Chapter 4 Surprised

east. She felt the wet earth beneath her feet, the grass sticking between her toes, the cold night air on her skin and her entire body shivering from the caress of the wind. Her loose hair followed the breeze and sometimes.

stuck to her damp body due to the calm. Nyana closed her eyes and took a deep breath to allow the forest to embrace her. Their voices made her open her eyes and gasp. She had never heard that sound in the White

Forests. They were beautiful, inviting whispers that seemed to come from the trees with red trunks. They left

her calm, like a breath of fresh air. Would Atman be calling her otherwise? Nyana hadn't felt the thread with

her ancestors for a long time, so she wouldn't risk pulling it without her having the necessary permission. She

followed the voices like a call, a cry, and before she knew it, she was almost at the border. He smelled her

before he even saw her. The aroma hit him without asking and intoxicated him in the same way he had when

they were in her hut. When those delicate hands were on her injured body. Videric's fangs tried to take control

and descend, but he swallowed hard and held back the urge to look for her. Videric would recognize that scent

anywhere. Nyana smelled like fowers, a mixture of the peculiar petals of the pesia fowers with something he could never guess, probably the sacred Atman that was in the witch's blood, and it made her scent even sweeter to his sense of smell. Videric managed to hold back his fangs, but swallowed as venom fooded his

mouth as he thought of what it would be like to taste her with his tongue. His instincts told him to stay still

and wait, even if he wanted to try to get closer and cross the borders. He would be expelled instantly by the

power of the witches, and all he would achieve was to have his energy drained and a witch frightened.

Patiently, he waited. Nyana stopped just beyond the border, her body shivering as she realized what she had done. There, there was no power of the sisters protecting her, there, she was vulnerable. But she didn't feel like

that, it was as if she had been summoned. She realized after a while that this call did not come from the ancestors, but from an Atman -belonging power. She frowned and felt foolish when she opened her mouth

and called her, "Videric?" She waited for a while. The answer was the silence of the forest being cut by the

sound of the wind in the damp leaves. Nyana grimaced, but her heart jumped as she heard the noise of

someone approaching and, after a moment, Videric appeared through the trees. Nyana hadn't seen the

vampire for months, but his view coming toward her made her whole body shudder. She suspected that she

would never get used to his presence. It was tall and as he approached, Nyana needed to tilt her head to see

his face. The body was strong, the muscles caused the leather of the clothing to stretch. The red-handled

dagger, the same one he thrust into the demon that had almost devoured her, splitting him in two, shone in the dim light of the moon. Videric's eyes... Videric's eyes left her with fear and fascination, as if she were seeing a

dangerous predator and, at the same time, wanting to touch the creature's velvety fur. She felt both the vampire's dark and cloudy eyes watching her with intensity. Before, the scar that crossed her eyebrow scared

her, now, she wanted to run her fngers over it and ask who had done it. After a while, a shy smile crossed his

face and Nyana caught a glimpse of his sharp fangs. - Nyana... - The guttural voice made her shiver. -

Everything is fne? It was a sincere question, but Nyana noticed his eyes roam her body and, at that moment,

she remembered that she was only wearing her thin cotton nightgown. She hugged herself as a way to hide

and Videric's eyes went to her breasts without him really disguising his interest. Nyana couldn't help but notice that she liked the way the vampire looked at her, as if he were hungry, but afraid to taste a rare dish that she

would never have the chance to taste again. - I'm fne... I just can't sleep - she confessed in a soft voice.

Nyana watched the movement of his throat as Videric swallowed hard as he registered her words. His gaze

became hungry, as if he was about to attack her, her fangs seemed to grow longer, and that made her body

tremble, at the same time a heat passed through her. - It's a little far from the village - she pointed out,

changing the subject. - Something happened? She could see the questions crossing those peculiar eyes. Even

Nyana wasn't sure why she crossed the border, especially since she was further south. Only the elderly

women risked doing this and, even then, with the protection of the Red Crown. Nyana was an oracle and

needed to be secluded so that she could perfect her gift of divination and be able to talk to Atman. However,

her energy was so diffuse and unbalanced that it was very likely that even Videric had noticed. Nyana.

hesitated, but she was too exhausted to try and hide anything from anyone, even a vampire she hadn't seen in a long time. She sighed and shivered. - My call... - Nyana covered her face with her hands in a sign of

tiredness. When she looked up again, she noticed his nostrils faring, as if he was smelling her. - My

connection with Atman is gone. Nyana let a tear escape, saying that her gift had abandoned her made part of

her weight, even if it was tiny in her chest, decrease. Knowing that she had confded this to someone other

than a sister made her feel calmer in an unusual way. Videric could have had any kind of reaction, but Nyana

was surprised to see the pain that was in his eyes. He understood her. He understood what she was going

through and how it took a toll on her. But the intensity of that look still remained, a desire and longing for something more, for unspoken words or conversations that perhaps, if they had, they could not take back.

Nyana realized she needed to leave. - I... I need to go. She moved away to cross the spell barrier, but was surprised by his warm hand stopping her by the wrist. Her heart raced and Nyana looked at him in fear. Videric

realized what he did and immediately released her. - When can I see her? That question seemed to be quite dangerous. Nyana suspected that her connection with Atman had been lost after she got involved, in a certain

way, with that vampire. A being from the underworld who carried much of the dark energy within him. At the

same time, she felt light when she noticed the longing in his expression. She couldn't help herself and smiled.

- I can meet you here if you want. - We are a little b