Damon shoved his hands in his pockets as he entered the Crimson Blade bar, renowned for serving the most incredible beers one could ever imagine. However, drinking wasn't exactly Damon's thing. He had come here for a specific reason.
"There's no way I'm coming to this kingdom and not meeting Lucas and Chase," Damon thought to himself as he approached the bar. Just then, he heard Lucas chuckle and say, "Is that Damon the fifth?"
"Shut up, Lucas," Damon replied with a smile. He took a seat at the bar and looked around, wondering where Chase was.
"The dude went out to buy more ingredients for our special beer. Nobody still knows the secret to that amazing brew, do they?" Lucas asked.
"Well, if they did, I wouldn't call it special," Damon responded, lowering his voice slightly. "But, cursed, you guys need to rebuild this place. Lucas, talk to Chase about it."
"It's too late for you, Damon. He's right behind y..." Before Lucas could finish his sentence, Damon quickly ducked, narrowly avoiding a blade that came flying towards him.
"Damn it!" Damon exclaimed, startled. "I didn't plan on dodging blades today! What's going on?"
"Come on, Damon, let's go to my office," Chase said, shaking his head. They walked into his office, closing the door behind them, and Damon took a seat.
"What brings you back here? Did you hear about Zulu?" Chase asked.
Confused, Damon furrowed his brows and mumbled, "Everybody here knows about her, and no one informed me in time. She was stealing to survive, for Christ's sake!"
"Don't you forget that you left for a better world without her? Why didn't you take her with you?" Chase questioned.
"You know perfectly well that I was searching for Lara after her death. I couldn't have Zulu tagging along and distracting me," Damon explained.
Chase took a seat and leaned back in his chair. "Distract you how, Damon?"
"That girl is a sex addict," Damon admitted.
"You didn't seem to be complaining about it," Chase pointed out with a smirk.
"Sex is good. There's no way I would have complained," Damon chuckled.
Chase shook his head and then leaned in, his hands clasped together. "So, have you found her? Why are you here then?"
"I have found her," Damon replied, exhaling deeply. "But I need a place to breathe. Dealing with women can be exhausting."
Chase smiled knowingly. "Ah, so after spending five thousand years searching for this Lara girl all over the world, even venturing into demon lands, you're now trying to escape her?"
"You don't understand, Chase. That girl is so innocent," Damon said, running a hand through his hair. "And I know the right thing to do is to keep her innocent, but I want to corrupt her. I want to stain her mind and make her think of me the way I think of her."
"Wait, Damon," Chase leaned in closer, a glint of mischief in his eyes. "Is the great Damon the fifth sexually frustrated?" Without saying a word, Chase burst into laughter, clutching his stomach. "Oh my God, those were the days when women flocked to you, and you had enough at your beck and call. Now, this single girl is getting to you?"
"Shut up, Chase," Damon grumbled.
"I have to meet this girl," Chase said with a smile. "But before that, when do you plan on leaving?"
"You've heard about the war too, huh?" Damon replied.
"I have, and if those vampires manage to take over this town, what will happen to my bar?" Chase questioned.
"You're a demon living in dragon territory, Chase. I know you can handle those vampires if you want to," Damon assured him.
"That would draw too much attention, and you know how I am, Damon. I don't do well with people," Chase shrugged.
"When was the last time you got laid?"
"Five years ago," Chase smiled. "Getting laid isn't my problem, dude."
"I know that, so what's holding you back?" Damon inquired.
"My woman, my mate, Damon. I finally found her," his smile faded. "But I have to wait a little longer for her to grow up. She's only sixteen and already driving me insane."
"Sucks to be in your shoes, Chase," Damon empathized.
"Don't remind me," Chase sighed.
"You do know that dragons hate demons, right?" Damon asked cautiously.
"I do," Chase confirmed.
"And your mate, she's a dragon?" Damon pressed.
"She is," Chase admitted.
"Once again, Chase sucks to be in your shoes," Damon commented with a wry smile.
Chase let out a chuckle but then grew serious again. "Are you going to participate in this war? I heard vampires are in the woods, which means they've conquered the mountain folks."
"I was considering it, but Fedor hasn't begged me yet," Damon replied, a hint of resentment in his tone.
"You're still holding a grudge, aren't you?" Chase remarked.
"Obviously," Damon shrugged, standing up and yawning. "As I said, Chase, he hasn't begged, so I might be leaving tomorrow."
"That sucks. If you leave, the vampires will win," Chase sighed.
"I've thought about that, and what's even more interesting is that the vampires will capture Fedor and Elizabeth," Damon muttered.
"Hmm," Chase murmured, contemplating Damon's words. "Don't go there, Damon. Just make sure you know what you're doing."
Chase smiled confidently. "I'm sure you do. Now take me to see the woman torturing my friend."
Ava yawned and stretched her body as she sat up, still feeling sleepy after everything that had happened earlier. Since she didn't have a job or any pressing responsibilities, she decided to go back to sleep.
After waking up again, Ava didn't waste any time before heading to the bathroom to freshen up. She completed her routine and put on another short dress, as she noticed that long dresses weren't the norm in this place.
The dress hugged her like a second skin, it was a simple red dress with no design, sleeveless, and short. "I can't wait to leave this place," Ava muttered to herself as she looked around her room. She realized Damon wasn't around, remembering that he mentioned being busy that day.
Leaving the room, she walked down the hallway, lost in her thoughts and not paying much attention to where she was going. This led her to accidentally bump into someone she wished she hadn't. "Ava??" Jeffrey, Damon's younger brother, held her shoulder to steady her.
Stepping back, Ava tried to fix her ponytail that she had tied up but failed, leaving her hair messy. Looking at Jeffrey, she noticed he was dressed in blue trousers and a white long-sleeved shirt, and his blue eyes were studying her intently. "I didn't see you at the breakfast table," he remarked.
"I was sleeping, unfortunately. I heard the food was great," Ava replied, wondering why he was being friendly all of a sudden. "But I'm not hungry, Jeffrey."
Before Ava could say anything else, Jeffrey grabbed her hand and pulled her in the direction of a massive hall. Is that the kitchen? Opening the door, they stepped inside, causing the maids to scurry out.
"What would you like to eat, Ava?" Jeffrey asked, picking up a plate of chicken.
"I told you, I'm not hungry, Jeffrey," Ava insisted, trying to maintain a polite smile. "I'm looking for Damon."
"I heard he left this morning, or maybe he's in the other room with Zulu," Jeffrey replied casually, taking a bite of his chicken.
"With Zulu?" Ava questioned, raising an eyebrow.
Jeffrey nodded, still eating. "That man can never be sexually satisfied," he shook his head. "Has he fucked you yet
"What?" My whole face turned red in embarrassment.
"Has he slept with you, Ava?" Jeffrey repeated, causing me to mumble, "I don't see how that's any of your business, Jeffrey. I have to go." As I turned to walk away, he gently held my hand, making me shoot him confused glances. He took advantage of the moment by kissing me on the lips.
I stood there shocked by his actions. The kiss was brief, not deepened at all. "You're beautiful," he said, running his hand through my exposed arm. "I see why my brother is going crazy over you. But then, I don't need him to kill me over you, do I?" He let go of me, and I frowned, feeling irritated by his flirtatious behavior.
Leaving the kitchen, I shut the door and noticed the maids gossiping about me, spreading rumors that I had been involved with multiple princes at once. Could my day get any worse?
Little did I know, my day was about to take a turn for the worse as I headed to meet this mysterious Zulu everyone kept mentioning.