"I can't believe you really are doing this, leaving in the middle of the night!" 

Shadow could not help but comment as he dragged their suitcases as they moved towards the security checkpoint.

It was one past midnight and they were at the International Airport located outside City A. To make sure that no one at the mansion would see her leaving in the middle of the night, she made Shadow teleport both of them to the airport.

"Stop mumbling, Shadow. I can hear you pretty well and please don't make me feel more guilty than I already am. It's not easy for me either." Emily kind of snapped at her bodyguard but immediately regretted it.

She was seriously in a bad mood. Leaving her brothers and her home was definitely not easy for her but she needed to do this. Moreover, she was leaving them without a proper goodbye because she was afraid that the others won't be as understanding as Domenic was and also because she was afraid that she won't be able to leave if they tried to make her give up on her idea of leaving.

"Princess..." Shadow called her softly as he placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her in her tracks, and made her turn around to face him.

However, just when he was about to speak, two very familiar voices shouted from behind him.

"SURPRISE!"

Emily stared at Rylan and Shane in pure shock as she watched the two of her best friends dragging their suitcases as they approached her and Shadow.

"What.....WHAT are you guys doing here?" She asked as she looked at the two of them in confusion.

"Are you seriously planning on attending the most famous and privileged Supernatural Academy in the world all alone? Of course, we are also coming with you. If not for Domenic, we would never have realized that you are planning something so big until it was already too late. I'm disappointed in you, Em! How can you not share such a big plan with us?" Rylan complained as he pinched her cheeks lightly, making her slap his hands away.

"Me too! Do you have any idea that the two of us had long planned to attend the Nightfall Academy? But after we became friends with you, we changed our plans. We thought that you won't like the idea of attending a supernatural university, so we decided to attend whichever university you would have ended up choosing. But look at you now!" Shane added as he shook his head in total disappointment.

"..." 

Emily did not what to say anymore. She could barely believe what was happening. 

"Don't waste any more time here. Shadow, take these boys to complete the security procedures. I need to have a word with her." 

Emily stiffened as she heard Kaiden's voice. Her eyes immediately looked up and landed on his familiar figure. However, his entire focus was on Shadow as the two men kept looking at each other as if they were communicating through their eyes.

Her eyes took in his tall frame and breathtaking appearance. Rather than his usual official look, he was currently wearing a dark olive V neck, full-sleeved tee with dark black jeans, and leather boots. 

His long silver hair was loosely tied in a bun with strands of hair falling around his face. He was looking even more ethereal in a casual look.

She was so lost in admiring him that she did not even realize that Shadow and her friends had already left and she was now standing alone with him.

He looked at her in silence for a few seconds before he took hold of one of her hands and started walking in the opposite direction of where Shadow and others had gone.

"What are you doing?" She asked as she tried to keep up with his long strides. 

Kaiden remained silent as he kept walking and after a few minutes, finally opened a door and pulled the girl inside before locking the door from inside.

"Kaiden....ahh!" 

Emily was taken by surprise when she found herself pushed against the wall while he moved to stand in front of her, blocking her way as both of his hands were resting on the wall, creating a cage around her. But he made sure to keep enough distance between their bodies.

"I should be the one asking about what you are doing, sweetheart? Were you seriously planning on disappearing without even talking to me at least once?" 

His voice was so low but filled with a lot of hurt and sadness that made Emily feel just as sad as him. 

"I don't think I've to explain to everyone about my future plans." Her voice was detached from any kind of emotion as she responded. It was totally opposite to how she was feeling inside.

However, Kaiden did not buy her act for even a mere second. When he spoke again, his voice was low but he whispered them right next to her ear.

"Stop pretending, angel. I know that you are already aware of our bond." 

A small gasp left her lips as she heard his words and as he pulled his face away to look at her, she found his eyes intensely looking back at her.

"Do you still think that I don't deserve an explanation from you? You are planning on running away from me and you are saying that you don't need to explain anything to me. This is no longer about you, sweetheart. The moment you find out about us....everything became about us." 

Emily immediately shook her head as she took in a deep breath before she replied.

"I'm not running away from you, Kaiden. I'm indeed surprised to find out that we both are connected with such a sacred bond. I was always puzzled about my reactions towards you. And I only realized what's happening when Bee shared her experience about how she felt when she first met Jackson and Sam. I researched a lot, read a lot of books, and finally confirmed that my doubts about us are true."

She stopped to take in a deep breath before she continued.

"I'm also aware that once I will turn eighteen next month, the bond between us will wake up...but...but I'm not prepared for this, Kaiden."