She specifically remembered that the window was closed the last time she was in the room. The room was dark, she fumbled for the switch and saw a golden pair of eyes stare at her from one corner of the room. She almost screamed but a magnificent creature to whom those eyes belonged came into view.

It was a Golden Hound, with long black fur and a golden jaw and ears. There were three distinguished golden bands on its chest. The long bushy tail had a mix of black and golden hair. Golden Hounds were considered one of the rarest kinds of hounds. They were hunted mercilessly for their golden jaw and shape-shifting abilities. This particular one could even mask his scent which was even rarer among his kind. And not many knew about it. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Aselia’s eyes widened at the sight, and a feeling of joy washed over her as she rushed forward to hug the creature, dropping her wet clothes on the ground.

"Yurian!!!!!!" she exclaimed with joy as she hugged him and he nuzzled along her shoulder, not making any noise. "Why are you here? How did you find me?" She whispered to him.

He stepped back from her on his soft paws and began to shift. She quickly grabbed the blanket from the bed and wrapped it around him so he wouldn’t be naked after shifting. She then locked her bedroom door in case Xiran decided to come upstairs.

She turned back to find him sitting on the floor with the blanket wrapped around him. He looked thinner than before, his cheeks had sunken and there were bags under his eyes. He met her gaze and smiled, she smiled back and went on to sit in front of him.

"How are you? And tell me the truth." He inquired looking for truth in her eyes.

"I am good, don’t worry about me. Why are you here Yuri? You realize how dangerous this is." She used the nickname she had given him.

"There was no contact with you for over a month. Our whole team got wiped out, so I couldn’t just sit back and leave you here alone. Aldridge refused to do anything and told me to sit tight. I wanted to make sure you were safe. I am so glad you are." There was an edge of sadness to his voice and his lips twitched as he tried to contain his emotions.

"No one survived. The last time I made contact was with Agent 35, he told me the details. I hope he made it out safely." She spoke rather slowly not trying to show her emotions.

"No one did, not even Agent 35. We received his severed head and a note to stay away from this city." Yurian filled her in and she gasped. Her hands shook as the faces of all her teammates flashed in front of her once again. She clenched her fists and her expression turned into a rigid one.

"Remain relaxed Aselia, you can’t let your emotions take over. Xiran is here with you, I saw him." He patted her, who was trying not to cry.

"I swear one day I will kill that Phantom with my own hands. Xiran knows about him more than he lets on. I need some time and eventually, I will get the information I need. I have him under control." Aselia replied between gritted teeth.

"Hmm, I saw. You two looked pretty cosy. He is a mysterious being with wings and quite handsome as well. Even I felt smitten by him, how are you even resisting him? Or maybe not." He gave her a meaningful look, seeing what she was wearing right now. She smacked him on the head and her glare made him give an apologetic look.

"Oiiii, ok ok." he rubbed his head.

"How did you see his wings?" She inquired.

"I have been hiding on the roof of your hotel for a few days. Yesterday I saw him bring you up and from there I followed you. Staying in the shadows and following your scent when I couldn’t see you." Aselia knew he was always able to track her due to his heightened sense of smell which was particularly strong for Elven blood. He could smell her from miles away.

"I see. Does Aldridge know you are here?"

"F*uck him, I am not leaving here without you now. We are a team and once you get the required information we will leave together. You still have the device?" He responded furiously but kept his voice down.

"I do, I will contact you once we reach the hotel. Stay out of trouble, Yuri. I don’t want you to get caught."

"You know I am smarter than that. I never get captured." He winked at her and she smiled back at him, her heart was happy to talk to him after so long. He was her best friend, her confidante.

"So tell me about Xiran. Does he treat you well? Did you guys..." Another smack.

"Ouch... ok sorry. Just wanted to know how you got him so smitten?"

"He treats me well Yuri, he respects my boundaries and he never forces himself over me. He is not a regular vampire there is something very different about him. I think it has something to do with his mother. She was some different species."

"Ohhh! I see, and did you figure out his connection with Phantom?" Yurian was curious now.

"He knows all high-profile vampires, I guess that’s how he knows him too. But so far he refuses to give me further information."

"Keep working on that. Let’s get it and get out of this place. We miss you back at the Headquarters."

"I will get it soon and keep the information related to Xiran to yourself for now. Don’t tell this to Aldridge or anyone else." She wasn’t sure why she said that. Was she trying to protect him?

"Oh! believe me, I am. I want leverage over Aldridge and I will use this information for that." He whispered back.

Just then they heard footsteps on the stairs and both of them knew who it was...