HER LOVE • davina claire

15 | NO BETTER THAN THE TWO OF THEM

My twin brother still wouldn't let up his distant attitude, while Ansel and I made light conversation. It wasn't about anything spectacular, but these moments is something that I'd treasure forever. I meant what I told Nik. If it turns out that our father is lying to us, I will kill him myself. If not, then this would be one of the best things to ever happen in my whole life. Meeting Davina would always be the greatest thing to ever happen to me, but this comes as a very close second.

It was not long after when we come upon a large tree, where the merlock orchids are growing upon the branches. Surrounding the tree are dozens and dozens of purple-flowered herbs. I let out a growl of frustration and annoyance that sent the birds in the trees fleeing as it resounds through the forest.

Nik was clearly as frustrated as I am, "Vervain. It's everywhere. My relentless mother has set a trap."

"I'd like to take one of these branches and shove it in her throat." I snarled with a dark frown, glaring at the rest. My father gave me a wide-eyed look of shock. Something uneasy welled up in my chest from the look on his face, but I pushed it down. I have never hidden who I am and I wasn't about to start now. "If you really watched over Nik and I our whole lives, then you should know that doing that to Esther would be one of my more graceful offenses."

"Yes, I am aware of what you are capable of, Aleksios. However, it is quite a different thing to witness in person." He explained to me and I nodded. The uneasy feeling in my chest disappearing. Ansel looks at the tree and then back and forth at me and Nik before smiling pleasantly. "I'll retrieve the merlock for you."

Nik regarded him suspiciously and I suppressed a sigh. "At what cost?"

"Oh, Chirst, Nik! Could you just give it a rest already?" I asked him, more than a little annoyed with his behaviour.

I was taken my surprise when Ansel angrily throws his knife into the ground and approaches my twin. "Why don't you use your vampire abilities to end your doubts? Search my mind. You'll see I'm not aligned with your mother."

"I have absolutely no interest in the inner-workings of your brain." Nik denied his offer and I regarded him.

"I'm surprised at your cowardice." Ansel noted and my eyes widened in shock. So, along with our stubbornness and know-it-all attitudes, we also got our smart mouths from him.

"Oh?" Nik questioned, hiding the hurt that he was feeling from the insult.

"While you stand here in fear of me, your brother suffers further." Our father said and Nik is clearly hurt by these words, and after a moment, he reconsiders Ansel's offer.

"Gather the orchids." Nik orders and we stand in an awkward silence for a long while as my brother and father stared each other down.

"Right, so, we are defenitely your children." I commented, giving my father and my brother a slightly optimistic smile. This was going about as well as expected. Somedays, like today, I miss the days when I could just sleep around without a care in the world and my biggest problem was waking up in time to have lunch with Nik.

Later on, Nik, Ansel and I are sitting across from each other as a campfire burns between us. Ansel is using his long knife to cut the merlock orchids. I watched, facinated by the simple action. And apparently, I wasn't the only one. If the well hidden look of awe on Nik's face was anything to go by.