CHAPTER FORTY THREE

Damian sped for the door and saw Odette standing there. She looked him straight in the eyes and he couldn’t understand why she was here

“What do you want?” He asked her
“One thing, Annabelle. She doesn’t belong here. Send her back to the central so that Cordina can have the peace it deserves again. I speak on behalf of the people” she said
“I don’t remember making you the mouth piece of the people. Anna stays here. She is a royalty. Her family bloodline started from Cordina. I can’t send her away just because Phillip had proven to be a threat” Damian said
“You don’t get it, it is not about Phillip anymore and you don’t have a choice Damian. Send Annabelle back to where she belongs or Phillip wouldn’t be the only enemy you would be worrying about” Odette said
“Hold on for a second, are you threatening me? If you prove to be a threat Odette, I would make sure you disappear from the surface of the earth. I am not the same person you knew. I have priorities now and Annabelle’s safety is one of them. We were friends, don’t ruin that” Damian said
“You’ve got three weeks to get her back to the central” Odette said
“Or else what?” Damian asked
“You would not be prepared for what’s coming. Phillip might have been the battle but I would wage war against you. I would make sure that nobody from your bloodline survives and those who stand against me would fall to the ground” she said
“I should get you arrested for these threats but I would not. No, it’s not because I like you but it is for the sake of whatever we had in the past. Make one wrong move Odette, and you would disappear from the surface of the earth. Your body would never be found and I would make sure that you never see the light of day again” he said to her
“Are you threatening me?” she asked
“I wish I was but I’m not. It’s not a threat, Odette. It is a warning, one you shouldn’t take likely. Leave this house and never return to it. You are no longer welcome here” he said to her

He knew that beneath all that front she was putting up, she was breaking inside. He didn’t understand why Odette would want to be his enemy. They were best of friends and he loved her like he loved a sister. She wanted more and Damian couldn’t provide what she wanted. If Anna had not been in his life, maybe he would have given her exactly what she wanted but he had Anna and he couldn’t hurt her even though she was always doing an excellent job at getting on his nerves every time.

He went back to his room and saw Sally there. She was ready to pounce on him when he sped out of her way

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was you” she said
“It’s fine. I wouldn’t have expected less. How is she?”
“I don’t know, fine maybe. Who was that?” Sally asked
“Odette” Damian said, expecting her to know who it was
“And who the hell is Odette?” Sally asked
“Someone I had something with a while back. We were neighbors. We grew up together and along the way, we slept with each other. I thought it was just a one time pleasure thing. It wasn’t for her. I didn’t know she had feelings for me or for anybody because Odette has always been the one to warn me against liking somebody. She would tell me that love was weak and we didn’t need the stress that came with it. I went to the central and I found Anna and brought her back here but Odette wasn’t pleased with that decision” Damian said
“So in other words, you slept with your best friend” Sally said
“When you put it that way, it sounds bad, really bad” Damian said
“Damian, there is no other way to put it. You slept with your best friend and you thought it was going to just happen with no consequences. She had feelings for you even back then because no girl would let you sleep with her if she doesn’t feel anything for you” Sally said
“The same way you’re sleeping with my best friend “ he said
That took her aback. How did he know? Did Justin tell him already? She looked at him with these questions running through her mind. Damian looked at her
“I know because Justin and I are linked and no, he didn’t tell me” he said as though he had read her mind. “No, I can’t read your mind” he added
“Stop it! That is really freaking me out!” she said to him
“I’m sorry but you have the questions boldly written all over your face so it wasn’t that hard to answer it” Damian said
“I guess so” she said, looking at her feet
“So what exactly is going on with you and Justin?” Damian asked her
“I don’t know. I really do like him and he likes me. He said something about me being his Nate but I’m a vampire. I don’t get those feelings” she said
“Since you like him, why are you stalling? Why are you holding back?” Damian asked her
“I have to. C’mon Damian. Look around. We already have so much that we are dealing with. I think it’s best we all just keep a clear head and get through all of this before I think about getting myself emotionally involved with anybody!”
“Is that your excuse? Is that the reason? You can’t put your life on hold because of the threats we face. If you do that, you would never have the chance to truly live your life. There is always going to be a threat to face. There is always going to be a nuisance trying so hard to ruin your leave and sanity. You have to live through all of it and the best thing is to live through it with someone you love, someone you can be happy with” Damian said
“I don’t know, Damian. I just don’t think it’s possible” she said
“You wouldn’t know except you try. I think you should really give Justin the chance to prove himself to you. I think you should give happiness a chance in your life. Anna would be fine and in die time, Phillip would get what is coming. He already took so much from us, don’t let him take more” he said

He smiled at her and gave her a pat on her shoulder before heading out of the room and giving her some time to think. He did have a point and he was right. How long was she going to put her life on hold because of their problems? She pulled out her phone and texted Justin

“Hey, what’s going on? Are you still around? Can you come home? I need to talk to you”

She hit the send button and heard a light moan. She looked up from her phone and saw Annabelle, her eyes were opened but sleepy. She looked up at Sally lazily

“Sal?”
“Hey, it’s me. You’re home now. You’re safe” she said
“Sal, he killed my baby. He removed it from me and buried it alive. He took my baby! You have to get me out of here before he comes back. We have to go!” she said
“Hey, you are home. Nobody is going to hurt you again and you don’t worry about that, I mean your baby. Just get well first. I’ll get Damian and Alex. I would let them know that you’re awake”
“Damian? Who is Damian?” she asked

That took Sally aback. What did she mean by who is Damian?

“What do you mean? Damian is your boyfriend and your mate. He is the father of your baby. He is the one who brought you to Cordina in the first place” Sally said to her
“What are you saying, Sal? Alex brought me to Cordina and the father of my baby is dead. He is Caleb and Phillip killed him, you know this. I don’t know who Damian is!” she said, raising her voice a little
She winced in pain after that
“Okay, fine. You’re right, my bad. Just get some rest and then we would talk later. I would let Alex know that you’re awake” she said as she gave a a gentle pat on her shoulder before heading out of her room

She walked back to the sitting room and ran into Justin. He looked at her with tenderness. Damn, she did call him but something came up and she had to put him on hold again. She was really starting to hate herself and her life but she had to do what she had to do. Justin could wait, this could not wait. Her mind was racing, trying to understand how and why Annabelle didn’t know who Damian was anymore. She stood there for a minute, staring at Justin in the face, hoping some answers would appear on his forehead