"Your Highness!"
"What's the report? I rushed towards Doctor Lisa.
"Two of the guards are injured, but they'll be alright. As for the King…"
"What happened?"
She hesitated, which only fueled my frustration even more.
"Spit it out!" I demanded.
"He was struck with holy water."
My eyes widened.
"I'm going to kill those werewolves!" I bolted past her towards my dad's hospital room.
"Dad!"
"Lyra…" his voice was weak.
"Dad, are you ok?"
He winced, the pain was clear on his face. I quickly wiped away my tears, refusing to let him see them.
"I can't heal my wounds."
Those damn werewolves attacked us again.
"I'll make the one who hurt you pay for what they've done to the Vampire King!"
He gave a weak chuckle.
"Thank you, sweetheart. But I don't want you getting hurt. I love you too much to see you like this."
"But dad, I'm not a little girl anymore. I can handle myself."
"I know you can, but I don't care if you've grown up. You're still my daughter. I can't take the risk of losing you!"
I grumbled under my breath. He refuses to see that I'm not just his little girl anymore. I'm an adult.
"Get some rest, dad."
I kissed his forehead and stepped out of the room.
"How is he?" Mom rushed in.
"His injuries are bad. The holy water weakened him and slowed his healing abilities."
Mom sighed, shaking her head in disbelief. My vision blurred red as my fangs sharpened. Rage boiled inside me. Those blasted werewolves had to pay.
I stormed off, ignoring dad's warning, ready to hunt them down, until I overheard voices in Lily's room.
"I don't understand…" Lily's gentle voice carried through the door.
I paused for a moment and stepped inside. "Hey, you two"
Both twins looked up at me.
"How's dad?" Levi asked, his head down, trying to hide his sadness.
"Not good," I admitted.
"I don't understand."
"What is it, Lily?"
"I saw dad and the guards get attacked, but the person looked human. How do you know it was a werewolf?"
"Beacsue of their mark."
"Mark?"
"Yeah, what do you mean?" Levi asked, confused.
"Every race has a special mark, except humans," I explained.
"You mean like this?" Lily moved her hair aside, showing the blood droplet on her neck.
"Yes. We're all born with them."
"But how do you know for sure?" she asked curiously.
I sighed. Mom and dad tried so hard to shelter them, but they are old enough to understand the truth. If no one tells them now, they might walk into danger one day.
"Listen. The world isn't all sunshine and rainbows. It's wicked, and you need to understand this. Each race carries a mark, a constant reminder of who they are. Ours? A blood droplet on the neck, proof of our thirst for blood. Werewolves wear a paw print on their hand, bound by their animal nature. Mermaids have a seashell on their ankle when walking as humans, or on their fin when they live in the sea. Sirens carry a musical note on their throat, luring humans toward their deaths. Fairies shimmer with stardust across their left cheek; elves, a tree on the other. And demons…" I hesitated, lowering my voice. "Demons wear fire on their chest… the mark of endless suffering. The most dangerous of them all."
"These marks can't be covered with makeup, but clothes can hide them. That's why werewolves are dangerous when they transform into their human form. They can sneak into the castle unnoticed. And since our kingdom is covered in eternal darkness, the false moon doesn't let the werewolves reveal their true selves giving them the advantage to strike at any time.
"I hate that it's always dark," Lily muttered. "It always feels like nighttime until I get sleepy."
"I know. But without this domain, none of us would survive the sun; we'd all perish."
"That's what magic cloaks are for."
"Lily, those are only for when you leave the castle."
The room grew quiet. A minute later, Lily began to cry.
"Who are our enemies?" Levi asked.
"Werewolves and humans. The wolves for their aggressive nature, humans because they're weak and our food source but are unpredictable."
"And demons?" Lily asked.
"Not them. Our family are demons, you know that. They won't let harm come to us. And if any demon did… well, Uncle Kane would deal with them."
"Don't worry, Lily." Levi put a hand on her shoulder. "I'll protect you. I don't care if I'm 11. I'll get stronger so nobody can hurt you."
Lily sniffled and hugged him tightly. "Thank you Levi. I love you, twin brother."
"I love you too."
Levi pulled back, then puffed out his chest. " And I'll protect you too, Lyra!"
I smiled and ruffled his hair.
"I'll be more careful," Lily whispered to herself.
Levi and I stepped out, only to run into mom.
"Perfect timing. Good news your father is recovering. The holy water left him weak, but his wounds have healed."
"Daddy will be ok?" Lily peeked out from her doorway.
"Yes, sweetheart. He'll be just fine."
Relief washed over me like a wave. Dad was healing, but my rage wasn't. I'll find whoever hurt him! Those werewolves don't know who they were dealing with!