There was a low rumble in the ground upon which Fleur ran. She stopped for a moment but thought that she had only imagined it and so she started walking further. She reached the gates of the mansion when she heard the rustle of leaves behind her. When she turned she found Liam standing over there.

"Where are you going?" he asked as he put his hands on his waist.

​​

Fleur pursed her lips and looked away from him. She didn't want to talk to him. There were thousands of questions that she had to ask her father, but she didn't even know where to start from. A tear formed near the edge of her eye and she wiped it slightly before it spilled. Her breath got caught in her throat. She turned and started walking towards the gate again.

Liam came from behind and caught her hand. "Fleur, there is no point in asking Howard about it," he said reading her mind. "He will only be pained to see his child in such a situation. Don't you think he is already aware of this situation and must have kept it a secret from you for so long?"

Fleur stopped and tried to wriggle her hand out of his but she was feeling weak and helpless. How could she become a mortal only because she wanted to marry someone she loved? And that someone had been so annoying recently. So where did this situation put her?

"Leave me, Liam. I want to go to father and be with him. I have to ask him so many questions. I want to stay away from you. I have to decide what to do next…" said Fleur as her throat choked and she burst into tears.

Liam pulled her to him and wrapped her in his arms. He stroked her hair and smelled her trying to calm his internal emotions. Imagine staying with Fleur who would die soon. What must Nate be going through? Ookashai was a human. This was a miserable feeling.

He picked her and brought her face to face. Lightly brushing his lips against hers, he said, "Let us go to Nate and Ookashi instead, okay?" He kissed her lightly.

Feeling the familiar touch and the kiss that acted like balm to her nerves, Fleur held his neck and nodded. She couldn't keep away from him and kissed him passionately offering her tongue. The answer was right there. Either get tortured for life or spend whatever life she had with him in happiness.

Liam placed her on her feet and held her hands tightly. They started walking towards Nate's house when the ground under them rumbled again.

Fleur became alert because this time the sound was louder than before. The two of them stopped in their tracks. "Did you hear that?" asked Fleur.

"Yes…"

Without a second's delay, Fleur called all the wizards and witches that were in there for Adrianna's security. They appeared immediately and positioned themselves at each and every strategic point outside the mansion.

She looked ahead towards the skies, which were a hue of red and orange. The sun had set and the forest ahead looked dark. She stopped and waited for some time but there was no sound. So once again the two of them resumed their walk towards Nate's house.

"I never thought about Nate and Ookashi… they must be living with this fear everyday…" she said.

"Hmm…"

They reached Nate's place within ten minutes and found that Ookashi was sitting outside along with Nate. They were sitting on a garden swing. Ookashi's hand was resting on her tummy, her pregnant bulge now pretty evident. Nate was rubbing her feet that she had kept on his lap.

When Ookashi saw them, she beamed and waved at them. Nate followed her gaze and smiled. Ookashi started to get up but he said, "No baby, you keep sitting. Your feet are swollen and you need to keep them stable."

"Ah, okay," she replied with a smile.

Fleur went to her and hugged her and so did Liam.

"How are you?" asked Fleur with a soft smile.

"I am fine. This little one needs a lot of attention from his parents, so both Nate and me are tending to him," she replied with a grin.

"That's a baby girl!" Nate refuted her claim.

Liam started laughing at his friend as Fleur joined him and Ookashi just shook her head.

Nate went inside to fetch wine and snacks for the two of them.

"So nice to see Liam in an upbeat mood today. He had been very sad without you, Fleur," said Ookashi. "You should marry him fast now that he has already marked you."

Fleur became pensive upon hearing it and looked at the ground near her boots.

"What is it?" asked Ookashi sensing that something was wrong.

Fleur explained her everything. Nate had also come by that time and heard her. He noted that Liam was the one feeling miserable. He could read his state of mind. He handed them the drinks and sat down next to his wife.

"Look at me Fleur. It doesn't matter to me," said Ookashi. "I am a human, so immortality is not even an option for me. I am happy with what I have at the moment." She looked at Nate and extended her hand for him to hold it. When he held it, he kissed her fingers.

"It is something that is always there in the back of our minds but we can't do anything about it, so I have stopped thinking about it," said Nate. "I want to savor every moment with Ookashi."

Liam looked up at the sky as he fought the mist in his eyes. "Let's just stay like the way we are," he said to Fleur. "I won't be able to see you die." He couldn't imagine the immense pain that Nate was feeling at that point of time.

"No, I have made my decision," said Fleur as she sipped her wine. "I will live with you and marry you."

"No!" shouted Liam. "You won't."

Fleur kept her glass on the ground below. She got up from her chair and went to sit on Liam's lap. "I will marry you sweetheart," she said and sealed his lips before he could say anything. The words that were coming out of his mouth were captured in her mouth and then there was a soft groan. A submission...

Nate and Ookashi smiled.

Just near the mansion there was an earth shattering sound.