ZARAMANNI (BOOK ONE)

“The people that wish me dead?” Zara asked, caution in her voice. The Overlord gave a curt nod to which Zaramanni frowned. As she raked the man with her blue eyes, she noted how sullen he looked. But, she had no interest in asking him about his life story. “Are you talking about the fairies?”

“Yes, the fairies are after you. But,” Zara couldn’t shake off how dangerous his voice sounded in those lonely corridors, “within this kingdom called Zenrada are wolves you should watch out for.”

The Vampire’s response intrigued Zaramanni. Though something told her that he was just weaving words to scare her for his pleasure.

Eyes trained on the creature, she asked, “Which of the wolves?”

“I don’t know who, but I overheard their conversation. They are after you, Zaramanni. You need to watch out.”

“You strangely sound serious about this,” Zara found herself uttering in a low voice.

Her brows twitching, she stole a glance at the sky beyond, and as she did that, the corner of her eyes caught a glimpse of the Vampire’s teeth.

His fangs glistened in the slight darkness of the corridor they stood in.

For a second, Zara felt her heart jump. She feared that he would dig his teeth into her flesh when she wasn’t looking. So, she swiftly took a step back.

Eyes squinted, Zara watched as the vampire took a finger to his mouth and began to probe the tiny gaps between his teeth, making kissing sounds that managed to irk her.

Her face wearing slight disgust, Zara asked, “Are you certain about what you just told me? Not a lot of people know my true identity in this kingdom.”

“Well,” he removed his finger after he pulled out a tiny sheet of vegetable, “you have to keep your eyes on them if you intend to survive in this wretched land.”

“Wretched land?” Zara folded her arms as she wore a frown. “Are you forgetting that you joined hands with the fairies to destroy this so-called wretched land? You are quite brazen, Overlord Zamar.” Zara dragged a quick exhale. “Anyway, seeing how you are here, you must be shameless. I am surprised you haven’t been skinned alive by-”

“What are you doing out here, Overlord Zamar?” It was Lord Elias that spoke. With hasty steps, he rushed toward Zara and the Overlord. The feathery muffler around his neck dragged on the ground as he walked. “You are meant to be in your room. Do you intend to get your head cut off so early?”

“You speak as though I would eventually get my head cut off,” the Overlord swiftly replied and he took a step away from Zara.

Lord Elias halted his fast steps, and Zaramanni wondered if he was one of the people who meant to harm her. If she was going to put a little trust in Overlord Zamar’s words, she needed to be careful indeed.

But then, Zaramanni found it ridiculous that Lord Elias would mean to harm her.

“We are all considering getting rid of your head, Overlord Zamar. And, I must confess that I enjoy the thought of taking the life of the leader of Skullis.” Lord Elias took a stern step toward Zamar. With dagger looks in his eyes that danced in the dark light, he continued, “Ever since you stepped into this kingdom, I have relished the thoughts of shedding your blood. And, I am certain I am not alone when it comes to such thoughts. So, you had better be careful.”

The old librarian tugged Zaramanni’s arm and the girl let out a small yelp.

His warning gaze still trained on Overlord Zamar, Lord Elias continued, “Stay away from Zaramanni. Don’t taint her with your deadly presence.” As he pulled Zara into his side as a father figure would, the deadly tone in his voice died down. “You should find your way to the room assigned to you. The owner of the manor doesn’t appreciate people disobeying his orders.”

Soon, without stealing another glance at the vampire who stood with a blank look on his face, Lord Elias began to walk, pulling Zara along gently.

Once they walked past the library doors, Lord Elias threw his scarf in a random direction. His body-fitting shirt which outlined his protruding nipples was taken off as well.

And, Zara stared with a small frown.

As she watched him walk toward the stack of robes placed close to the entrance, she wondered if she could ask him about the Overlord’s warning.

But she soon caught herself. She needed to observe things before jumping to conclusions. She needed to ensure that the Overlord’s warnings were valid enough to be considered.

So, after watching Lord Elias yank his fancy trousers off, she decided to do just that.

“You could at least look away,” Lord Elias spoke without turning to face her. His naked buttocks were quickly flashed before he wore the dark-coloured robe he had selected. “Are you attracted to me that much?”

“Why would I be attracted to you?” Zara quickly retorted, a definitive scowl on her forehead. “You are not my type.”

”Well,” he turned and began to walk toward the insides of the room, “you are not my type either. So, don’t feel flattered.” As Zaramanni scoffed and followed him, he abruptly faced her. “Why are you here?”

“Uh…” Zara’s eyes were instantly narrowed, and her lips were formed into a thin line as her hands found a way to play with each other. “You were the one that pulled me into this place.”

”Oh…” He folded his arms over his chest. “You need to stay away from the Overlord. The fairies most likely sent him to keep an eye on you.”

“I will do that.”

“You can leave now,” he said, his hands gesturing to give his statement some life.

“No.”

“What?”

“I was coming to meet you. I have questions.”

“Hmm…” He unclasped his arms and reached for his hair which he swiftly formed into a ponytail. “You can come back tomorrow, I am-”

“Did you hear about my situation with Clarissa’s mate?” Zara refused to respect the man’s need to push her out of the library. “I think my powers have grown.”

After releasing a sigh, Lord Elias appeared to be more patient. A little dance of impatience and he asked, “What makes you think so?”

“I burnt him with my hands.”

“Uh?” Lord Elias looked surprised.

“Yes. When I looked at my hands, they were covered with blue flames but they quickly disappeared. But, they gave Clarissa’s husband a scar, I am sure about that.”

“You can use your powers on other people?” the man-wolf muttered quite loudly, his confusion greatly written on his face. “Did your hands hurt? Did the flames leave a mark?”

“No.” Zara put her hands up mid-air and showed her palms to the man who looked like fear had crawled from its deepest pit to grip his soul.

“Zaramanni, I want you to make sure that you are here tomorrow. No matter what happens, come to the library. The moon will be fully back soon and I suspect the full presence of the moon would cause your powers to be in their highest state. You may experience a lot of malfunctions as well.”

His last statement made her sound like a machine, but Zara understood him.

As she quickly recalled how her powers made her appear and disappear, she said, “If my powers are likely to go haywire in the coming days, what should I do to minimize its effects? You and I know that no one must know who I am.”

Lord Elias sighed from where he stood. “I am afraid there’s nothing we can do. We can only hope things don’t get out of our control.”

His response depressed Zaramanni who didn’t wish to be discovered in a bizarre way. If Zoey was going to know about her true identity, she had to be the one to tell him, not the crazy signs that follow her each time she zaps in and out of space.

Glancing at the sky which looked livelier than it did before she went to Zoey’s room, she noticed that the bleak moon had a thin line around it. That coloured line floated with the moon as a fish would move with water.

Lord Elias seemed to be right. The moon was indeed about to get its fullness back and that made Zara a little afraid. She suddenly recalled the drastic changes she experienced back on Earth whenever the moon’s presence was stronger.

Her hair would turn the shade of blue, and her sight, though covered by a blue film, would be sharper than ever. Even her hearing abilities were always different.

She never paid much attention to it back then but, if such changes could happen to her when she was unaware of her powers, she could only imagine what would happen in the realm she was in.

Zara was about to turn and face Lord Elias when her ears caught the sound of someone sneezing.

It wasn’t from Lord Elias.

She was about to question the secrecy of their conversation when a faint whisper reached her ears.

’Is the plan set?′ a scruffy voice asked.

′Yes. We are ready to take action,′ another voice responded with vigour.

′Good. We have to do this as fast as possible. Zenrada is in too much suffering.′

Another voice that sounded feminine joined the hushed meeting. ′The king would be-′

′Oh!’ The first voice damned the newcomer’s words. ′Who cares about the Alpha King? He does nothing but sits on his throne like a useless piece of shit!′

The urgency in the man’s whispering voice made Zara nervous. She began to ask questions.

Was that the conversation Overlord Zamar was talking about? Was she listening to the plans that intended to hurt her?

′If the King has to die, I don’t care! We need to take control of this kingdom before he ruins it.′

’Is the poison ready?′

The feminine voice replied, ‘Yes.’

′Good, I...′

A furious shake of her shoulders dragged Zaramanni out of that unseen scene. As though she took a trip into the deadliness of an ocean, when she came to, she was gasping hard.

Brows knitted, chest heaving heavily, Zara noted how concerned Lord Elias looked as he held onto her shoulders.

“Zara...” His voice sounded distant. “Zaramanni... Are you okay?”

“D… D… Did...” She swallowed hard to kill her stutter and stared hard at the space ahead. “Did you hear that?” she finally asked.

“Hear what?”

Her voice sounded soulless as she said, “They are plotting something devious. They are…”

“Who is?”

Her eyes met Lord Elias’s. “Did you not hear them?”

“What did you hear?” Lord Elias asked with urgency in his voice. “What are they plotting?”

“I- I don’t know.” Her face wore a deep frown as she could still recall the deadly tone around the voices she heard. “They talked about a certain poison and taking over Zenrada.”

“Taking over Zenrada? Do they intend to kill the Alpha King?”

“I don’t know,” came Zara’s whispered response.

As she took a deep sigh, she heard footsteps approach from the depths of the library. With heightened curiosity, she trained her sight in the direction of the footsteps.

Soon, a tall man came out, his chest exposed, his groin area covered with nothing but a large leaf.

“Lord Elias,” a sultry voice accompanied the footsteps. “I have been waiting for you.”

Zara and Lord Elias shared a look. When Zaramanni grazed her eyes over his robe, she figured out why the man-wolf was in a haste to push her out of the room earlier.

“I will join you shortly, darling. Tell me,” Lord Elias hurriedly shifted his attention to Zaramanni, “who do they intend to poison?”

“I didn’t hear that much.” Zara noticed the glaring eyes trying to murder her from a distance. “I should get going, I will see you tomorrow.”

“Wait, wait...” Lord Elias pulled her arm. “You have to tell me more. You can’t leave like this.”

“There’s nothing more to be said, Lord Elias.” Zara shrugged her arm out of his demanding hold. “I will let you know if I hear more.” She stole another glance at the almost naked and impatient man. “You should get back to your, uh… date.”

Taking steps back, worry still on his face, Lord Elias nodded slowly. “I will see you tomorrow. Make sure you come tomorrow. Okay?”

Zara gave him a short smile before she turned and rushed out of the library. But, her fast steps were soon reduced to struts and that caused her to notice the huge ray of light that fell into the corridor.

Rushing toward an open window, Zara’s eyes bulged with excitement when she saw that the moon was miraculously shining brightly. So bright it gave the land a whole different look.

The darkness that lurked in the lands had disappeared. The gloominess that covered the kingdom quickly left and the lengthy street in front of the manor became lively as people walked out with huge smiles on their faces.

Leaning on the window sill, Zara tore her eyes off the people and looked toward the moon which had five colourful lines floating around its brightness contrary to the single thread that surrounded it after she was pulled into the library.

She was still admiring those colourful lines when howling sounds reached her ears. The people who rushed out of the manor had shifted into wolves. Without care, their animals howled excitedly. Their clawed feet danced with impatience as they celebrated the sudden yet graceful return of the moon. And the howls were met with distant howls. It was indeed a glorious night in Zenrada,

Zaramanni watched the scene with a smile on her face. She wondered if Clarissa had shifted as well. She was aware that the woman missed her wolf so much.

As Zara made to walk away from the window, she caught a glimpse of her hair through her reflection. Within minutes of the moon’s delightful conversion, her hair had managed to achieve a new shade of blue. Her hair was shinier and as its blueness enjoyed the lovely breeze that came with the night, her eyes reflected the moon’s brightness.

Zara was about to touch her hair when she noticed something on her right pinkie.

Tied around that finger was a thin red thread.

A frown filled with curiosity on her face, Zara studied the thread whose length seemed endless. She was about to attempt loosening it when solid footsteps approached her.

“Zaramanni!” The girl noted the excitement in the voice that she recognized to be Zoey’s.

She was about to question his hurried steps when she recalled his talk about The Red Thread.

Zara lifted her hand to study the line. She noticed how it looked shinier in the moon and how it was starting to appear shorter and shorter. A little perplexed, she began to trace the path of the thread and when her sight landed on Zoey’s right hand, her heart raced.

Truly, the other end of the red thread was tied to Zoey.

Zaramanni felt a shiver in her spine. This shudder was filled with excitement and her lips wore a large smile that welcomed Zoey who instantly scooped her into his arms and lifted her into the air.

With absolute delight, he danced, saying, “I knew it. I knew you were my mate!”

Zara looked down at him, loving how his joy radiated through the corridors of the manor. As she stared at the red thread that was shorter thanks to their closeness, she felt something burst inside her.

If there was a word to greatly and abundantly quantify the feeling of being happy, Zara would have used such a word to describe how she felt.

With a smile that looked like it could break on her face, she cupped Zoey’s face into her small palms, and without hesitation, with absolute delight, she hungrily captured his lips with hers.