My Most Precious Human

Who to trust

I kept staring at the note. There was no doubt: it was the same handwriting I saw on the notes to Elora.

My hands were trembling while my throat squeezed as if someone's invisible hand was wrapped

around my neck, tightening the grip. I ran towards the balcony and looked through the window. There

was no one there. Whoever had done this was long gone. I suspected that much, but I had to check.

I wrapped my arms around my chest as if I was trying to keep myself from falling apart. The sense of

insecurity was excruciating. Someone was watching me. Which intimate parts of my life had he seen?

How thoroughly had he known me? Had he hidden somewhere near me? Or was he still around to

watch my every move…?

Whoever it was, it must have been someone who either belonged to the pack or had access to its

territory. Considering the tone of JD's notes to Elora, I doubted that he was someone who could just

blend in and become an ordinary pack member. I'd rather assume that he had a spy working for him…

That made the whole case even more complicated. Anyone could be JD's spy. It could have been Beta

Ari, Doctor Melinda, Saleswoman Valerie, or even Grandma Rose… No, maybe she was the only one

out of suspicion. Yet the number of people on the possible list of suspects made my head spin. I had no

idea who to trust. All I knew was that JD was targeting vampires and Sariel as their king, but other than

that, I knew nothing. I previously thought that JD's interest in me was about me being with Sariel. If it

was true, then he wouldn't have any reason to keep his interest in me while I started to live in the Moon

Hill Pack. That one note proved me wrong. It all began to freak me out. What the hell could this guy

want from me? Why did he want to meet me? Who was he?

I figured that Patrick was the only person whom I could tell about that note. I wasn't sure if I should tell

Draven, not right away at least. I didn't think that he was somehow involved in this, but I would have to

talk to him while we were alone, and after what had happened between us in the morning, I needed

time to face him again with my head straight.

The dinner Grandma Rose left on my table went cold. My anxieties fed me enough to forget I was ever

hungry. Nonetheless, I couldn't let this JD, whoever he was, make me jeopardize my health. I needed

to stay calm and take care of my strength. I exhaled my restlessness as much as I could. I needed to

think clearly. I needed to keep my focus.

I hesitated about whether to inform Kanan about the note or not. I involved him in this mess when I told

him about the notes, and then I left him alone in the Palace with little to no protection. I knew that if I

told him about the message, he wouldn't stop until he found out who JD was, even if that meant

endangering himself more than he already was. Although I knew that he could be amazingly helpful in

finding JD's personality, I was aware that JD could get to Kanan just as easily as he had this note

delivered to me. The risk was too high. After a long while, I decided it would be safer if Kanan didn't

know about the note.

When it was almost 9 PM, I rushed downstairs and then ran out to the training grounds and the army

camp. I found Patrick's tent and knocked on the metal frame by the door.

"Enter!" I heard Patrick's commanding voice.

The sound put a wide grin on my face. I still couldn't get used to this "Commander Kim" thing. I pushed

through the tent door while nonchalantly clearing my throat, but gasped audibly as I saw Patrick

wearing nothing but a pair of sweatpants.

"Geez, Lilith! I'm sorry!" He panicked once he saw me and hurriedly reached for his tank top. "I thought

it was Titus. He was supposed to bring me the report, and I didn't look at the time…" he explained

feverishly.

I snorted. "Relax! I've already seen your pretty abs, and I don't mind looking at them again," I claimed

sassily.

Patrick sighed while shaking his head, but I could see my comment formed a grin on his face, which

even his well-behaved-commander mask couldn't hide. He pulled a chair for me, and as I took my seat,

he sat on his bed in front of me.

"Tell me what is going on, Patrick," I demanded, nervously clenching my fist.

"Before we came here with the army, General Gotha and I created a potential list of targets and gave

those vampire families additional protection. It was quiet for a few days, but yesterday there was a

serious attack on one of the wealthiest semi-noble families, the Murata family. The family lives in a

mansion no smaller than the Calvets' castle, with close to two hundred servants and security guards.

They had the best possible surveillance system and the Royal Army's protection… and yet ninety

percent of the people working there died during the attack…" Patrick lowered his head.

"Who attacked them? What happened?" I inquired restlessly.

Patrick raised his eyes on me. I could see his pupils becoming darker and darker.

"Degenerates," he squeezed through his throat.

"W-what?" I gasped.

"A whole fucking army of degenerates…" he exhaled angrily, "Strong as hell and bloodthirsty creatures

with only one purpose in life: to kill."

I gulped. I had seen the massacre left by degenerates only once. It was enough to engrave that bloody

image deep in my memory. I don't think I could ever forget what I had seen the night Carla and the

other girls were slaughtered at the casino.

"So… there are commoners who bite people, and turn them into vampires-slash-zombies to make an

army of them?!" I called out, processing all the horrifying possibilities inside my head.

Patrick put a bitter smile on his face. "It would have been better if it had only been like that."

"Then what is it?" I asked, anxiously leaning towards him, anticipating getting every detail about the

situation.

"We don't know, Lilith," he sighed, with an uncomfortable grimace. "These aren't normal degenerates.

They look… enhanced and stronger than the average vampire commoner, or even semi-nobles. They

are hard to kill, and it looks like there are hundreds of them… or even thousands."

At that moment, I could comprehend his expression when he walked into the meeting room. The Royal

Army had finally seen the enemy. It was only a matter of time before the one behind it all would stop

operating from the shadows, and then the real war would begin…

"Um…" I opened my mouth, still not knowing how to say what I needed to say. "Did the King tell you

about the encrypted messages that Kanan and I decoded…?" I asked hesitantly.

"He told me that there was your name on one of them," he confirmed.

"Well…" I chuckled nervously, "Today I received a note… from the same person who'd written those

encrypted ones… Someone left it on my pillow…"

"What?!" He jumped up on his feet.

I took out the card from my pocket and handed it to him. He read it closely, and I could see his blood

beginning to boil.

"You are not going anywhere. I will grant you the best security and you will stay inside the pack," he

dictated harshly.

"You cannot be serious?!" I snapped. "This is exactly what this JD is hoping for! Don't you get it?!

Someone broke into my bedroom, and you think that I would be safe here?! I would rather go to war

than wait here until this guy decides it is the right time for our meeting!"

Patrick took a deep breath, giving me a worrying gaze. He knew I was right. In my current fucked up

situation, it was safer to go to war than to stay in the pack's territory and turn myself into prey locked up

in a golden cage.

"I have no idea why this JD is after me… but I'm not going to let him terrorize me. Besides, if you know

about the notes, then you have to suspect that JD is the one behind all of those attacks, and there is

someone who works for him inside the Moon Hill Pack," I smirked cunningly.

Patrick frowned, leaning down on me. "What are you planning, Lilith?" He crossed his arms on his

chest.

"Find someone you can trust and assign him to watch over me. I'm sure that if JD left me a note today,

there will be another one soon. If we could catch the spy, maybe we could find out who JD is," I stated,

grinning. All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

Patrick sighed and raised his hands in surrender. "Fine. I'm not fond of the idea, but it's the safest plan

to follow for now. I will arrange for someone to silently follow you from the beginning of the quest."

"Thank you." I stood up on my toes and gave him a small peck on the cheek.

Patrick stepped back and nearly fell onto his bed. I snorted. Teasing him definitely was the highlight of

my day.

"Goodnight, Patrick." I smiled on my way out of his tent.

"Goodnight." His sweetly nervous response made me chuckle.

I walked back through the training grounds, grinning and humming cheerfully until I faced a pair of

furiously blazing red pupils right in front of me.

"Good evening, Lilith," Draven hissed. "Mind telling me, what the fuck were you doing inside the Royal

Army's Commander's tent at this hour?"