blueteamnovel Chapter 677 677: Homecoming (Part 6)
Chapter 677 677: Homecoming (Part 6)
Before Miss Claire could finish her words, the sound of an approaching vehicle interrupted her.Headlights swept across the driveway.
A black Bentley Continental GT rolled smoothly out from the garage area and crossed the estate grounds before stopping near the bottom of the steps.
The engine idled quietly.
Miss Claire glanced toward the car before looking back at Don. "Do drive safe."
Before he could answer, she turned and headed back toward the mansion.
Don watched her go.
The effortless confidence in her posture. The way she carried herself even after losing staff members and spending nearly a week navigating a city-wide catastrophe.
Eventually the mansion doors closed behind her. Only then did he make his way toward the Bentley.
Arthur stepped out and handed over the keys.
"Here you go, sir." Don accepted them.
The metal felt cool in his hand. "Thanks."
The guard nodded politely and stepped aside as Don stepped into the vehicle.
The interior smelled of expensive leather and polished wood. Cream-colored seats contrasted against darker trim while subtle lighting illuminated the cabin.
Everything looked immaculate.
He settled into the driver's seat and closed the door and the outside world faded immediately.
His hands rested on the steering wheel. The leather felt smooth beneath his fingers.
A moment later he pulled away from the mansion.
The road felt smooth beneath the tires until the vehicle reached the main gate. The guards opened it without hesitation.
Then he was outside the estate and the valley stretched before him.
Don reached for his phone.
Before he could unlock it, Winter's voice emerged from the speaker.
"Turn left. Continue along the road."
"Connecting to onboard systems."
A few seconds passed.
Then the car speakers activated.
"Connection made."
The infotainment screen flickered before displaying a detailed map. A single marker appeared farther ahead along the road.
Don didn't bother asking anything else.
At this point, questioning Winter's ability to invade electronics felt like questioning whether water was wet.
He simply drove.
"Shall I play some music?" Winter asked.
"Please do."
Soft instrumentals filled the cabin.
Piano.
Strings.
Something classical.
He didn't recognize the piece, but it suited the road and the fading daylight.
The Bentley handled beautifully.
Every turn felt smooth. Every adjustment responded immediately. The suspension absorbed imperfections in the road so completely that driving almost felt effortless.
For several minutes, there was nothing demanding his attention beyond the road ahead.
Just the sound of music and the steady hum of an expensive engine.
The fourteen kilometers passed surprisingly quickly and the marker drew closer.
Don found himself studying the surrounding area as he drove.
The location didn't make much sense.
The Citadel sat somewhere within the same broader region, but not here. Reaching it would've required taking entirely different roads.
So why meet here?
The question lingered quietly in the back of his mind while the road ahead remained unchanged.
Trees lined both sides.
No visible paths and certainly no driveways.
Infact, no signs of human activity.
Don narrowed his eyes and beastshift sharpened his senses.
His gaze swept across the tree line searching for inconsistencies.
Anything.
Nothing appeared.
If something was hidden here, it was hidden extremely well.
He slowed the Bentley and brought it to a stop exactly where the marker indicated.
The engine idled quietly.
Winter's voice came through the speakers.
"You have arrived at the location. I shall contact Elle to confir—"
Static suddenly washed across the cabin.
KRRRSHHHH~
The dashboard flickered and the ambient lighting blinked.
For a brief instant everything went dark.
Then the systems came back online.
Don's eyes were already moving toward the passenger seat before his conscious mind fully processed why.
Someone was there.
Elle.
She sat beside him as naturally as if she had occupied the seat the entire drive.
Her legs were crossed and her body angled toward him.
Dashboard lighting cast a warm glow across her features.
Keen Eye sharpened and almost Immediately he noticed the differences.
Her eyes glowed amber.
Not the amber he remembered but brighter and almost luminous.
Faint blue mist drifted upward from her dark hair in thin tendrils that vanished before reaching the roof of the car.
Several strands floated gently as though responding to a breeze that didn't exist.
Her face remained familiar.
Soft skin and Rose-colored lips.
The same features he recognized instantly, yet something beneath them had changed.
Something deeper. Something watching him from behind those glowing eyes.
She wore a dark cotton sweater that hugged her figure comfortably. The fabric gathered slightly around her waist where it met a pair of fitted shorts. Bare legs extended below, smooth and unmarked.
What caught his attention most, however, was her feet.
Barefoot.
Completely clean. No dirt or dust.
Nothing.
Considering where she had apparently appeared from, that fact alone was mildly concerning.
She looked beautiful but she also looked dangerous.
Stranger.
Don opened his mouth but he never got the chance to speak as Elle moved first.
One moment she sat beside him and the next she had crossed the distance entirely.
Her body pressed against his side, while her face lowered toward his neck.
The contact was unexpected enough that a shiver ran down his spine when her tongue traced lightly across his skin before her lips reached his ear.
Warm breath brushed against him as she spoke. "We missed you."
The voice wasn't right.
It shifted unnaturally between higher and lower tones. It sounded as though two different voices occupied the same sentence, speaking together in perfect synchronization.
Don frowned.
Before he could respond, Elle moved again.
She swung one leg across his lap and settled there comfortably.
Her hands rested on his shoulders and her face hovered only inches away.
The air around her carried a faint electrical sensation that he couldn't quite identify.
One thought immediately surfaced though. 'We?'
"Elle."His voice remained calm.
She tilted her head slowly.
The movement reminded him of a predator studying something interesting.
Her fingertips traced lightly along his shoulders before moving upward toward his jaw.
"You were gone so long." The strange dual quality remained in her voice, though it seemed softer now.
"We felt you." Her eyes never left his. "Distant."
Her thumb brushed gently across his lower lip. "Fading."
Something tightened briefly in Don's chest.
Not because of what she was doing. Because she sounded sincere.
"We didn't like it."
The ambient lighting inside the Bentley flickered once before stabilizing again.
Don remained still.
Keen Eye continued feeding him information.
The way her pupils reacted whenever she looked at him.
The strange behavior of the blue mist drifting from her hair.
The subtle changes in her breathing whenever she spoke.
Everything felt real but also wrong in a way.
"We," he repeated quietly.
His gaze remained fixed on hers."Who's we?"
Elle smiled.
It wasn't the shy smile he knew.
This one carried something possessive beneath it. Something that looked entirely too pleased with itself.
Her fingers slid into his hair.
"We."
The answer sounded perfectly reasonable to her.
As though further explanation wasn't necessary.
"We missed you."Her eyes drifted briefly toward his mouth.
"Did you miss us?"
The cabin suddenly felt much smaller.
The music had faded into background noise.
Even the road outside seemed farther away than it should have been.
Don finally moved.
He raised one hand and covered hers where it rested against his neck.
Immediately he felt her pulse quicken.
"I'm here now." The words came quietly.
Something changed in her expression.
The predatory edge softened.
The strange dual quality in her voice weakened slightly.
"For how long?" The question lingered between them.
Don didn't answer.
Not because he didn't want to.
Because he didn't know how.