Jaguar guided Aselia to her room and after helping her settle in for the night, he headed to meet his brother Casmian. Jaguar found him in his training room, practising his fire arrows on a fireproof target.

"Casmian!" Jaguar called him out, making him stop and turn towards him. His reddish-golden hair was half tied in a ponytail above his head while the rest flowed behind him.

"You are back," a dimple appeared on Casmian’s cheek as he grinned at his brother and both of them hugged.

"Here for the masquerade ball. Father and Mother were very persuasive on the phone," he scoffed.

"They have that effect. My mother and yours at least have this in common," they both began to laugh as Casmian put away his bow and they settled down in the seats around the wooden table.

"So, how is your mission going? Is the girl safe? You haven’t reported me for a week now," he asked, turning his soft brown eyes on his brother and slightly leaning back against the chair.

A sheepish grin originated on Jaguar’s face and he nervously adjusted his hair before speaking:

"About that. I brought her along."

The fleeting bouts of happiness Casmian had experienced seeing his brother, evaporated in a split second and were replaced by a heavy scowl as he slammed his fist on the table and shouted in rage:

"You did what?"

Jaguar was not surprised to see his brother’s reaction. He knew his brother was not romantically involved with her as she had never met him or anyone from the royal family before. But she was someone important.

"She is my date for the ball, brother. I like her and I mean a lot," Casmian face palmed himself at his answer.

"I told you to keep an eye on her, to keep her safe. Not to fall for her. How could you get distracted on such an important mission? Didn’t I tell you it involves Phantom? You were not supposed to develop feelings for her," Casmian glared at his brother, there was a fire in his eyes, they weren’t calm anymore.

"Why not? You need to tell me the whole truth about her. Because I am not planning on letting her go," Jaguar crossed his arms across his chest and narrowed his eyes, demanding answers. Casmian heavily sighed and carefully asked in a low tone:

"Does she reciprocate your feelings?"

"Not yet but I am working on that. I am going to woo her until she falls in love with me and my charms," the intensity of his words told Casmian that his brother had crossed into the valley of love.

"Kamian, are you in love with her?" he raised his brow at him, trying not to yell. Casmian knew they were going to incur Xiran’s wrath. He had gone behind his back to keep an eye on the girl and now his brother had messed up big time.

"Something along those lines," Jaguar answered with a slight tilt of his head. A devilish smile crept up on his upturned lips. Showing his brother, he was not at all sorry for doing that.

"You messed up your mission, failed to do your job properly and now you are smiling. You don’t even know how much trouble you have landed us into?" Casmian shook his head in rage, his beautiful hair swayed left and right.

"What trouble? Tell me everything and I will handle it."

"You can’t handle it. She is Xiran’s girl. He took away her memories to keep her safe from his father, who was hell-bent on finding and killing her. That’s why I sent you, that girl is valuable. There have been rumours that Phantom collects young elven girls not only to sate himself but there is more to it, considering how vampires were created in the first place. But you have messed everything up."

A surge of jealousy birthed inside Jaguar and flooded through his whole system, to just think she belonged to someone else was angering him to the point of explosion.

"So they were romantically involved?" he asked, his hands tightening into fists making his veins pop out, ready to burst. His calm face was no longer surreal and that smile was long gone.

"She was his girlfriend until he made her forget about his existence, so yes. Why do you think Xiran is so hellbent on getting rid of his father? He wants to claim her back. It’s not sensible to get involved with that girl, Kamian. It won’t end well for you," Casmian tried to talk sense but Jaguar was not ready to listen.

"Well, he missed his chance. She is mine now and I will beat his ass if he tried to come for her," Jaguar hissed between gritted teeth.

"You can’t, you idiot. He is so much stronger than you are, he will kill you. If I had known you will end up falling for her, I would never have sent you," Casmian wanted to smack him so hard for even entertaining such notions to go against Xiran.

"I am not afraid of him, let him come. And she is so genuine yet feisty, strong and yet delicate. It’s impossible to not feel overwhelmed with her with the urge to own her and make her mine. I think she has been through enough at his hands, he should be the one to let her go," Jaguar shrugged and Casmian knew trouble was brewing. Xiran will be here tomorrow as he invited him and all hell will break loose.

"Brother! I am warning you. This will not end well for you or me."

"Have a little faith in your younger brother and support him, Casmian. You know I am the better choice for her and we can keep her safe here. Please, do this for me," Jaguar had never pleaded with his brother or had ever asked him for favours. He had always only carried out tasks he had assigned him. Casmian seemed defeated.

"Haw! I will see what I can do. But promise you won’t stir any trouble. Keep her identity secret tomorrow, she should wear such a mask that Xiran shouldn’t be able to identify her. I don’t want a brawl breaking out during the ball."

"Understood! Thank you," Jaguar’s lopsided grin had returned as he playfully punched Casmian. Telling him to cheer up, while he kept on scowling at his younger brother and the trouble he had brought.