Chapter 93: Chapter 93

DARAN

After a long and intense conversation with Eve at the gallery, one harsh truth finally hit me: Jonea might be the next target. If this person is after the women connected to me, hoping to find someone with the “pure red moon blood,” then Jonea is likely their main goal. But maybe—just maybe—they don’t know she’s the one they’re after yet.

A wave of panic rushed over me. I can’t let this happen. I should never have left her safety to Owen; this wasn’t his responsibility—it should’ve been me, protecting her myself.

Without wasting another second, I jumped into my car and sped off from the gallery, heading straight for the café where we were supposed to meet. Hopefully, I wasn’t too late.

But as I drove through the quieting city streets, doubts haunted me. Why did I leave her alone? I should’ve known how dangerous this situation is. Too many innocent people have already been hurt or killed, and I can’t let Jonea become one of them.

When I reached the café, it was already late. We should’ve met much earlier, but my hesitation had cost me time. Inside, the café was nearly empty, lit only by a few dim lights casting shadows over the tables and chairs. Through the window, I spotted Jonea sitting in a corner, occasionally glancing at the watch on her wrist, her face showing signs of worry.

My heart sank seeing her waiting like that. She looked anxious. Guilt churned inside me—I should never have left her waiting.

Suddenly, something moving in the distance caught my eye. My instincts flared; something was wrong. I could feel eyes on me, someone watching from the shadows, not far from here.

With my heart pounding, I headed into the café and walked over to her table. Approaching her from behind, I tapped her shoulder gently. She turned around, looking startled, but her anxious expression softened when she saw me.

“Jonea, I’m so sorry,” I said quietly, taking a seat in front of her.

She shook her head with a small smile, though I could tell she wasn’t fully reassured. “You’re late, Daran. I was beginning to think you wouldn’t show.”

The guilt cut deeper. “I shouldn’t have kept you waiting,” I admitted, meeting her gaze. “From now on, I might make a few decisions that seem wrong, but I need you to stay close to me. Please, don’t stray far from my side.”

Jonea looked confused and a bit surprised, but she just held my gaze, as if trying to understand what was going on behind my eyes. We spent the evening at the café, waiting until it closed. We ordered drinks and tried to enjoy the night without letting our worries creep in. I tried to act like everything was normal, but my mind kept replaying worst-case scenarios that could happen if I let my guard down around Jonea.

When the café was finally closing, we walked to my car under the dark night sky, and I kept an eye on every corner, every shadow. I wasn’t letting anyone follow her tonight.

The ride back was silent, with me focused on the road ahead. Even though we didn’t talk, I knew she sensed something different in me tonight. I tried calming my mind, but the anxiety only grew. Dark shadows lurking behind us, ill intentions that might be aimed at her—these thoughts swirled around in my head. I couldn’t let anything happen to her.

When we finally got to the house, Jonea tried to ease the tension with a small laugh. “You seem so serious tonight, deep in thought. Does this have something to do with me? Sorry, I didn’t quite get what you said back at the café.”

“I… I just want to make sure,” I said, my words coming out rushed.

“Make sure of what?” she asked.

I stepped out of the car and walked with her up to the house. The cold night added a sense of silence between us. When we reached the door, I felt uneasy. Almost instinctively, I took her hand, holding her back just before we went in.

“Jonea,” I said softly. “From tonight on, I want to make sure you’re safe. If anything weird happens, contact me immediately, no matter where you are. Got it?”

She looked at me, confused, but eventually nodded. “I understand, Daran. But… what’s going on?”

I struggled to find the right words, wanting to explain the situation without causing her to panic. But in the end, I only managed to say, “I just want to make sure you’re safe. That’s all.”

She nodded hesitantly and finally let me follow her into her room. After checking everything, I tried to quiet my thoughts. But the feeling that someone was watching us lingered.

After making sure she was asleep, I quietly shut her door. Her face looked peaceful, but I knew that peace was probably only temporary. This tension had been gnawing at me since yesterday, a feeling that kept pushing me to stay vigilant, not letting a single threat slip past me.

I stood in the hallway outside her room, scanning my surroundings carefully. The quiet comfort of this house at night was at odds with the unease I felt. My mind was crowded with thoughts—hidden threats stalking Jonea, and some mysterious presence creeping out from the shadows. Ignoring all this would be a huge mistake, one that could end disastrously.

Looking at the window at the end of the hall, I felt an urge to check outside. This house was secured with my best spells, and while it should be safe, I couldn’t fully shake my doubts. Outside the second-floor window, I could see the backyard partly shrouded in a thin, drifting mist. Everything seemed normal at first glance, but my instincts were screaming that something was off.

I watched the backyard closely, and in the hazy shadows, I noticed something strange. There was movement near the fence—a dark silhouette, large and menacing. The figure walked steadily, and though it was hard to see from this distance, I could sense its eerie presence.

“Did it break through my spell?”

My attention locked onto the shadow. Faintly, I could make out a body shape similar to a wolf. Its large frame moved with a graceful yet unsettling stride. This wasn’t an ordinary wolf. My gaze never wavered as I focused all my senses on the figure, even as my heart raced. The wolf shadow walked further from the yard, and just as I thought it would vanish, it changed.

The shadow began to stretch, its body growing, and within seconds, the silhouette of the wolf morphed into something larger and far more terrifying—a shadowed dragon. With scales and wide wings faintly visible through the night mist, I could barely breathe. This was no longer just a vague threat; whatever it was, this was something I couldn’t ignore.