The Broken Angel & Her Overprotective Brothers-Chapter 345: Emily Found Shadow

Emily parked the car as soon as the highway ended and waited. Her fingers tapped the wheel and she focused her attention on the surroundings but except for the other parked vehicles, there wasn’t much for her to see.

A couple of moments later, the passenger side door opened and Lauren climbed inside and settled on the passenger seat. "You know that you can’t get to Night Valley in a car, right?"

A smile bloomed on Emily’s lips as she turned to face the vampire and asked - "So, are you ready to help me now?"

Lauren let out a sigh before he responded - "It’s not like I have any other choice." He then reached his hand out toward her and Emily placed her hand in his waiting palm.

The vampire wasted no further time as he immediately teleported both of them away. The magical sensation of the powerful spell washed over Emily before it was completely gone and she found herself standing outside some room.

"He’s in there. I will take my leave now." Lauren told her right before his figure disappeared from beside her, leaving Emily all alone in that empty and dimly lit hallway.

She took in a deep breath before stepping forward and pushing open the door that gave way without any resistance.

The room was shrouded in an eerie silence as Emily’s eyes adjusted to the dim light. The single lamp on the table cast long, flickering shadows that danced across the walls. In the center of the room sat a man, his back to the entrance, his posture tense. He had just been about to scold an intruder, but the sound of his name on her lips had stopped him in his tracks.

"Shadow..."

The name hung in the air, heavy with a mixture of disbelief and recognition. The man in the chair froze as if time itself had come to a standstill. The word "Princess" escaped his lips in a hushed tone, his surprise just as clear as day.

Emily couldn’t contain her shock as she took in the sight of the man before her. The room’s dim light played tricks with her perception, but there was no mistaking the haggard look that he carried. Compared to how he looked the previous evening when she last saw him, he now looked way too worse, almost like he had aged centuries within a night.

His once vibrant eyes were now dulled, devoid of the warmth and strength that had defined him. Emily gasped, unable to hide her reaction.

"Shadow, what happened to you?" Her voice trembled with genuine worry as she rushed towards him.

Shadow shifted uncomfortably in his chair, his gaze dropping to the floor. He knew he couldn’t avoid her questions for long. "Nothing," he replied tersely, his voice strained. "What are you doing here, Princess?"

Emily folded her arms, unwilling to let him evade her inquiries. "I’m here because you didn’t return, and you’ve been ignoring all my calls and messages," she said firmly. "I’m here because I’m worried about you. And since I’m already here, you better tell me what happened to you."

Shadow let out a heavy sigh, his shoulders slumping slightly. It was clear that he couldn’t keep his secret hidden any longer. "It’s nothing, Princess," he began, his voice softer now. "I had a fight with a group of rogues last night. They outnumbered me, but I managed to escape with minor injuries. The wounds have already healed, but my body is taking longer to return to normal because I refused to take their blood."

Emily’s concern deepened as she listened to his explanation. Shadow’s story seemed plausible, yet something nagged at the back of her mind. She knew him well enough to sense when he was holding something back. She stepped closer to him, her eyes searching his face for any sign of deception.

"Shadow, I’ve known you for years," she said gently, "and I can tell when something’s not right. Are you sure you’re telling me everything?"

Shadow hesitated for a moment, his gaze finally meeting hers. There was a flicker of vulnerability in his eyes, a crack in the facade he had built around himself. But then it was all gone and a determined look took over his eyes as he spoke - "Trust me, Princess. It’s nothing. I was planning to return to you as soon as I would have healed. I didn’t want to worry you. As for missing your calls... I have been resting here the entire day. Sorry, Princess, for making you worry."

Emily shook her head as she closed the remaining space between them and took a seat next to him. Looking from this close, she could see just how bad his health was and her heart pinged with sadness and worry for him. "What matters the most is your health, Shadow. You don’t have to apologize. Instead, you need to get some blood in your system to heal."

"There’s no need for that. I will heal on my own I a while. It’s not that bad." Shadow tried to refuse the idea but Emily clearly had no plan of letting him escape.

"I’m not asking for your opinion." She made sure that her words were loud and clear to him. "I will personally go and get you the best blood type available here, and you will need to finish it. Just wait for me."

Before Shadow could have protested or tried to stop her, Emily stood up and hurried out of the room before she called out Lauren’s name and the man appeared before her in just a few seconds.

"You need my help, Miss Alessandro?"

Emily quickly glanced at the now closed door of Shadow’s room, knowing fully well that he could hear her. Turning her attention back to Lauren, she replied - "I need your help to find me a really good and strong bottle of blood so that your Sire can drink it and heal quickly. Will you help?"

Lauren seemed relieved as if that was exactly what he wanted to hear. "With pleasure."