Chapter 609 - GUESTS FROM THE MAINLAND

"You should tell that to him," Hope mumbled, it was Kace who was always hiding his true feelings. Even now, Hope was still slightly upset whenever Kace refused to share the burden to his problem with her. Because he thought it was the best way to protect her. 

"He heard it," the priestess said, as she stopped jogging behind Hope and tilted her head to the side. 

Hope skidded and followed her line of sight when they fell on his favorite person in the whole world. However, before Hope could approach him, the lycan had rushed towards her and wrapped her in a big bear hug. Hugging her so tightly as if Hope would disappear if she didn't do so. 

Hope giggled when his hair tickled her face and ears, as he buried his head on the crook of her neck. She circled her arms around his waist while stroking his back. 

"I miss you," Hope said, but Kace didn't answer it. 

Yet, her giggle died down when she felt his whole body was trembling. 

"Kace… what happened?" Hope blinked her eyes, confused with his strong reaction. He wasn't crying, was he?

Behind him, the sunset blazing with magnificent colors through the hole of the ceiling of the cave, dipped below the horizon as the last breath of beauty before the death of the day.

Around them, the thousands of fireflies flickered splendidly and illuminated the impending darkness from the absence of the light of the sun, as the moonlight was covered behind the cloudy sky. 

"I thought I lost you…" the beast said it with difficulty. 

At this point, Hope thought it was Kace human's side who spoke to her, yet somehow, she knew it was the beast. However, at the same time, they were one. Either it was the beast side or his human side, they were both Kace. 

Perhaps, this situation had put the both sides on the same page, synchronizing their own feelings, for the first time in a long time. 

"I am alright," Hope patted his back, letting him to hold her a little bit longer. "I am okay,"

"Where were you? You just disappeared." Kace's voice was rough and hoarse, while still holding her, didn't want to let go of her yet. 

"I was captured by the devil woman, and was put under her spell near the waterfall. I couldn't go anywhere, no matter how long I walked or which direction that I took, I would always end up at the same place again and again," Hope complained sullenly. 

"You met her?!" Kace growled, but he still refused to let Hope see his face, as he pressed her head against his chest and wrapped his other arms protectively around her waist.

"She is the same woman that I met when I was thirteen," Hope told him, trying to steal a glance at his expression to no avail, Kace insisted to hide his face and rested his chin on top of her forehead. 

Well, he was taller, bigger and all. But the way he kept Hope in place was swift and effortless. 

"I should have not let my guard down," Kace said grimly. Now his body was shaking in anger. Hope could literally hear the grumble from inside his chest. 

"That's not your fault," Hope consoled him, "Moreover, if that didn't happen, I wouldn't have met with the priestess."

"You met the priestess too?" Kace frowned, his eyes were red. Not because he was drowned in anger, but from the emotions he was trying to hold back from surfacing; the waves of relief, the fear that had plagued his whole being because of the absence of his mate. 

"Yes, she is also the one who guided me here and…" Hope started to tell him everything that happened. From when she was put in a dark room that was similar to a dungeon, until that time when the fireflies came to her when she took out the candle, "…Lydia, Leon, and Abby are at the end of this tunnel, they are still unconscious."

At the end of her story, Kace released Hope. Allowing her to see the red circle around his black eyes. 

"Where is she now?" Kace looked around, but there was nothing he could see, only the empty cave with piles of skeletons behind his back. 

"She is there," Hope pointed to Kace's left side, as she frowned. Why couldn't he see her? 

"There?" Kace pointed at the same direction, but he stared at Hope incredulously. "But, there's no one there."

"Huh?" Hope narrowed her eyes, "but, she is there." She insisted. 

The priestess was there, as translucent as a ghost would be. Basking under the first moonlight that fell on this cave after the cloud blew away by the wind. But Kace was not able to see her. How could that be possible?

"Hope, I don't think he can see me," The priestess said softly as she shook her head, "After all, I am already dead, remember?"

"But, why can I see you?" Hope wanted to walk closer towards the priestess, but Kace held her back, because in his eyes, Hope was talking to nobody and this worried him. 

"You are a guardian angel, you have your own magic," the priestess winked at her, but then her expression turned serious. "Will you come with me? I want you to know where the devil put my body. So when the help comes, they could bring me back to the village, I feel my energy is draining out."

============== 

A loud shriek and other shattering glasses could be heard from a particular room.

Terra rolled her eyes when she found out the reason for Beelzebub's gloomy mood.

"What happened to her?" a man with straight black hair that was combed to the back of his head and tied into a man bun, asked the girl in front of him. He was a vampire from the mainland, and he didn't come alone. 

"I guess something is not going according to her plan," a witch with dark lips, who looked like she was always smiling, answered him while giggling. 

"You two better keep that opinion to yourself," Terra said in a warning tone, and this earned a vicious hiss from the vampire.