakiza. "Rakiza, get out!"
Rakiza ran as fast as she could to get out of there. She stumbled on the ground as she dashed to the lobby and into the elevator. Lupe appeared out of nowhere and took her arms in his, saying, "Let me help you, Miss," and leading Rakiza to her feet, asking, "What happened in there?"
"I just want to go home," she said as she tried to walk, but her ankle hurt when she touched the ground. And she walked with a stumbling gait.
"Let me help you until the ground floor," Lupe said sincerely.
Rakiza sensed Lupe's good intentions, so she let him assist her in descending and exiting the building. Lupe called a cab for Rakiza, and she was relieved to be out of "A Tower."
When she returned to the dorm, she went directly into her room and dove into bed. She was still shaking, and the woman's face, whom Nikolas addressed as his mother, terrified her. Her eyes were blazing with fire, making her weak. That was the first time she had seen such red eyes in a beautiful woman. If she is Nikolas' mother, why was she so young to be his mother? Was it because she was also a vampire? Nikolas's mother's face appeared every time she closed her eyes. Then she remembered Theo and heard a knock on the window. And when she opened it, Theo was there, his face flushed with worry.
"Let me in," Theo said, not waiting for Rakiza's permission. He shut the window and locked the door, ensuring an uninterrupted conversation with Rakiza. They were still safe from vampires because it was still daylight. "Can you tell me what happened in that tower?"
Rakiza couldn't stop crying. "What were you doing?" You said you'd be there for me whenever I needed it. However, you were not. "
"Rakiza, every bravery and power have its limits, just like vampires who can't leave during the day. Werewolves are also wary of entering their enemies' domains during the day. We still require nighttime to be fully effective against our adversaries. But I was just looking at you as you got into the cab. Nikolas, on the other hand, had hidden sensor weapons that could detect us. "
"And you're scared of him?"
"I'm afraid for you; the truth is, I was about to get in when I saw you exiting the elevator with Nikolas's loyal right-hand man." There was only one thing that put me at ease, even if you were inside the vampire's lair. "
"And what are those calming thoughts you have in your head?" Rakiza inquired, still enraged.
"Because it was still daylight, and vampires are still weak even when they're inside a casket or tomb." Daytime is still one of their major weaknesses, which is why they are desperate for you. Because of your connection with the bloodstone, "Theo explained.
Rakiza's mood was redirected by the word "bloodstone," and she began to tell Theo. "Before they let me in, I went into Nikolas's living room. Lupe escorted me to a library brimming with hundreds of books. And I discovered a book with explanations about the bloodstone. "
"Had you discovered anything?"
Rakiza explained, "The bloodstone was a lucky stone for warriors like you." His tone returned to normal. "And now I understand why you're shielding me."
Theo frowned as he waited for Rakiza to reveal more about the bloodstone.
"You, too, are after the bloodstone for your own reasons." You're the general, and you wanted lucky charms with you at all times, right? "
"You're wrong," Theo interrupted her. "I shielded you from vampires in order to keep them out of the sun." Because if that happens, Rakiza, they can kill us all and conquer the world. "
Rakiza was taken aback by Theo's revelations. He was guarding her because she was linked to the bloodstone.
"The bloodstone must be kept hidden forever." That's my strategy. To bury it forever, away from vampires. " Theo's voice was firm. Rakiza sensed his rage. "And now tell me, what happened up the tower?"
"I had returned Nikolas' rings, but her mother was upset with me and I knew she'd do something bad for me."
Theo stated emphatically, "Don't be afraid, she can't kill you, Rakiza." "They'll treat you like a "And Nikolas' mother was different from him," Rakiza continued to shake.
"The queen is the most cunning and devious of all." Rakiza: Don't trust vampires. "
Then someone knocked on the door, asking, "Rakiza, may I come in?"
"It was Chin," he said.
Before Rakiza opened the door, Theo quickly hid inside the large closet.
Chin smiled at Rakiza and handed her a small envelope. "The mailman arrived and delivered this to you." It had your mother's name written on it. "
fragile thing until the bloodstone is in their grasp."
Chin held a long white vertical envelope. Rakiza quickly took it and said, "I need to read this alone first."
Chin received the message and left Rakiza as she closed and locked the door. Rakiza shivered in terror. Her mother had sent her a letter, which was unusual. When she tore the envelope open, she discovered a brief note from her mother. "Come back home."