Helena's POV
"Thomas!!! Unbelievable! How does Thomas sound like Tithen??? " she questioned before muttering all kinds of curses. She was beyond furious stomping her way through the bushes. After walking for at least three hours straight, following Joe's directions to the tee, she had found this so-called cabin, only Thomas answered the door and he had never heard of Tithen. Not allowing herself to be derailed, she ended up continuing with her mission and spending the whole day searching from door to door. "Ouch! "she suddenly stopped and focused her attention on her foot. Hopping on one leg, Helena took off her boot, held it upside down and began to shake it a little harder than necessary. Unlike on previous days this route had been mostly rocky with short dry patches of grass. She peaked closely inside the boot using her fingers to feel it's fluffy interior. The annoying pebble had disappeared. Having walked from door to door with no success, she had taken the wrong path on her way back, walked for hours, turned back again and retraced her steps, gotten completely lost then luckily found herself at the gas station that she had seen upon arrival in Eaglesdale. This had been the perfect opportunity to restock on food plus she was elated after a gulp of ice cold, refrigerated water. It had taken her a few minutes to get her bearings straight and began heading home but by that time, it was already dark outside. She was exhausted, in need of a bath and the thought of running into a pack of wolves or worse a bear did not sit well with her. If her calculations were correct then it would take her at most half an hour to get to the cabin. She dropped her shoe back on the ground then forced her foot back inside taking care not to overstretch her nearly torn sock. "You are nearly there Elle just a few more minutes", she urged herself onward. 'Elle', only Aaron ever called her that. Why had she used that name at this moment? A deep disappointment settled within her and she swallowed hard to get rid of the clogged up feeling in her throat. Her memories of him had mostly been pleasant but she could not help but wonder if it was really love. Had she been just a meal waiting to be devoured or was he with her to satisfy his curiosity. After years of believing that you are happy with someone, planning a future together not knowing that every night spent was being done with a preditorial monster. The mere thought of it sent shivers up her spine and she was convinced that if he were to appear before her right now, she would not hesitate to drive a wooden steak right through his heart. After carefully assessing her path ahead, she proceeded with her journey. The starless sky was dark but she could make out the trees in the distance and the odd shrubs here and there. Battling the wind, her pace quickened and she could barely hear the loud crackling sounds from snapping twigs that her boots were making as she trampled on them. Her momentum would have kept going, had it not been for the awareness of another presence ahead, a few meters from her. The darkness made it difficult to tell what it was but from the size of the silhouette, it had to be her worst fear, a huge bear. She stopped in horror, her heart taking a leap out of her chest. There were no trees to hide behind and she was completely exposed. She slowly moved back fighting the urge to take off and run. The bear seemed to be motionless, facing the other direction and had not yet become aware of her, which made her feel a little confident. What to do? Her bear spray was inside her bag, but that didn't mean that she could proceed onwards and confront it head on. Why was it still not moving? Should she turn and run? There was no way she could outrun a wild animal. She finally decided to tiptoe back to the gas station where she would spend the night then walk back at daylight. Just when she was about to take action, she heard her bear muttering some words. Her hand quickly covered her mouth, stopping her from screaming with joy. It was a man! Xanders POV.. "Excuse me?" her sirenic voice vibrated from behind him. He inhaled then paused momentarily forgetting to exhale. After waiting endlessly for her to walk through the door, he had grown impatient and headed out to find her. Instinct had told him which path to take and he had only walked a short distance when he sensed her coming from the path to his left. The relief of feeling her was overshadowed by anxiety and he was almost afraid to turn and face her. What if it was his imagination playing tricks on him and she wasn't even there? He had dreamt of this moment for too long, imagined so many possible first meetings and even prepared the words he would say to her. During the first two years after all of this began, he thought he would meet her with a tight embrace and welcome her into his life but as time went by and she couldn't be found, he had begun to resent being tied to her. He now imagined tracking her down with his most skilled trackers, cornering her then capturing and locking her up in his room where he would make her beg for mercy. He took in a deep breath then exhaled before slowly turning around. Though it was dark he could see her fiesty red hair whipping her rosy cheek, covering her eyes then blowing up, scattering everywhere in a frenzy. The sudden gust of wind seemed to match his inner storm which blew his emotions all over the place. Here she was, the most beautiful perfection, his wife and future mother of his heir but most of all she was the one who had destroyed and taken 6years from him."You have no idea of how happy I am to see you. I could just hug you right now."She was what? Happy to see him? After 6 years of being in hiding she was happy to get caught? Her facial expression and attitude beamed of absolute delight but what exactly did she mean by that? His mind suddenly went blank and for the first time in his life, he was really at a loss for words and couldn't respond. If she decided to throw herself into his arms at this moment should he return the gesture or push her away? He was happy to see her as well but he also felt hurt and disrespected. There was no way he was going to just allow her to waltz into his life as if nothing ever happened. "I think I'm lost. I could have sworn that my cabin was in this direction but now I'm seeing lights down there and I don't have any electricity. Could you help me?"She was what? Teeth clenched tightly, He tilted his head slightly and observed her through squinted eyes. Needed his help? It was funny how she had quickly changed the subject from being happy to see him to suddenly needing his help."Why are you doing this?" he asked gently. The moment the question escaped his mouth, he regretted it. "Why am I doing this?"she paused as if surprised by the question. "Um, well I'm lost and I wouldn't be asking if I had a choice", she answered in axactly the way he had expected, pretending not to understand his question and making a fool out of him. As the monarchy, he was used to these power games but he had never imagined her as being his opponent. They were meant to be lovers, tied together by an eternal bond . When and why did she decide to discard what they had built for such a long time? He had insatiably longed for her everyday, spent sleepless nights trying to send her telepathic messages pleading with her to come to him and he had cursed at her for being so cruel and heartless. Now here she was, blinking innocently at him and talking to him as if they had last seen each other a few hours ago. He took a deep breath, masking his emotions. If this was how she wanted to play, then he was going to play along. Eventually she would get tired. "I know I'm bothering you but I really, really need your help", she continued pleading probably because of his silence. He cleared his throat before answering, "Come with me, ". "Aw thank you so much!"He ignored her wide smile, his temperament too chaotic to care and walked past her, headed for the cabin. She followed close behind him, increasing her strides to keep up with his pace. He had no intention of running away, in fact he was ready to grab her the moment she tried to flee. He may have sealed himself, making her stronger and faster but he prided in his natural agility and skill. She would have to think twice before trying anything funny. "You know this is actually my second time getting lost today, hence why I'm outside at this hour. I'm normally tucked in bed by this time",she tried to break the awkward silence. His head turned back to catch a glimpse of her and he was surprised by her closeness. Should he pause slightly, she would come crushing into him. He moved away, allowing her to walk next to him, not responding or offering any more conversation. She knew what he wanted to hear, not this small talk. A few minutes later they reached the cabin door. He pushed it open then entered before her, heading straight for the closet. When she didn't follow him, he turned, leaned back and saw her crouched down at the entrance, going through her backpack.Helena's POVHelena rummaged through her stuff lifting and shoving the contents to the sides."Where is that stupid thing? " she muttered to herself. An A4 sized map book normally sticks out above everything and shouldn't take a long time to find. She fully knelt down on the earth when her thigh muscles began to ache then emptied the entire contents on the ground. Subconsciously she had known that the map wasn't there but her mind had refused defeat and insisted on her searching. "Aw great", she spoke through gritted teeth. Could anything else go wrong? Clearly she was unwanted here and now she had to tell him that she had interrupted his moment for nothing. How was he going to show her where she was, without the map. She looked up for a second to think, biting her lower lip. Nice!!! She thought to herself, momentarily getting distracted by a glimpse of part of the inside of the cabin. She could see some blue satin curtains embroidered with black floral appliques, a single black le
Xander's POV... It's her! It really is her!!! In great shock and disbelief, Xander sat on a chopped tree stump with his palm covering his forehead. Everything had been too sudden and his mind was yet to process the fact that it was now over. After six years of searching every inch of the realm, he had found her in the least likely place, the human realm. Though Griff had abandoned him, he was grateful for the way he had convinced him, against his wishes to come here. She was exactly how he remembered her, the feisty red hair, her captivating eyes and insatiable full lips. They had been inseparable in their previous lifetimes so why had she decided to break the cycle? Was he no longer good enough for her? Why choose to be reborn in the human realm where he would never find her? She had also done a good job at suppressing her inner being and could easily pass as a human. I'm so stupid! he beat himself up in his head, remembering his last conversation with her. He should not have le
Helena's POVThe next day, Helena eyes slowly opened then dropped back shut again. Savouring the soft cushioning beneath her and the gentle caressing of the silk that surrounded her, she felt glued to this position unwilling to miss out on a single moment of this orthopaedic heaven. The delicious smell of bacon, eggs and curried beans tickled and tugged at her senses tempting her to follow it but she didn't want to move, needed just a few more minutes of this pampering. Eyes still closed, she felt Xander's presence as he came close to the bed, standing above her and he seemed to place something on the side table. Helena's stomach growled in response to Xander and she knew why he was standing there, towering above her. She had misunderstood him last night, thinking he was some kind of a psychopath but he had proved otherwise, not attempting anything during the night and she felt bad for it. What more could she want? A roof over her head, this luxurious bed, the wonderful food and he
Helena's POVThe moment Xander mentioned leaving, her paranoia set in and she remembered that she was being pursued. She was going to be alone again. "I've left some money next to the bed. Use whatever you need, " he instructed but she couldn't hear him. Her mind was already contemplating her next move. Remain hidden, protect yourself and find Tithen as quickly as possible. As he drove off, disappearing at the bend, Helena realized just how relaxed she had become. His company was important, not because she needed his protection but just him being there with her made a difference. She finished with her laundry then with one swing, threw out the soapy dirty water that was in the bucket. Her hands felt cold and clammy so she carelessly wiped them against her thighs using her trousers. For a moment, she noticed just how much the cabin had been transformed. Xander had added one of those portable toilets outside and she could see six solar panels on the roof. The yard had also been swe
The moment Joe walked into the cabin two hours later, Emma got up quickly from the couch where Helena and her were seated, took the rifle from his hand and helped him out of his jacket. Joe was clearly the man of the house, the breadwinner and she was the typical housewife who served and waited on him. "Joe there's a poltergeist!!! Sasha is missing and Junior was screamin and screamin!!! " Aw god, why did I tell her? Helena thought to herself after observing the woman's frightened state. "Wait a minute. What you sayin Emma? A poltergeist?" he looked at his wife as if she was crazy then noticed Helena in the room. "Aw hi Miss Helena" "Hi", she gave a wave and a faint smile. Emma tugged at her husband's shirt, panic written all over her. "Joe listen, I'm tellin the truth.""Emma,"he held her by her arms. "Stop talkin about ghosts, you are scarin our guest here."Right! If only he knew that she was the one who had put those ideas in his wife's mind. " No, she knows, she saw it too
Xander’s POVElbow leaning against the countertop, Xander focused his gaze on the ground as he listened silently. One mistake, only one and they would be needing a spatula to scrape off this humans' remains from the walls. "Next time you need anything, just come by and get it, on the house of course", the human offered Helena with a nervous grin pasted on his face. What exactly had he walked in on and why was she trying to hide it? The more he thought about it the more he got agitated., his being releasing bouts of anger and demanding war on the entire human race. Helena stood next to Xander, receiving dozens of books and magazines on the house and he just stood there without saying a word. Stop it, he gave a silent command to his being. Luckily he had sealed himself before returning otherwise this would have been a whole different scenario. Xander walked alongside Helena to the car, clicking it open then opening his door. She opened the back door first on her side, leaned over t
Helena’s POV… That night, thoughts of him refused to leave her head and as much as she tried to brush him off as a stranger, her mind constantly returned to him. It didn't help that he was asleep, in full view, across from where she was. A full on fight was not what she wanted, only for him to respect her boundaries and to mind his own business but he had taken it personally.One thing was for sure that she was not going to apologize. She had done nothing wrong. His views were, after all, very outdated and she didn't have to agree with them. After seeing how upset and absent he was, she had tried to be the bigger person by attempting to break the ice but he was adamant on being pig-headed. Should she let him be and allow him to calm down by himself or should she keep on trying to talk to him? Even though his beliefs contradicted hers, he still was a very generous guy and disregarding his efforts would be very ungrateful on her part . She remembered the way she had hated waking up
Helena’s POV… She could feel his eyes boring into her back and she wished she could just run away and hide. How could she do that in front of him? What exactly had gotten into her? He already had high moral values so he must be thinking the worst about her right now.He had to be repulsed by her, why wouldn't he, when she had shamelessly fondled herself in front of him. If the roles had been reversed and had he been the one to do it, she couldn't imagine what she would have thought of him. Thinking about it made her skin crawl and she shivered.She inhaled the cool breeze, traces of mist rising from her exhale. It had only been two months since she left Aaron, in fact just five days ago she was heartbroken and pining over her lost relationship but overnight he had become insignificant. Something was wrong with her and she was slowly losing her mind. If anything, this was a clear sign that it was time to part ways with him. After a while, she was relieved to find him fast asleep, w