I was sitting on Ruka's lap while he sat on the office chair that was seated in front of the table. Now that I think about it I felt really embarrassed that I cried for no reason. He knew only what Derek had told which didn't include about Memphis kissing me. He had some files to go through in his laptop which was on the table; I got up to only be pulled back in his lap.

"Where are you going?" he asked with an eyebrow raised at me.

"On the sofa?" I asked unsurely, "It will be difficult if I sit here while you work."

"I don't mind it, love. It'll be over in ten minutes," he said as his arms went around both my side to reach the laptop. As he was taller than me my head reached only until his chin.

It was really quiet other than the sound of the keyboard as he worked and I sat there playing with my fingers. It actually felt warm sitting like this here, on his lap. I looked around the room and noticed the broken vases on the floor. How angry Ruka was that time to have broken the vases without touching it? Megan's friend had only attacked me with a dodgeball long ago and she was beaten for it. Memphis was going to be in heaps of trouble for what he did. Lying, forcing the king's mate for information and kissing.

Ruka definitely looked hotter when he was angry and jealous, was it wrong that I felt that way? Oh my god! I'm a sadist, aren't I? No no. It was my Ruka, so it was alright.

His eyes were on the screen as his long fingers hit the keyboard buttons in quickly. My eyes trailed up to his forearms to his upper arm and I remembered the time his hands touched me intimately and felt a faint smile on my lips, with my heart skipping a beat.

"Thinking naughty?" I heard Ruka's voice above me and found him closing the laptop.

Looking up, I found his eyes staring into my brown ones. He raised his hand to tuck my hair behind my ear and trailed his fingers with the length of my hair till the tip.

"Your hair has grown," he stated and I nodded my hair, "It looks rougher at the ends."

"It's been a year since I got them cut," I told him and he hummed at it, placing one of his hand on my back, "Every time I go to a salon I come out almost in tears," and it was true. They always cut more than what I tell them too.

"Let me trim it then once we reach home," he said and it took me a second more to process what he said.

"You want to cut it?" I asked my eyes a little wide at what he said and saw him smile.

"Yes, my sweet Eve. Just trimming but if you allow me I could give you a whole new haircut," he offered. Wow, Ruka could do that? "Don't worry, I'll be careful and won't cut out much of it."

"Alright," I agreed.

He lent down to kiss my cheek to be interrupted by a knock on the door but that didn't stop him from kissing me. As he placed a small kiss on my cheek the door opened to reveal two men.

"Yes, Jeff," Ruka said looking at one of them and I felt my lips twitch. Was he like Jeff the killer?

"Your Highness, the task that was given has been completed. He's being held in the underground for further interrogation," he said and Ruka looked pleased with it, "But during that time we found blood trails in the forest but there was nobody. We checked near the river but it stopped before that," he informed.

"Fresh?" Ruka asked him, fresh what? Blood?

"No, Sir. Almost two days old," the other man replied and Ruka stared at him deep thought. I saw the guy called Jeff look at me, his eyes darting from Ruka to me.

"Interesting," I heard Ruka say, "I'll get it checked by tonight. You are dismissed."

They bowed their head and were leaving when Aiden came at the same time. He was chewing a gum and turned his head like an owl to see both Jeff and the other guy leave until the door behind him closed.

"Eve you are forgetting something," Aiden said tapping his leg on the floor. I looked at him with my eyebrows furrowed and got up wondering what he was talking about.

"Forget what?" I asked him but Ruka replied.

"Your car is on the way, Aiden but you haven't taken the driving test yet," Ruka said getting up to stand next to me, "If you don't get your license by then hmm…Louis will take it," he said with a twinkle in his eyes.

"You scheming bat," Aiden muttered under his breath and Ruka chuckled.

Aiden was about to say something when his eyes turned as big as saucers, "EARTHQUAKE!!" he screamed looking at the floor and I'm sure the whole school heard him. "What happened here?!" he asked horrified. I felt Lizzy's rare dramatic effects were rubbing of him. Something dawned on his face later,

"Eve, I'll be riding with you in the car. Lizzy is going out," he stretched the last word.

"Oh okay, I'll see you in the parking lot," I said to which he nodded and went out. That's when I realized I missed two classes of mine.

"Don't wait for me tonight, love. I'll be late," Ruka said taking hold of my hand as we walked towards the door at a slow pace and I felt my heart sink a little hearing it.

"Can I come with you?" I asked him hopefully and saw him frown a little.

"It might be midnight by the time we come home and you'll be missing sleep," he said bringing up my hand to give it a tender kiss on the knuckles.

"Please," I pleaded and he sighed.

"I want you to go home and sleep for now. I'll come home to pick you up in three hours," he said and my face lit up with happiness.

"Yay!" I jumped into his arms.

When I went to the parking lot, I saw Aiden leaning on the hood of the car lazily. I had borrowed Andria's car today for school. Was it my imagination or did he look older compared to a week before? I headed towards the car and he stood straight, raising his hands in front of me. I grinned looking at him and shook my head.

"No Aiden, you are not driving the car."

"Awe come on Evie Vivi. I promise you," he said filling up his cheeks with air, "Your going to drive like a granny and by the time we reach home I might have grown a long beard."

"And what if I don't drive like a gran?" I challenged.

"Let's see," he huffed getting inside the passenger's seat. When both of us were seated in the car comfortably, I started the car and took it outside the school.

"Whom is Lizzy going out with?" I asked taking a turn at the corner of the school.

"Kyle," he replied. Finally, I was wondering when they would date like everyone in our group,

"By the way why were the vases broken? You guys got robbed?" he asked jokingly.

"Ruka got mad at a person called Memphis," I told but not giving him all the details.

"No, wonder I smelt blood when I was in the dungeon," Aiden said placing both his hands behind his head to rest. That wasn't possible.

"It might be someone else's blood because Ruka was with me all the time. Unless he asked someone to do it…" I said thinking; I remembered what the Jeff guy had said about keeping someone underground. The time he was working in the office, did he in between sending a message to beat Memphis? Wow, that was really quick.

"Alright, all clear, "Aiden said sitting up. We had crossed the small city and were now entering the highway surrounded by trees on either side.

"Aiden, I might look like a good girl but I do love driving and riding fast," I said pressing the accelerator with my leg. The car picked the speed as we sped on the road, dust lifting up at the sides as a trail. There was a medium turn to take and as I had learned it from someone, I turned the wheel. After ten minutes of driving, Aiden looked impressed.

"Whoa, who taught you to drive?" Aiden exclaimed with a huge grin.

"Eric taught me," I shrugged smiling and stopped at the side, "You can drive now." Getting out of the car both of us switched our places so that Aiden could drive.

"Thank you, Evie. By the way, I saw your cousin George in school yesterday," he said, "Good that he's putting up the facade that everything's okay."

"What do you mean?" I asked him confused.

"Did you know he has someone that stalks you at school but not this week," he said whistling. Stalking me? "Louis broke the boy's nose for following you."

"I didn't know that," I told a little worried at the thought of being followed.

Sometimes I thankfully for having protectors like Louis and Derek around when Ruka wasn't nearby. Once we reached home, I headed towards my room. On the way I saw something unexpected, Caesar and Bunny were sleeping next to each other with a contented expression. Caesar's eyes were half closed as it saw me. I waved at it and went to my room.

Flopping on my bed, I hugged the pillow. I had forgotten to tell Ruka about Memphis asking about the sapphire stone. Maybe he was one of the members that were helping in stealing them. I wished I got my angel powers back. Would I even get it? Though all of us were working on it there hasn't been any progress. My wounds healed slower and that only meant my powers were leaving my body. That could also end up in me being immortal. I then remembered the book tainted that I hadn't read. Opening one of the closets, I took out the book to read.

I was someone you would see every day, why would he? I was an average person after all. Maybe if I was a princess or related to the royal my wish would have come true but the reality was harsh. I would sneak a few glances his way when he was around without his knowledge.

Hmm, it looked like the paragraph was taken out from someone's diary. Turning the book I searched for an authors name but there wasn't one. Looking at the cover the book's title was written as 'The tainted'. The thing was that it wasn't the same book I found a year ago and this had missing pages in it at the back end. Flipping the pages, I stopped at the place before the missing pages at the right side of the book. The last paragraph read,

Seeing him smile was a rare occasion and when he did it was for another person. Not me. Time passed by and I couldn't anymore, so I did what had to be done.

Why did someone have to tear the pages at the interesting parts? It was like a cliffhanger. After reading a few more pages from the beginning which took half an hour, I closed the book yawning. There was still time before Ruka came so I decided to take a shower.

I was excited to go tonight with Ruka like a child being taken to a fair for the first time.

Turning on the knob without checking, cold water hit my skin which led to me cursing few words before turning the knob for the hot water. With all the steam filling up the room and the sound of water falling on the ground. I had my eyes closed as the water trickled down my body. I didn't hear the door open and close, suddenly I felt someone's arm go around my waist. My eyes flew open in panic and I was about scream turning around until I saw who it was.

"Ruka?" I asked a little breathless.

His white buttoned up shirt was wet and I could see the muscles due to the see-through caused by the shower that was above us. His hair damp with water trickling down his face. His eyes were intense and darker than normal as he looked at me.

Did I take too much time in the shower?

"I'll be done in five minutes," I said softly wondering if he was getting late and my hand went to reach the towel to only be caught by Ruka's hand.

"That's alright," he said backing me towards the wall slowly like a predator and closed the gap between us.

He pulled me towards him and I was very much aware of the atmosphere we were in. I was stark n.a.k.e.d and he was completely clothed, the shower had stopped running. I shivered when I felt him trace one of his hand on my back from my nape. It was torturously slow.

"I don't like anyone's hands on you, Eve," he said huskily in my ear, his voice resonating in my ear, "To know Memphis had tried to ask about the stone was something unexpected but to kiss you," he bit my earlobe not so gently, "Unacceptable," he murmured.

His lips were on mine in an instant, nipping and kissing it as both his hands rested on my waist while my hands wound around his neck, tugging his hair lightly as he kissed me to an oblivion. It was consuming, demanding and breathtaking. He moved on to kiss my neck and I felt his elongated teeth scr.a.p.e my neck.

When he pulled back and I saw his eyes had turned to slits which meant his franchixer side was there now. I shivered to feel the air that was blown on my wet skin. He was quick to take one of the towels from the side and wrap it around me. Picking me up in arms bridal style, he spoke,

"Don't want you to catch a cold now," placing a quick kiss on my forehead while walking out of the bathroom, "Get ready, love. We'll be leaving soon."