Shatter (The Daevas #1)

25 • Secured

A/N: Last chapter for book one, guys!

^^^^^

My chin was held high and I didn't care about the cold. I kept on walking, my arms encircling my body and my hands gripping Georgie's jacket tightly.

I was numb. Not just my body, but everything inside me.

Matteo D'Onofrio wasn't just a mere gentleman who offered comfort for me in his castle -- he was my father. My mother was not just the most beautiful woman in the village of Woodville...she was a royal princess from a centuries old paranormal community. I also had a sister whom I had no clue whether she was still alive or not; Alexander was my husband and Roman was...something to me.

Could there be more to these shocking secrets that had been revealed?

I hoped to God not.

I couldn't take any of this more than I could.

Did I have amnesia? Maybe. Or maybe someone erased my memory. I was not sure about anything anymore.

I was walking for a while now, and I finally reached the light blue house that comforted me so. I went up the steps, leading me to the front porch, and I buzzed the doorbell. I closed my eyes, feeling totally sick. Then the door opened, and Owen appeared, his hazel eyes wide, mouth slightly hanging open. He was wearing a navy blue sweater and blue jeans; his blond hair messy from showering a while ago.

"Hi, Owen," I said in a flat voice.

I stared at his handsome, shocked face, then he finally recovered and ushered me inside. Things changed the last time I came here. The room still held that masculine feel to it, but all his furniture were new. Or it seemed new. Owen and his grandfather, Moses Thornton, could fix up anything. Of course, old Mr. Thornton couldn't handle to fix things up anymore, so maybe his grandson did it with some help from a neighbour or someone he knew. The floorboards didn't creak anymore, and it was newly polished. I didn't speak about it, though, even if I wanted to smile up at him and tell him that the place looked great.

"Venise," he said, blinking in surprise, as he closed the door behin him, never leaving my face as he did so. "What're you doing here? You look like you're about to fall!"

I walked a few paces, not looking behind me. "Can I stay here for a while?"

He was quiet for a moment, but then he said, "Sure..."

I turned around. My expression was blank. "It's okay if you don't want me to stay here."

He placed his hands in his pockets, shaking his head softly. "Don't be silly. Of course, I don't mind." He scrunched his eyebrows and crossed his arms over his chest. "But how did you travel to get here? Georgie gave you a lift?"

"No."

"Then...how?"

I shrugged, nonchalantly. "I walked."

"You walked?" He looked at me in bewilderment. "Why on earth would you do a stupid thing like that?" he demanded, taking three quick steps to reach me, grabbing me by the arm. But as he grabbed it, he immediately took his hand off my arm and stared at me. "You're...freezing."

"No," I said slowly, "I'm not."

He ignored me and the feeling of coldness when he touched me, then sat me in front of the fire. "Stay there."

I gave him a look that said: Where else would I be at? He gave me one last look, then went up the stairs to grab whatever he was about to get. I stared at the fire, my eyes dull and unblinking. I tightened the jacket around my body. What happened a while ago between Roman, Alexander, and I was unbelievable. It was hard to believe any of this. Their words still buzzed inside my agonized mind.