Xeraphine still couldn't believe what she was hearing. Kidnapped? Alexio and his father kidnapped her from the past? How did they do that? Were they a group of psychics who used time-traveling to do that so easily? Was that why the rogues were after them? Or were they time travelers?
Ah, what a headache! Xeraphine didn't want to think about that, but Alexio's words kept swirling in her head like the buzzing of bees that, no matter how loud she heard, she would never understand.
"Did you finish your food?" asked someone who entered without knocking. He then checked the tray on the nightstand, making sure Xeraphine had eaten everything. "Do you have any complaints? I see you didn't touch that steak at all. It's possible that you have a bad stomach."
"I'm getting out of here."
Alexio sighed, then sat on Xeraphine's bedside and focused on her. "Where are you going? There's nowhere else to go because, like I said, this is our home."
"Don't say that like things are still the same, Alexio. I'm sick of hearing it!" snapped Xeraphine, making the man shut up before she chose to relent. At least until she calmed down. "How long will you keep me locked up in this place?"
"I came to talk about that," Alexio replied. Then he took an object from his pocket and pressed a button so that a large hologram screen like a projector with moving images appeared in front of them. We've renovated your mansion. It's no different from the old one, but it will be much more modern, and I hope you'll be comfortable there."
Xeraphine's gaze was now fixed straight on the screen before her. A pair of amber irises looked wet, and both ends of her lips dipped down. She then looked away.
"Then, take me there now."
Alexio nodded, but then his gaze fell on the tray containing a whole meal. "As long as you finish that meal first. I went to the trouble of making it for you. Even if it's not as good as your mother's cooking, at least appreciate my efforts."
Xeraphine flinched momentarily, glanced at her food, then reached over and moved the table closer to the bed.
"When you're done, take a quick shower and put on the clothes we've prepared in the closet. I'll wait for you in the device lab because there are some things you should know."
Xeraphine didn't respond to Alexio's words but was busy finishing the steak on the plate. She was honestly starving. If Alexio's statement that she had undergone a series of experiments over the past year was true, then it meant that she hadn't eaten properly.
Did they really not feed her even once? How inhumane, Xeraphine thought. However, soon, her irritation faded as a murmur escaped her lips.
"I just found out that Alexio can cook steaks as well as Mom's," she reflected as she continued to chew. Before long, the food was gone, and she had also prepared an outfit that was no less strange than the dimension she now lived in.
On his body was now a tight-fitting jumpsuit made of synthetic leather—Xeraphine knew it when she felt it. It was a deep black that looked boring to her, while her favorite color was lilac—didn't Alexio remember that?
She looked at herself in the mirror and changed her opinion about the strange clothes. Magically, the ancient black jumpsuit turned into lilac.
"Holly shit! How can–? I guess I underestimated that brat," muttered Xeraphine, startled by a voice echoing in the room.
"I heard that, Xera. Mind your language, but thank you for the compliment. Come quickly! I'm still waiting."
Xeraphine spluttered, then tied her hair up and hurried to find the device laboratory room as Alexio had informed her.
Her head turned right and left, looking for any writing or directions they should have provided so that no one would get lost like she was. However, the smart Alexio had apparently forgotten such a trivial thing.
"Here you are. I've been looking for you everywhere. Come, come with me." Alexio suddenly appeared and gestured for Xeraphine to follow his lead.
Alexio walked first while Xeraphine followed behind. The hallway they walked through had lights that instantly turned on the moment their feet stepped there. She had never known such technology existed before and felt so old-fashioned, as if she came from the middle of nowhere.
Even as times changed and technology became more sophisticated, it seemed impossible to achieve in just ten years.
"Come in," ordered Alexio, who quickly went to another room, leaving Xeraphine behind, and returned with a box. "Since you are a new member, there are some manual devices you should wear. This will make communication easier."
Xeraphine frowned at Alexio's words. "Why? Can't werewolves communicate by mind link? Why do we need tools like this? We don't need them, Lex."
"Did you get your wolf?" asked Alexio in response to Xeraphine's words. The girl was silent. She hadn't gotten anything since she woke up a few days ago. Not even meeting the Moon Goddess. "Well, that's it. How can you mind-link if you don't have a wolf?"
"But I will have one soon," she replied, seemingly thinking and wondering how old she was.
"How old are you?" asked Alexio again, as if he could read Xeraphine's mind. The girl shrugged. "You're eighteen now, Xera. A crucial age, supposedly, to get a wolf. Even most of us get them in our early teens."
"You mean I won't get my wolf?"
"I'm not saying that, but just do as I ask. It's for your own good." Alexio showed a watch-like object, which he had assembled earlier, and put it on Xeraphine's wrist. There was another device he put in the girl's ear. "This is what we use to communicate–"
"When are you going to take me back to my home? You promised me." Xeraphine looked impatient and cut off Alexio's sentence, who instantly remembered his original purpose in handing over the communication device.
"Sorry, almost forgot. Come with me."
Xeraphine again followed Alexio's footsteps into another room. Then, a door opened by tapping the watch on the sensor screen, connecting the room—not between rooms but with a capsule.
"What are we going to do here?" asked Xeraphine, while Alexio didn't respond. Instead, he immediately entered and pulled her hand.
"I'll explain when we get to your house." Alexio pressed a button, and the door closed. Soon, it opened again. "Come on!"
Xeraphine flinched questioningly, looking like a fool. They hadn't even moved anywhere yet, but Alexio was already taking her out of the capsule. Even though she had just set foot inside the strange thing.
"Come! All the servants are waiting to greet you." Alexio held out a hand, which she took and stepped outside the capsule. When the door opened, Xeraphine was dumbfounded by the sight before her eyes. "Home sweet home."
"No way! How could I—Lex, this house was nothing but rubble the last time I saw it."
"I told you, we fixed it up. There are some differences, but only a few things, including the security system. I want you to be safe and not feel awkward in your home," Alexio explained. "Let's go inside. You should check the whole room."
Alexio and Xeraphine stepped into the grand building. Several servants were already standing at the doorway, welcoming them, and several men dressed in black were also present.
"They will be your personal bodyguards," Alexio said pointing at the men in black. Xeraphine nodded, climbing the stairs at the same time as Alexio. Surely, the man would be heading to her childhood room. "You are free to choose any room. That room is no longer suitable for you." Alexio pointed to the room that was Xeraphine's childhood room.
"Alright. Since this is my house, I'll choose the master suite."
"Good choice. Over here," Alexio said, walking while pressing a button on his watch, and when Xeraphine stepped into the room, a sound like an arrow being released from a bow rang clearly in her ears. She dodged, flinching for a moment afterward, thinking there would be no more attacks since this was all she thought was just a welcome for their arrival. Unfortunately, she was wrong.
Another shot followed, and it was clear who the target was. However, she dared not speculate on who was responsible for the attack except for one person. Alexio.
Was this a trap to eliminate her?