"It is good to see you have finally warmed up to her," Damien commented, staring at the roses that had bloomed. The color of them was darker than before. 

"What do you mean?" Alexander asked to have Damien smirk. 

"So ignorant. You are as good as me when it comes to acting," Damien chuckled, "Don't think I don't know how you were looking at Penny when I brought her here the first day."

"I didn't dislike her but that didn't mean I was going to let her off easily. You know I don't have many people I care about and would still want them alive," Alexander asked, bending down, he used his hand to push the little mud that had come out from the surface to secure the plant, "Trust is not something which is given out freely. It has to be earned and the girl has earned now. We have each lost many people we have loved. One after another which makes us worried as to whom might be the next one to leave our side."

"Don't worry, I am still alive."

"Of course," Alexander commented, letting go of the plant and standing up. Not minding the mud which was on his hand, "I am thankful to Penelope. For being able to fix the plant which could have died. It was the last and only part of his mother which was still living and breathing."

Damien who had been staring at the plant looked at Alexander, "Why did you bury her here though, like this I mean. Did you know this would happen, the blue roses?" he asked him, curious as he hadn't asked about it before. 

"When I was young and before she pa.s.sed away, she used to tell me stories. Stories that appeared similar to a child's imagination which is usually written for humans. One of the stories was about a girl planting a plant on top of her beloved pet animal. I just happened to follow my instincts."

"So the stories were not just stories then," Damien commented, starting to walk away from the plant both the men walked on the trail of stones which was placed on the ground that lacked the growth of gra.s.ses on it. 

"I remembered it after going through one of the books which you brought in here. There are some stories which match very closely to what she has told me when I was little. I guess even though she wanted me to not know about my other half of the heritage, she still found it hard to not let me know about it. Don't feel too guilty for what happened," Alexander advised Damien seeing how his eyes kept darting up to the room where Penny was sleeping in. 

"I can't help thinking about what could have happened. Is it possible to stop the heart and start beating it again?" Damien asked, his eyebrows furrowing in question.

"I thought some of the witches could do it or was that a lie?" asked Alexander. 

Damien shook his head, "I don't think they are capable of doing it. To stop the flow of the blood, the heart-stopping and no pulse is the indication that the person has died. When we were in the forest I felt nothing but coming back here it was like her soul had been restored back in her body. I am glad she is back and resting right now."

Alexander patted his cousin's back, "I wonder out of you two who is more on being a troublemaker. You or her. You both are reckless," Damien grinned listening to this. 

"You know compliments like these make me happy."

"I am aware of it," Alexander shook his head gently, not knowing what he was going to do with Damien. He had always been like this when they were young, dragging him along in his plans of creating more trouble and he had to save them both, "Do you remember what happened in the time of summer when you have sneaked in here, your mother had caught you."

A smile settled on Damien's lips at the memory, "I wasn't that good at lying or my mother was extremely good at picking up the lies."

"Would say it to be the latter. You picked most of the genes from her," Alexander was glad that it wasn't everything that his cousin had picked from his mother. 

The former Lady Quinn had been strict. The epitome of a pureblooded vampiress who preferred to keep her family clean without any influence of the external mixed blood in the family. It was only because both their fathers were closer did Damien get to spend time in Valeria, if not he would have turned just like his mother, taking up her characteristics and way of living. 

When Damien was in Valeria, he did what he wanted. Picking up his reckless behavior which made Alexander wonder if Valeria had spoilt Damien. 

After his mother had pa.s.sed away there was no one to stop him. He switched back and forth between Bonelake and Valeria that during their young age Valeria had turned to a second home until he joined the council to be buried in work.

Though they didn't spend as much time as they did in the past, Alexander and Damien continued to be close, to continue their brotherhood. 

"I had something to tell you," Damien started to gain Alexander's attention, "There is a lady in Bonelake. She resembles Aunt Isabelle a bit."

"Did you speak to her?" enquired Alexander to see his cousin shake his head.

"I didn't. She belonged to another church. She had come to meet Father Antonio," Damien filled in. It had been years now since Lady Delcrov had pa.s.sed which made it impossible for her to still be alive and they brushed it away.