Chapter-5: Protect Her

Kane's POV: "Man she's so beautiful, I can't even tell you in words! She has dark brown wavy hair and chocolate brown eyes! She's just so perfect." Bryson was blabbering about how beautiful his mate was and I couldn't stop rolling my eyes. The guy was already so obsessed with this girl. He went on and on about how pretty she was, how the shape of her eyes, ears, nose, lips everything was perfect. I wasn't even paying attention to him at this point because my mind kept wandering back to those intense black eyes belonging to a certain girl named Sya. But what Bryson said next snapped my attention back to him. "Oh God, even her name is so perfect, 'Hannah Adrian'!" He said her name dreamily but that got on my nerves. Hannah Adrian?! Well, well if this isn't a typical film scene then I don't know what is. Bryson's mate just had to be my ‘supposed mate's best friend! And also the girl whom I want to avoid at all costs. Facepalm! "Look! There she is. Let's go!" He said, pulling me with him towards the table where his mate and my supposed mate were sitting. "Uh, I have something impor-" I tried to come up with a quick excuse to avoid having to meet her but Bryson cut me off and continued dragging me there. "Come on man! I want to introduce you to my mate." We reached near the table where Sya and Bryson's mate, Hannah, were sitting. Before I could come up with another excuse, we were already there. "Hello, ladies! Do you mind if we join you?" Bryson said in a gentleman-like manner, which irked me even more. "Yeah, sure! Why not?" Hannah said. She smiled at Bryson, which made him go crazy with happiness as he returned her a bigger smile. Sya shyly nodded in his direction and her beautiful eyes shifted to me. My breath hitched inside my throat as her beauty made me lose any visible control I had on my senses. Her mesmerizing black eyes bored into mine, making my body almost paralyzed. "Aren't you going to sit?" Bryson's voice interrupted my lost train of thoughts, snapping me from my daze. I noticed her snap out of the trance at the same time as I did. Bryson and Hannah were now looking at me weirdly. "Um, yeah. I'm sitting." I said, taking a seat next to Bryson. Bryson and I were sitting on the other side of the table, facing Sya and Hannah. The conversation between Hannah and Bryson carried on, until the bell rang, indicating for us to head over to our next class. All the time Sya and I remained quiet and would only stool glances at each other now and then. I felt weird near her. I mean, I was never attracted to any girl after becoming a vampire. Not that before I was attracted to someone! It's just that, it's as if I couldn't resist her beauty and when she looked at me with her innocent eyes I couldn't help the urge to just kiss her perfect soft lips. Stop! Don't start thinking about her again! At the end of the lunch, Bryson managed to take Hannah's phone number but I was beyond pissed. He hadn't even talked to Sya even for once, as if she wasn't there at all. It's just so rude, which pissed me off! The whole day passed like a blur after that. No special event occurred. After college Bryson excused himself saying that he wanted to know more about his mate's background and everything about her. 'Do you think I should ask her out tonight or just give her a box of chocolates for now? Or how about I ask her out and bring her a bouquet and chocolates?" I gave him a weird look. 'What?" he said, stopping to look at my face. 'Nothing. Just wondering if you've always been this corny or this mate-bond thingy suddenly got to your head." He snorted, 'Wait till you find yours. I won't be surprised to find you pacing the room anxiously, wondering if she likes red or white flowers." And with that, he disappeared faster than you could say ‘peek-a-boo'. He has no idea how I found and rejected mine a long time ago. And now she may be standing right in front of me yet I have no idea how to handle this situation. Walking over to the car, I decided to visit Stella to talk about this girl called Sya. I slipped out my mobile as I dialed her number. "Hello?" Her soft voice greeted me from the other side as she picked up the call after a few rings. "Hi, Stella! I want to ask you something. If you're not busy can I come to your place?" I asked her. She paused for a minute as if she was hesitant about something and then said in a hushed voice. "Actually, grandma is here and you know how she can be. Can we meet somewhere out?" She asked, embarrassment evident in her voice. "Fine, works for me. Meet me at the cafe that is near the college." I said, dismissing the awkwardness. I heard her heaving a sigh of relief. "Okay! I'll be there in 30 minutes." She said, and with that, she hung up. After thirty minutes she showed up at the cafe as she had said. She was wearing a green floral dress which was enhancing her red hair more. She was looking beautiful but I didn't get attracted to her like I did whenever I looked at Sya. "Hey!" She waved at me when she saw me sitting in a corner booth. She came towards me and took the seat on the front chair. "What did you want to talk about?" She asked, looking curiously at me with her purple eyes when she got comfortable. I opened my mouth hesitantly. "I need your help with something," I said, looking at her with a serious expression. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Yeah? What it is?" She asked as she looked at my fidgeting figure. "Do you remember how you gave me a pill so I wouldn't recognize my mate even if I met her ever again?" She nodded, listening carefully. "Well, I want you to give me something which can finish the effect of that pill," I said rapidly as if my words would disappear if I stopped. It was a difficult decision for me, considering that if she was my mate then the mate-bond would come back. And the thing which scared me the most was that I might not be able to control myself around her now. She looked shocked for a second with the unexpected mention of my mate as we'd never talked about this after that night but then nodded in understanding after a few seconds. "Are you sure about this?" I thought for a second and then nodded. This is the only way I can be sure. She lifted her hands, which were resting in her lap, and held my left hand in between both hands before closing her eyes. I looked at her curiously as she started chanting something under her breath and then opened her eyes after a few minutes. Her purple pupils were glowing now and she let go of my hand and smiled at me. "Done?" I asked, shocked. She simply nodded. I was still shocked, wondering what had just happened. "I thought you were going to give me some kind of pill again," I confessed, now grinning at her. Honestly, I didn't think that it would be this fast and easy. "No. I'm not a doctor who's going to prescribe you pills for everything. I'm a witch and the pill I gave you years ago was a magic pill. So, to finish the effect of magic it is necessary to treat it with the right spells." She explained. I just nodded absentmindedly as her information was only going over my head. I tried not to concentrate too much on what she was saying because magic-talk always confused me. Right then, I caught the most intoxicating scent of lotus flowers. The same scent I had caught years ago. The very same scent that made me go crazy then and was making me go crazy now. My eyes shifted towards the café entrance where Sya was standing and I sighed at the irony of fate. It loved to mess with my life. I knew she was the one. I'd never even imagined I'd meet my mate once again. She didn't seem to notice me in the corner which I was grateful for. I didn't know how to react around her. She entered and reached the counter where the manager was standing, attending to some customers. She began to talk to him when he turned his attention towards her. They talked for a few minutes and then she turned to walk towards the exit. I panicked because she was leaving already. A part of me wanted her to stay for some more time so I could admire her beauty more than I already had all day. Impulsively, I decided to follow her. I don't know why, but I did. "Thank you Stella for your time but I have something really important to deal with." Stella noticed me getting all panicky and smirked. 'Sure Kane. Let's meet some other time," she winked suggestively. Glad she didn't ask any questions! I hurried out of the cafe and looked around. I spotted her a few feet away, walking on the sidewalk. I began to walk behind her but at a safe distance so she wouldn't notice me following. God! I feel like such a stalker! But she's my mate, so I guess it's not a big thing, right?! Damn, Bryson might be right. I might start wanting to know her likes and dislikes soon. She stopped by the bus stop and waited for the bus. I carefully watched her every move standing behind a tree that was a few feet away. She looked deep in thoughts as if anticipating the solution to a big problem. When the bus came, she took a seat near the window. I also got on the bus from the back door and took a seat at the end. I didn't know why I was following her like a total creep, but it felt so right. As if I needed to watch over her every move or I'd go insane. The bus stopped and she got out. I followed her out of the bus and down the road. It was past noon and the sun was setting now. She stopped in front of an isolated alley, looking hesitant and afraid. Then she started walking inside. I again started walking behind her, unsure of what she might need from here. The neighborhood was extremely isolated and she didn't look like the type of girl who did drugs. She was halfway out of the other end of the alley when suddenly a man appeared in front of her. She was startled by the sudden appearance and froze in her spot. Blood flushed through me as I noticed that the man was a vampire. I knew what his intentions were. He took predatory steps towards her, eyeing her hungrily. It boiled my blood as she took fearful steps backward. I was starting to get all worked up as adrenaline rushed through my veins. The vampire suddenly lunged at her and gripped her arm. She began to yank her arm to free herself, her frantic heartbeat driving me insane. I was beyond furious that someone was hurting her and as if my legs had a mind of their own, I ran in my vamp speed and pushed the vampire away. He flew in the air for a bit before crashing onto the dumpsters behind. They cracked beneath his weight and by the force of the fall. He lifted his head to see the person who had pushed him away from his prey. As soon as he saw me, an instinct of backing away flashed in his eyes. Obviously, he'd realized that I'm way more powerful than him. He stood with shaky legs as a wave of fear spread through him. He didn't waste a second before running out from the alley. A smirk twitched at the corner of my lips at the fact that I had such an effect on other vampires. But then I heard a whimper, coming from behind me, and I remembered that Sya was still there. I turned to her and all the walls that I had created around my heart throughout these miserable years of struggling were crumbled in an instant. Her beautiful face was stained with tears and she was crying. The sight dropped my heart and I immediately wrapped my arms around her. She cried into my chest, definitely scared by what had just happened. Anyone can get upset after being attacked by some strange, inhuman-looking person. I rubbed her back and murmured soothing things to calm her down. Her being in my arms made my heart warm and at that instant, I vowed that I would protect her with all my will. Even, if I don't let her be with me as my mate, I'd protect her with my life. *~*~*~*~*~*~*