The Vampire King

Jitika Salhan

Published: 2022
Source: https://www.wattpad.com
1. The Prophecy

"Expect Anything from Anyone, the Devil was once an Angel."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TEN YEARS AGO.
**
The Crystalline Castle; with towers that seemed to be kissing the sky,
made out of pure gold with a tint of crystals that shone with every touch of
the sun. Every single tiny jewel at the top of the castle shimmered and
reflected the light, like a crown on a proud King's head. The golden castle
gate was being guarded by troops of guards patrolling around all four walls
of the castle, preventing any foreign invasions.
Every wave of wind blew swiftly through the kingdom's flag, bringing
the castle to life. Every sunrise was like a curtain slowly lifting up its veil to
uncover the beauty within, blinding any man that laid eyes on the
efflorescing blossom with awe and admiration.
This place looked like a beautiful blooming flower that no one dares to
touch, afraid of ruining its beauty. Or perhaps, it was the hidden thorns on
the stems of the flower they were afraid of. From the outside, this seemed
like a place of the riches and blissfulness.
Let's take a look past the outer dazzling beauty, past the heavily guarded
gates. Inside the castle there is the King's tower, the Great Hall, the Throne
Room, the Lords and Ladies' Chambers, the Solar, the Kitchen, the
Historical Tower (which held the memories of the past royalties and their
brave stories), and in the very deep part of the caste holds the dungeons,
torturing rooms which were-no doubt-very very heavily guarded.
This amazing piece of art called Crystalline Castle was filled with the
deaths of the previous ruling Kings and the hurtful sacrifices their Queens
made in honor of their devotion to their husbands. And this, was also a
home to none other than the current Vampire King...
Damien Knight.
The powerful King looked only twenty-five as that was the time he chose
to stop aging, but in reality; he is a hundred and twenty-five years old. It
was the time he was crowned the King of the Vampire world.
He was a charmer with his midnight black hair that seemed softer than
feathers, his mysterious color changing dark eyes that turns gold when there
are strong emotions but not emotions like love or desire...No, not even
close, the only emotions he was capable of were pure rage and anger. At
least that's what he has felt ever since he can remember.
He kills like he's snapping a toothpick. It's that easy for him. He doesn't
even blink before he beheads his enemy with his Royal Sword, an heirloom
in his family for centuries, passed down to him by his father.
Ladies desire him, but at the same time, they were afraid of his stone-
cold heart. They fall to his feet, wanting to be that lucky girl to be his
Queen, to warm his heart. But he doesn't want that... Women are only a
playing toy for him, something he gets rid of when he has had enough,
adding onto the collection of countless heartbroken girls. Many would
throw themselves onto him-sometimes literally-others stay clear of his path.
Just like how people were clearing away from his path, the red carpet in
middle of the throne room, as he walked chin up with dignity towards the
throne. This was as normal as any other day for them. Their King would
listen to the problems his kingdom was facing, and then he would resolve
them like he always did.
The King didn't think something different would happen, or he that
would hear something unexpected.
He was busy listening to one of the farmers who was asking for an
extended period of time to pay the taxes due to the lack of rain and its effect
on the crops, while a guard came up and whispered something to the King.
"Tell her to wait in the guest room," the King ordered as his guard bowed
down and followed the instructions.
"I'm afraid we have to cut this meeting short, ladies and gentlemen. I will
see you all tomorrow, if you have any questions, please see my assistants."
The King excused himself and walked through the many halls to see the
awaiting guest, a witch.
The witch paced frantically inside the guest room as the King finally
walked in, "Destiny?" he greeted. She looked to the voice of the King and
sighed, relieved to finally be granted by his presence.
"Your Highness, I am here for matters pertaining to the orders you've
given me. I was told to inform you of any threats to the kingdom and I'm
afraid this is not just a storm passing by, your grace. " She said all in one
breath.
The King raised his eyebrows, "I don't like riddles, Witch. Get to the
point."
"I've come across a prophecy, my King." She said shakily before freezing
in her place, her eyes suddenly glowing purple and echoed; "The one who
never bowed down to anyone, the one who makes everyone fall to his feet,
will be on his knees for a mere human. She will be the cause of his
destruction. There will be no power strong enough than the one she
possess."
The King laughed, "What a joke! Are you telling me that a human girl, a
useless human, will be the cause of destruction of this?!" He threw his
hands out gesturing towards everything around him.
The Witch blinked and shook her head as she resumed as her normal self,
"It is not just an empty threat, my lord. It has been one of the very few to
only be projected through a witch's vision. It is deadly. A Prophecy so
powerful is never wrong."
"Then I will just kill her with my own hands, proving this Prophecy
wrong." The King spatted, but then a little tug in his heart that stopped him
from thinking of killing this she-devil that was his supposed cause of
destruction. Maybe there were other ways to solve this. What is he doing?
Of course, he'd have to kill her. When did he ever think twice about killing
his enemies before?
"Prophecies are never wrong, she will be the cause of your destruction."
The Witch sighed.
"I will prove it to you, no one can defeat me. If this human could be even
so an inch of a threat to the Vampire World, then I must kill her before
anything unfortunate takes place." the King said with determination in his
voice.
The Witch smiled, but it wasn't a genuine one. She had accomplished
what she had came here for, to change that girl's fate. She had not told the
King the entire truth of the Prophecy, but what she did tell, the King
believed it. She knew the King couldn't bare the thought of losing his
kingdom and his dignity. She couldn't be any happier of the result.
"What's her name?"
"Alexis Smith." The Witch answered.
"Her age?" He asked.
 "Seven, your highness."
********************************
© All rights reserved.
A/N
Edited by @AzaRiv
Thank you so much for reading !
Please do not copy or advertise this work without the written
permission of the author as this is their hard work and result of the
countless hours spent on the book. Plagiarism will be seriously
punished.
Not that anybody would want to copy because this book has so many
mistakes, Grammer wise. But no worries, my editor will soon be to the
rescue. She's taking her time out of her busy schedule to edit this, so it
might be a while before she's finished with the book.
So please bear with me and give this book a chance, I promise you
won't regret it!
If you guys see any mistakes, just point it out and I'll go back and
correct it. We're all here to teach and learn something new right?
Remember, I would love any feedback so don't forget to comment!
****
Please note that this story is taking place in the 21st century.
Sometimes it might not seem like it but that's only because Vampires
love to be old fashioned.
Now sit back and enjoy the ride.
-J.S
2. Captured.

~~~~~~~~~~Alexis' POV~~~~~~~~~~
July 25th, 2005. (10 years ago)
Somewhere in California.
**
I heard them before I saw them. The bad guys. I heard yelling from the
living room as I slowly opened my eyes, but quickly shut them again due to
the piercing sunshine peaking in through the window. I rolled over to my
left side and sat up. I jumped off the bed and my seven year old feet landed
on my soft and pink rug.
I ran as fast as I could towards the sound of my parents as my daddy said,
" Why do you need to see her? What did she do to you?"
I ran out of my room, almost knocking over the glass vase in the hallway
as I climbed down the stairs as fast as I could because it seemed like my
parents needed me, they were fighting with somebody.
I stopped in my tracks as I looked at the scene infront of me. The living
room looked like a mess my mommy always tells me to clean up. There
were about four people who I didn't know standing there. They were
dressed funny too. Like how the guards in the princess movies dressed. Did
they really come from a Kingdom? Were they here for me like they came
for Cinderella in the movie? Were they going to take me to my prince
Charming?
But when I saw my mommy crying and begging them to leave me alone,
all happy thoughts flew from my mind. No, they weren't good guys because
they pushed my mom back like she was a doll and she hit her head on the
table.
"Mommy!"
I ran towards her to see if she was okay. She had a small cut on her
forehead which was bleeding. I sobbed as I hugged her tightly. She shushed
me and said, "I'm alright, Lexi. But no matter what happens, you will not go
with those guys, okay? Promise me!"
I nodded my head and hugged her again.
 One of the guards took a hold of my hand and yanked me backwards,
away from my mommy. I screamed and tried to bite down on his hand as I
heard him laughing.
"Well, we got a little fighter here, you guys," he said to the other guards.
My daddy punched him in the face and his nose started bleeding. I
wanted to help beat him down so I kicked him in the leg and he let out an
angry growl. Does he have an animal inside of him?
Suddenly the other two guards grabbed my dad's arms, preventing him
from moving. The guy who my dad punched ordered, "Kill him,"
My mom screamed, "Noo," as she started sobbing and ran towards my
dad but the other guy grabbed her and put a knife to her neck.
I felt tears running down my cheeks and falling on my lips, making me
taste the saltiness. Who are these people? How can someone be so mean?
One of the guards grabbed me and started leading me towards the main
door of my house. I kicked and screamed but he didn't let me go. I looked
back and heard my dad yell out as someone plunged a knife into his chest.
The person holding my mom did the same thing. Though I couldn't see
because they were facing away from me. I cried louder, calling for my mom
and dad again and again but they didn't move. They were on the floor and
seemed to be sleeping. This was like a movie which my parents don't allow
me to watch. But they couldn't keep me from watching this scene. I wish
they could tell me that this is all a nightmare and I'll wake up soon.
But it's not, this is all real. This is the worst day of my life.
After that, not only did the guards take me with them, I realized I had
broken the promise I made to my mommy.
____________________________________
The same day
The Vampire World
Crystaline Castle.
**
I woke up for the second time today, when they took me with them, they
had put me in a car and made me smell something. I don't remember
anything after that.
When I looked around, I found out that I'm in a small room with iron
bars. There's nothing else in the room, just me. I tried to move but one of
my hand is cuffed to the wall with a chain.
 Where am I? Was that all a dream or was it real? Where's my mom and
dad?
Did those guards really killed them? All these questions running around
in my head were making my head hurt. I felt sick. I wanted my mommy to
give the soup she made whenever I was sick.
I heard the noises of keys and I looked up to find somebody was opening
the iron door. Maybe they'll finally let me go?
I felt tinsy tinny bit of hope.
A man walked in while the guards stayed outside.
He was big compared to me, he was so tall that I was almost looking
towards the ceiling to look at him from my sitting frame.
He had black hair and dark eyes like the sky at night. He was wearing a
suit, the same as my dad wore to work.
Suddenly I saw his eyes changing color. It turned from black to gold!
Like the golden bracelet I had. His eyes looked beautiful but he looked
scary and that's why I moved backwards untill my back hit the wall.
He kept walking forward, and bent down to my level.
"Are you the Prince Charming?" I asked in a quite voice, afraid he might
yell at me, but then I thought that Prince Charming didn't look like this. He
was kind and sweet. Then, another character from a princess movie popped
into my head.
"No, you're more like the beast from Beauty and The Beast." I added.
He glared at me and raised his hand to slap me. I closed my eyes tightly,
waiting for the pain to hit me. But then, after a long time, when I still didn't
feel anything, I opened my eyes.
His hand was still raised but it seemed like he was trapped in his own
body and he couldn't move his hand. He tried again and again. I could see it
in his eyes he wanted to hit me. But for some strange reason, he couldn't.
I kept crying because the tears wouldn't stop. I wanted to go home, I
wanted to play tag with my daddy, I wanted to eat the yummy food my
mommy made, I wanted to feel the safety of my pink room, I wanted to get
as far away as possible from this man infront of me. But I realized I
wouldn't be able to do any of those things any time soon, because the next
thing the man said was...
"Chain her up, she is to never leave this place."
At the time, I didn't know what that meant, but I found out soon after that
this was my fate.
This was my life.
*********************************
© All rights reserved.
-J. S
3. Ten Years.

.......... ...... Present Time.......... ........

August 25th, 2015.
The Crystaline Castle,
The Vampire Realm.
**
Ten years.
It's a long time.
In these ten years, I was suppose to have a normal childhood. I was to
have scrapes on my knees from playing outside. I was to celebrate my
birthdays with friends and family as I grew older. I was to feel my mother's
tenderness and my father's protectiveness. I was to taste different delicious
food from different countries. I was to have school teachers who assigned
too much homework. I was to have friends who I complained to about the
school work. I was to have crushes, who I would have regretted once I grew
older. I was to experience my first heartbreak. I was to make mistakes and
learn from them. And most of all, I was to be free.
Free from these walls that have been suffocating me more each day ever
since I came here. Free from the chains which prevented me from moving
too much.
Now, I know you're probably wondering how in the hell did I know of
these things when I've never been let out to experience them.
The answer is because of Maria.
Ever since I've been held captive here, Maria is the only one who has
been there for me. She was my mother who took care of me. She was my
father who told me what's right and what's wrong. She was my sister who
shared all the secrets with me. She was my brother who protected me if any
of the other maids or guards tried to cause me any harm. She was also the
teacher who taught me how to read and write. She was the only warm light
in my cold, dark world.
She was just a regular maid in her forties. She had black hair and soft
brown eyes, the only eyes which still held love and affection in them.
 She was human just like me.
Yes, I found out a long time ago where I was, who these people were. I
was surrounded by blood thirsty creatures, Vampires. The idea that
Vampires did exist had me on my toes for about a long time, but now, I was
so use to talking to Maria about them that it was almost like we were
talking about the weather.
I was in the Vampire World, which ran parallel to the human world but
still the opposite. It was always cold here, no warmth what so ever. There
was no sun here but just a fake image of it to brighten up the day, which I've
also been forbidden to see.
I wonder what it would feel like to have the sun rays hit my arm, how it
would feel like to throw my head up and smell the fresh air, to feel the
gushing wind on my face. What would it feel like to jump over the flowing
water of the streams. To lay down on the green grass and look up at the pool
of the blue sky and white clouds.
I was brought out of my own little paradise by the noise of keys jingling
as if someone was opening the door of the prison I've been locked up in. I
looked up to find a new guard I've never seen before walk in and begin
unlocking the chains and the hand cuffs on me.
I was both nervous and scared. What's going on? Where's Maria?
The guard pulled me up to a standing position and started leading me out
of the prison gate. To the outside world for the first time. I was excited for a
moment that I even got goosebumps on my skin, but they soon died down
once I realized I was in the Vampire Realm, where there was no traces of
good. Where just monstrous things took place.
"W-where a-are you taking me?" I managed to ask.
"It's your eighteenth birthday, and it's also the time for our King to find
some answers."
It's my birthday? It's no surprise that I forgot, what good is it going to do
to remember it anyways? On my birthdays, Maria would sneek in a little bit
of better tasting food for me to enjoy, but without my parents here, it just
tasted like plain paper and water.
We were in a hallway right outside the main gate of the dungeon. It was
so dark that I could barely see my own feet. From there, the guard lead me
up a set of stairs, or multiple stairs. It seemed like we just kept going up and
up, but the farther upstairs we got, the brighter the hallways became.
 We finally stopped at one of the hallways which was lit with millions of
candles on the sides, giving me a beautiful view of the painting and pictures
on the walls.
I was amazed.
It's been forever since I've seen something so breathtaking. Something
new except the colorless prison walls.
The air smelt different too. I don't know what it was because I've never
really smelt any fragrances of different flowers to guess. But it still smelt
good none the less.
We walked farther into the hallways and when we got to the end, the
guard knocked on the biggest door I'd come across.
"Come in," a manly voice ordered.
"This is the King's study. Open the door and walk in, don't look up untill
told to do so. Keep your head down and your mouth shut." The guard
explained hurriedly.
Well, how rude.
I gave him slight nod and touched the brown, wooden craved door with
my hands and gave it a gentle push.
The big doors slowly opened, first revealing a desk and then thousands of
book on the shelves covering the walls.
This room was huge. I remember going to the libraries with my mom
when I was little that looked like this.
Then, I noticed a man leaning against the desk.
It was him! The King.
I've only seen him once when I was brought here. I'm here all because of
him.
I've grown to hate this man with a burning passion ever since I can
remember.
He stood in all his glory looking exactly like royalty, which he was. He
had beautifully styled black hair which seemed like he spent hours getting it
to perfection. He was dressed in a navy blue suit with a white shirt
underneath. A silky golden tie was placed on his neck to complete the
professional look.
All of a sudden I remembered the guard's words about not looking up and
I instantly dropped my gaze to the floor beneath my feet.
"Come in and sit," he ordered once again with a voice that was so
powerful which I'm sure can send anybody obeying him in an instant.
 I looked at the chair right infront of him, unsure if I was suppose to sit
there, but then I noticed there were no other chairs except the one behind
the desk so I forced my feet to take me towards the chair and I sat down.
My heart was hammering inside my chest. My hands were practically
shaking because I had a feeling he had something really big planned for me.
I could feel his intense stare on me, trying to see through me, but I don't
know what he was searching for.
"You're going to be living with me from here on," The King finally
declared.
I blinked in disbelief, "What? why?" I don't think I heard him right.
I just wanted to go home... I paused for a second, home? Where even was
my home? I only had faint memories of my life back in the human world.
"Why did you hold me locked up here ever since I was seven? Why do
you want to kill me?"
"I don't have to answer any of your useless questions," he said with an
eye roll, "but since I'm feeling a little nicer today, I'll tell you."
Is this what the definition of nice was to him?
If it was, then I don't want to witness when he's being heartless.
"There's a prophecy that states you are supposed to be the cause of my
destruction and this place. That's why I had you brought here and
imprisoned the moment I found out."
I waited because I expected him to continue and elaborate more but he
looked at me with a 'what?' expression.
I tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear. His dark as the night eyes
seem to follow the moment closely.
I felt like I was talking to a beast, I had to choose my words carefully or
he would be ready to pounce at me any moment.
"I really don't plan on doing any of those things. I'm just a normal girl
who had human parents. They raised me with simplicity, too. Just like how
any other parents raise their kids. They didn't teach me about any of the
supernatural beings or how to get rid of vampires. The only thing they ever
taught me was how to tie my shoes and wear clothes. They were-"
Before I could continue, I was rudely interrupted by the King, "Do you
always talk this much, or do I just bring out this side of you?"
He had his eyes narrowed, looking at me as if I was his prey.
I turned my gaze towards the hard floor, "I'm sorry," I muttered.
 He turned away, "Whatever. Anyways, there is someone who I have to
talk to regarding this, but she is currently out of town. We'll have to wait
until she's back, but until then, I will be keeping an eye on your every
move. You're going to stay close to me so I can..."
I noticed him struggling to find the right words, which was a first. He
always reeked of confidence. I had a feeling he was trying to hide
something from me.
"I don't want to go anywhere with you." I just couldn't take it anymore.
"You don't really have a choice! As I was saying, you'll be living in my
bedroom, because I want to keep an eye on you 24/7 to see if you're up to
anything. If I get even a little bit suspicious, I'll rip out that disgusting heart
of yours right from your chest- and believe me it won't even take me a
second. So, watch your back, and yes, try to make your presence almost
nonexistent when you're anywhere near me, I might just get angry because
of you breathing under my roof. Understood?" He asked in a dangerously
calm voice. The kind of calm you get before a storm hits.
All I could do was give him a quick nod. Looks like I'll just move from
one prison to another.
********************************
Thanks for reading,
-J.S
6. Vampires

"It's okay to be a glowstick; sometimes we need to break before we shine."

-Anonymous.
______________________________________
A/N
I realize that there are 2 parts missing, it is simple because I decided to
take those events out of the story when I published the book. Please
ignore the "jump" from chapter 3 to 6, I will have to go back and fix it at
some point. Too lazy right now. Anywho, enjoy!

August 26th, 2015.

The King's Tower,
Crystaline Castle.
**
This place was huge! Every turn we made lead to a different hallway that
I never saw before, yet with their high defying beauty, they looked the
same. The only differences were the paintings and decorations on the wall
which took my breath away every time with its uniqueness. There mostly
seem to be paintings of older Kings and Queens or pieces of art which I'm
sure held a deeper meaning beyond what we see. The hallways were candle
lit and a little amount of sunlight came in through the long curtains. I
suppose Maria was right, the Vampires do tend to be a little old fashioned.
They didn't bother using electricity.
If I had been here at this castle under different circumstances, I'm sure I
would have never wanted to leave. But things are different, I didn't choose
to be here, I was forcefully thrown into this fantasy where I didn't belong.
The King stopped infront of two enormous set of doors. They had
woodsy patterns on them, craved to perfection. He pushed the doors and
they opened in a swift.
The sight infront of me left me awestruck. I was so use to the cell walls,
that every single new detail I discovered left me curious.
The King stepped in as I followed his steps. This was by far the biggest
room I've came across. My eyes were blinded with the color red, black, and
white. What's with him and his obsession with those colors?
This room was different than the other parts of the castle though. While
the others looked centuries old, this room, where I was standing in, it was
anything but old. This room looked modern. It was filled with clean white
furnitures, matching the white marble floors. A king sized bed with red and
black sheets was placed against the right wall. There was a picture of the
King himself, on the wall over the bed, in which he was dressed in different
clothes, not the formal suits he always wears. He wore a blue jacket and a
casual T-shirt, making him look younger. Still dangerous, but less scary.
(A/N pic on the side-->)
There was a flat screen TV on the opposite wall, with a super
comfortable looking sofa infront of it. This was the first time I saw
something that reminded me of my childhood. I remember arguing with my
dad all the time because he wanted to watch football while I wanted to
enjoy my cartoons. Thinking about my parents still brought tears to my
eyes.
I shook my head and looked at the swirling red curtains due to the
gushing wind, that notified me a balcony was located right across from me.
It gave me a view to the outside world for the first time. Even though all I
could see was a blur of blue and green because of the large distance
between the balcony and me, it made me want to run free in the wildness.
Bringing me out of my dreamy thoughts, the King said, "You'll be
staying here, with me, but make sure you're as far away from me as
possible. I have to go take care of some duties right now, so do whatever
you want, or die of boredom, I don't care. Just make sure you don't step a
foot out of this room, or I have other ways of punishment except death."
Without waiting for a reply, he turned and left the room, shutting the door
with a loud bang.
I looked around, trying to find something I could do, might as well enjoy
this little bit of freedom. I noticed a small bookshelf in the corner to my
right. I curiously walked towards it.
 It was filled with old looking books. They didn't seem like a novel, as I
ran my fingers swiftly over them, I carefully read each and every title.
The First Vampire
Vampire Royalty
How to be a Vamp
All about Vampires
My fingers stopped at the forth book. Touching the top of the cover, I
gently pulled it out from the pile.
It was a rather small book compared to the others, so why not start with
this one first?
With the book secured in my hands, I walked across the room to the very
edge, the balcony. The door that lead outside were open so I simply pushed
the curtains aside, stepping out. I located a chair on the side on which I sat
down and began reading the book.
To be honest, I didn't understand half the things they were talking about.
But some information seem to stand out more than the rest. Like how to kill
a vampire.
Not that I would have the courage to do it anytime soon, considering how
much of a coward I am, especially infront of the King, where I can't even
look at him without shaking.
According to the book, there is only one way to kill a vampire. Wooden
stake through the heart.
They can also choose to die by simply turning off their "life switch". If
they live an immortal life, I'm sure they are ought to get bored of it sooner
or later.
There are some things that can seriously harm the Vampires, but not kill
them. For example, sunlight, not the sun they have in the Vampire world,
because that's just a fake image of it to cause some sort of sunlight. But they
can be harmed by the real sun, it burns their skin. The picture in the book
looked somewhat worse than a sunburn.
Being a Vampire came with many perks which included reading minds,
fast speed, healing through their blood, and sharp senses. But it still leaves
me truely amazed that they can teleport. Even though I have never seen a
Vampire teleport right infront of me before, I knew these details about
them, but sharp senses? That would make them vulnerable to certain things,
like flashlight shining in their eyes, or too loud of a noise.
I tuned the page and found out it had some information about the royals.
 Vampire royals are the most powerful of their kind. They are born in the
royal family, but one can also become a royal descendant. For that they
have to drink one of the royal member's blood. Not only that, they also have
to go through a series of rituals which makes their old self die as they are
reborned as a stronger vampire and a part of the true royalty of the kingdom
that turned them.
They develop the skills of the born royals soon enough.
This method is very rare because Vampire royalties don't like sharing
their abilities. So even though it is heard of, these rituals don't take place
too often.
There are twelve countries in the Vampire world, each having a ruling
kingdom to keep it in shape and running. The countries are basically like
islands, separated by bodies of water.
Each kingdom is represented by a mascot. The mascot of the place I've
been kept at is a Phoenix. No wonder all the guards here wore a brooch
with a Phoenix on it. This clears it up.
Of those twelve islands, the island of Eveland is considered to be the
oldest of all. Making it the home of the oldest royal family, the Knights.
Something clicked in my mind. The Knights. Damien Knight.
I remember Maria telling me about the King who captured me. But I
didn't know he was a heir of the oldest royal family. No wonder he's feared
by everyone. Let's not forget how he also thinks of himself as a God or
something, who does "whatever the hell he wants".
He had another advantage of being from his bloodline. He was the ruler
of entire Vampirism. Not only did he rule the country of Eveland, but he's
also ruler of all the other kingdoms. Him being the current rightful heir to
this throne, they all fall under him, as mentioned by the book.
He is the King.
That seemed like a lot of responsibilities. How does he manage to do all
that by himself?
By killing others, a voice at the back of my mind answered. It's true
though, from what I've heard, he kills like its as easy as breathing for him.
Well I hope someday, somebody gives him the taste of his own medicine.
Maybe he'll realize what it's like to lose someone you love when he's the
one losing.
Before I could get carried away making up plans how to hurt him, I
returned to the book.
 Every member of the royalty has a special gift.
It's usually something they discover at the age of eighteen. Because of it
being something abstract, only the people who the person chose to tell
knows. A special gift could be anything from controlling someone's mind,
or just the power to heal by a simple touch of hand.
Wow, that's so cool. I wonder what the King's special gift is...
I reread the part where it say it's a abstract thing, so I doubt he would
ever tell me. Guess that'll forever be a mystery for me.
*******************************
A/N
PLZ VOTE AND COMMENT if you liked it.. ;)
-J.S
7. Fear

"When the Devil and Angel came together...

Humanity was born."
___________________________________
The King's Chambers,
Crystaline Castle.
**
A pile of books surrounded me like a blanket as I sat criss crossed on the
balcony floors. The chair eventually became tiring after spending a good
two hours of reading on it. The sun has just started to hide under the
horizon making the sky change its colors to orange and yellow with a mix
of pink.
For once in my life, everything looked peaceful. I could see the trees
waving swiftly as the wind passed through the leaves, bringing the nature
alive. I heard the birds chirping and a lonely dove flew around and landed
right next to me.
I admired its beauty and the angelic look. Its black eyes, which stood out
on the white feathers, stared back at me with a hint of curiosity. How can
there be such amazing creatures in a world filled with hatred and cruelty?
Right when I was about to reach out slowly to touch it, the dove stumbled
back in fear and flew away in a blink of a moment.
At first I was confused, but then I felt him. I actually felt his presence.
How could this be?
How can I know he is there even though he made no noises as he came
in. It was almost like he was invisible, like he had just walked through the
walls without making any sound.
Then a thought hit me. He can teleport. No wonder the dove flew off.
Everyone's afraid of him, whether if it's an animal or a drop of water here in
this Vampire world. It made me feel a little better that I'm not the only one
here.
 Still, if he was going to teleport here, a little warning would have been
nice. What if I was changing or something? He needs to respect others
privacy. For some reason this made me more angry at him.
I finally turned my head to look at him.
"Can you please not do that, appear out of nowhere?"
Wow, I didn't know where this boost of confidence came from. I never
talked to anybody like this before, but now that I did, I wasn't feeling so
sure of myself. Great going Alexis, you've just dug your own grave. Not
only that, its as if you're begging the king to grant you with that thing called
death.
I noticed I had stood up while I was busy glaring at him.
I stepped back in fear and lowered my gaze. I knew what was coming,
but it was my first instinct to prevent it.
It seemed like a moment passed. I kept waiting because I knew he was
going to do something I would not like, hurt me.
With my heart beat increasing, I pushed my palms together to keep them
from shaking. My eyes scanned around the balcony, looking for an escape.
But there were only two.
One where the King was standing, blocking the only door that lead to the
room. Then, there was also the escape of just ending my life in a simpler
way by jumping from the balcony.
But I'm not that dumb. I maybe a coward, but I would never even think
about giving up like that. In the years when I knew my parents, they always
taught me to keep fighting and never back down untill you achieve what it
was you wanted from the beginning. As I stood there in the balcony with
the king, I knew what I wanted, my freedom.
I was almost starting to calm down because I figured the King wouldn't
hit me anymore.
Just as I let my guard down and relaxed, he stepped forward. It happened
in a blur, as a result of his fast speed. I was standing on my feet infront of
him, but just as I blinked once, I was being held against the wall with the
King's hands on my throat.
I tried to pry his hands off me, but he was ten times more stronger.
"You do not speak to me like that! Do you have any clue what I can do to
you? Don't even think that just because I gave you four more months to
live, it has to be that long. I can kill you any fucking time I want. I can do
whatever the hell I want to you. I can use you as a meal to drink from any
time of the day. To be honest, I can't wait to get a taste of that sweet pure
blood of yours! I'll--"
The threats kept coming. To the point where I couldn't even make out his
words due to the lack of oxygen. Just as I was about to pass out, he let go of
me. I landed on my feet and without thinking, I pushed him away with all
the strength I could find in my body. And this time, he stumbled back an
inch or two.
"Leave me alone!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. I hated him, and I
made sure just how much those words made that clear.
The next thing he did was uncalled for.
He slapped me.
What a surprise.
The blow he sent towards my cheek had me falling to the floor in less
than a second. The sound of the slap echoed through the castle walls,
repeating itself as if reminding me to never scream at him again. I cupped
my cheek and the tears that have been begging to be let out, started falling
freely from my eyes.
The King grabbed a hold of my arm tightly to the point where his nails
were digging in my flesh. He made me stand up so that my eyes were
leveled with his neck.
I couldn't even dare looking at him again.
"Don't you dare raise your voice at me! Don't make me rethink my
actions. Maybe I shouldn't have granted you your life. Maybe I should have
used you as my personal slave to boss around. You know what? It's never
too late for that."
*******************************
-J.S
8. Just A Beginning

"Say it before you run out of time. Say it before it's too late. Say what you
are feeling. Waiting is a mistake."
____________________________________
The King's balcony,
Crystaline Castle.
**
The devil once again pushed me against the coldness of the wall that my
thin dress did nothing to protect me from. His nails still digging in my
shoulders, he brought his face dangerously close to mine. From this close,
his features were emphasized. I could see the shiny goldness of his eyes as
they stared into mine. All I could make out was pure anger and hatred in
them. Hatred towards me. His forehead was frowning as if trying to
concentrate on something beyond my understandings.
His presence surrounded me like the air we breathe. All I could think of
at the moment was him. Only him.
Gone were the feelings that contained fear. Gone were the desires for
ever escaping him. I don't know what it was that was happening, but the
thoughts of ever hurting him evaporated from my already desolated mind.
As I looked into the eyes of this most handsome man I've came across, I
felt like I couldn't hold that hatred towards him which I've grown inside of
me over the years. It was slowly slipping away. All I could focus on was
him. His eyes which I wouldn't mind getting lost in forever. His pink full
lips which stole my attention as he slowly bit them gently. His strong jaw
which seemed like he hadn't shaved in a day or two.
I could see why I was told the ladies practically threw themselves at him.
His face was craved to perfection. It was as if the God have taken some
precious time adding all the slightest details just in the right position.
Something in him called out to me.
I could not see what it was. But I could feel it.
 I tried to push that feeling away. The feeling that seemed to whisper in
my ears to accept him, to not hate him. I kept fighting the feeling that was
suffocating me and almost begging me to drown in it.
I won't give up, though.
Finally succeeding and getting a control of myself, I was brought back to
reality.
I could make out a small scar just above his left eyebrow, which
surprisingly just added to his beauty. All of a sudden, these thoughts
brought me out of my stance.
What are you doing, Alexis?
This man standing right infront of you is the reason you're here. He's the
reason you've been locked up for years. He's the reason your back is
screaming in pain due to being pressed against the wall. He just claimed
that he will torture you in the worst way possible.
You are not suppose to think he's good looking. He is a monster and will
always be that.
All these thoughts were just swirling in my head as he added,
"Maybe I should just do what I planned to do the second I came to know
of your existence, destroy you before you can be an inch of a threat to my
kingdom! Now I'll do just that. I will torture you untill you'll be begging me
to kill you. I will make you suffer every remaining day of your life, and
right when you think you're on the verge of breaking, I'll stop. I'll stop until
you get yourself back together. Then I will come back and give you new
wounds to grieve over. And you know what? Nobody will come and rescue
you! Nobody can save you from me!"
I winced as he punched the wall right next to my head, followed by a
cracking noise, I wasn't sure if it came from the wall or his knuckles. But
that wasn't what made me wince.
It was the fact that my own hand started shaking and hurting like I had
punched the wall.
When I looked at the King's hand when he retrieved it, I could see the
blood coating it.
I bit the inside of my mouth so I wouldn't scream from the pain that
occurred in my hand. But surprisingly, it went away in a blink of a moment.
It was almost as if the pain was never there.
As I looked at the King's hand again, it had healed. Damn you, Vampires.
 Shock consumed me as my eyes widened. I looked at the King trying to
tell him I just felt his pain.
But I couldn't find the words to explain that to him without thinking
about the consequences. Maybe he would just call me a liar and hit me
some more. That fact alone was enough to stop me from telling him.
"So you better sleep with your eyes open, Alexis Smith. You have have
no idea what's coming for you because this is just a beginning."
******************************
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
-J.S
9. More Enemies.

"He said he was scared of commitment, but he had tattoos all over his skin,
I guess he didn't see me as a work of art.
Or maybe he didn't think the pain was worth it."
-Anonymous.
_____________________________________
The King's Chambers,
Crystaline Castle.
**
Before the king could proceed to hurt me in any way, a knock echoed
throughout the chambers that came from the big wooden doors of his room.
He let out a frustrated sigh, where on the other hand, I let out a relieved
one. Whoever was behind that door, I owed them big time, for saving me
from being an easy victim once again.
The King didn't even walk to answer the door, he just flashed across the
room before I could even blink once.
I followed him into the room quickly, but at a much slower pace
compared to his speed. The king unlocked the doors I never knew were
locked, giving me a view of the person who I was very much grateful for
showing up.
It was a servant girl about my age.
The King spoke first, "What's the matter?"
"Your majesty, dinner is ready to be served. Your presence is being
seeked at the dining hall." the girl stood stiffly with her head down and her
hands clasped together in front of her.
"I'll be on my way there, now. But you need to make sure the girl eats
something. I don't want her passing out in the middle of the night. The royal
heeler has much more valuable things to do than take care of some filthy
human," the king said, no doubt referring to me.
"Certainly, your majesty," the girl gave him a final bow as he stepped out
of the room and disappeared down the hallway.
 Great, now I might actually end up making a friend here, someone
besides Maria. This girl seemed to be my age and very much human
because of the way she was dressed so simply. She had on a black and
white maids outfit and a pair of black flats.
"Hi, I'm Alexis, and you are?" I asked in a polite tone.
"Don't talk to me, you disgusting whore. I don't know what's taking the
king this long to just assassinate you when you're a danger towards our
Vampire society. I don't know what the hell he sees in that ugly face of
yours that people are spreading rumors about how he took one glance at you
and changed his mind about killing you. You won't be this lucky for long,
eventually---"
"That's enough, Olivia!"
A voice that was oh so familiar to me called out. The only voice that I've
been able to trust in all these years.
Maria.
The moment I saw her approach from the halls, I ran towards her.
Throwing my arms around her neck, I buried my face in her shoulder.
I missed her so much.
She smelt like peaches. She smelt like home. The security her arms
around me made me feel, I never experienced it anywhere else. The
motherly love she provided me with, was the most precious thing for me in
this cold world.
Even though she didn't gave birth to me, she was a mother to me. She
was there when my own mom couldn't be.
"Maria! Where were you? I was so worried when I didn't hear from you
these past few days!"
"I'm sorry, darling. I had to go take care of my sister who has been sick
for the past week. But now I'm here, and I heard what that cruel monster did
to you! Oh my gosh, Lexi, I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you!"
"It's not your fault, Maria, I understand. Truly, I do." I tried to take away
some of her guilt.
"But now I'm here, sweetheart. I promise I won't let that sorry excuse of a
king anywhere near you. He will have to go over my dead body." she said
with determition in her eyes but stopped, turning her attention to the maid,
"What are you still doing here? Go bring the poor girl something to eat!"
The maid glared at me one last time before turning to leave.
 I pulled Maria inside the room to talk, but the little device she always had
on her outfit, started beeping. Its a signal that her presence is needed for a
chore.
My happy and cheery mood turned completely upside down.
I think Maria noticed because she quickly said, "don't worry, darling.
We'll get plenty of time to talk. I'll come see you the first thing tomorrow
morning, till then make sure you eat something and get a good night sleep.
You very much need it."
I stared at her for some time, not wanting to let her go. Soon later I
nodded and stepped back.
**
I stared at the "food" placed in front me.
It was a round plate that contained some mash potatoes with gravy on
top, some vegetables on the side that I strongly disliked. If you ate the same
thing everyday, eventually you grow a burning hatred towards that food.
It would taste like plain paper. My taste buds were tired of that.
It's like waking up everyday but still being stuck in the past. Everyday
being the same as yesterday.
That has been my life for ten years.
The maid still stood next to me as I sat on a dining chair outside in the
balcony.
By now I knew that making any sort of conversation with anyone here
would be like putting your own hand in a lion's mouth.
Looks like I had more enemies than I thought.
I unwillingly picked up the spoon and slowly brought it closer to my
mouth. Closing my eyes so I wouldn't have to look at the contents on it.
But before I could place the spoon in my mouth, a hand snatched it from
my grasp.
I opened my eyes alert fully, while the king himself picked up my plate
that contained the awful food, and threw it at the wall.
******************************
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
-J.S
10. He Cares. He Cares Not.

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that.

Hate cannot drive out hate,
Only love can do that."
____________________________________
The King's balcony,
Crystaline Castle.
**
A loud, shattering noise filled every inch of the air. Every limb in my
body got frightened just thinking about what must have caused the king to
be this angry.
Maybe he just got in an argument with someone that he lost right before
coming here? But then again, who would invite their own death to their
doorstep by provoking the most feared "his majesty"?
I noticed I wasn't the only one scared as the maid also stepped back
couple of feet when the plate collided with the wall right next to her,
breaking apart into a million little, shapeless pieces.
The food on it scattered everywhere, too.
But I didn't have much to complain about since I never actually liked
those mashed potatoes and veggies anyways.
I was mentally preparing myself to face the King's wrath once again.
How long is this going to go on? He would get angry, hit me, and then
leave. The next time I see him, we would go through that same pattern
again. And again.
At the moment, he had a really pissed off expression on his face,
frowning as always. I noticed his eyes which turned golden in a second
once again.
"What the hell was on that plate?! She's a human, not a dog who you can
feed junk too!" The King's words surprised me to no end.
I thought he was going to yell at me. For doing something I yet never did.
Yell at me for existing, or even hit me for talking to the maid earlier. But I
certainly did not expect this.
"S-sir, but this is what we have been feeding her everyday... " the maid
tried to explain while her eyes looked everywhere except him.
"Are you telling me that my staff is too lazy to cook a proper meal for
her?! Look at how weak she's become! All because of you and the kitchen
staffs' stupidity. I want you to bring a healthy and proper dinner for her,
right now. Failed to do so, I'll make sure you don't live to see the sun
tomorrow."
The King's voice dropped to a calm, yet threatening tone.
The maid's eyes widened, she quickly bowed and muttered, "as you wish,
you majesty."
The brown hair girl turned on her heels and walked inside to the kitchen,
leaving the King and I alone in the coldness of the dark night.
I wrapped my arms around myself to get rid of the goosebumps that
always appeared when I was near him.
Before I could ask him what that was about, before I could ask him from
where did this sudden concern for me came from, he simply sent a quick
glance at me and walked inside too.
I saw him enter the bathroom and shut the door quietly for once.
What the hell just happened?
**
I leaned back in the comfortable chair that I sat on for the last ten minutes
and had my dinner.
To say it was the most delicious meal I've ever had would an
understatement.
I don't know what they called it and I was afraid to ask.
The plate consisted of two pieces that seemed like they've been cut from
a larger circle. The base was a crunchy, brown bread which held the
contents on top of it together.
On the bread there was a white sauce that tasted good too. Some round
red meat was placed at a perfect distance from each other, with pineapple
pieces sprinkled on the top.
I've never felt so satisfied with my life. For the first time in forever.
Pushing my chair back, I stood up and ran a hand over the skirt of my
dress to vanish the wrinkles.
Moving the curtains out of my way, I walked back inside the room.
 The closet where the maid told me my clothes (more like rags) that I had
in the dungeons would be at was my next target to go to so I could change.
But the sight infront of me had me frozen on my spot.
What I was looking at had my body switch off itself and avoid any
movements.
Hell, I couldn't even breathe.
There, right infront of me stood the all mighty king himself.
In nothing but a white towel.
Oh my God...
I had to take a double take in because I couldn't believe my eyes. I
blinked a couple of times to see if the breathtaking image disappeared.
But he was still there.
He froze too.
His hair was still wet with tiny drops of water falling from them. One of
then fell on his chest. I couldn't look away. That drop of water was
screaming for my attention for some reason. My eyes followed its
movements very closely. It ran smoothly over his stoned chest, crawling
over the hard six packs of his. Slowly passing over each and every one. It
reached the V shape of his torso. And then it dissappeared under the towel,
out of my sight.
He had a black tattoo on his left arm. It was just a bunch of confused
lines running in different directions, without forming any words or
meaning. They started at his collar bone, flowing down to just below his
elbow.
I think I sighed but then realized what I was doing. Look away, Alexis.
He's going to think you're some creep.
God, what if I had drool on the side of my mouth?
How embarrassing.
Blood rushed to my face, it was suddenly so hot in here. The temperature
rose so abruptly, without any warning. I'm sure my cheeks were the same
color as a tomato at the moment.
Moonlight was peeking in through the curtains, snaking its way over to
him, kissing every inch of his body. It gave him an angelic and glorious
look.
We were in a stance. Looking at eachother, as if nobody wanted to be the
first to look away. I get that why it was hard for me to look away, but why
was he looking at me like that?
 Why was he staring at me without any anger for the first time? Why was
he looking at me like he could see right through me, like he could read my
mind and knew every memory my mind was made of.
He was looking at me with a hint of curiosity.
His stare was so much more intense than ever before.
And then it was over.
The blissful moment we just shared, now just a second ago. It came
crashing down on me, bringing me out of my thoughts and back to reality.
It was all because of him clearing his throat. I looked down, embarrassed
that he caught me looking at him like he's some sort of meat.
What is wrong with you, Lexi?
I've never felt this way before, ever.
My mind started working again, yelling at me to turn around and I did
just that. I heard one of the doors to my left open and close, telling me that
he's not behind me anymore.
I turned back around cautiously, unsure of what to do next.
Where will I sleep?
"You'll be sleeping on the floor."
The king answered my unasked question.
Sometimes it made extremely jealous that vampires had such amazing
skills, like the fast speed.
He was now fully dressed in a white T-shirt and grey sweatpants.
Running a hand through his still damp hair, he walked towards his bed and
settled in without any further acknowledgement towards me until he said,
"Oh and you can change your clothes in that walk-in closet. Your bag is
there. Just sleep wherever you want on the floor and don't disturb me by
making any noise."
He suddenly threw one of the many pillows at me which landed on the
floor infront of me.
I glared at his back when he turned the other way on the bed.
He's so confusing! Just a couple of minutes ago, he was scolding the
maid for feeding me unhealthy food and now...
Now he's being a... What is that phrase Maria used to describe him?
A stuck up jerk.
He's being a stuck up jerk again.
I brushed off his unusual behavior.
 Going into the walk-in closet, I changed into a blue and purple
nightgown that reached just below my knees. Carefully so I wouldn't hurt
my sore back. Picking up the pillow on my way to a corner where it seemed
like the safest place to sleep away from the king, I placed it on the rug and
lied down.
It was surprisingly worse than sleeping in the dungeons. My body was
already starting to freeze due to the coldness that wrapped around me like a
blanket, but doing the opposite of what a blanket does. Instead of the
warmth, there was coolness. Instead of the light the dungeon provided,
there was darkness surrounding me.
But one thing I was thankful for was that at least the darkness was here to
hide my tears that once again escaped from my eyes. And thankful for the
coldness for numbing me enough to forget about the emotional pain.
*******************************
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
-J.S
11 . The Dream

"I believe in love at first sight, because I've been loving my mother since I
opened my eyes."
-Anonymous.
___________________________________
The dream.
"Mom, what is a girlfriend?" The five year old boy laid his head on his
mother's lap, eyes filled with curiosity. He looked up at his beautiful mom,
expecting an answer which would take his confusion away.
"When you're old enough and if you are a good boy, you'll get one," an
angelic voice filled with love towards her son said as the source of the voice
ran her fingers through the little boy's midnight black hair affectionately.
"What if I'm a bad boy?" the kid couldn't help but ask.
His mother smiled, "then you will get many."
If the boy thought he was confused before, he was now more than just
confused. He opened his mouth to ask something else but before he could,
there was a loud knock that came from the door.
First, it was just a loud booming noise, but then soon after, more similar
sound of the knocks filled the cottage that the little boy and his mother
occupied.
"Open up, Evangeline! Your secret is no longer a secret! We've come to
get that precious little thing you've been hiding!" A strong voice called
through the door that had the boy hugging his mother like there's no
tomorrow.
More people were banging on the door now, shouting to be let in.
"Mom, what's going on?" he asked in a small voice.
"Listen here, my love. I need you to go hide under that table and don't
come out until I tell you to do so. Make sure nobody sees you, understand?
Promise me you won't come out until it's safe!" the angelic voice whispered
quickly in desperation. Her eyes filled with nonshed tears, she gulped as an
attempt to not appear scared, to look stronger for her little boy.
 The boy nodded, understanding the seriousness of the situation even at a
young age. His mother made him jump off the bed and crawl under the
wooden table which was just a few inches from his head at a sitting
position.
The banging seemed to be getting louder by each passing second. His
mother rushed to the door and opened it at once.
The breezy air washed inside the house, carrying the smell of wet soil
and rain. Numerous sounds of thunders alerted everyone that a
thunderstorm was on its way.
The boy could only see the back of the skirt his mother wore and a few
pair of boots of men standing in front of her.
"Where is he?" One of the men questioned.
"Who, sir, and what are castle guards doing at a small cottage like this?"
"Don't try to act smart. We are no fools. The king has came to know of
that little boy you've been hiding here for years. He has ordered us to bring
him to the castle at once. Maybe if you cooperate, our king wouldn't be so
harsh to punish you. Now, tell us, where is he?!"
"I do not know what you are talking about, sir. It's only I who live here,
that has been the case ever since my master died. I don't have any children.
I'm alone in this world." Evangeline tried to shift their attention to the tears
streaming down her face to make them believe what she said was the truth.
"Mark, I think what she is saying is the truth. We don't see any kid or his
belongings anywhere in this cottage." Another man standing next to Mark
suggested.
The darkness of the night was making it hard for the little boy to stay
under the table. He grew scared as moments passed, a million thoughts
were running through his small brain.
He wanted someone to help him out of that darkness which surrounded
him.
"No no, Steve. If the king thinks the boy is here, he has to be here. His
majesty sent us here to get him. We can't leave without fulfilling our duty."
Mark walked further into the cottage, making Evangeline go still with fear.
Fear for herself and fear for what might happen to her little boy.
"No, I'm telling you, there's nobody here, you would just be wasting your
time, sir."
"Search everywhere, guards, turn the place upside down if you have to!"
 That was all it took for the guards to get to work as they scattered in all
directions, flipping over the bedsheets and checking behind every curtain
hanging off the wall.
The boy was terrified by then. He put his tiny hand over his mouth to stop
himself from calling out to his mother. He could feel the wetness caused by
the tears on his cheeks.
He could hear his mother's desperate voice begging them to stop
whatever they were doing.
He saw a pair of boots standing right infront of him, he held his breath,
praying to God to keep him safe.
The boy felt relief washing over him as the pair of boots passed by the
table and continued walking. He let out the puff of air he has been holding.
As he did that, all of a sudden, a face appeared right infront of him as a
rough voice said, "Gotcha,".
**
**
**
**
The sharp slap met Evangeline's left cheek. The pain pierced through her
skin like she's been burned. Her dangerous beauty did nothing to stop the
monster of the king from being furious at her.
"You bitch, you really thought you could hide that piece of shit from me?!
Have you forgotten who I am? I am the King of these lands, everyone falls
under my feet so who are you to go against me and keep that boy hidden for
all these years?! You know how much he can be of use to me, that's why you
kept him from me, did you not? Well guess what, your game is over, I've
found him now. And nothing can stop me from using him for my own good."
"You will have to go over my dead body to harm my son. Which is
impossible, considering the fact that I cannot die, or have you forgotten
that, you majesty."
Venom was dripping from every word she spoke which only made the king
more angry.
All of a sudden, a light bulb went on in the King's mind.
He smilled, "Believe me, it would be you who will willingly give up her
son to me."
Evangeline's eyes narrowed in confusion. Before she could ask him what
he meant, the king grabbed her by the hair and brought her face
dangerously close to his own.
"You will do as I say, or your son will suffer the consequences of the
choice you make. It's impossible to kill him, but trust me, I have other ways
that are more painful then death. He will be begging for the relief that only
death can provide but he will never, I repeat, never be able to escape the
torture I will put him through." The king hissed.
Evangeline struggled against the cruel man but it was no use, he was a lot
stronger then her, she was drained of her magic powers so she couldn't use
those either.
"I will never let you harm my son!" her voice quivered but she covered it
up with a cough.
"The choice is yours, Evangeline. Do you want to let your son be my son
so he can be treated like a prince and receive all the riches I will shower
him with, or do you want to go against me which will result in your son
going through the punishment that should have been yours?"
The broken woman was lost in her own thoughts, looking over every
detail in debt.
"Will I get to see him whenever I wish if I give him up to you?"
"Of course, even though I cannot allow you to live in the castle because
people might get suspicious, you will be able to visit him whenever you
wish. So do you agree?"
Evangeline still did not trust the king but she soon figured out she had no
other choice but to give her son over to the king if she wanted to keep him
safe.
With a million thoughts running around in her mind, she whispered the
word that will change her son's fate for the better or for the worse,
"I agree."
**
**
**
**
The sound of her own sobs surrounded Evangeline as she ran out of the
castle's main gate.
This has been the hardest day of her eternal life.
She could not get the image of her son's tear soaked face out of her mind
as she told him that the king will be his father from now on, that he was to
respect him just like he respected his mother. She had told him she will
come to visit but the castle was his home now.
She had just left her son in a world filled with monsters and betrayals. He
was the only source of light she had left, but that positive energy in him will
soon turn into everything she hates, he will turn into one of them.
But she tried to tell herself at least it was better than what they would
have done to him if she refused to leave him there.
Her long strides turned into slower and weaker ones, she lost all her
energy as she let her head drop while she sank to the floor in the middle of
nowhere.
A laugh came from right next her, she turned her head so fast that she got
dizzy for a couple seconds. But as soon as she made out the figure standing
next to her, she stood up.
"What are you doing here?"
The king smirked, "you didn't think I was going to let you go just like
that, now did you?"
Before Evangeline could process his words or make sense of them, the
king held onto her shoulders and said" I, King Isaac of the Vampire world,
ban Evangeline Iris from this world, she is to never step a foot here again,
all portals in all three worlds that leads to here are to be closed foever for
her. She must stay in the human world, away from here, away from my son."
A gust of wind surrounded Evangeline as her eyes grew wide realizing
the situation.
The king had played her.
He didn't stick to his words, just like he never did.
How could she be so stupid?
Why did she fall for his trap?
What will happen to her poor little baby?
Before the wind made her fully dissappear to send her back to the human
world, she found her voice and screamed at the top of her lungs,
"My son will never be like you, you bastard. He will not do any of your
dirty works, he will not misuse his abilities! He will never turn into a
monster like you!"
********************************
-J.S
12. The Devil's Sweet Sister

"I will keep an account of every drop of blood that drops from your body... I
will keep your last breath locked in my fist... I will destroy you so much that
your body will feel the pain while you live... But your soul will scream even
after you die."
-Damien Knight.
___________________________________
The King's chambers,
Crystaline Castle.
**
~~~~~~~~~Two weeks later~~~~~~~
Letting out a exhausted sigh, I leaned my back on the side of the bathtub.
Every limb in my body was screaming in pain from being stiff for too
long. I just got done with cleaning the King's bathroom. Which was a
difficult task considering it was huge! If someone gave me a bedroom this
size to stay in, I would be the happiest person alive.
My arms were tired from constantly scrubbing the now shinning, marble
bathtub. It shimmered due to the sunlight hitting it from the small window. I
was actually proud of my work.
It's been two weeks since I've moved to the King's bedroom and it was
not much better than staying in those closed prison doors.
On the second day of my stay here, I remember waking up because of
cold water being splashed on my sleeping face. It was an old maid who
screamed at me for sleeping for so long, even though it was seven when I
checked the time. Then she handed me some cleaning supplies and a list of
chores I had to do. She said and I quote, "you can't be laying around like a
queen bee, the king ordered that you are to clean his room everyday and be
his personal slave. He told me to give you this list of chores you have to do.
You'll find a new list on that table everyday." After giving me a last shove,
she walked out of the room.
The list was basically the same everyday, which somewhat went like this:
 Make my bed (I see any wrinkles, I'll kill you ).
Clean my bathroom. (Any drop of water in sight, I'll kill you ).
Take out my dirty clothes to laundry room. (find it yourself ).
Fix my closet. (but open the second drawer in second row and I'll kill you).
Clean the windows (should be crystal clear ).
I could almost hear those threats coming out of his mouth in a already
pissed off tone.
Some days, the maid told me to do extra work if I was finished early.
Which was hardly ever the case since his majesty always left with his room
looking like a tornado just hit it.
I don't get how he can make a complete mess of it in just a few hours he's
here. Sometimes I strongly believe it's just to make me suffer more.
I haven't seen the king at all this past weeks. I'm always fast asleep
before he even returns to his room, but sometimes, I would faintly hear him
stumble his way into the room, and then the coldness around would
suddenly dissappear, replaced by a comforting warmth provided by a soft
blanket.
However, the king always leaves before I'm even awake.
Which means he only sleeps like, what, five hours?
But I guess Vampires don't really need to sleep to charge their energy,
they just need blood.
I was kind of glad for not having to come across him. He scared me to no
end.
I've heard his voice when he gets angry, which is way too often. When
he's yelling at someone, the sound booms off the walls at this part of the
castle.
Maybe the reason why he's so angry is because he just seemed to be
really busy working all the time. Does he even have friends?
He probably doesn't, that would explain why he doesn't know how to talk
without being rude to people.
My thoughts wondered off to the dreams I've been having.
The first one left me bewildered. I couldn't even imagine what that little
boy and his mother must have went through. But I kind of do understand
since that sort of happened to me too...
I was ripped away from my family too.
It was shocking how I always remember every single tiny detail of those
dreams.
 Other times, I had dreamed about that same boy but he grew older in
each dream.
One thing I was sure of was that he never had the childhood he should
have.
Just like me.
But while I was a prisoner locked away from the outside world, that little
boy was fully exposed to that world. Exposed to the things he never should
have witnessed at such a young age.
While I was safe in the company of Maria, listening to her stories, that
little boy was out there battling for his life at a young age of ten.
He was forced to kill every living soul that came in his path. I know he
didn't want to kill them, but he had to.
For if he didn't, his father would kill him.
*
"Dad! Stop!"
The broken voice cried out as the knife sinked further into his stomach.
He desperately clunged his father's hand as his dad pushed the knife deeper,
twisting it at an angle which had the poor boy scream out louder.
"This is what you deserve! What did I teach you? Not to show mercy on
anyone, did I not? Then how dare you go against me and do what I've
strictly told you to not do all these years?"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it won't happen again! Please, dad, let me go, it
hurts! Ow."
Tears rolled down the pale cheeks of the nine year old boy as he
struggled to keep track of his breath. His fragile frame couldn't keep itself
standing any longer as he found himself dropping to the floor but his father
kept him up with a tight grip on his arm.
*
I was brought out of my mini day dream by a voice calling my name.
This was one of the dreams I had, I had no idea what they meant or who
was that little boy. He seemed strangely familiar but yet everytime I would
think that I've solved the puzzle, everytime I would think I know who he is,
I would find myself back to square one because of the way that boy acted.
It just couldn't be who I think it was.
That voice called my name again.
It wasn't familiar at all, a feminine voice calling my name.
 I stood up even though my body complained and responded, "I'm
coming."
I tried to walk quickly into the room with my sore muscles. I got there
the same time the door opened and a girl walked in.
A really beautiful girl.
For once it wasn't some maid dropping off my food or telling me to hurry
because she has more work for me.
With brown hair and icy green eyes, she looked like the goddess herself.
Her eyes met mine as her lips stretched into a smile. Her figure was slim
while she was wearing a uniform of some sort, a plaid blue skirt and a white
blouse. Her feet covered in black flats that ticked against the marble floors
as she walked closer to me.
"Hey! Are you Alexis?"
I slowly nodded my head, unsure of what to say as I've never met her
before.
"Oh my god, now I see why my brother had a hard time killing you off..."
"Uhm..."
I was acting strange and I knew it. But I've never really had the time to
socialize with anyone before, literally. Wait, she's not his sister, is she..?
"I'm so sorry for what my brother put you through. I know you don't
deserve it, I can see it. Believe me, I never knew he had a little child locked
up since she was seven years old. I'm sorry I wasn't here when he- when he
beat you. I had a school trip to the human world..."
I was shocked, she was actually apologizing to me, for crimes she didn't
even attempt. I started to shake my head and opened my mouth to tell her
it's not her who's responsible for all this.
"Oh sorry, forgot to introduce myself, I'm Emma, Damien's little sister.
Well not so little anymore since I just turned seventeen last month."
What is she doing? Why is she being so nice to me? I thought everyone
hated me here. She's the first Vampire I've come across who had shown
such kindness towards me. I smiled.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Alexis."
I let out my hand for her to shake, but she did something completely
unexpected, she hugged me.
I stood there, eyes wide open, my brain couldn't seem to comprehend
what was happening. This was all so new to me, I was so use to the rude
remarks and the beatings. I lifted up my arms and wrapped them around her,
too.
Suddenly, she stepped back, as if she just got electrocuted. My confused
eyes met hers as I noticed her eyes changing colors, from green to a pitch
black.
"Emma?"
She stared at me as if she couldn't even see me, like she saw right
through me.
"Alexis, you have a tough life ahead of you, it could either end in hell or
something far greater than paradise. That would depend on the choices you
make, just follow your heart and dare to look beneath the outer facade of
things. Look beyond the ice that tells you the water is frozen, dare to break
through and you might discover warmth. It's your job to save yourself from
him, but don't forget it's your job to save him from himself, too--"
Before Emma could continue, she blinked once and her eyes changed
back to their original color. Gazing around the room, she asked, "What
happened?"
******************************
-J.S
13. Shopping With Who?

"I can't even remember the last time someone could make me feel this way,
but the last time someone did, I was left fucking destroyed."
____________________________________
The King's Office,
Crystaline Castle.
**
"You want to what?!"
I jumped at the King's suddenly raised voice.
He looked at me a glare that can have anyone on their knees, begging for
mercy. So basically, how he always looks at me.
Let me rewind. What actually happened was that Emma thought it would
be a good idea for us to go shopping at the mall since I have never stepped a
foot out of this castle. She wanted to show me what's it's like outside these
walls and that it's "not all bad".
So now here I am, trying not to shake from the fear taking over my body
as the King glared at me even though I haven't even said a word ever since I
stepped a foot in his office. On the other hand, Emma was confident and she
looked like she wouldn't back down without a fight.
That's because she's his sister, he won't hurt. But me, he would probably
kill me in a blink if I even sneezed.
The king was pacing back and forth infront of his desk. I took a moment
to really take him in, he was dressed as sharp as he always was. A navy
blue shirt clunged to his body with a black tie tied around it. He wore a
black suit and a pair of matching dress shoes to complete the look. Each
strand of his midnight black hair was perfectly styled.
Oh my...
Here comes those thoughts again.
"Damien, come on. We won't be long, it would be nice if we hang out
since all the "friends" I have, their only friends with me because I'm your
sister. They only befriend me because of my title. Please I want to get to
know her, she seems different. I think she would make a great best friend.
She's been locked up all her life, so she doesn't even know the meaning of
using other people for her own benefit. She's not going to hurt me."
Uhm, hello, I'm right here. I wanted to yell but thought against it.
I suddenly noticed there was another man in the room who looked like
he's in his early twenties but I knew he was a Vampire which meant he must
be way past that age. He had black hair like Damien's but light brown eyes.
His skin was tan while he dressed just as fancy as Damien.
He's been so quiet this whole time, just leaning against the book shelf
with his arms crossed infront of him. I also didn't miss the way he was
looking at Emma, it was almost like he adored her.
Realizing I'm looking at him, he finally spoke up, "Damien, I think you
should let them go, girls have there own personal stuff that they need to buy
even if she's going to live for just four months."
But Damien sent him a death glare which shut him up before he could
speak another word.
"Emma, she's not our fucking guest. She's a prisoners so I won't let her
outside this castle. Who knows what she's actually capable of? Maybe it's
just an act to get you to trust her so she can plan her escape. Just because I
granted her life for four more months, doesn't mean she's allowed to do
whatever the hell she wants. She's to be kept like a slave."
Emma still didn't back down, "But, --"
"I don't want to hear anymore on this topic."
Suddenly, Emma's eyes changed color again, from light green to a stormy
black.
"Damien, you're going to regret every single thing you put her through.
Trust me, and when you do, it would be way past too late. You're gonna
want to take it all back, change the past. But that past is going to haunt you
in your dreams and torture you during the day. The guilt will eat you alive
and the regret is going to make you wish you died."
Damien rushed to his sister's side and shook her by the shoulders,
"Emma, snap out of it."
I guess shaking her worked because a moment later, she looked at him
with her green eyes as Damien turn towards the other guy, "Eric, take the
human back to my room."
Eric grabbed my arm lightly, surprisingly. He lead me out of the office
and into the dark hallway with the candles as the only source of light.
He still had the grip on my arm as we walked back in silence.
He stopped infront of the King's room and I turned towards him, "Thank
you, uhm..."
"Call me Eric. I'm Damien's right hand by the way, and also his best
friend. Actually his only friend, now that I think about it."
"Damien has friends?" I blurted out without thinking.
For some reason I couldn't imagine Damien getting along with someone,
what are his conversations like, "Dude did you kill those five innocent
people I sent you after? Okay. Here's a $500 bill, buy what you want." I
cringed.
Eric laughed, "You do know I can read your mind, right?"
"What?! You need to respect other's privacy you know. Wait. If you can
read my mind then why can't Damien just do that so he will know I don't
have any plans against him?"
"That's because he can't read your mind."
"But how's that possible? I thought all vampires could read mind?"
"They can. Damien can read everyone's mind except yours. It's crazy isn't
it? I don't know why he can't. I've never heard of this before, a vampire not
being able to read someone's mind. You must be really special, Alexis
Smith." he smirked and I wondered how can someone like Eric be Damien's
friend. He seemed to be an easy to talk to person while Damien is always
ready to snap your neck even if you make a noise.
"Why, thank you. I'm not going to argue with you on that one, Lexi. I am
the cooler best friend while Damien... He can sometimes be a pain in the
ass, scratch that, he always walks like he has a stick up his ass." Eric said
laughing.
"And I'm going to take that stick out and hit you over the head with it if
you don't shut the fuck up."
I quickly looked back to see Damien standing there looking pissed as hell
with both hands clenched on his sides.
"Chill, bro, I was just kidding. You should be thankful I didn't her how
you always get a bo--"
"ENOUGH, get out of here!" Damien's rudeness cut him off.
His angry tone didn't seem to effect Eric as he just let out a chuckle and
his frame simply retrieved down the hall.
I kept my gaze down as I reached for the door knob to go inside the room
but the King stopped me by grabbing onto my left arm.
 Millions of tiny little shivers spread across my skin where his hand
touched, and as he pulled his hand back, the aftermath of those goosebumps
left behind a tingly feeling.
I looked up to his face to find him looking at me with a straight face but
the lightest shade of pink coated his cheeks.
"Be ready by twelve p.m tomorrow." He said, and without any further
explanation, turned around and started to walk away.
"Wait," I called him, "why?"
He stopped mid step and turned around, "you want to go shopping or
not?"
"Who am I going with?" I had to check the water temperature before I
jumped in, right?
"With me."
He said that like it's the most obvious thing in this world.
Shopping?
With him?
I might as well throw myself infront of the train. Who knows what he
might do to me? Maybe it's just to get me out of the castle and he might
feed me to the hungry blood suckers. No matter how much I want to
explore the outside world, I would rather stay in than go out with the Devil
himself.
"I'm not going with you."
You could clearly see the hesitation in my voice. I just wanted to say that
as nicely as possible so he wouldn't think I'm disobeying him or something.
He closed the distance between us in less than a second. My instincts
allowed me to step back as far away as possible to the point where I was
trapped between him and the door.
Damn it.
His rough hand swiftly snaked around my waist while I tried to avoid
making eye contact with him because all that seemed to do was make me
get this warm, fuzzy feeling inside. It makes my mind go crazy in an
overdrive and my breathing gets faster and for some reason it seems like I
just ran a mile.
"Let me rephrase that," he said in a hard voice, "tomorrow, you are to go
shopping with me and get all the things you need to survive these four
months. Do you understand?"
I nodded, as I tried to calm down my increasing heart rate.
"Good girl."
*******************************
-J.S
14. Shopping With His Majesty.

"Cuz life is not easy, I'm not made out of steel

Don't forget that I'm human, don't forget that I'm real
Act like you know me, but you never will
But that's one thing that I know for sure
I'll show you
I'll show you.."
-Justin Bieber XD
___________________________________
Somewhere in the Vampire World
**
My eyes scanned every inch of the surroundings that blurred past the
car's window. I tried to capture all the little details as fast as I could.
The pure white birds, which I've never seen before, flew over the horizon
mingling with the group of different colored birds. They formed a larger
group and proceeded going in a different direction until they were out of my
sight.
I could occasionally make out the different kinds of fishes resurfacing
ever so often to catch a glimpse of sunlight.
The window was rolled all the way down, thanks to the King for listening
to me for once. Wind was slapping me on the face as he was driving like he
just escaped from a jail. Which, in my case was kind of true, since this was
my first time being out of those walls that ate me alive ever so slightly
everyday.
I enjoyed this little bit of freedom. After all, this was all I could have,
because soon enough, I would be on my death bed.
Pushing the scary thoughts away, I focused on the present.
Blue was the main color that appeared in every direction I looked. The
road that we were on, was surrounded with bodies of water. It was a long,
stretched out lane which connected the castle to the nearby city as Damien
has mentioned before.
I was surprised he even told me that piece of information.
 We were in a Red car which I didn't bother checking the name of, all I
knew was if I had to trust my life on one single car, it would be the one
Damien was currently driving.
He had taken me into this huge garage, if you could even call it a garage.
It just seemed like a place I remembered from back home where they sold
cars. He had way too many for only himself.
He had actually asked me, "which one?"
I was still in shock while replying, "uhm.. How about this?" as I stopped
infront of a mint colored two-doors car.
He had rolled his eyes and walked away towards a red car that stood out
the most and said, "guess we're taking this one then."
I just shrugged it off because that's the all mighty king we know, who
always does the opposite of what everyone wants him to do.
Soon enough, the loud noises around me brought me back to reality.
The place around me wasn't so empty anymore, now we were driving
through busy streets filled with cars buzzing past us and people walking
around, some running to catch the bus.
No, not people, they were Vampires, no doubt.
The fact that this part of the Vampire world seem to be filled with lights
didn't go unnoticed by me. Back at the castle, everything was so gloomy,
while here, it felt like I was in a completely different world. They very
much used electricity here at every corner of the streets, while at the castle,
it was used at just some parts of it.
I sat up straighter to get a better look and found out that everyone was
clearing out of the path Damien's car was going through.
I looked at him, my eyes filled with questions while he just smirked,
"they can smell my scent, and nobody wants to be the reason for their
King's delay."
Wow, everyone really did respect him, well more like feared him.
We reached a parking lot filled with countless cars, as I turned my head
to look at the shopping mall.
One word.
Amazing.
"We didn't come here for you to gape at the mall like that, let's just go."
Without waiting for a response, he opened the car door and stepped out. I
followed his actions as he walked around the car and grabbed my upper
arm, sending a now familiar wave of electricity throughout my body.
 Oblivious to my reaction to his touch, he continued walking, almost
dragging me along with him.
I moved my arm out of his grasp and looked at him in the eye, "I can
walk on my own."
I noticed his eyes turn wide before I quickly turned around and took a
step forward. Bad idea, because I suddenly bumped into a stranger and my
frame stumbled back into Damien.
"Watch it, " an angry voice said.
If it wasn't for the king's arms, that reached out to steady me, my butt
would be on the floor right now.
His face had a bored expression on as he lazily smirked, "I can clearly
see you can. That--"
"Let's just go."
He frowned, his eyes turning more serious, "You're not the boss here,
don't order me around, human."
But then he continued walking with me trailing after him, still glaring at
his back.
*
*
*
"Which one?"
We were in a store called "Forever 21", and Damien had told me I could
buy whatever I want while he was just on his phone making calls or
scanning through something. But his attention was divided though,
probably to make sure I don't run away, like I would in a world filled with
scary monsters who are eagerly out to get me.
Even though this place was great and I discovered something I've never
seen before with every turn I made, I eventually got bored of the
excitement. I wanted someone to give me ideas and opinions on what
looked better. Someone to help me out, I wish Emma was here with me
instead.
I held up two of the same dresses but different in color, asking the King
which one looked better.
He rolled his eyes like he would rather be anywhere else but here, "I
don't care, buy whatever you want"
He went back to his phone as I just shrugged off his ussual behavior and
turned around.
 "The red one."
I heard a faint smooth voice that belonged to nobody but him.
What's up with him liking the color red so much?
I smiled, turning around to face him again, "Well I'll get the pink one
then."
I saw him open his mouth but before he could say something rude or scold
me again, I turned around and ran into the fitting room.
*
*
*
I rested my sore back on the car seat, letting my head fall back, I was
beyond tired.
My feet were numb and it seemed like they would fall off any moment
now. My arms were tired from looking through the clothes.
Oh and I made sure Damien payed more by buying the stuff I would
never even need...
I mean it's his fault I'm in this mess anyways, he's got to make up for it
one way or the other.
Right now I was in his car all alone because he recalled he forgot to get
something and told me to stay in the car no matter what. So he went back
inside the mall to get whatever it is he forgot to buy.
All of a sudden, I heard a sob.
A sob followed by many, and I realized someone was crying. I looked out
of the window and saw a kid around ten years of age, crying and looking
around for something or rather, someone.
Instincts kicked in and I stepped out of the car without a second thought.
"Hey, are you okay?"
The kid looked at me and shook his head no.
"My mom is sick! There's no one else home, she's really sick! You have
to help her! Come with me. Please!" He cried.
I stood there, deciding what to do, should I wait for Damien? But this
child really needed my help.
"Um, hold on, let me see if--"
But the boy didn't let me continue as he grabbed my arm gently, urging
me to follow him, to help him. I could see the pain behind his eyes and I
think that's what made me give up and go along with him.
 He lead me through the crowd, "my house is just around the corner this
way."
We turned onto a narrow alley way where there was no sight of a single
soul. We continued onto that road for a minute or two, we were surrounded
by the back of some apartment buildings so I guessed his must be on this
street too.
In a blink, the boy let go of my arm. I looked at him to ask where his
house is but before I could speak, a rough hand, which I'm sure didn't
belong to the boy, grabbed my arm and pushed me untill my back hit the
back of a building.
My eyes met his strange red ones. There was a burning desire so strong
in them that it frightened me to no end. He had dark messy hair that curled
at the end. He was dressed in some odd looking clothes which seemed as
though they didn't belong in this century.
He had a strong hold on my upper arms as I continued to struggle against
him.
"Who are--"
His hand came up and covered my mouth tightly, preventing me to make
any sort of noise.
I got really scared and tears escaped my eyes. What was he going to do to
me? Was I going to die before these four months were even over? If I was
meant to die like this, if I was to have no meaning in life, then why was I
even born? What was the purpose? Why did the big guy sitting up there
even create me?
Please let me go.
I was ready to beg for my life if i had to. I haven't even lived yet.
"Well, well, well, don't cry now, baby doll, I'm going to make you feel
really good..." his rough voice reminded me of how dangerous he can get.
It made me want to run away and hide in the deepest dungeons.
"You have no idea how fucking tempting you are. I've been thinking
about you ever since I smelled your scent with that bastard of the King. You
can only wish but you can never hide from me, you're mine now. Mine to
do whatever I want with you."
As if it couldn't get any worse, his face came really close to mine and I
could smell the alcohol on him. I pushed myself farther into the wall, away
from him.
 How could I be so stupid? As I looked around, I noticed that boy was no
where to be found.
I hate him.
My body started shaking from fear, a type of fear I've never experienced
before. Not even with Damien. For some strange, fucked up reason, Damien
never made me feel this sick.
The Vampire's hands were all over me now.
I couldn't do anything but fight, which wasn't good enough since he was
a lot stronger.
His face moved towards my neck as I tried to scream but luck wasn't on
my side as his hand was pressed onto my mouth.
"Mmm you smell so good, I bet you taste even better..."
Realization hit me like a brick that he was going to bite me, drink my
blood, then use my body for other reasons I was too scared to even think
about.
I felt his mouth on my neck as he kissed a certain area which had my
heart rate increasing ten times faster and not in a good way, at all.
I felt his fang ready to pierce through my skin and all I could do was
silently pray that it would be over soon.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
********************************
-J.S
15. Crybaby

____________________________________
An alley way,
Vampire World.
**
It all happened so quick, if I had blinked for even a second, I would have
miss it.
One moment, my attacker's face was getting closer and closer towards
my neck, and it didn't take much of a genius to figure out what he was about
to do. Then the other, it seemed like my prayers were answered. As soon as
he came into my sight, I got this strange feeling that nobody could hurt me
then.
I didn't understand that at all. How could I feel safe with the man who
was the reason I was in this mess? How could my body relax as if his
presence soothed me in more than one way?
Time stood still, I forgot about the situation I was in. The moment our
eyes made contact, the world froze, the anxiety I experienced seconds ago,
left my body. A fire so hard to explain was burning in his eyes, pool of
golden orbs shooting daggers at the stranger's hands which were all over
me.
Then, before I could take another breath, the King moved at a speed hard
to comprehend, and snapped the drunk man's head with a crack that echoed
in my mind for some time that followed.
There he stood before me, hands still clenched in fists. The man who
confused me no end.
He always took any opportunities to torture me, to make my life worse
than it already was. The person who liked watching me suffer, for crimes
still unknown to me.
But now here he was, saving me from danger. If he hadn't came on time...
Just thinking about what could have taken place made my eyes fill with
tears.
 I blinked them away. Why do I always do this? I need to stop being so
naive and vulnerable. But then I realized I didn't have much power or
control here, anyways.
We stood there, me drowning in my own thoughts and him, now glaring
at me, "I thought I told you not to leave that car?"
Even though his voice was rough, there was a slight softness to it.
"I- I was just- there was-"
I hated to admit it, but his stare made me stutter and my mind went blank.
Or maybe the shock of what was about to happen still remained in my body.
Then he snapped, "you were what?! I made it pretty damn clear earlier
for you to stay in that car. Are you now that stupid to even follow simple
instructions?! Do you ever listen to me? Or does everything I say goes in
through one of your ears and out the other, never reaching your mind?
Answer me, damn it!"
Even though I found it hard to talk because of the sobs I was constantly
swallowing, I found my voice and started to explain, "T-there was a kid
who came crying to me, he said his mom was dying, I couldn't just leave
him all by himself, I wanted to help him, but then he dragged me here and I
found out--"
The King ran a hand through his dark hair like he has been doing for the
past minutes, and shook his head in disbelief, "Are you telling me you got
out of that car to help a vampire boy?! How dumb can you be? Why can't
you see that we don't live in fairytale fantasies with pixie dusts where
everyone is all lovey dovey?! Can you stop living with your eyes closed for
a moment? Look around, Alexis, not everyone believes in goodness
anymore! This world is filled with monsters hiding under a friendly mask,
creatures who would rip your throat out without thinking twice about it,
then they would swim happily in your blood, swallowing every little inch of
it afterwards! They will use your body for things you can never even
imagine! Stop being so--"
At this point, tears were freely escaping my eyes as sobs left my mouth
uncontrollably, without my permission. His words were cutting me deep
into the pit of my stomach. I put my hands over my ears so I could block
out the harsh words.
"Stop, please." was all I could mutter through my cries.
"Yeah, go ahead and cry! Because that's all you do! That's all you can do.
Quit being such a crybaby for once! Man up and accept the truth! What I'm
saying is the reality. There's no point in turning your back towards the truth
and pretending it doesn't exist! It will come and bite you later on. Stop
being so oblivious. Stop being so weak. Do you have any idea what that
innocent little face of yours does to people?! Nobody even catches a
glimpse of that innocence here, that's what attracts them to you. It's like
when a kid wants to buy the new released toy before anyone else."
"I get it! You can stop with your speeches now. I understand that this a
cold-hearted world filled with monsters like you. But what I don't get is that
if I'm so stupid and naive and whatever other insults you have in store for
me, why don't you just kill me already?! Why don't you just end my years
of suffering by simply taking this meaningless life away from me? Why?"
I just had to ask him that.
Eyebrows frowning, he was in deep thought for some time. Then, he just
let out an exhausted sigh and simply said, "I don't know."
He faced the other way and shoved his hands in his jeans pocket, his
white, button down shirt was blowing against the wind because for once, it
wasn't tucked in to give him that professional look. I waited for further
explainations but got none.
"You don't know? You kept me locked away for ten years. Oh my God,
you killed my parents! If I'm a threat to you as you've mentioned before,
why not just kill me? I don't want to live with death knocking on my door
everyday. Just kill me, once and for all. You will have your precious
kingdom, all secured and safe. You'll get to rule over all the existing
Vampires and their land. I'll be gone and so will the black cloud of
destruction that's looming over your world."
I expected him to list reasons why me being alive would benefit him. I
expected him to say that he wanted my death to be slow and painful. But
what I didn't expect was what he said next.
____________________________________
*******************************
-J.S
16. What?

"According to Greek mythology,

humans were originally created with
four arms, four legs, and a head with
two faces. Fearing their power, Zeus
split them into two different things,
condemning them to spend their lives
in search of their other halves."
-Plato's The symposium.
______________________________________
In An alley way,
Vampire World.
**
"But I don't want that, damn it! I want y-"
Silence surrounded every ounce of the atmosphere, making it possible for
me to hear my own fast-beating heartbeat. My heart was pounding in my
chest, like it did every time he was near. I tried to control it, took in a deep
breath, but that didn't do much of a justice. As I breathed in, I also inhaled
the King's exotic masculine scent. Standing only about two feet away, he
was still too close.
My blue eyes found his wild, black ones, "What? What do you want,
your majesty?" I asked, sarcastically.
"I want you to shut the fuck up," he finally opened his mouth. He seemed
frustrated, with himself or perhaps me. He looked the other way and
avoided making any eye contact.
"I want an explanation, there's no way you're just keeping me alive for
whatever that witch's name is to see me. I know you. I know that you never
spare any of your enemies, you kill them even if you have a little bit of
suspicion. Then why keep me alive? I want to know what you have planned
for me."
 I didn't know why I just thought of this now. I've never really thought this
through when he spared my life. I was so caught up in enjoying my
postponed death that I never thought of the consequences or the price once.
But now I doubt his actions, there has to be something else, something more
meaningful as to why he hasn't killed me yet.
He took a step closer, and this time, I didn't back away. I knew he was
trying to scare me again, so I won't question him. But not anymore, I had to
show him that I won't be a puppet who dances on his fingers.
"Would you rather I kill you? Fuck, humans are so annoying... And
pathetic," he shook his head and laughed, for the first time, but it wasn't a
oh you're so funny kind of laugh, it was a you have no idea what I'm gonna
do to you kind of laugh.
He continued, "but if you want to know so badly, I'll tell you. I don't want
you to be alive, to be honest I would have killed you when I first saw you.
But where's the fun in that, human? I wanted to try something new. Come
on, a Vampire's got to get bored of killing once in a while. I wanted to see
how would you plan to be the cause of my destruction, which, let me
remind you, is next to the word impossible."
He said everything in a motion that seemed practiced. There was a voice
at the back of my mind, telling me something, which didn't make sense. But
as I looked into his eyes, those unguarded, black eyes, I came to a
conclusion. It was like I could see right through his eyes for once.
"You're lying, you would never give your enemy a chance to prove
themselves. Heck, anyone with a proper functioning brain would never do
that, underestimate their enemy."
He looked at me with surprise written all over his face. Did he really
think I was too dumb to figure that out? I don't know what it is that he's
hiding from me. Why couldn't he just say what he has in store for me?
What's the price for me being alive?
He shrugged like it wasn't a big deal to him, "I know you can never
destroy me even if you tried, Alexis Smith. You're too weak for that," he
laughed, "I mean, just look at you. All it took was a little bit of crying from
a Vamp kid to get you running towards trouble by yourself."
He just had to bring that up again.
But he didn't stop there,"besides, what can a little crybaby human who
can't even take care of herself do to cause me harm? You're too naive for
that, I know that now. I know you're just a regular human who-"
 A ringing, sharp noise was heard by us. The King sighed as he slid his
hand into his jeans pocket and took out his phone. A moment later, he had it
pressed to his ear.
I looked around and noticed the blue afternoon sky turned into a never-
ending pitch of blackness, the sun was nowhere to be found, neither were
the stars. It must be the clouds covering them, I thought. When a earth
shattering noise of a thunder was heard, I was proved correct. It's about to
rain.
I could hear the King speaking to someone on the phone in the
background, but I was suddenly filled with this strange excitement to what
was about to come. Rain.
It's been ages since I've actually felt the rain. Literally.
In the dungeons, I heard the faint stormy noise and the chattering of rain
drops hitting the pavement, but that's it, I never got to actually experience
those rainy weather days.
But now is my chance.
Another thunder roared through the night, and I was filled with yet
another exciting feeling, while the King let out a curse.
I looked up at the sky and smiled, I could almost feel my eyes smiling
too, after a long time.
But the King ruined the mood by opening his mouth once again, "stop
staring at the clouds like that, it's creepy. We need to go, I've been away
from my duties long enough because of you."
Yes, blame everything on me, why don't you?
"You're the one who wanted to come shopping with me!" I had to remind
him that fact.
"And you should be thankful that the one person everyone dies to get a
look at, is spending time with an ungrateful bitch like you who questions
her existence every five seconds. Jeez, I have a headache. Who knew that
was possible for a Vampire? Maybe this is the destruction the Prophecy was
talking about, my brain cells." He rolled his eyes and rubbed his forehead to
prove his point.
I had to admit, that actually hurt, he can all me anything he wants, but I'm
not ungrateful, as he had put it.
But I realized there was no point in arguing with the devil himself, so I
simply turned around and started to walk back to where I knew the car was
located.
 "Ow," he faintly murmured behind me.
I turned around quickly to find out what happened. He was still standing
on the same spot but his hand was rubbing the area where his heart would
have been. His eyes were closed and a slightest hint of pain could be seen
on his face.
"Damien?" I softly called out.
His eyes shot open, and just like that, he had a guarded mask on again,
"It's your majesty for you, human. Next time you call me by my name, I
will slice that tongue of yours in two."
He brushed past me and we walked back to the car as the King said
something along the lines of, it better not start raining.
There was one thing I have came to realize after today for sure, the King
was hiding something from me, and I had a feeling it was something big.
______________________________________
*********************************
-J.S
17. Rain, Rain, Go Away.

"Maybe rain drops are the bravest thing created by God.

Want to know why?
It's because they're Never Afraid of Falling."
_____________________________________
On the way back to the Castle,
Vampire World.
**
A loud screeching noise brought me out of my slumber.
Aware of the long distance from the Castle to the city, I had fallen asleep
listening to the patternless rhythm of the falling rain drops on the car roof.
My eyes shot open as a sudden force pulled me forward. In my mind, I
thanked the seatbelt I had on, or I would have flown out the windshield.
I turned my head to the left, raising my eyebrows at the King, "I know you
hate me and all, but can you please let me sleep for a little while, your
majesty."
He was surprised too as the car came to a halt. Letting out a curse, he
turned his head and glared at me, "don't call me that."
"Don't call you what? Your majesty? Excuse me, weren't you the one
who told me to call you that or you will, and I quote, slit my tongue in two."
I didn't understand this man at all.
A frustrated sigh came from him, "I did. But I hate it when you say it like
that."
"Like what?" I questioned.
"Like you're mocking me or some shit! When everyone says it, you can
hear the respect they have for me dripping through the words. But you, it
sounds like an insult when those words come out of your mouth!" The King
exclaimed.
For some strange reason, his words made me laugh, even though he was
giving me a warning. The kind of laugh that I haven't experienced in a long
while, the carefree one. Never in a million years would I have thought I
would be laughing at something the King, the most feared Vampire, had
said. My laughter took its time, as it died down to a faint giggle.
"Hehehe, so funny. Are you done?" There was no hint of humor in the
King's words what so ever, but the way he copied my giggle, had me
laughing out loud again.
"God, what did I ever do to you, for making me get stuck with some
crazy human?" He looked up at the car roof, expecting some sort of reply.
"Stuck?"
What did he mean, getting stuck with me?
"Yes, if you still haven't noticed, human, we're stuck in the middle of
nowhere. This piece of shit has decided to break down at the worst timing
possible! Great, now I have to hear that disgusting heartbeat coming from
you for much longer."
The situation we were in just made itself visible to me.
His car broke down.
It's pouring down rain.
I'm stuck in the middle of nowhere.
Stuck with the King.
But at the same time, some other thoughts hit me. And I realized this
might just be the first and only time I can outsmart the King, "Can't you just
teleport? Or use your phone to call your guards or whatever?"
"Do you think I'm stupid? Is that what you think of me? I've already tried
calling but there's no service here, because we're surrounded by miles and
miles of forest trees! Also, I cannot teleport either, I haven't fed enough to
have the energy needed to complete the action. That leaves only one other
choice, communicate through my mind, but for some twisted reason, I
fucking can't. I don't know what the fuck is going on. It's like someone
planned this stupid night to make me suffer." He kept going on and on about
how much his life sucked, making me snicker.
All hopes of escaping the situation left my brain. There's really no getting
out of this one. I slumped back into the seat, getting comfortable, "So what
do we do?"
"We? If you could just shut your mouth and let me think, that would be a
lot from your part."
I scowled but did as he said.
He was in deep thoughts for quite some time, glancing around the car,
looking outside the windows.
 "I just need to feed, I know there's a village nearby. If we can walk to
there, I can get rid of my hunger and have the energy to transport us back to
the Castle."
Oh the irony, the precious King who does whatever he wants asking his
people for help.
But I went along with it, "Okay, wait, but we're walking in the rain?"
All of a sudden, the situation we were in didn't seem that bad, after all.
His ussual frown appeared on his face once again, "I guess," was all he
said.
He reached his arm out to the back and when he retrieved it, a black
leather jacket was in his hand. I glared at his preparedness. He seemed to be
ready enough to go out in the rain, while I just wore a thin blue sweater and
jeans.
Then a thought hit me, I had a jacket that I had purchased in the trunk,
too. I smiled, "I need to grab my jacket from the trunk."
"Wear this."
Holding out his jacket, he looked straight ahead.
"But wouldn't you be cold then?"
"I'm use to it, coldness doesn't bother me much anymore."
Why did I get the feeling those words had two completely different
meanings?
I just shrugged it off and took the offered piece of clothing. I snaked my
hands through the sleeves and the scent of his colonge surrounded me,
highlighting my senses.
"Let's go," without waiting for a reply, the King opened the car door amd
stepped out into the breezy night.
I didn't waste much time and followed his actions. Right as I stepped out
of the car, millions of tiny water droplets showered down on me. I smiled
amd threw my head back, as I let the rain kiss my face and wash away the
lines of worry.
A hand grabbed my left wrist gently out of nowhere, and another grabbed
my right wrist. From the tingles which appeared on my skin, I knew those
pair of hands didn't belong to anyone but the King.
What was he doing?
He was standing behind me as he took a hold of my arms with each hand.
His fingers brushed against the naked skin of my wrists because the
jacket's sleeves have risen up. He slowly directed my arms upwards, till
they were stretched out, next to me, on the opposite sides as if I'm about to
hug someone.
I was starting to feel dizzy due to not breathing properly. But can you
blame me? The King was standing so close behind me that I could feel his
body heat radiating off him, which is odd since vampires are supposed to be
cold creatures.
He was much taller than me, but I could feel his warm breath on the side
of my ear as he wispered in a rough yet so velvety voice, "Put your hands
out like this too."
My head was spinning while the chaotic rain was falling all around me,
gusts of wind blowing my hair in different directions, sent a shiver down
my spine. Or maybe that was due to his touch. I felt sick because of the
tingle like sensation in my stomach.
He was too close.
As I slowly opened my eyes again, I became more aware of the situation.
My mind went back to my eighteenth birthday, what a day to remember.
All of sudden, his touch, his hands on me didn't feel like heaven
anymore. My back, which was pressed firmly against his chest,
remembered the torture it went through because of this man. Even though
the wounds have healed, the scars were still visible. They would always be
there to remind me just how awful the King is.
How can I be so close to him without being disgusted? How can I let him
touch me in any way after what he did to me? Why am I always left
wanting more of his presence?
He made me suffer my entire life. He's the reason I would sit in the little
dungeon for countless hours just staring at the plain wall, because at that
point, I had no more tears left to express what I was feeling.
I controlled myself and moved a step forward, away from him. Away
from his arms. Away from what felt like heaven once.
I continued walking ahead for a couple of steps, and when I didn't hear
his footsteps, I looked over my shoulders to find him still standing in the
same position I had left him.
His expression was unreadable because he was looking at the long stretch
of trees that surrounded the lone road we were on.
"Are you coming?"
My voice seemed to bring him out of his thoughts and he muttered a yes,
and then continued walking with me to God knows where he was taking
me.
**
End of part 1..
17. Rain, Rain, Go Away. Part 2

My feet splashed yet another puddle of water as the King and I continued
moving forward.
I was starting to feel tired, like my legs would collapse any time now. We
had gone off the road because the King said we had to walk through the
forest for a bit to get to the village. He was like a walking map, knowing
where to turn and go. Of course he knows every single detail about this
place, he's the King.
A clearing came into my sight, and from behind a huge tree, appeared a
small cottage. It looked abandoned from the looks of it.
Crispy leaves sprawled around the cottage made it impossible for me to
see the ground. Wind blew them away, while replacing them with the new
fallen ones. The musty November air gave the place a haunting feeling.
There was a huge lock on the main door of the house, but all I wanted to
do was rest my muscles for some time. I was relieved to see that the stairs
that led to the house were dry because of the roof which made it impossible
for the rain to reach them.
"Can we rest here for a minute?" I practically begged the King.
Muttering something about humans being a weakling, he nodded anyway.
I found my way through the brownish yellow leaves, my shoes crunching
them with their weight. Sitting down onto the stairs, I pulled the King's
jacket closer to me and crossed my arms.
I was busy trying to keep my body warm that I didn't notice when the
King took his shirt off.
His white shirt was now hanging loosely on his shoulder, as a striking
thunder roared once again. This time he didn't just let out another cuss, but
also jumped as if surprised. He then moved so quick that my eyes couldn't
see the movement. One second he was standing infront of me, then the next,
his body was against the cottage wall. With his wide eyes, he looked up at
at the sky. There was a strange and an unfamiliar fear in his eyes.
 I sat there, every limb in my body unmoving due to the shock that
consumed me. I've never seen the King like this before.
He closed his eyes, his hands took a hold of his hair in a fist. Shoulders
slumped, his body slowly slid against the rough wall, and rested itself on
the cold floor.
There he sat, the King of the Vampire world, the one who kills without
mercy, drowning in his own miseries, repeating the words, "It's not
happening, it's not real" over and over again.
And me? I just sat there debating on what to do.
I finally got the courage to walk over to him and slowly slid down onto
my knees so I was at level with his frame. His eyes were shut tightly, trying
to block out an invisible sight. His frown deepened every passing second.
His elbows rested on his knees as he sat upright against the wall.
I reached out my hand to touch his arm, or touch his shoulder, anything
to ask him what's wrong. Why was he acting so strange. If I thought his
angry expressions were scary, I had no idea. His state, right here infront of
me, so helpless and so clueless, was the scariest thing ever.
My hand stopped an inch away from his forearm. What if he gets mad if I
touch him?
"Are you alright?"
Hearing my voice, his eyes shot up. The pain was still written on his face
but now there was a slight hunger hidden in his eyes.
"Stay away from me." He hissed through his teeth as if he had to force
the words out of his mouth.
"What happened? Why were you acting like that? Are you afraid of
thunderstorms?" My voice was soft as I thought raising it would make him
angry.
"I TOLD YOU TO STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME! WHY DON'T
YOU EVER LISTEN?"
In a blink, he was standing on his feet once again. I stood up too and took
a couple steps back.
He looked different than he did just a few moments ago.
Gone was the fear, replaced by something much more powerful, in his
eyes. The midnight black color of his eyes shifted to a bright golden.
"Damien" you could clearly hear my desperation as I said his name. I
didn't know what was happening but the King was definitely not himself at
the moment.
 What happened next was a blur, but somehow I ended up being trapped
between the cold and wet cottage wall and his warm body.
His face was less than an inch away from mine, his left cheek making a
slight contact with my left one. His skin was surprisingly smooth, telling
me he must have shaved recently.
But that still didn't mean I wanted him this close to me.
I pressed myself further into the wall to the point where it started hurting.
But that didn't seem to effect anything, as the King just continued
decreasing the distance between us just like I continued increasing it.
"Let me go, please," I quietly let out.
"You should never beg me, Lexi. It just increases the thirst for blood a
Vampire has. God, you have no idea how long I've wanted to do this. To see
if that delicious smelling blood of yours tastes just as sweet. I can't wait to
find out."
Even though those words were coming out of the King's mouth, it
seemed like a whole different person was speaking.
"Let me go," I said, this time with more determination in my eyes.
He still didn't listen to me. His hands on my shoulders reminded me of
that drunk man who was all over me just a few hours ago. It felt like deja
vu.
The King had saved me from that man, but what was the point when he
was going to do the same thing to me. Was that the reason he saved me? So
only he can drink my blood, to make his thirst vanish?
I pushed him with a harder force but he still didn't budge. I started
panicking as he moved his mouth closer to my neck.
"You're so tempting, Lex." it was barely a wisper but I caught it.
A tear escaped my eye, "Please don't."
It was no use. As his face was close to my neck, I thought would there be
anyone saving me this time?
Would I get lucky again?
The chances seemed really slim, since we were far away from any source
of life. I doubt there would be anyone wandering the forest at this time.
The king kissed a spot on my neck, sending waves of pleasure down my
spine. Millions of little butterflies flew around in my stomach from that
small of a gesture.
Then as if he was already really impatient, he pushed his body against
mine so I wouldn't have any chances of escaping.
 Without any warning, he opened his mouth and bit down hard onto a
small part of my neck.
I felt the two pointy sharp teeth pierce through my sensitive skin. Pain
shot through my neck, spreading itself to every cell in my body. To the
point where not only my neck, but my whole body was feeling like it was
on fire.
I couldn't hold back the loud scream that escaped my mouth, which could
slice though the thick humid atmosphere I was surrounded with.
The pain seemed to be increasing with every passing moment. The king
kept drinking my blood, fulfilling his thirst, but leaving behind my body to
feel the aftermath.
I tried to tell him to stop before I pass out, before I lose too much blood,
but he kept going since I could not muster a single sound.
The pain became too much, my throat dried out from all the screaming.
So when the darkness embraced me, I welcomed it with open arms.
_____________________________________
********************************
-J.S
18. An Emotion So Unknown.

"The reason we struggle from insecurity is because we compare our behind

the scenes with everyone else's highlight reel."
- Steve Furtick.
____________________________________
Back at the Crystaline Castle,
Vampire World.
**
Darkness.
All I could see was darkness surrounding me, leaving me confused for a
second.
Then, it was as if a bucket of cold water washed over me, which carried
back the horrible memories of what took place yesterday.
Or has it been longer? I didn't remember.
All I remembered was my blood being drained by the King as I begged
him to stop, as my body grew weaker and weaker until I couldn't keep my
eyes open anymore. I remembered as I gave up fighting and embraced the
sweet relief fainting provided me.
I could still feel his hands on me, fingers digging in my shoulders as he
sucked the consciousness out of me.
I shouldn't have agreed to walk through the woods with him. With a
deathly creature, all alone at night. That was the second stupid decision I
made, yesterday. First was getting out of that car.
I've always dreamed of freeing myself from this Castle, to be able to live.
But after experiencing yesterday's events, I'm not so sure anymore. Is that
really what lies outside of these Castle walls? My first day out of here, and I
don't even want to think about it.
Bringing my thoughts back to present, I realized that the reason I was
embraced by the dark was because my eyes were closed.
Too tired to even open them or move a muscle, I used the help of my ears
to listen to any source of sound which will inform me where I am.
 I couldn't hear anything but the fierce wind, which was also far away, so I
knew I had to be inside somewhere.
The faint lavender scent of the washing powder used on the King's
bedsheets notified me that I'm, in fact, back at the Castle.
Not only that, I'm back in the King's room. It's funny how I've came to
recognize this place so well during my short stay here.
My throat was dried and as this thought made its way into my mind, I let
out a cough, followed by a few more.
An arm reached under my neck to bring my head upward, being too weak
to ask who it was, I simply accepted the gesture when a glass of water was
pressed to my lips.
I gulped down the content without tasting it, but as my thirst began to
slowly fade away, I became aware of the fact that what I just drank is not
water. Water was tasteless, while this drink, it was something sweet and
sour both mixed together.
I realized now was the time to find out what's going on, what if the King
just poisoned me? I wouldn't be too surprised.
My eyes fluttered open, and blinked a couple of times before adjusting to
my surrounding.
The first thing that appeared in my vision was a black button down shirt,
so close to my face. My eyes followed the buttons, to look higher. The first
two buttons were undone, giving me a perfect view of his tan skin. His
freshly shaved jaw, until my eyes stopped when they met his black ones.
The same eyes that turned into the pools of golden water, as bright as the
sun, yesterday.The eyes that looked at me as if begging me to drown in
them. The eyes which contained a thirst so strong that led to him biting me.
The glass of weird tasting liquid was still touching my lips, I gave it a
push. It was a gentle push, I swear. But I guess the King wasn't expecting it
so it ended up tilting in his hand as the liquid poured out all over his shirt,
soaking it wet.
"Fucking shit!"
He jumped away from me, off the bed. My head hit the cushion provided
by the pillows, but I didn't stay there long, I pushed, well, practically forced
myself to sit up. My feet guided me off the bed too, and I moved as far
away from the King's furious face as possible.
"What's wrong with you?!" His angry tone just made me more scared of
him, to the point where my hands started shaking. So I pushed them
together to prevent the king from noticing that I'm scared of him.
Begging only increases the thirst for blood a Vampire has.
I remembered his words.
He started walking closer to me but I stood my ground.
"Stay away from me." It was a faint wisper, but I'm sure he must have
heard it because of his good hearing abilities.
"Can you stop being so clumsy?! I was just trying to help because you
are too weak to even drink by yourself!"
That sentence reminded me of that weird substance, "What was that?
That was not water. What did you make me drink?"
"It's a power drink that's supposed to make you feel better, that's what the
human doctor said. I wasn't trying to kill you or anything!"
"I wouldn't be surprised."
My eyes went wide as I realized what just slipped past my mouth. I didn't
even think before I said that.
I noticed that the King had moved a little more closer to the point where
he stood only about three feet away.
"Is that what you think? Is that really what you think about me? That I'm
just trying to kill you?"
What is he talking about? I'm sure anyone would get the idea that a
person is trying to kill them if they beat them, drain their blood from the
system, and tortured them. Why is he all of sudden asking why I think he's
trying to kill me? Isn't it obvious?
"If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it a long fucking time ago. I
don't like playing chase with my enemies, once I get a hold of them, they're
dead meat. Then there's no damn escape for them except death. What
happened yesterday was because I haven't fed for a long time and I lost
control, I was actually starting to regr-"
There was an unknown emotion in those black orbs, which seemed so
unfamiliar on his face, that I almost missed it. But a single, short glance was
all I needed to recognize the regret that showed in his eyes. But it was gone
as soon as it came, like a passing wind.
He looked at me again with a cold look in eyes, "you know what? I don't
even regret anything, actually. You very much deserved it after your stupid
actions yesterday! If I hadn't came on time, you were still gonna get bitten
by that drunk Vampire! So what difference does it make if it was me or
him?!"
 But it does make a difference.
Suddenly the memory of that drunk man touching me in a disgusting way
brought back the anxiety I experienced. One blink of my eyes was all my
brain needed to make those haunting feelings wash over me again.
My breath started going in and coming out in pants as if I had just ran for
the longest time. Then I realized that I am running. Running from my fears,
running from the past memories of my dead parents, too afraid to even open
that short chapter of my life. Every single thing I've never ever thought
about started coming from different directions, hitting me at once.
It felt like the world was pushing in on me. It felt like my head wasn't
getting enough oxygen even though I had plenty around me. An invisible
hand was pressing onto my neck, suffocating me.
I could barely make out the King's words but I heard him cuss and move
closer to me. I heard him calling my name, not human, not pathetic, he was
calling me Lexi.
"Shit, what happened?! The doctor said for you to not take any stress
because your body is still too weak. Calm down, Lex. Take deep breaths."
His voice was rushed, almost desperate.
Finding the last bit of strength I could make out in the deepest pit of my
stomach, I muttered, "stay away from me."
From my tired, dropping eyes, I could still make out that he held out his
hands as if surrendering, "okay okay, I won't come close to you, but just sit
down. Too much stress isn't good for you. Just relax."
Relax?! How can I relax when my head is pondering as if someone is
inside it, hammering against it. I touched my forehead and let out a cry.
Tears welled up in my eyes as I gulped to stay calm.
I started to walk towards the bed but stumbled which caused the King to
grab my arm quickly. His touch made me jump as if I had gotten shocked,
which I almost did. His touch was ten times more electrifying. And that's
what scared me the most.
"Leave me alone!" My voice surprisingly raised but I didn't feel any
better.
The world started screaming at me or were they my own thoughts? I
couldn't be sure anymore. The last thing I heard before Silence overcame
me were his words.
"Don't give up! Stay with me, Alexis!"
______________________________________
********************************
-J.S
19. Mysteries.

"You wake up every morning to fight the same demons that left you so tired
the night before, and that, my love, is bravery."
______________________________________
The King's bedroom,
Crystaline Castle.
**
Soft fingers were gently caressing my brown hair away from my face as I
was laying on the bed, eyes closed. I couldn't make out who they belonged
to, the touch was somewhat unfamiliar, but I knew for sure the King was no
where near me. That fact made me feel more relaxed but then tense up
again as another thought hit me.
Who was touching my hair?
My eyes opened as pushed myself to sit up on the bed. Surprisingly, the
movement didn't hurt a muscle in my body. I was expecting to feel much
worse, too weak to do anything, but there was a strange adrenaline rush I
was experiencing. I felt stronger as if I had just gained a couple of pounds.
My senses were highlighted, making my surroundings appear sharper.
I heard some loud, head-pounding chirping sounds coming from my right
side. As I turned my head, I discovered my vision was far better. Past the
curtains that were pushed aside to give me a view of the balcony, I could
see the waving trees which were miles away, but I could still make out the
birds sitting there, flapping their wings once in a while. They were the
source of the sound.
I felt like an entire different person, and I couldn't bring myself to say I
didn't love every single bit of it.
"Feels amazing, huh?"
I looked towards my left to find Emma, the King's sister, sitting on the
edge of the bed. She wore a striped, grey and white colored dress with a
black leather jacket, her legs were covered in leggings. She must be the one
touching my hair. Placing a piece of her own brown, loose strand behind her
ear, she gave me a polite smile.
"What?" I asked.
She laughed, "I'm sure you must be feeling a lot better, better than you
have ever felt, actually. Oh and don't be surprised if you start to notice
things you've never before, like hearing stuff that are miles away from you?
And you might want to stay away from foods that are too spicy for a while.
It might make you want to throw up because your taste buds would be
really sensitive."
My eyes widen at the new found information.
"Am I a Vampire now?" I couldn't help but ask. Who turned me? The
King? Is this his way of getting back at me? Because I'm positive he knows
how much I despite his species.
"No, no," Emma must have noticed the frightened look on my face
because she too got worried and tried to explain.
"No you're not a Vampire. But see, what happened was..." She hesitated
but I urged her to go on with my eyes.
"I really shouldn't be telling you this but I think it will take away your
confusion. So, okay, um... Just don't freak out 'kay?"
I nodded my head quickly because I wanted her to hurry up and tell me
already. But even though I tried to be confident, I was already freaking out
about what she was about say.
"Damiengaveyousomeofhisblood." She said in one breath.
What?
I looked at her without any form of emotion on my face. I guess she must
have caught the drift that I had no idea what she just said so she repeated
herself in a louder, more clear voice.
"Damien gave you some of his blood."
Emma's eyes watched my face carefully as if expecting me to freak out
and run around the castle like a mad person.
"... And what do you mean by that?"
I just had to confirm if what I was thinking was true, did he really made
me drink his blood?
Emma answered my question, "Damien fed you some of his blood. The
human doctor said that your body was becoming weak by the second since
you lost too much blood. The only way to save you was if someone gave
you theirs, and my idiotic brother was furious even thinking about someone
else's blood in your system. So he made you drink his blood. But don't
worry, that doesn't mean you're a Vampire. There needs to be a special
venom presented in the blood when a Vampire turns a human, and Vampires
can control that, they can choose if they're just feeding the human their
blood, or actually turning them into a Vampire."
I took a few moments to take in her words, and the breath that I didn't
even realize I was holding, came out in a huff. I have never felt happier to
be a human. I would never want to turn into a Vampire, the deadly creatures
who only care about themselves.
Emma's expression changed into a rather sad one and she awkwardly
looked away. I was confused for a second but then realized what I missed
earlier. She can read my mind.
I occasionally forget that Vampires can do that since the King has never
been able to read mine, and no words can describe how glad I am of that
fact.
I felt like I should say sorry, but I couldn't bring myself to, that was what
I really thought about their kind and nothing can ever change that.
"I know you must really hate us. Believe me, if I were you, I would hate
Vampires, too. I would have always held a burning hatred towards the
people who took my parents away from me. I don't blame you, Alexis."
Her voice was soothing and she didn't seem to be mad at me. I smiled at
her, actually glad that she understood me.
"How long was I unconscious?"
"Three days, the maids cleaned you up and changed your clothes.
Damien hasn't came near you, even though he would never admit it, I know
it's because he was afraid you would get scared of him and your condition
would worsen if he's around."
Her eyes widen as if she just realized something, "Oh! I forgot to tell you
the most important, well, the most interesting part. You have Damien's
blood in your system. So don't be surprised if you feel a stronger connection
or even hear his thoughts. And... Hm I'll let you figure that out on your
own." She winked and there was playful glint in her eyes that informed me
she knew something I didn't.
I frowned and asked, "what is it?"
She shook her head.
"Nothing," she laughed, "now go shower, I want to hang out with you
today."
 "Really, or did your brother send you to keep an eye on me?"
Knowing the King, I wouldn't be surprised if he had cameras planted in
here to keep a track of my every move. But then again, he did say that he no
longer believed I was a threat to him. I shook my head, that man is more
unpredictable than the weather here. He can change his mind overnight.
"Um that too, but I truly wanted to hang out with you, it's Saturday and I
want to do something fun."
"Yeah? Like what?"
"I don't know, I mean we live in this huge castle, there's got to be
something fun to do here. Let's go exploring." She smirked," that way I can
also give you a tour and show you all the cool places."
But what's the point when I'm only living here for a couple of more
months? But I decided it didn't seem like a bad idea to enjoy the last bit of
life I had left so I nodded. Grabbing my clothes from the closet, I walked
into the bathroom to take a shower, leaving Emma behind to wait for me.
**
"Woah," I whispered amazed as we came across a room that had
hundreds of white candles lit up all around the room. There was a picture
placed by each candle and I guess they must be the members of royal
family who passed away.
"You're right, these are all my ancestors and the candles placed by their
pic aren't just any candles, they never melt or get blown out. It's a witch's
doing."
We continued walking down the hallway until I discovered a set of doors
with a huge lock on them, it looked old from the outside, even the lock was
covered in spider webs. There were red strings wrapped around the lock to
prevent anyone from opening it.
"What's this?" This sight in front of me sparked a strange curiosity in me.
A pained expression was clearly visible on Emma's face. She seemed to
be in deep thought, as if trying to find the correct words to explain what
layed behind that locked door.
"Nobody's allowed to go in there. I myself really don't know what's
behind that door but I've heard stories how this room, this is the place where
the past Queens committed suicide."
I gasped, " they committed suicide? Why?"
"It all goes back to something tragic that took place, it's a long story."
 "I don't have anything better to do anyways. Besides, I really want to
know why they killed themselves."
Emma leaned against the wall next to the main door of the room and
crossed her arms. Her eyes looked at the floor the entire time she talked to
me.
"A long time ago, like really long ago, there was a King and a Queen
who were madly in love with each other. This was a room made especially
for them, it's said to be a place where they spent time with each other, away
from this world, it was their own little paradise. They would sing, dance,
paint together, and just enjoy each other's company. He was a Vampire King
but she used to be human, an ordinary servant, so everyone was against
them being together. Back then, humans were considered to be even less
than a dirt on a Vampire's shoe. Putting aside the conflicts their relationship
caused, the King still married her and made her his Queen. He didn't care
what anyone thought of her, I guess that's what might have caused the
rebellion that took place. He cared about her more than his own people. The
villagers grew angrier by the day, burning down outsides of the castle. He
set up a peaceful meeting to confront his citizens. While he was standing
there trying to convince them, someone sneaked up from behind him. He
was murdered. The Queen was devastated, she believed it was her fault. She
spent days locked up in this room and eventually starved herself. Nobody
seemed to care about her wellbeing, so not a single Vampire noticed her
state. They all left her alone to die a slow and painful death. She starved
herself because she thought an easy escape of death was not what she
deserved."
Tears were streaming down my face. My chest tightened just imagining
what the Queen must have gone through. Emma didn't look any better as
she cleared her throat and continued.
"They found a letter in her hands as her dead body was discovered. I
don't know if that letter is still here lying around or they burned it, but
whatever it said, it left a hole in people's heart and made them regret what
they did. But it was too late," She laughed humorlessly, "when she was
alive, nobody accepted her, but after her death, she became a goddess.
Some say you can still hear the melody of their voices at this part of the
castle when it's a full moon,singing their love to one another. Because the
last time they met, the moon was in full bloom. Now about those other
Queens committing suicide, I don't know when but eventually, it became a
"ritual" that Queens performed if their Kings died before them. If they were
killed on the battlefield, their wives couldn't handle the grief the separation
caused them. So one after the other, they opened this door, stepped in, and
nobody heard from them ever again. It's funny how not a single soul tried to
stop those sick events from happening."
She paused and finally met my eyes, hers were filled with unshed tears,
reflecting my own.
She gulped and blinked a couple of times to get rid of the tears, "is that
really what love is? Throwing away your own life to be with someone who
is already gone? That's not love, that's madness."
I couldn't agree more. What happened to the human Queen was
horrifying, but why did the other Queens carried the legacy? That's just
wrong on so many different levels.
"I never knew this place had so many secrets, and such a haunting past." I
told her.
"Everyone has a past, Alexis. Even Damien does. He's never been taught
to show any form of emotions. For him, that's a sign of weakness. You
would expect a person to be afraid of death or getting hurt, but death is
something that comes knocking on his door everyday when he goes out. He
has countless enemies watching his every move, so they can strike at any
given chance. But he's not afraid of that. He's not scared of death. He's
scared to feel. Ever since the Queen left him--"
"You mean, your mother?"
She shook her head, "No, not my mom, the Queen who--"
She stopped talking and her eyebrows frowned as she looked down.
"What happened?"
"We have to go, Eric said it's an emergency."
Before I could ask her any more questions, she grabbed my hand and ran
up the stairs, the way which led to the King's bedroom.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
********************************
-J.S.
20. Vulnerable.

"If you could be anywhere in this world right now, would it be to a where or
to a who?"
_______________________________________
The King's bedroom,
Crystalline Castle.
**
Emma and I made our way down the halls and up the stairs, half jogging
and half running. Once the familiar paintings hanging off the walls came
into my view, I knew we were in the hallway the King's bedroom was
located at.
The tacky sound of my flats against the marble floors slowed down until
the noise came to a stop. My body stood there without moving a muscle due
to the shock which took over me. I couldn't believe the sight in front of me.
On the opposite side of the hallway, stood Eric. He was struggling to
walk due to a barely conscious Damien hanging off his arms. Eric's arms
were wrapped tightly around the King's torso, preventing him from falling
down on his face.
First my eyes were filled with confusion, and as I looked beside me, so
were Emma's. Her mouth was literally an 'O' shape as if she's never seen a
sight like this, the King so vulnerable, before either.
Eric noticed we had no idea what's going on and this might be a good
time to explain so he finally started talking.
"Damien's drunk. I found him at the bar downstairs drinking his ass off. I
don't know how much he drank, but considering the fact it takes a lot to get
a Vampire drunk, he must have had way too many. There were broken beer
bottles everywhere. Something must have made him really mad cause' he
literally trashed the place." He scowled.
Emma scanned the King's face worrriedly, but then rolled her eyes, "This
was the emergency you were talking about?"
 Eric looked into her narrowed eyes and nodded, "I'm not going to babysit
him alone, so are you guys just gonna stand there as if you just saw a ghost
or actually come and help me put him to bed?"
I finally made my way over to the King, trying to push back the fear that
bloomed in the deepest pit of my stomach. The memory of him biting me
still fresh in my mind, I tried to erase it for a while. Right now, the King
seemed to be in no position to hurt me in any way so I walked closer to
him.
Damien's eyes finally opened after a long time as he murmured, "Eric, w-
where am I? I can smell her addictive scent again. Make it go away. Why
did you bring me here?"
There was a hint of fear in his voice. Fear of what? What was he scared
of?
I realized that the King didn't want me anywhere near him so I took a step
back but Emma stopped me as she took a hold of my arm.
She shook her head and told me to keep going.
I followed her to where Eric stood, but the King stumbled as he lost his
balance for the fifth time. I instantly grabbed onto his arm, wrapping his left
arm around my neck, just like Eric had his right arm around his own neck.
"There are those damn sparks again, Eric! Make them stop." The King
seemed like he was on the verge of crying.
What the hell happened to him?
Ignoring his protests, Eric turned his body to right, dragging him into the
room. We walked towards the bed and made Damien sit, but he couldn't
even seem to manage that so he fell back onto the bed as if he weigh
nothing.
"Why do you think he drank too much?" Emma worriedly raised her
eyebrows at Eric.
"He's having his own inner battles, Em. And whatever it is, it scares him
far more than any real life battles did. He hasn't even shown his face to any
of the meetings for the past few days. There's something bothering him and
he's not even telling his best friend. He's been blocking everyone out of his
mind, too. So there's clearly something big going on that he doesn't want
anyone to know."
"I might have an idea what it is." Emma whispered to herself but we
heard.
"What is it?" Eric asked.
 "I'll tell you later. We should get going, oh and Alexis? Make sure he
doesn't leave this room tonight, don't want him to go out and do anything
stupid again. I doubt he will even wake up until tomorrow but you never
know. If you need something, the guards will be right outside the room in a
bit. Take care, kay'?" She smiled at me.
After assuring them I got this, Emma and Eric walked out of the room,
giving one last glance to Damien, who was passed out on the bed.
I shut the door and locked it like the King did every night. I assumed it
must be a part of the security procedure. I made my way into the walk in
closet so I could change my dress and get ready for bed. Well get ready for
the rug I slept on.
I shook my head and continued changing, and that was when I heard the
shower running. The sound of water hitting the tub was coming from King's
bathroom. My eyes widen as I thought who could it be? But then I laughed
at my own foolishness as I realized it's the King's bathroom, so of course it's
him taking a shower. But when did he wake up?
I hurriedly opened the closet door and my eyes instantly found an empty
bed. So it is the King taking a shower. I walk forward until I'm right outside
the bathroom and I notice the door is wide open and his clothes are no
where in sight. Don't tell me he's too drunk to even remember to take them
off, I silently prayed.
I heard a heavy object drop inside the hard tub, and without thinking I
closed the small distance between me and the shower curtains, which were
pulled to the side giving me a clear view of the King taking a shower.
_____________________________________
End of part 1.
20. Vulnerable (pt 2)

At the moment, I couldn't be any more happier that at least he wasn't naked.
His tuxedo clunged to his body like a second layer of skin.Surprisingly, he
had remembered to take off his shoes, which were lazily placed by the door.
Water soaked every inch of his clothing but he didn't seem to care. His head
was right under the shower, water droplets raining down his hair, then down
his eyes which were closed. One of his hands was placed flat on the wall
right in front of him, while he used the other to swiftly push back his hair
away from his face. He seemed to be less clumsy now, but as soon as that
thought appeared in my mind, he stumbled, gripping on the wall as if it'll
hold him up. Somehow the wall managed to do so.
I didn't know what to do, do I get him out? Or just leave him there, I
mean he will eventually decide to dry himself and go to bed, right?
I discovered that the sound of something being dropped came from the
bottle of body wash that lay flat on the floor. His eyes finally opened and
they found the body wash too, then what he did next, left me confused if I
should let out the laugh building up in my chest or make my presence
unknown.
"Hey! Get up. I'm talking to you!" He pointed his finger at the bottle,
"you dare disobey me? I'm your freaking king!"
Not wanting him to be furious and take his anger out on me, I stepped
inside the tub, and tried to drag him into the room, "Come on, you need to
sleep."
I didn't care if my clothes got wet, it's better than the wrath I will have to
face by him if he found out in the morning that I just left him there. And
apparently he wasn't helping me much since he put his weight completely
on me to carry. I tried to push him out of the tub and he finally obeyed after
making some annoyed sounds.
He paused when we walked right by the mirror on vanity. He looked at
his reflection and said, "Woh, I'm wet."
And then he let out a laugh as if he just heard the most funny joke. I just
stood there with a straight face, debating on if I should just go to sleep and
let him be.
"I'll go out so you can change. Here, let me bring your clothes."
I let him lean against the vanity as I ran to the closet and grabbed the first
comfortable shirt and some sweatpants I could find. Carrying the clothes
back, I placed them onto the small table in the huge bathroom.
I began to walk outside the bathroom but a hand stopped me by grabbing
onto my wrist. I turned back and looked at it, my eyes following the slightly
visible veins on his arms, but before I could make room for those thoughts
to settle in my mind, I stopped looking at him and dropped my eyes to the
floor.
"I can'ttttt, the world is spinning, you do it."
I raised my eyes, "do what?"
"Change my clothes."
He said it as if it was the most simply thing in the world. I hope he didn't
noticed the blush making its way onto my face.
"I can't. I'm going to sleep."
Before I could even take a step away from him, he pulled me against him
by grabbing onto the side of my waist. I hated to admit it, but a warm
feeling spread everywhere he touched, even though it wasn't a skin to skin
contact. I tried to push him away but failed. Since when did he gain back
his strength?!
"Dam- Your Majesty, let me go. Please."
He guided my hands close to him until they were touching the top button
on his tuxedo. My fingers started slightly shaking, perhaps from the touch
of his cold hands. Having the first physical contact ever since he gave me
his blood, it sent waves of electricity down my body, filling me with a
newfound adrenaline rush. My eyes followed the buttons of his suit up
towards his damp shirt, the soaked tie, until I found his closed eyelids.
Hurry up already.
My eyes widen slightly as I heard his voice in my head. Thinking I was
going crazy, I started to open up the buttons with my shaky hands, I can go
sleep after this and forget anything happened. I don't know why I was being
so nervous.
When the last button came lose, I finally released the breath I didn't know
I was holding. The king struggled to take off the tuxedo. The thought that
he might only be doing this to torture or annoy me made its way into my
mind for the tenth time.
 I helped him shrug off the jacket from his shoulders, and he lazily threw
it on the floor. The King's hands came up to open up the buttons of his
white shirt, which clung dangerously onto his abs, highlighting every single
muscle under the thin white material. Watching his failed attempts, I
realized his mind couldn't seem to concentrate so I gently pushed away his
hands, and decided to undo them myself. The quicker I do this, the quicker I
can get away from him and this weird fuzziness in my stomach will
dissappear.
One of my fingers brushed against the naked skin of his chest, and I felt
him shiver under my touch.
It must somehow be the fact that I have his blood inside me, I told
myself.
I looked up at him, and this time, really looked at him. I now realized
how big of a mess he looked. It seemed like he hasn't shaved in a couple
days, there were dark circles under his eyes from the lack of sleep. A pained
line replaced the usual frown on his forehead.
He looked like he just woke up from the dead. Which is kind of funny
since he is dead... But he always looks far from it. I'm sure if he ever
smiled, it would bring life to this place.
Shaking off my meaningless thoughts, I focused on taking off his shirt.
Trying to ignore the fact that my face is probably red as a tomato right now,
I pushed the wet shirt away from his chest so he could take it off.
He didn't respond, just stood there, leaning against the vanity so I decided
to slid it off myself. My hands made feather like contact with his arms and I
continued to ignore the tingles. I noticed everywhere I touched, the King's
muscles would tense up too but his face now stayed neutral.
Once his shirt was finally off, I spoke up, "you change ur pants now. I'll
be in the room."
Without waiting for a reply, I walked out of the bathroom, because I felt
as if he has tortured me enough. Does he not know what being so close to
him forces me to experience?
I shook my head angrily, as if that will clear it up. Grabbing a blanket and
pillow, I walked towards the corner were I always slept, and settled down
onto the soft yet uncomfortable rug.
I heard the King coming out of the bathroom and somehow managed to
walk to his bed without falling over, he too tucked in and closed his eyes.
 A moment passed by and there was only silence surrounding us but then,
all of a sudden, the King got up. Using his unnatural speed he was in the
bathroom in a blink, puking his guts out. I closed my eyes, thinking maybe
he deserves this for drinking too much. But then the other part of me, the
part that always gets me in trouble, took over as I pushed back the blankets
and ran to the bathroom.
There he was, the oh so scary Vampire King, right in front of me, throwing
up in the toilet and coughing once in a while. I ran towards him and kneeled
down right beside him. An old memory made its way into my mind when
Maria was patting and rubbing my back while I was throwing up. Without
thinking much about it, I started doing that to the King. First he tensed up,
probably wondering what I'm doing, but then he slowly started to relax
under my touch.
His coughs died down as he whispered, "I'm okay now."
I took that as my cue to leave, so I got up and went inside the room to get
him a glass of water. I came back to hand it to him, but found him brushing
his teeth. I stood patiently in the doorway, and when he finished, he ignored
my presence and walked towards the bed, sitting down on the edge. He put
his head in his hands while resting his elbows on his knees.
I walked close to him and sat on the tip of my toes, my face was leveled
with his chest due to his tree like height. I don't know what took over me,
but I found myself resting my free hand on his knee.
"Are you alright?"
I don't know what made me ask that, of course he's not alright, Alexis.
He looks like he's literally having a mental breakdown due to the way he
keeps rubbing his eyes as if to make the tears suddenly dissappear, but they
were still there. I still got a sneak peek and that one glance I shared with the
water like substance right under his eye, my own heart twisted and broke
into a million little pieces.
He was crying.
And I didn't know what to do. This was all so strange to me, I was so
used to his cold ways, I didn't know how to handle this side of him.
I offered the glass of water again, and this time he gently snatched it.
Without even drinking the water, he turned his face to look at me in the
eyes, and for the first time today, he didn't seem drunk or wobbly, the only
way to tell he actually was were the bloodshot eyes.
 "Why are you doing this?" His cold tone was back again, and it made me
doubt if he was ever vulnerable just a few moments ago in the first place.
"Doing what?"
"Why are you doing this, Katrina? Why now? I thought you didn't care
about me."
Even though his eyes were looking right at me, I felt like he couldn't see
me at all. I felt like he was talking to a whole different person. He never
used that tone with me, as if he was almost begging.
And Katrina? Who is that?
Before I could hit him with questions, he let out a cry and gripped his
forehead again. I decided to give him a break from any sort of interrogation
and stood up. I guided him to lay flat on the bed because it seemed like his
head was spinning.
His head hit the pillows and I sat next to him. My hand, as if having a
mind of its own, reached out and removed his hand which was gripping his
head.
My hand replaced his and I started to gently stroke his forehead like
Maria did when I was sick. I felt like it might make him feel better, too.
And it did. He finally stopped crying and closed his eyes.
I softly ran my fingers through his hair, just because if felt so damn good.
I know I shouldn't be doing this, he will surely be mad at me if he wasn't so
drunk. I pushed those thoughts away and focused on now. The present.
Where for once, I felt at a strange kind of ease. There was a peaceful
melody in the atmosphere and I loved every bit of it.
The King's arm moved a little and it seemed like he was murmuring
something, I couldn't make out what at first. But then a few words were
clearly spoken and I knew exactly who they were meant for.
"Why did you leave me, Mom?"
I stopped breathing.
What am I supposed to say? I didn't have the heart to tell him it's not your
mom touching your forehead. So I just sat there quietly, hoping he will go
back to sleep, even though he did seem to be murmuring in his sleep.
I continued to smooth out the frown taking its place on his face every so
often. And then sometime during that strange night, sleep overtook me and
I welcomed it with open arms.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
***********************************
-J.S.
21. So Close Yet So Far.

"We were walking on moonlight,

And you pulled me close
Split second and you disappeared
And then I was all alone
I woke up in tears
With you by my side
A breath of relief
And I realized
No, we're not promised tomorrow"
-Like I'm gonna lose you by
Meghan Trainor.
_____________________________________
The King's bedroom,
Crystaline Castle.
**
A heavy weight was holding me down as I tried to move, half asleep.
After some failed attempts, I gave up and decided to finally open my eyes
and find out what's causing me distress. The first thing my eyes came across
was the white ceiling with the beautiful swirly, golden patterns.
Something was breathing on my neck, or rather, someone. Yesterday's
faded memories snaked it's way back into my brain until I became stiff with
realization.
I fell asleep in the King's bed.
Oh my God.
How am I still alive?
I lifted my head off the bed and tried to sit up but the strong arm wrapped
around my waist prevented me to even move a muscle. Slowly turning my
head, I noticed the King sleeping peacefully next to me. The front of his
body was firmly pressed against my side. He was too close, to point where
his warm breath tickled my neck.
 I closed my eyes, trying to think of a way to get away from him. I gave
his arm a gentle push but it tightened around me.
God, please save me.
I glanced at his face but my eyes stayed there as I noticed his now wide
awake ones.
At that moment, I knew I was in trouble and nobody will be able to save
me this time. Why did I fell asleep? Why did I take care of him, after all
he's done to me? Why?
Our eyes were locked for a split second but then before I could
comprehend what was happening, he moved so fast until his frame was on
top of mine, without touching any piece of my skin.
I tried to shrink back into the bed but soon realized there was no possible
escape now. Those black orbs of his, turned into the endless pool of golden
color which only brought me trouble.
His fingers reached out and touched my jaw ever so lightly that I could
have mistaken them for a feather. But the intensity of that single touch
could only be his. My scared eyes silently looked over his features as they
grew closer to my face.
In a husky, deep voice he whispered, "Why are you so close to me?"
"I--I.. " was all I could mutter, fog taking over my brain. Why couldn't I
think of a single sentence to explain why I was here?
The decreasing distance between us didn't help me get my thoughts
together at all. But when his nose was almost touching mine, he changed
the way he was going and turned his head towards my neck.
My body became more frightened thinking he was going to bite me
again. My hands, which have been holding onto the bedsheets in a fist,
reached up to touch his shoulders as I finally said, "stop."
He took a hold of one of my hands, intertwining our fingers and placed
them on the pillow next to my head.
All this time, his messy hair tickled my cheek as he whispered in a
frustrated voice,"Fuck, do you have any idea what you're doing to me?"
Before I could ask him what he meant, the soft kiss he placed on my
neck, turned my mind into nothingness. He tightened the hold on my hand
as I tried to squirm away. A warm feeling was born right where he kissed,
and it spread itself to every single corner of my body. I closed my eyes to
get rid of it, but that only made his every touch ten times more electrifying.
"Stop," I said again.
 "You don't want that, Lexi."
"I do." my voice was stronger this time.
"Your racing heart says otherwise. I can read your every thought at the
moment. You want anything but for me to stop."
His fingers roamed every part of my skin in sight. He took a hold of my
neck and made me turn my head to the right just an inch with his thumb,
giving him a better access as he placed small kisses there and everywhere,
making me gasp.
Then, right when I opened my eyes, using his Vampire speed, he was
across the room, away from me, in a blink. The cold air hit me, bringing me
back to reality. I felt like I had zoned off into a different world while he was
so close to me. I hated feeling that way.
I watched him as he turned his head towards the door, right when a knock
came from it.
"Lexis, you in there?"
It was Maria.
Sitting up so fast that my head spinned for a second, I found my voice
and yelled, "Y- yeah! Just give me a second!"
I patted my hair and ran my hands through them to get rid of the tangles.
I noticed the King, leaning back on the wall with his eyes closed,
whispering to himself.
I ran to open the door and was met by a cheerful Maria but her eyes soon
turned worried as she noticed who else was in the room.
"Oh! Good morning, your Majesty. I didn't think you would still be here.
I just came to check on Alexis, how she's doing...I can come back later."
She greeted him with a bow.
The King rolled his black eyes and gave Maria the fakest smile I've ever
seen, "Oh no, no. Your timing is great, human. I was just about to leave
anyway. Olivia must be waiting for me, maybe she can take care of this
massive headache I have right now."
His eyes watched me carefully as he said the last few words. A sting in
my chest was what I felt when he said her name. I remember her, the maid
who was being so rude to me. The one who called me a whore. He's going
to her. And it didn't take a genius to figure out what they were going to do.
But why is he telling me that? Why couldn't he just keep the information to
himself? I wouldn't be feeling like I can't breath if he did.
 He's going to her right after he treated me like that. Like I was the most
precious thing. Maybe I'm just going insane. Maybe staying locked away
for years has finally started to turn me into a crazy person.
Pushing away the negative thoughts, I kept a straight face on as he
walked past me slowly, as if expecting me to say something, as if expecting
me to stop him. Why would I? I would probably get beat again for ordering
"his majesty" around.
He tuned his head to look at me one last time, before walking out of the
room, slamming the door, alerting others of his departure.
Maria ran towards me, "are you okay? I heard the king gave you his
blood. How's that working out?"
Oh Maria, if you only knew.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
***********************************
-J.S.
22. On My Mind.

"I know I shouldn't say it

But my heart don't understand
Why I got you on my mind."
-On my Mind by
Ellie Goulding.
______________________________________
The maid, Olivia's bedroom,
Crystaline Castle.
**
------------------DAMIEN'S POV------------------
I knocked on Olivia's door and waited patiently for her to appear.
I haven't been at this part of the castle ever since I can remember. That
human has seriously fucked up my lifestyle. I was always out doing
business meetings or going to the clubs in the city to clear off my head after
a hard working day, maybe even get laid, but I haven't slept with anyone
ever since I released that human. For some twisted reason, it's starting to
physically hurt me whenever I think about increasing the distance between
us.
What happened today in my bedroom cannot be repeated, I tried to tell
myself. I need to stay away from her, as far away as possible. Every damn
second we spend together, the urge to make her mine gets stronger than
ever before. I ran a hand through my hair, realizing how stupid my thoughts
sounded.
Great, she's fucking with my head, too.
I can't let this happen. I can't let her get close to me to only leave me like
she did. I can't let her use me like she did. This will only end in one way,
me being left to drown in my own miseries. She will leave me just like
everyone else had before her. It will be me losing again. I can't let that
happen. Never again.
 Olivia was seriously testing my patience, I angrily knocked on the door
again. This time, her lavishing body appeared in the doorway. She stood
there, looking as tempting as ever, in a white silk gown. The loosely tied
knot notified me that the soft piece of clothing will be off in a second if I
tugged on it.
But I really needed to pee first.
I looked at her already hunger filled eyes and told her I needed to use the
bathroom first. She grabbed my hand, pulling me into her bedroom and
locked the door. The room was familiar to me so I made my way to the
bathroom, doing my business and brushed my teeth with the spare
toothbrush I had in the cup.
I had been here numerous times before, even spent the night after our
moments of pleasure. So it only helped to keep some of my necessities here.
The moment I stepped out of the bathroom, a hand grabbed my shirt and
pulled me towards Olivia's cold body.
A small part of my brain reminded me of the warmth I experience with
Alexis but I pushed the thought away. I'm with Olivia now, and she's, no
doubt, the hottest girl in this castle. She deserves every inch of attention.
Granting her with a rough kiss on her soft lips, I ran a finger through her
pin straight hair.
Alexis' playful loose curls.
My eyes widen as she made her way into my mind again. Focusing on
reality, I walked forward until I had Olivia's small frame against the wall.
She moaned onto my lips, tracing her fingers on the muscles of my bare
back. I didn't even notice when she took off my shirt. Her aggressive touch
sent a mild chill down my back.
Alexis' pure touch makes me think I have a heartbeat.
I pried Olivia's hands off me and glued them on the wall, intertwining our
fingers. I took a break from her lips and started kissing my way down her
neck, inhaling her nectarine and sensual amber scent.
Alexis' luxurious rose scent.
Feeling angry at myself, I bit a small part of Olivia's neck rather sharply.
However, she seemed to enjoy it as she let out a loud moan and in a voice
filled with passion, called out my name.
Alexis' sweet voice.
Fuck.
 I pushed myself away from her rather harshly, taking a couple steps back.
What the hell is wrong with me? I have a woman who hundreds of men
would kill to be with, right in front of me, and what am I doing? Can't help
but think about that human.
My eyes met her demanding ones and I suddenly remembered Alexis'
innocent ones.
"Stop!" I yelled out and took a hold of my head as if that will help me
control my thoughts.
"Damien what's wrong?" Olivia ran to my side and grabbed my arm but I
pushed her away.
Shaking my head, I managed to whisper, "I- I need to go."
Without waiting for her response, I disappeared as I teleported.
I can't let anyone see the effect that mere human has on me.
**
After spending the entire day keeping myself busy with the Kingdom's
work, I walked back to my bedroom.
I was informed today that the witch I needed to see will be back in a
month. I was glad that I wouldn't have to wait another three months or so to
decide what I'm going to do with the girl who is supposed to be my
destruction.
Destruction, my foot. She probably hasn't even killed a fly in her whole
pathetic life.
A small part of me thought that what the witch would say will make no
difference. I would never be able to kill her, period. If I could, she would be
six feet under this ground now. Hell, I would even have a statue of her for
my subjects to laugh at with the words, "apparently, she was supposed to be
our destruction. What a joke." written right under it.
That is, if I was able to kill her. Everytime I go forward to hurt her, it
only hurts me. All I seem to do is give her empty threats, I bet that's why
she does whatever she wants and always disobeys me.
I realized I've reached my bedroom, and without even knocking, I simply
opened the door and stepped in.
Alexis' back was turned towards me while Maria stood right next to her.
Both of them jumped as they heard the door opening. Maria's wide eyes met
mine as I stared at the both of them in confusion.
What were they up to?
 Alexis turned around quickly, pushing her hand behind her. Her scared
eyes confirmed that something fishy was definitely going on that the
humans were hiding from me.
"Leave us." I ordered Maria and she obeyed, walking out of the room, but
not before giving Alexis an assured smile.
As I heard the door being closed, I walked closer to Alexis and she
glanced at everything besides me, her eyes not once meeting mine. That's
when I realized this girl is an open book.
"What were you doing?"
She finally looked at me and said, "Maria and I were just cleaning the
room, then you showed up... Hey, is your head still hurting? I'll go get you
some medicine."
She started to walk out of the room but I stopped her by grabbing onto
her elbow, "What's in your hand?"
"Nothing."
Her heartbeat was running faster than ever and that's when I knew she
was lying. I pulled her back.
"I know you're lying. This can go two ways. Either you show me what
you're hiding or I snatch it from you because we both know who is stronger.
But if you do force me to use that extra strength by doing the latter, let's just
say I wouldn't be too happy."
Her eyes widen but she finally listened and showed me what she had
been hiding.
It was a picture.
Katrina.
My body froze as I stared at the small picture of Katrina and me in
Alexis' hand.
It was our first date, we already really liked each other. It all started when
I finally got the courage to ask her to dance with me. The beautiful melody
surrounded us as we swayed and danced across the floor in that fancy
restaurant. She looked as lovely as ever, with her hair pinned back in a bun,
but her loose brown curls hung around her flawless face. She was dressed in
a baby blue simple gown that matched her eyes. The eyes I was still
drowning in, even though they were in a picture.
"That's Katrina, isn't she?" Alexis whispered, snapping me out of the
blissful memory.
 I glared at her and she quickly realized her mistake, "I'm sorry. It's just
that I can hear some of your thoughts like Emma said I would, because you
gave me your blood... I didn't mean to invade your privacy. I just found that
picture while I was fixing your closet. I'm sorry, I'll put it back."
I stopped her from taking the picture from my hand as I realized
something.
"You opened that drawer I told you not to open, didn't you?"
She seemed more frightened now. Good, she should be scared of me.
"I- I-"
"Yes or no?!"
She jumped back at my suddenly raised voice and stuttered, "I- I'm sorry,
I forgot."
"Do you ever listen to me?! Huh? I told you especially not to open that
damn drawer! Why do you have to be so curious all the time? Haven't you
realized by now that only brings you trouble?" I asked but she just looked at
the floor. God, I felt like I was scolding a child.
"Or do you just go ahead and do whatever you want to get on my nerves?
Is that it? Look at me, Alexis. What do you see? Do I look like I'm the
person to be playing games with? I'm the monster that the mothers here
warn their children about. I'm my enemy's worst nightmare. Everyone fears
me and you should too!"
Suddenly there was a spark in her eyes that has never been there before.
The fire in her eyes left me beyond surprised. She seemed to have gained a
newfound confidence and I couldn't believe what she said next.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
**********************************
-J.S
23. What I See.

"Sometimes the things you're fighting for,

Isn't worth the cost.
And not everything you ever lose,
Is bound to be a loss."
-E.H
________________________________________
The King's bedroom,
Crystalline Castle.
**
***********ALEXIS' POV ***********
"You're not a monster. In fact, you know what I See, Damien? You really
want to know? Can you handle the truth?"
There was no going back now even if I wanted to, the words were under
the roof of my mouth, trying to scratch their way out. I didn't wait for him
to answer my hypothetical question.
"I see a five year old boy in front of me. The same five year old who was
snatched away from his mother, who was thrown into the cruel world his
monster of a father dominated. The boy who built up these walls around
him which even he can't break through. You know what else I See? I see
that ten year old boy who tried millions of different ways to end the
suffering his father was putting him through. In your eyes, I still see that
sixteen year old boy who was locked up in his own father's dark dungeons
because he spared the life of his enemy's four year old child. He's blinded
with so much hatred towards everyone that even he doesn't realize what he
truly wants. He wants a hand to hold onto. A hand that will pull him out of
that disgusting place that smells of dried up blood and death. A hand that
will pull him out of that darkness which still surrounds him."
It seemed as if there was a completely different person inside of me,
forcing the words out. I had no choice but to obey. My brain was split in
half, both parts pulling my heart towards them. A part of me thought what I
said was the biggest truth I've came across, while the other half, it made me
question if the words were true at all.
Of course he's a monster, he kept me locked here against my will. He
even killed my parents. He's the definition of cruel in my head. However,
the other part of me, it believed anything but that.
In between my own chaos of thoughts, I still didn't miss the look on his
face.
The mask he puts on himself 24/7 broke into a million pieces, giving me
a way to a different Damien.
The Damien who I met last night. The Damien who wasn't afraid to show
his emotions. The Damien who was so much stronger than the one on
battlefield. This Damien was stronger because he didn't hide his tears from
me.
The sight of him looking so defeated, knocked the breath straight out of
me. It crushed my heart painfully and it became impossible for my mind to
function.
Pure shock was covering his face, along with something else, something
that was beyond my understandings.He bit onto his lower lip, rolling it into
his mouth. His eyes held mine, they were screaming at me, they were trying
to say something, as if almost begging me to help. But I didn't know how
to.
I didn't know how to help him.
Great going Alexis, you just made the big bad king cry.
I took a step forward to somehow comfort him, that's the least I could do.
"Look, I'm sorry. But I know how you feel. I under-"
"Shut up," He suddenly snapped. Gone was the previous, vulnerable
Damien, as if he never existed.
He closed the distance between us in less than a second and grabbed onto
my shoulders, his fingers firmly pressing onto my skin which wasn't
covered by the dress I was currently wearing. His grip didn't hurt but it was
still strong enough make sure I payed close attention to whatever he was
about to say.
"No one understands. Do you hear me? No one!" He shook my shoulders
as if trying to wake me up, "You don't have a clue what the fuck you're
saying."
I shrugged his hands off me, pushing them away with my own.
 "I was taken against my will too, Damien. Did you forget that? I thought
Vampires had a oh so wonderful memory, but clearly I need to refresh
yours. I know how you feel--"
"You don't know how I feel! You don't know shit about me. Stay away
from my personal matters. Don't act like you know me! You don't know
what I went through and I don't want you to open those wounds again!"
"But what if they need to be opened in order for them to heal?" My voice
dropped to a low whisper.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you plan your own death. I knew
I was taming the beast inside of him, but at the moment, I didn't care. Or
rather, this newfound part of me didn't care. I wanted to shut up already, but
my mouth was betraying me.
"Not everyone is out to get you, Damien. You don't have to push people
away. The day you start seeing the good in things, that day will be the best
day of your life." I paused to watch his reaction and when he caught my
eye, the masked look on his face wavered. He turned his back to me but
didn't make any attempt to walk away.
He was listening.
Something in me urged me to keep going, "You know what I realized last
night, when you were drunk? You're trapped inside this room filled with
haunting memories of the past hanging off the walls. They are spinning
around you, suffocating you. You have the key but you don't make any
attempt to open the door. Wanna know why? Because you're afraid when
you open that door, the new memories of the present will rush in. You're
afraid they will be as horrible as the past ones. I promise you, they don't
necessarily have to be like the past ones. But just open that door, Damien."
I felt like I was done talking to him, I walked past him to put away the
dirty dishes sitting on the table, but he stopped me by grabbing onto my
wrist. I was still facing away from him as he asked, "How do you know all
this?"
The question I have been dreading all along. Here it is. What do I tell
him? Will he even believe me if I say the truth? Will he believe me if I say I
had dreams about his past? Yeah, he will believe me when the sun shows up
at night, which is never. But what other choice do I have? He will surely
know I'm lying if I do. Hopefully he will be able to tell I'm not by using the
same technique.
"I had these- um, these dreams."
 He stared at me with a straight face.
"It started when you first released me. My first night here in your room, I
had a dream about a little boy and his mother. It contained everything from
the stormy night to the King talking to your mother. At first, I didn't even
know if the little boy was you but yesterday, when you murmured in your
sleep, something along the lines of your mom leaving you. She didn't want
to leave you, Damien. It was the King who took you away from her. She
had no choice, she had to let you go in order to keep you safe. The king
threatened her that he will torture you in the worst way possible if she didn't
willingly give you up. She valued your life more than anything else."
The King stared at me in confusion but somehow he slowly started to put
the pieces together. His eyes concentrated on mine, "How do I know if
you're telling the truth?"
I gave him the most dirtiest glare ever and surprisingly, it went unnoticed
by him. He didn't seem to care. Obviously, Alexis, he just found out the
eternal truth about his existence, not to be overly dramatic.
"That's the thing. You don't, so believe what you want. Just don't blame
me for not telling you everything about my dreams later on."
"I won't. But just answer this, did my mom really love me?" He cleared
his throat, "I mean, she really didn't abandoned me? She- she told me she
would come to visit, but she never showed up. W-what's that supposed to
mean?"
The dangerously small distance between us didn't go unnoticed by me.
He was just mere inches away from my body which made my breath hitch.
He was having trouble talking, too. I could see him searching for the right
words to say. I wanted to tell him I understood exactly what he's trying to
ask. I think there's nothing more satisfying in this world than knowing your
parents care about you and no matter what, at least they will always love
you. I wish I could feel that satisfaction, but I can't, because of this man
standing in front of me. But still, I didn't have the heart to keep him from
feeling that love.
"She really loved you- no, she loves you. I know she must be out there
somewhere, thinking about you, worrying about you. Her precious little
son."
I gave him a big smile, and for the first time ever, he actually returned it.
His smile. It was the most beautiful thing ever. His whole flawless face lit
up, like a lone candle in a dark night. It strangely brightened the
atmosphere.
Then, the unexpected happened.
Something that I would have never imagined happening in my whole life.
Ever.
He hugged me.
He closed the small distance between us just like that. Reaching forward,
he enveloped me in his strong arms. They locked securely around my neck
while mine just froze at my side. A sniff came from him which made me
wonder if he's crying. God, why are you doing this to me? Having him so
close was already bad enough, now I have to worry about his whole body
being pressed against mine. It made my brain run in an overdrive, skipping
from one thought to the other, but never stopping for me to think clearly. So
without giving it much of a thought, I snaked my arms slowly around his
waist, too. He buried his face in my hair while his fingers ran through them,
combing each strand at a time. I closed my eyes and leaned into him, too.
Enjoying this small blissful moment because we both knew tomorrow we
will be trying to claw each other's eyes out again.
________________________________________
***********************************
-J.S.
24. Royal Ball.

"In this room full of paintings, she's the only masterpiece I can't stop
staring at."
_________________________________________
The King's bedroom,
Crystalline Castle.
**
"Alexis! Alexis!"
I turned around in the middle of closing the balcony curtains as I heard
Emma's excitement filled voice. I haven't seen her in these past few days, in
fact, I haven't talked to anyone besides Maria for a couple of days now.
After that small peaceful moment the King and I shared together, he has
been avoiding me like the plague. He seemed to be working hard during the
day, never visiting his room. Late at night, I would somehow feel his
presence, as he teleported into the room. I always pretended to be asleep by
that time, only opening my eyes to watch him move his fingers on the
laptop. Around 11 o' clock at night, he would be on his bed, glued to his
laptop till God knows how long. The way his eyebrows frowned and his
eyes concentrated, I knew he was resuming his work.
That's how my nights were spent, without any sort of acknowledgment
between us.
I was still debating on if that's a good thing, or a bad thing.
I was brought out of my thoughts as a very familiar, cheerful Emma
barged into my- the King's room.
Her eyes spotted me from across the room, and she ran towards me. I
stood there confused as her hands took a hold on my own while she swirled
us around. It seemed as though the room was spinning with us as we moved
in circles.
My giggles mixed with hers as she finally came to a stop, but her hands
remained on my shoulders.
"Guess what?" She smiled.
 "Uh... What?"
"I have a great news, go on, guess!"
"The King is setting me free?"
I mean what news can be greater than that for me?
Emma's happy mood turned upside down as she looked at me sadly, "No,
sorry. Not that."
"Then what is it?"
"I convinced my brother to take you to the Royal Ball!"
My eyes widened, "you what?"
"You. Are. Going. To. The. Royal. Ball. It's being held at an another
Kingdom. It takes place every year, each Kingdom takes turn to make it a
memorable night. This year, it's Snowvale's turn."
I forgot how to breathe as her words slowly registered in my mind.
"Why?! A Royal Ball? Are you trying to get me killed? I won't last a
minute in there, surrounded by blood thirty Vampires."
"Don't worry, Damien is going to be there. He won't let anything bad
happen to you." Emma tried to explain.
I laughed humorlessly, "Don't you know your brother? He doesn't care
about me. He will probably enjoy my suffering."
Emma shook her head,"That's what you think, Alexis. Trust me, you
won't regret going."
Why did her eyes glowed like she knew something I didn't. I mentally
shook my head to clear my thoughts. I was probably just thinking too much
about this.
"Look on the bright side, you will get to go out of this castle, meet new
people. Vampires outside of our Kingdom doesn't know about the prophecy,
so they won't have a reason to treat you badly. To them, you will just be a
regular human girl who charmed the King into taking her to the ball as his
date."
"His date? "
Did I hear her right? Did the King really agreed to take me as his date?
Isn't a date someone you're attracted to? Last time I checked, I was a mere
prisoner here. Since when did he started seeing me as someone worth going
to the royal Ball with?
"Yes, his date." Emma winked.
"And what if I say no?" I turned around.
 Emma murmured something that I didn't catch so I turned back around
and asked what she said.
"Oh, I was just saying that would be completely fine. I mean it's not like
you're the only girl around here. I'm sure there's a long list of girls who
would do anything to go to the ball with my brother." She paused and her
eyes watched me carefully as she added, "like Olivia... She actually
accompanies him every year."
Something in me dropped as she said that. The maid's name echoed in
every corner of my mind, blooming this unknown feeling in my chest. Even
the thought of Olivia being with the King made me uncomfortable. It
started a fire inside of me which was impossible to ignore. Knowing Emma
can read my mind, I decided to not think about it much as I whispered, "I'll
go."
**
**
**
**
**
**
I looked at the girl in front of me. Her blue eyes held mine as if having a
staring contest, and when mine blinked, hers did to. They looked familiar,
yet so different. There was a spark in those eyes that had never been there
before. They were gaining more attention than the rest of my face due to the
mascara and a winged eyeliner coating them.
The top part of my dark brown hair was twisted in a waterfall braid that
went around my head. The rest of my long hair carelessly fell around my
face and turned into beautiful loose curls. My usual messy braid was turned
into something unbelievable.
Was this really my reflection, or a trick of the light?
When the figure moved her hands, following my actions as I tucked a
piece of my hair behind my ear, it was confirmed that I was staring at
myself in the mirror.
Emma, along with some other maids, have been working on giving me a
"makeover" for the past hour. I was complaining at first, but now, it felt
good to look presentable for once.
A royal blue colored dress elegantly hugged my body. The upper part of
the dress was a nude color and a blue flowery pattern was sprinkled on it
while the small leaves creeped up to my shoulders. The soft material of the
dress loosened at my hips and formed a swirly pool of fabric around my
feet.
I was in love with this beautiful dress.
I grabbed a piece of my dress, lifting it up to reveal the silver heels my feet
were covered in. They were the only things that terrified me.
I turned around to find Emma and the other maids looking at me in
awe,"I can't wear these shoes. I won't be able to walk at all."
Emma, noticing my freaked out expression, tried to sooth me, "Don't
worry, you just need some practice. Plus, my brother will be there to catch
you if you fall," She winked, "Diana, have you ever heard of Vampires
fainting? Because I feel like we're about to witness that shortly when
Damien gets a look at this beautiful lady in front of us."
The maid named Diana, along with the other girls, let out a giggle behind
their hands.
"Now, shall we practice? Start by walking in a straight line, Alexis."
Yeah, easier said than done.
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
I watched the breathtaking view as the ground became smaller and
smaller. We were currently in a private jet, as the king has mentioned
before. It was me, the king, a few guards, and two pilots occupying the
plane. I knew I should be scared because this was my first flight but
everything around me just seemed so extraordinary, leaving me to feel
nothing but curiosity. No room for fear.
I turned my head to the left, and found those mysterious dark eyes staring
at me again. The King has been looking at me ever since I came in his view
in front of the castle, where he was waiting for me. He had stood there
impatiently with a bored look on his face, dressed in a black suit with a
royal blue shirt underneath. His outfit matched mine and it made me
wonder if that was planned. The look on Emma's face as she stood next to
me, had confirmed that it definitely was.
 Then as I walked closer to the king, his bored expression turned into
shock and his eyes were shamelessly roaming every inch of my body,
making me quite uncomfortable. Gladly, Emma broke the awkward
ancounter by shooing us off to the jet.
Ever since then, I felt his gaze on me. Do I have something on my face? He
hasn't muttered a single word ever since we stepped into the plane. The last
time we talked was about his mother, when he hugged me. What should I
say? Hey, how are you doing now? You know, after that incredible piece of
information I gave you?
Uh no.
"Look, the kingdom looks so beautiful from up here."
I had to distract his eyes from looking at me somehow. It looked like my
plan worked, but instead of looking out the window, he averted his eyes
from my face and closed them tightly.
"Don't remind me."
A thought made its way into my mind, and I was having a really hard
time believing it.
"Are you scared of heights?"
His eyes snapped open as they found mine, glaring at me, "do you want
to die, human?"
I held up my hands, basically telling him to calm down. I shifted my gaze
to the outside again, but this time I was met by nothing but clouds. Guess
I'm going to have to sit there and look at the plain view, because clearly the
King doesn't want to be buddies anymore.
**
**
**
**
**
**
My eyes took in the dimly lit ballroom in front of me. The only source of
light in this big hall was the huge chandelier that covered up almost of the
entire ceiling. The tiny mirrors on it peeked down and formed the shape of
falling snowflakes. They reflected the difference colors around the
ballroom, making light glimmer on the brown hardwood floor.
Everything was blue and white, the ceiling, the walls, the table cloths. It
felt like I had entered some sort of winter wonderland. A winter wonderland
filled with bloodsuckers.
There were waiters and waitresses rushing to serve the royal Vampires.
Some people were occupying the sitting area, surprisingly eating real food.
The bar in the corner was busy with customers. A few couples swayed on
the dance floor while others just stood around chatting. Laughter filled the
atmosphere every so often. Everyone looked like they were having the time
of their lives.
The Vampires carried themselves with dignity. One look at their face and
you will be able to tell they thought of themselves higher than everyone
else.
I had never felt so out of place. As we got closer to the staircase that
would lead us down to the ballroom, nervousness took over me. A million
thoughts rushed through my brain. What if I fall going down the stairs?
What if I accidentally spill my drink with my shaky hands? What if I make
a fool of myself by doing something stupid?
There was an announcer by the stairs with a mic. He was announcing the
names of every couple that walked down those stairs and their friends and
families greeted them at the bottom.
I looked at the king next to me to find a smug look on his face. With his
prideful eyes, he would fit in so well in this crowd. He glanced at me too,
noticing my nervousness, he gave me nod. I don't know if that was
supposed to assure me.
His hands directed mine to rest on his arm. I noticed the other ladies
posture as I followed their action.
"My king, it's an honor," the announcer bowed down as he noticed who
was standing beside me and then he glanced at me, "and who might the lady
be, Sir?"
Damien whispered something to him that I didn't catch. The announcer
nodded and turned towards the ballroom.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the time has come. Please welcome the King of
the Vampire World, Damien Knight, along with Alexis Smith, his date for
the night."
As the announcer said Damien's name, every single pair of eyes
presented in the room turned towards the stairs and glued onto the figure
next to me. Then as he finished talking, a bright smile was seen stretched
onto their faces. The crowd cheered and rounds of applause erupted
throughout the room. I could taste the love that was in the air. The love
these people had for their king. I'm sure it wasn't easy at all for him to
deserve this kind of affection from his people.
The King started walking, going down the stairs, as I tried to match his
steps. All pairs of eyes turned towards me and I could practically feel them
judging every part of me. The men seemed to be less affected by my
presence than the women. Every where I looked, all the women gave me an
unpleasant look, or a dirty one.
What did I ever do to you?
I focused my attention on keeping my balance, the heels were already
killing me. We finally reached the bottom of the steps and people
surrounded us immediately, greeting the king. He shook each and every
hand offered, giving everyone a breathtaking polite smile. Why couldn't he
act like that with me?
Everyone seemed to know him already, but a few people still introduced
themselves and he welcomed the warm gestures.
Suddenly a group of girls appeared out of nowhere and took a hold of the
King. They dragged him with them as my hands slipped away from his arm.
I could hear his laughter and he told them to slow down but they insisted,
saying something along the lines of "come dance with us". I stood there
watching them take him out of my sight. But I didn't miss the look a girl
from the group gave me as she turned around just to give me a wink.
"Quite the ladies man, isn't he?"
I turned around to find the source of the voice. A man who looked to be
around 21 appeared into my sight. His black hair was styled with gel, not a
piece out of place. His green eyes reminded me of an endless tropical forest.
They held a playful look in them. He pushed his hands into the pockets of
his pants. His suit was identical to Damien's but with a pure white shirt
underneath. And instead of a tie, he wore a black bow tie.
"I'm Sorry, let me introduce myself. I'm King Nicholas of Snowvalle. The
host of this party." He smiled, showing his pearl white teeth.
"I'm Alexis Smith. Nice to meet you." I returned the smile. I shook his
outstretched hand, but he brought mine up to his face and lightly kissed it.
"So your the famous human, huh? You're the top news of Eveland.
Something to be proud of, I must say."
"I thought nobody outside Damien's Kingdom knew about me?" At least
that's what Emma said.
 He laughed, "they don't. But see, hmm how to I explain this. Damien and
I... Let's just say we keep track of each other's every step, secretly. I know
about everything that goes on in his kingdom and vice versa, since we are
neighbors."
"Shouldn't that make you guys allies?"
Last time I checked, neighbors were supposed to help protect each other,
from any foreign invasions.
Nicholas found that amusing, "If there's one thing you should know about
this place, Alexis, is that no one is your friend here. All theses Vampires
care about is themselves and all they want is power. And how do you get
that power? By taking control of everyone else, of course."
I stared at him, confused, "So what you are saying is, everyone is
constantly trying to overthrow each other?"
Nicholas took a hold of my hand, he made me sit on a chair and took a
seat next to me himself.
"Look, " He pointed towards a group of people sitting on the small
circular dining table," the older guy in blue vest, he's trying to marry his son
to the daughter of that woman sitting across him. Everyone knows she runs
one of the strongest Kingdoms here, successfully, without a king. She only
has one daughter, so after her, everything will be her daughter's. Now, why
does that man want that girl to marry his son?"
His watched me as I answered, "for power."
He nodded," Now look at the dance floor."
I followed his gaze towards the center of the room where Damien was
dancing with a girl who was basically hanging off of his arms. Their bodies
were glued together, making my stomach turn. I could almost feel the food I
ate earlier making its way back up my chest. Her golden colored dress was
backless, leaving the King's fingers to roam every inch of her naked skin.
Her own hands were around his neck, occasionally playing with his hair.
For some reason, it killed me that he didn't seem to mind at all.
"Why is she trying to seduce him?" Nicholas asked me.
"Because he's gorgeous."
I realized what I just said and immediately averted my eyes away from
Damien, looking at Nicholas to find him smirking.
"Well, what I meant for you to say was for power, but yeah, that works
too."
 I looked down, feeling my cheeks get hot, "sorry I didn't mean it like
that. I mean he's gorgeous but I don't -"
"It's alright," He let out a chuckle, "you're not the only one who falls for
his charms. He's the number one bachelor who ladies throw themselves at,
hoping he will notice them, hoping he will make them his queen. It's quite
amusing really, watching them get turned down after he's had what he
wants. If you know what I mean."
I did know what he meant. For some sick reason, it made me feel a little
better they meant nothing more to him. It made me feel selfish.
"You seem to know a lot about him." I told Nicholas.
"What can I say? You tend to observe a couple things here and there if
you've lived for over a hundred years. "
I gasped," You're a hundred years old?"
He frowned for the first time, "Yeah, don't wanna talk about that though."
Rule number one, don't bring up a Vampire's age, it's a touchy subject for
them.
"So tell me about you and that little player over there."
"There's nothing to tell," I shrugged, "just that he kept me locked up for
ten years."
"I know, I can't believe he would stoop that low. I mean, who would ruin
a child's life after something a witch said. Like come on, they're known for
their lies."
"Really? Guess the King isn't so smart after all then."
Nicholas laughed and drank out of his glass, "But that's not what I meant.
Tell me about your relationship status, don't think I missed the look of
jealousy back there."
I shook my head,"What jealousy? I'm not jealous."
He stopped a waiter who was passing by, taking a glass of black colored
liquid from the tray. I accepted it from his hands and after taking a small sip
as a test, I was confirmed that it was coke.
He nodded his head but his eyes told me he didn't believe a word I said.
"Sure haha," He stood up, clearing his throat, he offered me his hand,
"my lady, may I have this dance?"
I smiled at his royal gesture but shook my head, "I don't know how to
dance."
"Don't worry, I'll teach you." He winked.
 He lead him towards the middle of the room, a few pairs of eyes followed
us, making me more nervous. He came to a stop right next to Damien, my
eyes glanced at him for a second, to be met by a hard glare.
I ignored his usual look and focused on Nicholas as he placed my arms
around his neck, snaking his own around my waist. He was a lot taller than
me, my head reaching just below his chin.
"Just relax your muscles," He whispered in my ear, "and follow me."
He started moving slowly to the beat of the music, a low melody
surrounded us as I followed his actions. After some time, I finally got the
hang of it, and we danced just as gracefully as the others around us. He
twirled me around with his hand, and then brought me back close to him.
My eyes met his green ones as he returned my smile.
"You're doing great." He complimented.
Our dancing came to a sudden stop as a hand grabbed onto my elbow,
pulling me away from Nicholas. I turned around to find none other than
Damien shooting daggers with his eyes towards Nicholas.
Without saying a word to him, he dragged me away with him, ignoring
my protests.
The king turned into a hallway, and finally came to a stop in a corner,
where we weren't visible to anyone.
I yanked my arm away from his grip, this time succeeding, "what is your
problem?"
Why did he drag me away? Why couldn't he just let me live my life in
peace for once? Why did he always have to come up and ruin any small
moment of happiness I experience?
His eyes were beyond furious as they met mine, "what's my problem?
What's your problem, huh, human? Why were you dancing with my number
one enemy like that? Do you know him already? Is that the person you're
working under, is that it?" he laughed humorlessly, "I should have guessed."
"I'm not working under anyone! I have no idea what you're talking about.
I don't have any plans against you, I thought you already realized that?!"
He really needed to make up his damn mind.
"Then what were you doing back there? Why were you glued to him like
some whore? Were you trying to seduce him, so he will free you from me?
Let me tell you that's not going to happen! I-"
"Shut up! I wasn't trying to seduce him! I'm not like one of those girls
you sleep around with. I don't throw myself at men like they were doing just
a few minutes ago. What was I supposed to do huh? You practically
abandoned me back there. Not once did you even think about the fact that I
don't know anyone here. That's when Nicholas came around and let me tell
you he was a way better company! At least he doesn't treat girls like dirt, at
least he - "
The anger filled words kept falling out , but what I was going to say next
got cut off as the King's lips met mine.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
**********************************
-J.S
25. Unexpected.

"Every inch of your skin is a holly grail I've got to find.

Only you can set my heart on fire, on fire."
-Ellie Goulding (love me like you do)
________________________________________
In a dark hallway,
Snowvalle Ballroom.
**
My breathe was knocked out of me as his lips captured mine, sealing my
mouth shut. The small movement blocked my words or I was going to yell
at him some more.
I forgot everything. I forgot we needed oxygen to survive. I forgot all
about my surroundings. It's didn't matter we were in a hall where anyone
could pass by any given second. The loud music got shunned until it was a
mere background noise.
My heart accelerated in a loud beating rhythm. That was all I could hear,
along with our mixing breaths. I could feel him inhale as I exhaled, like I
could feel myself inhale as he exhaled. It was like we only wanted to breath
each other in, anything else felt like poison.
All I could think about was him, all I could hear was him, all I could feel
was him.
And as his lips crashed with mine in a passionate way, all I wanted to
taste was him, too. His kiss caught me off guard, I stood there unmoving as
he moved his lips on mine. A gasp escaped my mouth as my lips parted. He
took advantage of that as he gently bit onto my lower lip, leaving my body
to feel dizzy.
He pushed me back until I was trapped between his body and the wall,
leaving no space between us. I couldn't tell where I ended and he began, our
bodies glued together, forming one.
His hand took a hold of my jaw rather harshly, tilting my face up. His
kiss wasn't gentle. It was filled with all the anger and frustration he felt
towards me. He put each and every negative emotion he felt towards me in
that one kiss. But it also had a sudden urgency to it, like he couldn't get
enough of me.
Finally coming to my senses, I realized I couldn't just stand there like a
statue. I thought about pushing him away. But for some reason, my hands
wouldn't cooperate. My mind wanted me to run away from him and hide,
while my heart... My heart wanted to be as close to him as possible.
Overcoming the shock, I started to slowly move my lips in sync with his. I
didn't know how to kiss so I just payed close attention and followed his
actions.
His right hand ran down my naked shoulder and arm, leaving behind a
trail of fire. He squeezed my waist, bringing it closer to him. He kissed me
roughly with anger. I was tired of him pushing me around, so I kissed him
more roughly. I fisted my hand in his hair, pulling rather harshly. It was
almost like we were having a competition.
I took my revenge and bit onto his lower lip, too. I was rewarded with a
surprising groan. My closed eyes made me get so lost into the kiss that a
moan I was holding back escaped from my lips.
That sound was like an alarm for him.
He pushed himself away from me in less than a second. He took a step
back until we weren't physically touching each other, but I could still feel
his hands on me. I could still feel his lips on mine.
His hair was sticking in different directions, my fingers doing. Those
familiar golden eyes blinked and turned back to black. He bit his lower lip
and took a big breath in like he couldn't breathe either. His black tie was
loose around his neck while his shirt was wrinkled like someone was
squeezing it.
He looked like a mess, but a hot mess.
I can't be thinking about him like this. This is wrong, even though it felt
anything but wrong. I can't be doing this.
"I can't do this." He took the words right out of my mouth.
His troubled eyes looked at the floor as he ran a hand through his already
messed up hair. He took a few more steps away from me. It felt like he was
stomping on my heart. It felt like my heart broke more with each step he
took away from me.
He didn't think I was worth kissing. He didn't like kissing me.
 Why would he? Why would he want to kiss a person who has no clue
about these kind of things? I don't blame him for thinking I'm not good
enough.
My mind drifted off to the women in the Ballroom. They were far more
prettier and experienced than me, like that girl who the king danced with.
There wasn't even a comparison between us, of course he would pick her
for everything. He's probably walking away to go find her again.
I hated the fact that thinking about it brought tears to my eyes. I hated
crying over something so foolish. Of course I will never be one of those
girls he finds attractive. One of those girls he laughs or dances with.
I will never be one of them.
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
____________TWO DAYS LATER________
In the dining hall,
Crystalline Castle.
**
"Stop!" Eric's protests could be heard all around the kitchen as Emma
and I walked towards him with tomatoes in our hands. An evil smile was
plastered on our faces as we watched his horrified look.
Emma laughed and right when we were about to squeeze the tomato onto
his face, he disappeared. My eyes widen in shock as I remembered about
Vampires teleporting. A laughter was heard from behind us as we quickly
turned around.
Let me rewind. A few minutes ago Emma, Eric, and I were sitting on the
dining table eating spaghetti. I was telling them about how I met King
Nicholas at the ball, but then Eric brought up his sister and said something
like she was really hot.
Right when he said that, Emma's fork flew out of her hands, aiming for
the poor guy's face. Thanks to his Vampire speed, he dodged it but his hand
accidentally knocked off the plate of spaghetti in front of him. The food
ended up falling on his pants, ruining his clothes. The incident made Emma
laugh like there's no tomorrow. To shut her up, Eric grabbed a handful of
spaghetti and threw it at her face. At that point, I was debating on whether I
should take that as my cue to leave or just sit there in shock, I chose the
latter.
The shriek Emma let out made me chuckle a little, and that's how I ended
up getting that spaghetti in my hair. That's also how a food fight broke out
between us and we ran in different directions to find food to throw at each
other.
As we turned around after hearing his laugh, a hand rubbed my face,
smudging what seemed like Nutella all over my face. I looked to my left to
find Emma in the same state.
"Eric! I'm gonna kill you, asshole!" Emma ran towards the fridge and
took a hold of the egg carton.
"Aww, with eggs?" Eric was just pushing it.
Right when the first egg collided with his chest, a horrifying scream
broke out through the castle.
But it wasn't Eric's, the scream came from downstairs. I dropped the
syrup bottle in my hands and made a run towards where the sound came
from, leaving behind Emma and Eric as they called my name.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
**********************************
-J.S
26. I Hate You.

"What is a word made up of 4 letters, yet is made up of 3. Although is

written with 8 letters, and then with 4. Rarely consists of 6, and never is
written with a 5."
-Ans at the end of the chapter. XD
_________________________________________
The dungeons,
Crystalline Castle.
**
************Damien's POV**********
"Let me go!"
Her fighting voice outside the door surprised me. What is that human
doing down here, at the dungeons? Is she not enjoying being out of this
place that she's struggling against my guards to enter these walls again?
"Nobody's allowed here. Our King is busy." I heard one of the guards say
to her.
"What's going on in there? Who screamed? Is Damien here? Let me go!"
Realizing she wasn't going to give up any time soon, I yelled out, "Bring
her in."
Alexis' frame entered the room I was currently in, her eyes instantly
dropping on me. She was covered in food? She looked like she was on the
kitchen as a tornado hit the place.
She looked around the room until she discovered the screaming human
girl all tied up in front of me. At first she was confused, but then realization
slowly settled on her face as she noticed the long cut on her cheek. The cut
carved by the knife in my hand. It wasn't deep enough to kill the human, but
it still looked like it hurt like a bitch.
The human girl's scream slowly died down as she noticed who just
walked into the room, as if she knew she was one of her own kind.
"Help me," She called out to Alexis.
I put the tape back on her chapped lips, "Shut up."
 That was all it took for Alexis to come to action as she started running
towards the wounded girl. Two persuasive words and this girl thinks she's a
superwoman who can save everybody's ass.
God, when will she learn?
Using my Vampire speed, I snaked my arms around her waist to prevent
her from moving towards the girl.
"What did you do to her?" She gasped as she took in the bruises coating
the girl's body. The plain, black button down shirt was clinging to her body
due to her sweating. Her black hair looked like a bird's nest, her plain
brown eyes were filled with tears as they silently begged Alexis to
somehow help her. Psh, as if.
Alexis continued to struggle in my arms, Trying her best to run to the girl
and set her free.
I turned towards the three guards standing stiffly next to me, "Force some
information out of her. Make sure you don't kill her, though. She can be
very useful to us."
Alexis shook her head," No! Why are you doing this? Why are you
hurting her like that?!"
Passing one of them the knife, I dragged Alexis out of the room, ignoring
her loud protests. Sometimes I really hate my sharp senses, like now when
she continued to loudly scream in my ear to let her go.
"Never, if you continue to scream like that." I yelled over her voice.
She stopped talking at once and calmed down a little as I took her hand
and dragged her to our room.
Our room?
What the fuck is wrong with me? Since when do I like sharing rooms
with anyone? It's my room. The King of the Vampire World's room.
Arriving at the set of doors, I pushed them open. Pulling her inside with
me, I turned around and locked the door.
"You're a monster." She whispered as her eyes filled with unshed tears,
"you know that?"
Her words didn't effect me at all. I've been called worse. Well nobody has
ever had the courage to say it to my face, but I'm not blind, I know what
they think of me. Plus, they forget that I can read their thoughts. This girl
was one strong human, I had to give her that. Or maybe stupid is more of a
word, since she seemed to be digging her own grave by provoking me.
 I just rolled my eyes and walked over to the sofa so I could explain to her
what she just witnessed. But then I remembered her state so I walked closer
to her, smirking, I reached forward to lick the Nutella off her cheek but she
stepped back.
"Go shower first, I'll explain everything."
**
**
**
**
**
After getting dressed super fast, Alexis walked out of the closet and made
me face her by pulling on my arm harshly.
"Remember when I said that I see a five year old boy hiding under that
table waiting for a hand to slowly pull him out of the darkness? Never mind
that. You're a Monster. Just like your father."
Something in me dropped. Her previous words didn't effect me. But now,
the thought of her thinking that I'm just like my father, that selfish man, hurt
more than anything else. It made me stop breathing altogether. It made me
feel like a part of me died even though I'm already dead. I've heard so many
negative thoughts about me, but why did this one hurt the most? I realized it
wasn't because of what she said, it was because of who said it. Since when
did I care about what this human thought of me?
I turned around, ready to hit her with some facts about that human girl
which will get her to think straight. But what I saw in front of me, left me
speechless.
I saw an eighteen years old girl looking so defeated as if she had lost
everything she could ever think of. She gulped to appear strong in front of
me, but I saw right through that facade. Her fists looked like she was ready
to take me down, but her eyes, her eyes said the opposite. Her stormy blue
eyes held so much anger in them that they prevented me to think straight.
There was something else in those eyes. Something that was buried deep
down, but it was still there. I could make out the pain she felt as she stood
there, trying to look all confident.
It was as if this was the first time I could actually read her. I couldn't hear
her thoughts, that was only for a short amount of time since I gave her my
blood, but her eyes said everything I needed to know. They were holding in
years of extreme rage. Why didn't I realize this sooner? But now that I have,
I wanted her to let all of that anger out. The anger which turns people
against themselves. The anger that slowly eats people alive until they're an
empty shell.
"I know I'm a monster. Maybe even just like my father, if not worse. I
also know you're extremely mad at me. So just let it out. Yell at me."
Her eyes watched me cautiously as she tried to think hard about what
caused my mood to suddenly change.
"Go ahead, let it out, yell at me, hit me. Do what you want."
She was in deep thought for quite some time. But then she opened her
mouth to say the most obvious thing in the world, "You ruined my life."
"I know that. Keep going."
Really Damien? That's all you've got? I know?
But I did want her to tell me everything she thought of me so I urged her
to keep talking.
"You forcefully brought a seven year old girl, so full of dreams and hope
in this twisted world."
She paused to see if I was getting mad but I just muttered, "keep going."
"She used to be so full of light, she used to find happiness in the smallest
things. You snatched that goodness away from her. You snatched her ability
to think positively. You basically killed her."
That hit me hard, but I tried not show it, "Yeah, tell me what else I did."
"You ruined her childhood. You forced her to live a meaningless life. You
turned her into this emotional wreck who doesn't know who to trust and
who to not trust anymore."
With that, she gave me a sudden push, which caught me off guard,
causing me to stumble back a couple of inches.
"You know why she didn't have a common sense to know about that
Vampire kid lying? Because you prevented her to experience the outside
world to know these kinds of things!"
With every sentence that came out of her mouth, her hands also reached
forward to either land punches on my chest, or push me back roughly. I
decided to make her think her soft beatings actually effected me by acting
weak.
She didn't say anything for some time so I asked her, "are you done?"
She looked away but nodded her head.
No, she wasn't done.
"No you're not. So keep going."
 "How would you know that?" A cute frown appeared on her face.
Realizing how stupid I sounded, I shrugged off those thoughts, "Because
I just do. I know you're not done yet."
"You're right, I'm not." She admitted.
"Okay, continue then, beautiful."
What the fuck? Did I just say that? Did I ever mention how sometimes I
really wish I wasn't immortal? I didn't? Well at the moment, I was damn
sure I wanted to die of embarrassment.
Alexis' cheeks turned a light shade of pink, "You can't do that."
"Do what?"
"Call me beautiful and then expect me to be mad at you."
I found myself smirking at her words. I was glad that I wasn't the only
one who was having trouble focusing. It was good to know I had that effect
on her, too.
"Alright, keep going, you ugly person."
She let out a light laugh and for once, I found myself smiling at her, too.
Not because of what I said, but because of the way she looked when she
laughed. Her entire face brightened up and her eyes wrinkled. Her laugh
was like the sun. I wouldn't mind feeling the warmth it provided me, but it
could also be dangerous and burn me like the sun. Her laughing face was an
image I wouldn't mind looking at for the rest of my life. And these are the
thoughts that scared me.
It only lasted for a moment, because soon, her face slowly turned sad
again. I could tell a thought hit her but she was debating on whether to say
it or not.
Another push came from her at the same a tear ran down her right cheek.
My back hit the wall but I don't think Alexis noticed as she kept walking
closer to me, thinking I would stumble back again if she gave me another
push.
"Just say it."
And she did.
"You know the worst thing you did to me? Y-you killed my parents."
Her voice broke as she struggled to say the last part, turning it into a
mere whisper. But I heard it, and I wish I didn't. There were more tears
streaming down her face now, she tried to push them away forcefully.
"All you had to do was give me a choice. All you had to say was, Alexis,
you have two choices, either surrender and come with us, or we kill your
parents. My seven years old self would have happily surrendered. All you
had to do was ask, Damien. They- at least they would still be alive. And
that thought alone would have gave me the strength to live the rest of my
life in that prison."
She looked like she would fall apart at any moment. Seeing her like this,
an emotion washed over me, an emotion I've prevented myself to feel for so
long. Guilt.
"All you had to do was ask." She sobbed as she looked down to hide her
tears, her hands on my chest, gripping on my shirt.
I couldn't stop myself from pulling her forward, into my arms. She
gripped onto my shirt tighter, pulling me close to her, as well. I rested my
chin on her head as she buried her face in my neck, making me feel the
wetness of her tears. Somehow, they managed to crawl up into my own
eyes. I blinked hard to get rid of that water like substance, but it was no use.
"I'm sorry."
There I said it. Who knew that the first time the King of Vampires will
apologize will be to a human?
"I hate you."
Even though her words were filled with hatred, her arms that went
around me, hugging me tight, said otherwise.
"Good. You should." I said.
"You still didn't tell me something."
"And what is that?"
"Who is that girl? Why did you hurt her?"
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
***********************************
-J.S
27. Vampire Hunters

"I put your name on the bullet so everyone knows you were the last thing
that went through my head."
________________________________________
The King's bedroom,
Crystalline Castle.
**
************ Alexis' POV************
"She's human, just like you." Damien started, "but she's a vampire
hunter."
I took a step away from him so I could see his face. I've heard stories
from Maria about Vampire hunters who existed in the human world. They
brutally kill any Vampire they get their hands on. They had their own
special way to find and torture the species they hated so much. Because of
them having their own advanced weapons, not even a single Vampire had
stood a chance against them.
But that's in the human world. How did they even get to this side in the
first place?
Sensing my unasked question, Damien said, "They use to be just
harmless humans brought here by one of the kingdoms to be used as slaves,
servants, or just as a meal. But then that Kingdom was invaded by another
king, and after that, everything just kind of turned into a chaos. The humans
had no master because he was killed, so they just wandered around for a
while looking for a home. The new King was so overcome with the amount
of power he now held, that all the human activities going on was ignored by
him. They formed groups, each one of them having a main leader. Then
eventually, those leaders decided to combine their groups to form a larger
community. An election was held and Aryan Mallow was chosen as their
president. He holds a burning hatred towards our kind because his wife was
killed while they were being transported here. He trained those humans day
and night, turning them into the strong Vampire hunters they are today.
About 10 years later, they are still trying to make us pay by killing
innocents all over the Vampire world. They can hide their scents and block
us from reading their mind. But I don't think they would have done all this
without some help from a vampire. They are pretty smart too, I have to give
them that. Nobody has been able to find their hideout because it changes
every month. This is the first time we have captured one of them."
That made a lot more sense, "So the girl downstairs is a vampire hunter?"
"Yes, but wanna know the interesting part? She's the only daughter of
Aryan." Damien smirked, as if he was proud of himself to have captured the
enemy's weakness.
"She was leading a group of them, who burned down a small part of the
city. My men got there as soon as they could. I guess she was left behind,
her scent was hidden because of a spray that they invented. But it only lasts
for about a day, so as the investigation was going on, they smelled her
hiding in the piles of dead bodies."
The black eyes that once looked into mine, turned into a deadly, golden
pool of emotions. His hands formed a fist, punching the wall next to him as
his body faced away from me. A loud thunder boomed outside the castle
and the sound made the wind pick up its speed. The balcony curtains moved
furiously, somehow alerting me that a storm was coming. The King's
clenched jaw made me notice the weather matched what he was feeling.
Was it a coincidence or something else?
"I can't believe all of those people died under my watch. All those
innocents were killed because of me. It was my job to protect them, and I
failed. I fucked up again."
I understood why he was angry at himself, but that doesn't mean he
should be the one to blame.
"It's not your fault." I placed a soothing hand on his back. His tense
muscles surprisingly relaxed under my touch.
Shaking his head he said, "It is. Don't you get it? They killed those
Vampires to provoke me. They want me to come out of the safe zone, into
the battlefield. I am their number one target. Not to sound so full of myself,
but I'm the pillar that keeps this place up and running. If I don't exist,
everything will fall apart and that's what they want. They want my kind to
suffer like they did. They don't want to take away their life, they call death
an easy escape. Their plan is to take down one king at a t--"
 Damien stopped talking abruptly. His eyes looked down at the floor,
concentrating hard as if trying to burn holes in it. I knew then he was
telepathically talking to someone.
I waited patiently but all sort of calmness left my body as his wide eyes
snapped up and met mine. He hurriedly went to a drawer in the corner of
the room and pulled out a gun.
Without any sort of explanation, he took a hold of my hand tightly, "we
have to go."
His worried tone made me go stiff as millions of questions ran through
my mind, but one of them stood out.
"What's going on?"
"Vampire hunters inside the castle."
He ran towards the door of the bedroom and quickly opened it, stepping
out first to check if it was safe.
"We have to get you to the lockdown area. That's where all the women
and children hide in case of an emergency. It's the deepest part of the castle.
Let's go."
The fact that he was even thinking about my security made my eyes go
wide. He noticed my surprise but shrugged it off as he pulled us out of the
room. We ran down the hallway, me trying to catch up to his unnatural
speed. Realizing I'm not much of a runner, he picked me up in less than a
second and zoomed past the different rooms in a blink of an eye. I held onto
him tightly, only focusing on his features to prevent myself to think about
the scaring speed we were going at.
He suddenly stopped and pushed me against the wall, where I could
barely stand still because of my mind being all dizzy. Through the
blurriness, I could make out his body covering mine as I heard two gun
shots pierce through the air, followed by a low thump as the two humans to
my right fell to the floor, dead.
He killed them.
Before I could even recover from the shock, another armed human to my
left shot an arrow, my eyes following the thing as if it was going in slow
motion. But, Damien dodged it. In the process, he brought my body
forward, towards the floor as well by holding onto my waist.
Right when I thought I was about to break some bones while crashing
down, my body landed on his. It seemed as though he placed himself there
so I wouldn't feel the impact of the fall. Right when my frame collided with
his, he rolled onto the side untill we were on the other side of the hallway
with him on top of me.
He supported his weight on one of his knees so his body wouldn't crush
me. Our close position soon went unnoticed by me as he pulled out his gun
again, shooting down the human. The loud noise of the gun was so close to
my face that it had me shut my eyes tightly as my hands covered my ears.
I felt his fingers lightly touching my cheek, "are you okay?"
Reopening my eyes, a nod was all I could manage. He sighed, resting his
forehead on mine. His eyes closed as if exhausted. The small moment was
peace we shared was soon shattered as a few pairs of footsteps came closer
to us. Damien quickly became alert but then relaxed as he gazed over my
head.
"Your Majesty, are you alright?" I heard someone speak.
"Yup, fantastic. You guys' timing is great," He stood up, offering me a
hand which I gladly took.
"I'm sorry, your highness. We were all at the dungeons. That's where they
decided to break through. Many of our guards are guarding every corner
outside the castle, so no more of them finds their way in. There were about
ten hunters, and only four are left. They are carrying either the bow and
arrow or a gun which contains a venom that kills a vampire in an instant.
Their scent is also hidden, must be that spray." The guard was talking in a
rushed voice, not wanting to waste any time to find them.
Damien was quick to reply as well, "Go down to the lock down room
through the secret passage, take Alexis with you. Make sure she reaches the
other women. "
The guard nodded and took a hold of my arm but right as we were about
to walk in the opposite direction, Damien said," Wait."
He closed the distance between us quickly, taking my hand in his once
again, "Fuck. I don't wanna let you out of my sight. You're coming with
me."
Without waiting for my response, he picked me up and we were running
off faster than the wind again.
I felt like a rag doll, being passed around. As if I couldn't defend myself.
Okay, maybe that was the truth. I knew nothing about fighting and I
didn't stand a chance against these hunters even if they were my own kind.
But they didn't need to rub that in my face every so often.
 A noise that came from my left made Damien come to a stop again. He
returned to the position where I was secured between the wall and him. My
feet touched the ground as he looked up to find a human with an arrow
pointed straight at him.
"Your game is over, bloodsucker." He smile was the most evil thing I had
ever seen.
I turned my head to the opposite way, to find an escape. I noticed another
person standing there, but with a gun in his hand. His finger closed around
the trigger, pointing straight at Damien's head. Before I knew what I was
doing, I pushed him off me harshly. The blow caused him to stumble back a
couple of feet, making the bullet miss him and hit the human on the left
side.
Dude number one hit the floor, lifeless while dude number two let out a
curse. I mean I would be mad too if I accidentally kill one of my own team
members.
Damien didn't waste a second to take advantage of his shocked state.
Using his Vampire speed, he made his way over to the person and pulled his
heart out right from his chest making me gasp.
"It's always more fun this way." He winked at me.
The sight in front of me left me so disgusted that I couldn't even breathe.
Everything around me smelled like death and blood.
"Hey, you okay?" I wasn't okay but I still nodded because we needed to
continue moving. There were only two left, but they could be anywhere in
this castle right now. I had a gut feeling they were close, if Damien was
their number one target, why would they go anywhere else but the King's
tower?
I took a shaky step forward because I felt like I was about to throw up
from the overwhelming scent. That's when he took me in his arms, hugging
me.
My eyes were half way closing as I noticed the Vampire hunter standing
right in front of me. Damien was facing away from him, so he couldn't see
the human carrying a bow and arrow. He was slowly trying to pull out an
arrow from his back, getting ready to shoot. While doing that, he put a
finger on his lips, telling me to not alert the King. It seemed like he knew I
was human, too.
He thought I will help him.
I felt like I was about to make the most important decision of my life.
 Do I tell the King and save him?
Or do I let that hunter kill him in a second.
I recalled the guard talking about the arrow carrying a deadly venom
which will end him.
I opened my mouth to warn Damien but he shushed me, so low that it
was barely heard by me while he whispered in my ear, "Don't. I know he's
behind me. I think it's about time I get punished for all the things I've done,
including everything I've done to you. Just say you forgive me and I'll die a
happy man."
I watched as the hunter pulled back the arrow on the bow, aiming for the
King's back. A few images flashed in my mind. The children crying as they
find the bodies of their parents who were killed by these hunters. People
losing their jobs and businesses as they were burned down to ashes by these
hunters.
When I thought of all the suffering they caused to innocents just because
a few of their kind was brutal to them, I knew what I wanted.
I felt a hardness poking my waist. The gun which was tucked in Damien's
pants.
All sorts of thoughts were running through my head, but one of them was
as clear as the day.
"I can't do that. I can't let you die."
One of my arms was occupied due to being wrapped around Damien's
neck as he had embraced me. While my other hand ran down, parallel to his
body until I felt my fingertips lightly touch the top of the gun.
A hint of energy was suddenly sucked into my body, making my senses
brighten. As I looked up, no longer feeling like the naive girl locked away
from reality, my determined eyes met the hunter's concentrated black ones.
I didn't think.
I just pulled out the gun and shot him.
As I was still recovering from the shock of what I just did, Damien said,
"That's all I needed to know."
He then pushed me away, off to the side. Losing my balance, I ended up
on the floor. I winced as my butt landed on the hard surface, making me
lean back against the wall.
I quickly looked up to find Damien push back the curtains hanging in the
hallway, to reveal another hunter. He was unarmed and looked a little
bruised already. That didn't prevent the King to send a blow towards his
face. Many followed after that. He kicked him in the stomach, the action
was almost blurry because of the speed he was hitting him at.
"This is for killing my subjects."
Another punch made his nose bleed badly.
"This is for planning to hurt Alexis."
Damien grabbed his head and smashed it on the huge window located by
him. The impact made the glass shatter. A piece of glass flew inwards and
hit the top of my feet, making me gasp.
I found blood instantly dripping from the wound. Bitting my lip, I
touched the glass, trying to take it out. But that only hurt more so I retrieved
my hand. I felt tears coming to my eyes but I tried to keep them in. I tried to
take out the piece of glass again.
I glanced up to find the King still torturing the human, but my gaze
stayed glued at the scene in front of me. Behind Damien, Aryan's daughter,
the one he captured, stood with a what looked like a leg of a wooden chair.
Without wasting any time, I called his name to warn him.
But I was too late.
Right when he turned around, the human girl stabbed the wooden
material in his chest.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
**********************************
-J.S
28. Surprise, Surprise.

"Don't confuse emotional for weak. I'll slit your fucking throat with tears
coming down my cheeks."
________________________________________
The main hallway in The King's tower,
Crystalline Castle.
**
My breath got caught in my throat as I took in the scene in front of me.
No matter how much I wanted to stand up and push that hunter away from
Damien, my body wouldn't move a muscle. As blood starts dripping from
the wound on his chest, I knew she had aimed for the heart and succeeded.
His eyes widened at the same time mine did. His bloodshot eyes held pain
that has never been there before.
It was only a matter of seconds before I felt my own heart squeeze in my
chest but the pain wasn't even close to what he must have been feeling. I
watched speechless as his eyes dropped, his body following the movement.
Aryan's daughter took a hold of the wooden stake again and pulled it out
of his chest, causing more blood to stain his shirt. I felt my stomach drop as
a nauseous feeling hit me.
I reminded myself this wasn't the time to think from the heart. I pushed
back the pain and concentrated on helping him.
His body lifelessly dropped to the floor at the same time the other male
hunter strode towards me.
"Don't," Aryan's daughter held out her hand to stop him before he
reached me, "she's not the enemy. We accomplished what we came for, now
let's go."
Throwing the wooden stick onto the floor, her eyes gave me a final look
of pity and then she began to walk away from Damien's blood covered
body.
When she was in front of me, I stretched my right leg out, making her fall
face first to the ground. Guess she wasn't expecting that.
 There was only a few seconds of difference between me being on the
floor and me stepping over her fallen body and pushing the hunter who
looked like he just saw a ghost. It was meant to be a gentle push, to back
him away so I could get a hold of Damien's gun, which was uselessly
placed on the floor. I guess the hunter wasn't expecting it so he stumbled
back harshly and collided with the already broken window that covered the
entire wall. His feet gave up and he ended up falling right through the
broken glass. His scream hung in the air around me.
Allowing myself to quickly recover from the shock, I grabbed the gun. I
turned around to find the human girl ready to get up but I stopped her by
pointing the gun at her head.
A fire was burning inside my head, telling me to take revenge. Take
revenge. Kill her.
It was as if a whole different person had taken over my body, making me
feel more alive and stronger. That person didn't care she was my own kind.
That person didn't care about everything the King has put me through. It
was as if those memories were at the very back of my mind, refusing to
make me feel any sort of hatred towards that man.
But the other part, the part of me which was locked up for ten years and
tortured by him, it hesitated to pull the trigger.
The hunter girl took advantage of my inner battles and very smartly
reversed our position. The only thing in my favor was that my hand was
still holding onto the gun. She tried to snatched it but I had an unbelievable
strong hold on it, making me feel surprised as well.
Where was all this strength coming from?
"You bitch. I was gonna spare your life but I guess you would rather die."
The girl hissed.
I heard Damien cough on my left. A small amount of hope bloomed in
my stomach. It barely existed, but as he coughed again, it increased. I didn't
waste a second more as I elbowed her in the stomach, causing her to fall
back.
"You're right. I would rather die than let you get away with what you did
to Damien." I used the same tone as her.
I pointed the gun at her head again, my finger a millisecond away from
pulling the trigger, when someone stopped me.
"Alexis," Eric called from behind me, "this bitch can't die this easily."
 Two guards made their way to us and took a hold of the hunter's arms,
forcefully making her stand up. Eric and two other guards ran towards
Damien, noticing his critical state. I didn't waste any time as I followed
them, pushing away a guard out of the way so I could kneel beside the
King.
His face was a little pale, due to the loss of blood. A trail of was sweat
was coating his forehead, making his hair stick to his face. His creme
colored shirt was soaked with the red liquid which has now stopped pouring
out of his chest. He looked so lifeless that it was scaring me more by each
passing second. If someone asked me what I wanted the most in my life a
couple weeks ago, I would have said for the King to suffer. For him to pay
for everything he did to me, but now, as I looked down to see him as he lay
there without any sign of life, I knew this was the image I never wish to see.
I tried to shake him with my shaky hands, but it was no use, he didn't move
a muscle. He just lay there, looking like a lifeless statue.
The guards were checking his wounds, a devastated expression covering
their faces. I was sure I didn't look any better.
"Damien. Damien, get up!" Something in me told me to not give up even
after one of the guards shook his head.
"Alexis, he's no more..."
I chose to ignore the heartbreaking words that left me so broken on the
inside. I kept trying to make him wake him somehow, but not once did he
respond to my calls.
Eric was sitting across from me, with unshed tears in his sad eyes, "Bro,
get up. Look what you're leaving behind. Who's gonna take care of all these
people when your not around? Who's going to keep the women and children
safe? Who's going to shape the young adults into the best fighters? The
most important thing, who the hell is gonna be my competition? Who's
going to encourage me to improve my skills? Answer me, Dammit. Stop
being such a coward and wake up. Don't you dare run from your
responsibilities. Are you listening, you asshole?"
What Eric said made me realize just how much his people needed him.
Without him, there wouldn't be an Eveland. As I thought this, it made me
feel selfish for a bit because all I was thinking of was how much I didn't
want to lose him or how much I wanted him to live. His subjects needed
him more.
 Reality was finally starting to settle in as he didn't even flinch as I shook
him. Tears were falling freely down my cheeks for reasons which were still
unknown to me. I didn't try to hide how much I cared about his well being. I
didn't care that I looked so effected by his state. I didn't care if these people
saw how I felt towards him. All that mattered was him.
"Please don't leave me." A sob which had been caged for so long left my
mouth as my fingers clunged onto his shirt as if that would prevent him
from going away from me.
"Why? Last time I checked, you hated my guts."
My eyes instantly snapped up, towards his face. I had to make sure it
wasn't just my mind making up stuff. I found his closed eyes, but it was
certain that it was him who spoke as I saw his teeth gently bit onto his
lower lip.
He wasn't dead.
Without thinking what I was doing, my arms instantly reached forward,
hugging him close to me. His arms snaked around me too as if he wasn't so
damaged a second ago. The blood on his shirt was coloring my blue shirt
red, but I didn't care. As he buried his face in my hair, inhaling, my heart
beat started to return back to normal.
It seemed like a huge load was lifted off me as I returned to my original
spot next to him. As the familiar black eyes fluttered open ever so slowly, it
felt like I could finally breathe again. He didn't say anything, just stared at
me with a straight face.
What was I supposed to say to that?
A cry of joy was heard from the guards and a smile stretched onto Erics
face. I finally thought about the hunter and as I looked around, she was no
where in sight. The other two guards must have took her.
"Guys, let's take him to his room." Eric said to the guards, turning
towards Damien, he gave him a scowl, "I can't believe you made me do
that."
"Do what?" I asked Eric.
He just glared at Damien and stood up, brushing off his jeans, "why don't
you ask your boyfriend? I'm sure he would love to explain."
"My what?"
"Her what?"
Damien and I spoke at the same time, as our narrowed eyes met.
 Suddenly, he pushed himself up gracefully as if he wasn't just almost
dead. The fact that the wound on his chest was perfectly healed didn't go
unnoticed by me.
How did that happen? I thought a wooden stake through the heart killed a
Vampire?
"How are you alive? Isn't a wooden stick capable of killing you?" I stood
up as well as he started to walk away from me, towards his room. He was
acting way too casual that it made me question if what I witnessed a few
minutes ago was real or not. I ran to catch up to his fast strides, leaving
behind the guards and Eric who sighed and muttered something along the
lines of, good luck, because you're in for a surprise.
"Sweetheart, only the ones who are born, die."
I was more confused than before, "What do you mean?"
"I can't die if I was never born, now can I?" He smirked, reaching out his
hand to open his bedroom door.
As I walked in after him, I turned around to close the door, "get to the
point."
"I wasn't born. I was created."
***********************************
*****************
*****************
***********************************
-J.S
28. Surprise, Surprise. (Pt. 2)

"I wasn't born. I was created."

Damien looked at me like he thought I knew exactly what he was talking
about. I mean aren't they the same thing? He was created by his parents to
be born. Right?
"What do you mean? " I asked him.
"I can't die. Period."
"I know that. I know only a wooden stake can kill a--"
Damien took a hold of my shoulders, "No, Alexis. I can't die even from a
wooden stake because," He ran his hand through his hair, turning away
from me, "because I'm not just a Vampire."
I gasped at the new found information. That thought had never crossed
my mind, because he acted just like any other Vampire. There wasn't
anything unusual about him, except for the fact that he just survived what a
normal Vampire would not have. If hes not fully a Vampire, then what else
is he?
"I'm only going to tell you once so listen carefully, " He started but
paused as he watched my focused face expression.
"... Why are you looking at me like that?" He asked me.
"What? You said pay attention so that's what I'm doing."
"Oh okay, so um take a seat."
I had a feeling what he was going to tell me was very important so I
made my way over to the sofa and took a seat as he too sat down on the
love seat to my left, facing me.
"My mom... She was a Angel. I don't know for what reason, but she was
banned from the heavens. That's all my so called father told me. Her
magical powers were taken away from her, but she held a really high title,
so it would have taken days for her magical powers to completely
dissappear. She found the Vampire world as her new home because it wasn't
as populated as the human world and she liked the peace. It didn't take her
long to realize how lonely the life here would be, so with any remains of
her magic that she still carried, she made me. Damien Skyer. I don't know
what I am since I was taken away from her at such a young age, before she
could explain that to me. But I do remember how she always use to call me
her little angel because of my wings..."
"Your wings?" I gasped.
He nodded, taking off his dirty shirt, "Yeah. You don't see them because I
keep them hidden, they haven't been out since..."
"Since you were brought here by your father?" I asked him softly.
His eyes glared at the wall next to me as he snapped, "He's not my
father."
His suddenly raised voice made me flinch, for which he apologized for.
"Sorry," He said, "It's just he's not my real father. I can't believe I'm
telling you this, like I said, I wasn't born or made out of love at all. That
man just wanted to use me as his son, someone who could never die.
Someone who had abilities that other Vampires didn't. Someone who was
capable of making this Kingdom reach the top and keep it there. That's why
he adopted me and turned me into a vampire, but he was surprised that my
angelic side didn't die. He told me to keep my mouth shut and never tell
anyone. He never cared about me, he only wanted what was best for his
subjects. He never deserved to be called my father."
The way he described this man who everyone calls his father, it made me
hate him just as much as Damien's eyes showed how he held a burning
hatred towards him. I tried to shake away the sympathetic expression on my
face, knowing how much he would hate that.
"But to answer your question, no, I showed them to somebody who was...
really close to me."
I was fighting back the words which were already in my mouth because I
didn't want to seem like a nosy person who wanted to know everything, but
I couldn't stop myself from saying, "I want to see them."
He raised his eyebrows," You're gonna get scared."
"Why? Are they scaring looking? Dark as the night?"
He laughed, "quite the opposite, actually."
He stood up, throwing away the dirty shirt on the floor. He walked
towards the night stand, pouring himself a glass of water from the jug. I
stood up and walked closer to him, it was now or never.
"Then show me."
 "Where were we? Oh yeah you wanted to know how I survived that." He
smirked making a scowl to appear on my face, "I knew that wooden leg of
some chair wouldn't kill me, but I still acted dead."
My eyes widen. That was all an act? That was all a show to fool me. But
why?
I took the glass of water away from his reach because it was becoming
kind of annoying how he was acting so dramatic as if he loved the suspense
hanging in the air around me.
"Get to the point. That was all an act?!"
"Yeah. It was. When that girl stabbed me, I knew I was going to heal in a
bit but I wanted to see something," Damien watched my expression
carefully, "I wanted to see if you were one of them. I wanted to see if my
death would effect you at all. I have to say, I was really surprised when you
attacked her. I--"
"So you just layed there while that hunter and I were fighting? You were
just going to watch the show play out if she killed me, weren't you?"
For some reason, that thought bothered me. He didn't do anything when
she tried to snatch the gun from me. What if she succeeded and shot me
right in the head? I wouldn't be standing here talking to him right now.
In an instant, Damien closed the distance between us. His face was
dangerously close to mine as he cupped my cheek, forcing my eyes to look
into his mesmerizing ones.
"I would have knocked her out the moment she left even a tiny scratch on
your body." His voice turned serious but then he smirked again, "Oh and I
also wanted to see if you still had it in you."
"Had what in me?"
"You wanted to see my wings, didn't you?" I chose to ignore the way he
tried to change the subject because I really did want to see his wings.
I nodded, making him sigh,"It's been a while since they've been out, so
I'm not sure if they're still there."
"Well you won't know if you don't even try."
"But like, what if it hurts to get them out again. You really want me to go
through that pain? " His eyes turned suspiciously innocent, and I knew he
was just trying to avoid showing me.
"Yes. I'm sure you'll survive. Now come on."
" Okay, hold on. Let me go eat something, I mean I need some energy to
change, right?"
 The way he was having a hard time trying to hide his smile, I knew he
was just messing around, he just didn't want to show me.
I grabbed onto his arm before he could turn to walk out of the room.
"Show me."
I guess giving him the puppy dog eyes worked because he sighed, "fine."
He closed his eyes as I watched his face carefully. His facial features
relaxed for a minute before he opened his eyes again," I need to hold onto
someone's hand to make this work."
Sure he did. But I decided to go along with it, taking a hold of both of his
hands with mine. He brought our collapsed hands up until they were leveled
with my chest, intertwining them.
I felt a strange kind of electricity running through our hands as they were
glued together, making my stomach turn. His eyes rested close once again,
this time with determination. Seeing his relaxed state, my own eyes shut
closed and they didn't open until I heard a chanting flap of wings.
I quickly opened my eyes before I could even prepare myself for the
surprise waiting for me. Damien's golden orbs held mine until I decided to
finally look behind him to find a few white feathers peeking over his
shoulders. I dropped my hands to my side and with shaky legs, I walked
around him until I was given a wonderful view of his pure white wings.
They were the most magical things I've ever laid my eyes on. They
seemed to capture the attention of even the sunlight that was shinning bright
on them, making them twinkle with every move made by Damien. I've
never seen a pair of wings so big and breathtaking, they were facing down,
almost reaching the back of his knees. The different colors of wings I found
beautiful on birds as I was let out of that prison, were nothing compared to
this piece of art in front of me. This stood out like a single blinking star in a
night filled with dark clouds.
It made me want to protect it from being covered by that darkness.
Without thinking twice about what I was doing, my hand reached out and
gently touched the creativity. The smooth texture could be felt by me as I
gently ran my hand though them. A sigh left Damien's lips, the sound
hanging in the air. The way he turned his head to the right, looking at me
from the corner of my eyes before gently shutting them, told me he liked
how it felt to be touched on the most sensitive part of him.
"They're beautiful," I couldn't stop myself from whispering the words
which were being repeated in my head numerous times.
 Damien turned around slowly to face me, he took a step closer so there
was barely any space between us. As cheesy as it sounded, time stood still.
We were looking at each other in a stance that nobody wanted to break
away from. All I had to do was move forward just a couple inches and there
wouldn't be any barrier of distance between us. As if reading my mind, he
started to lean in to minimize that distance, never looking away from my
eyes.
"Stop."
I dont know what made me stop him from continuing. The memory of
what happened last time when he kissed me rushed to my brain. He
regretted it right after. He walked away like it meant nothing to him. I can't
repeat the same mistake I made.
His confused eyes searched my face for any kind of evidence that would
explain why I didn't want to kiss him.
"Why?" He asked.
"Why kiss me when you're just going to walk away?" That earned me a
surprised gasp from him, "I know you didn't think kissing me was worth
your time, so why are you doing it again? To remind me how much..."
I couldn't continue. I didn't have the guts to tell him how it felt when he
walked away. He will think his actions effected me more than they should, I
didn't want him thinking I'm growing any sorts of feelings for him because
that's not true at all. Even I couldn't describe what I felt towards him, but it
was just a mere attraction because he's the only male who have been this
close to me in all these years. It was nothing else.
He looked at me as if he couldn't believe a word I said.
"You think I walked away because... Because there's something wrong
with you? Because I didn't like kissing you?" He forced me to face him by
holding onto my shoulders, no matter how much I wanted to run away from
embarrassing myself more, "You're right. There is something wrong with
you."
It was my turn to look at him in disbelief as I became certain that a
pained expression was clearly shown on my face.
"There has to be something wrong with you for you to think like that, for
you to think that you're not good enough. Why did that thought even cross
your mind, huh? And I'm not just saying this to make you feel better. It's the
truth, Alexis. Believe me, I've kissed plenty of women before, but the kiss
we shared... It doesn't even compare. I never knew such a simple gesture
could make me feel so..."
He seemed to be experiencing loss of words, like he didn't even know
how to describe that kiss. It made me feel a little better that I wasn't the only
one who's mind stopped working at that moment we shared.
"That's it." He suddenly frowned, "I don't like talking about my feelings,
so I'm not saying any more. But God, Alexis I can't..."
He ran a hand through his hair, glancing at my lips which made my
cheeks warm up as I felt all tingly on the inside.
"You can't what?"
"Nothing."
Before I could blink once, Damien closed the distance between us
quickly as his hand found its way over to my face, his fingers grazing my
jawline.
But before I could be granted by the most awaited moment, a knock
interrupted it. Somebody knocked impatiently on the door.
"Sir, there's someone here to--"
The maid was cut off by another female making her presence known as
she said in the most confident tone, "No need to knock, I'm --"
A girl who looked no older than 21 came into my view as she opened the
door of the King's bedroom. The first thing I noticed was her height being
the same as mine. We didn't look exactly alike, but she had the same shade
of brown colored hair as me, except hers was styled perfectly in a high bun
with tiny silver clips holding it in place. Another thing we had in common
were the baby blue eyes, which stood out on her pale face.
We could definitely be mistaken as sisters, due to the resemblance
between us.
A long red dress covered her body which didn't look too fancy but it still
captured one's attention by just the right amount of formalness added to it.
It hugged all her curves and fell patternlessly around her heels. She looked
like she was from a high society, holding a title just as high because of the
way she walked into the room like it was her own.
My confusion that was caused by the sudden appearance of this girl soon
got erased as Damien whispered one name.
"Katrina?"
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
***********************************
-J.S
29. The Choice Is Yours.

( Katrina is played by Aishwarya Rai Bachan. One of my favorite

bollywood actress ;) Pic on the side.
________________________________________
"This ain't the right time for you to fall in love with me,
But baby I'm just being honest
And I know my lies could not make you believe
Running in circles that's why.. "
-Dark times by The Weeknd.
________________________________________
The King's bedroom,
Crystalline Castle.
**
"Katrina?"
The shock Damien was feeling was clearly radiating off the one word he
said, or rather one name. His surprised look soon reflected on my face as I
stood next go him, looking at the girl in the doorway.
I noticed Damien had tucked away his wings as quickly as possible,
making me feel glad for some reason. He had showed me something he
keeps hidden from the world, I couldn't feel any more happier. For once in
my life I felt special. I felt special because it seemed like he had shared an
important part of himself with me.
But that thought soon evaporated from my mind as I took in what he said.
Katrina?
Katrina.
It didn't take me very long to process her name. It was as familiar as the
back of my hand. It was the name I haven't heard many times before, but
the few times I did, I had felt like it held such a meaningful emotion as it
rolled off his tongue like he had said it a million times before.
He had said it while he was drunk. He was thinking about her when I
took care of him. He was so used to her affection that the first time I
showed him some, it was her who crossed his mind.
 I remembered the picture that dropped from his closet drawer as I took
out the diary to stack it neatly with other piles of paper in the drawer. It was
because of that picture he yelled at me for going through his stuff. The
image of him holding it as hundreds of different emotions flashed on his
face was still fresh in my mind.
But that picture had turned into reality as I watched the girl step into the
room, walking a little closer to him. Her steps were hesitant, almost
shaking. Her hands grabbed a hold of her long dress, lifting it up a bit so it
was easier to walk without stepping on it. Her eyes took all the time in the
world to take in Damien's form. The blue eyes were filled with unshed tears
and strong emotions that almost made my knees quiver. She looked at his
face, taking in all his facial features as if trying to mentally take a picture of
him. The fact that he was shirtless was soon noticed by her and for the first
time, a small hint of a smile was visible on her lips.
Averting my eyes away from her, I turned to look at Damien wondering
why he's just standing there like a statue, allowing her to memorize every
inch of his body.
But then I realized the look on Katrina's face was reflecting on his. The
way he looked at her made me take a step back, away from him. His golden
eyes were taking her in as well, they held admiration that has never been
there before. The Golden pools were swirling with some other mixed
emotions, longingness, sorrow, suspicious, hurt. Behind all the negatives
feelings, there was something else there. Something that made me want to
run far away from him like never before. Something that made me want to
crawl under a hole and die. Behind the hurt radiating off him, love and hope
were clearly showing in his eyes.
Even though it was hiding under the sheets of guarding emotions, the
love he felt towards this no doubt, an important girl in his life, was visible.
It was as clear as the day, it made perfect sense. They had a past. A past
which held so many secrets that I will never be able to discover, but one
thing was sure.
There was a chance they could tie those lose ends of their relationship
together again.
I didn't know whether to feel happy about that or grieve over the new
found information. If Damien took this girl back in his life, she will distract
him from being around me. Isn't that what I always wanted? I didn't want
anything to do with him.
 "Damien," Katrina's voice was merely a whisper but it worked it's magic.
It made Damien gasp as if he still couldn't believe she was here.
All of a sudden, as if just realizing there was someone else presented in
the room, her eyes shifted to me, blinking with curiosity.
Suddenly, I didn't feel comfortable standing there anymore. I felt like I
was invading their privacy, as if I was interrupting them by just breathing in
the same room as them. I felt I didn't belong here.
The fact that Damien was not going to snap out of his shocked state
anytime soon, I broke the silence, "I-- I need to fill water in the jug."
I gestured towards the empty water jug sitting on his bedside table,
without waiting for his response I picked it up and almost asked Damien if I
could borrow his wings to fly out of the room. Without wasting anymore
time, I made my way into the hallway, leaving behind the two lovers to
drown in their own past memories.
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
<><><><><>Damien's POV <><><><>
I never thought I would see this day in my eternal life. I never thought I
would see her again.
After Alexis decided to break the images flashing through my mind, of
mine and Katrina's past memories, I finally recovered from the shock.
Erasing the fake personality of hers from my mind, I looked at the selfish
witch in front of me. A witch who used me for her own good. A girl who
was never capable of loving or receiving any from others due to her own
stupidity. I looked at the person in front of me who was a walking definition
of back stabber and betrayer.
The part I hated the most was that she looked the same, the same Katrina
I fell for. The same Katrina who loved and cared for me like no one else has
before.
 Getting rid of those thoughts, I tried to remember that no matter how
beautiful and breathtaking she is on the outside, she's the complete opposite
on the inside.
On the inside she's nothing but an empty shell who doesn't give two
fucks about anyone but herself.
"What are you doing here?"
I watched her flinch at my harsh tone. Did she really not expect that?
What did she think I was going to do? Have my arms wide open for her as
she took her first step into the room? Or did she expect me to bow down
and kiss her hand like I use to? Did she really think I was going to treat her
like a goddess, showering rose petals on her and kissing the floor she
walked on?
Reality check, darling, you're the same bitch who played with my heart,
twisted it, and then stomped on it 20 years ago. It took every ounce of the
energy in me to hold back the poisonous words.
"Ian... I-" She took a step closer to me but I stopped her.
"Don't. Don't call me that. You lost that right years ago. Just get the fuck
out of here, I don't even want to see your face."
That was a big lie and we both knew it.
"I'm sorry, I'll do anything you say. You don't want me to call you Ian?
You will never hear it again, but just hear me out. Please." The pain in her
eyes made me go soft for her again. This was the thing I hated the most.
The effect she will always have on me, is undescribable.
"You have two minutes, say what you want then leave and never come
back if you value your life."
She sighed in relief, "How do I say this..." She was struggling to find the
right words, making me grow impatient.
"One minute, 30 seconds left." I was done playing games with her.
"Damien, I'm sorry for what I did years ago. I know you will never be
able to forgive me, but I had to get it off my chest. I still remember the look
on your face when you found out the truth about me. Oh God, it was so
heartbreaking that it made even a heartless bitch like me feel something I
had never felt before. Guilt. The feeling haunted me everyday and my
nightmares were filled with only the hurt look that I wish I never saw on
your face. Everyday it became hard for me to even function, it became hard
to live with this regret buried in my chest. It still suffocates me Damien, I-"
"Why are you telling me this?"
 If it was someone else, I would have been a little more sincere and
understood their feelings. But it wasn't just someone else, this was Katrina
we were talking about, she's the biggest liar known to me. It was better to
just take in her words through one ear and throw them out the other. I
couldn't let myself fall for her sweet talk again. Not gonna happen.
By now, tears were streaming freely down her face at my emotionless
words, "I left them, you know. I left it all behind."
I stared at her in confusion, she couldn't be talking about what I think
she's talking about. That's just impossible.
"What?" was all I could say.
"For you, Damien. I left behind my people, my family I grew up with. I
left everything for you. These past years, I've realized how much I love you.
You were the only person on my mind. I went to sleep with you as the last
thing on my mind, and woke up with you being the first thought. I missed
you so much. You were -"
"Kat, stop. You have no right to just walk back into my life and
apologize. Don't you dare think that everything will be back to the way it
was just because you've finally decided to get your head out of the gutter
and regret the mistakes you made. It's too late for you to want me now. I
don't love you."
I turned around, ignoring the fact that I just called her by that nickname
again. This just proved that her words were affecting me. They were
seeping in through my skin, over to my heart. They were the fire which was
melting the cold walls I had put up in all these years. My Mind was clouded
with her extraordinary scent even though she was a few feet away from me.
I didn't even want to think about what I would do if she was closer. I
mentally shook my head to clear my lust filled foggy thoughts.
"Where will I go, Damien? I don't have anything left, they won't accept
me back. Now they know that I love you. Why would they take me back
when I'm in love with their enemy? Please don't reject me. I don't have
anywhere else to go, you're my only home now."
I could feel her taking a step closer to me with every words she said. Her
voice broke at the end, shattering the emotionless mask on my face. I chose
to ignore her persuasive words, still turned around.
"I didn't force you to leave them. That's your fault for making a wrong
decision once again. Go back and beg them for forgiveness, or here's a
better option, find someone else. I'm sure there are millions of men out
there who would accept you as a lover with open arms. Charm them into
loving you like you did to me. You're an expert at it, you even have
experience now, I'm sure you will get them on their knees in no time. Just
do that hair flick thing you use to do whenever our eyes met from across the
room, or lick your lips to seduce them, I'm sure that will get them in bed
with you in a blink of an eye. So are you gonna leave now or should I give
you some more ideas?"
I finally turned around to face her, surprised to be met by a even more
hurt expression on her face. I was so use to the cheerful, laughing Katrina
that it shocked me to see this side of her. But I still couldn't let her get to
me.
"Damien... It's you who I've always wanted. Nobody can take your place
in my life. In these past years, I haven't been able to get close to anyone
without feeling like I was betraying you all over again. Please just give me
a chance."
Now angry with her protests, I grabbed the back of her neck, bringing her
face close to mine. Her widen at the tiny distance between us but I didn't
care. I needed to get my point across.
"Didn't you hear me? I don't love you anymore. We. Will. Never. Be.
One. Again." I hissed through clenched teeths.
"Liar. You still love me. I see it in your eyes. They still sparkle the same,
there's love buried deep in them, which you're trying to hold back. You still
love me Damien, believe it or not. And this time, I love you, too. Your
Katrina loves you. What's holding you back from accepting me then? We
could go back to the way we were. We can become one again. Damien and
Katrina aren't two different people, remember you said that? You said we're
two bodies but one soul. Our hearts might be separate, but they beat as one.
Without Damien, there is no Katrina. And without Katrina, there is no
Damien. When is the sun away from the sky? When are the waves away
from the ocean? Never. So how can we be separated? I belong to you
Damien. Isn't that what you always wanted? Now you can finally have that.
My mind , my body, my soul, is all yours."
It was suddenly becoming hard to breathe. The temperature around me
noticeable rose. I loosened my grip on Katrina but she didn't move an inch
away, just kept glancing back and forth between my eyes and my lips.
While me, I was too damn scared to even look anywhere but her eyes, but
something made me take in her facial features as well. Her flawless skin
was brightened by the sun which had just risen above the horizon, making it
impossible for me to think about anything else but her.
I felt my guard being completely let down as I whispered the words I
knew I would regret later on.
"I missed you so much."
Her eyes smiled with happy tears building up in them. What happened
next was unexpected but there was no room in my mind to complain about
it.
This will be the second thing I'll regret later on, I thought, as her lips
softly crashed against mine.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
**********************************
-J.S
30. Confusion.

"Sometimes, I think of the sun and the moon as lovers who rarely meet,
always chase, and almost always miss one another. But once in a while,
they do catch up, they kiss. And the world stares in awe at their eclipse."
________________________________________
Outside the King's bedroom,
Crystalline Castle.
**
<><><><><> Alexis' POV <><><><><>
"I missed you so much."
My feet, which were already moving in a slow motion came to a stop as I
heard those words come out of the King's mouth. A gasp escaped my lips as
I took a step back, away from the King's bedroom. I gripped onto the jug of
water because it almost slipped from my sweaty hands. The noise would
have surely alerted them of my presence if it had hit the marble floor.
Finally breaking my staring contest with the floor, I looked up to
discover the wide opened door of his bedroom.
There they stood, wrapped up in each other's arms. Damien was holding
onto the back of her head, preventing her from increasing any distance
between them. It seemed like he was in a stance and nothing could ever be
more precious than the girl standing in front of him. His hold on her
loosened a little, treating her like she's more fragile than a flower vase.
Katrina held onto his arm, as if begging them to never let her go. A glint
on her face told me that she was crying. Due to the way her mouth was
stretched into a smile, I knew they were happy tears.
She looked happy.
Happy because he had accepted her back. Happy because all it took was
a five minutes convincing from her to melt his cold heart. Her eyes pulled
him in, drowning him in the pool of emotions. He couldn't escape the way
he felt for her, it didn't take long for him to forget about me.
 My eyes widened at my own thoughts. Since when did I become so
selfish? Since when did I start thinking only about myself? These people
were made for each other. For the first time, Damien seemed happy. He
didn't look like he lost a part of himself. They looked like a perfectly
completed piece of art as they stood before me kissing.
Who was I to ruin their blissful fantasy?
Who was I to take away their happiness?
Without me even noticing at first, a single tear slid down my left cheek.
Before it could even reach past my lips, I quickly wiped it away. But soon,
as if a dam just broke, more tears followed the last one in a never ending
pattern. Trying to wipe away every wet drop on my face, I took a couple
steps back so they wouldn't see me. My back was met by the wall in the
hallway. I placed the jug on the table beside me because I didn't trust my
shaking hands any longer.
Just why am I crying?
I tried to take deep breaths to calm myself down, but it seemed like I
couldn't get enough oxygen. I made the mistake of looking at the couple
once again, to find Damien not responding to the kiss, but he didn't push her
away either. The picture twisted my insides, making me want to throw up. It
shattered my heart into a million pieces, making me want to take them out
and throw them away so that the pain wouldn't spread to other parts of my
body. All I could think of was how in love they were. Not only did that
thought acted like a venom in my body, it made me want to end the
suffering.
Nothing ever hurt more than knowing his heart belonged to another.
I realized a twisted truth, that I would rather be locked up still than ever
see him again.
I covered my mouth to hold back the sob which was struggling to be let
out. I didn't notice what I was doing until I saw the painting in the hallway
blur past me while I ran and ran.
Stopping at the end of the hallway, I opened the door to my right. I
remembered it to be a spare bedroom that I cleaned once. Stepping into the
room without a second thought, I hurriedly closed the door, trying to make
as less noise as possible. My back hit the door as soon as I was safe inside
the room.
Safe to slide down onto the floor. Safe to finally let the sobs win as they
freely came out of my mouth non stop. Safe to take my hand away from my
mouth and place my fist over my chest. I tried to make the pain go away,
tried to numb it by applying pressure. No mater what I did, the tears didn't
stop.
The last thought that made its way into my brain before darkness
overtook me, was that I was more safe in that locked up cell. At least I
wouldn't be having this never ending battle with the feelings I have
developed for a person who could only be my dream, not my reality.
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
The next day.
**
I splashed cold water onto my face to get rid of the dried up tears.
Turning the tap off, I looked up to find the mirror. I blinked my eyes as if
that would get rid of the redness in them. Pushing back my hair, I averted
my eyes to avoid looking at the girl who was a mess because of a person
who shouldn't affect her at all. I grabbed the towel, drying my face when I
heard someone call my name.
It was him.
What did he want now? Why can't he just live happily ever after with
Katrina and leave me alone?
It sounded like he was in the spare bedroom, while I was in the bathroom
connected to the room. How did he know I was here?
Oh right, he came here following my scent.
"Alexis, what are you doing?"
He was right outside the door.
"Oh I don't know. What do people usually do in a bathroom, your
majesty?"
I had no idea what caused my anger to rise up, but I didn't regret a word I
said. I just wanted him to leave me alone. Just wanted him to go away so I
could stop thinking about something that will never happen.
"I need to talk to you,"
 Realizing there wasn't an escape from him, I unlocked the door and
stepped out.
I came face to face with Damien as he stood there dressed in his usual
formal clothing. Although something was missing, his tie. I ignored that as I
raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to "talk".
"Where were you last night?" He sounded worried.
That was something I didn't expect. I thought he wouldn't even notice my
absence, because it looked like he was enjoying Katrina's company very
much.
"I was... I just thought that you and Katrina needed some privacy... I
didn't want to stay where I didn't belong." I walked past him towards the
bed, pretending to fix the sheets, when I just didn't want his intense eyes to
watch me like he could look deep into my soul.
"Alexis..." He started but seemed to be struggling to find the correct
words.
"Is there anything you need?" I turned to face him.
"Yeah," he finally answered after a minute of silence.
"What is it?"
"My favorite tie. I can't find it. Where did you put it?" A frown was
visible on his face.
I tried to hide the disappointment I felt because he came to find me so I
could tell him where his tie was. The moment he said that, I knew he was
referring to the golden tie that matched his eyes. I knew it was his favorite
because that's the one he wears the most. I recalled putting it in the place it's
always in after laundry.
"It's in your closet." It was clear that I was in no mood to talk to him but
he kept pushing me to.
"I looked. It's not there. Come and help me find it." He started moving
towards the door but I stopped him.
"Second row, first drawer."
It's the only drawer that is filled with his ties...It's really not that hard.
The frown never left his face, "Why can't you just come and give it to
me? Why are you brushing me off?"
Me? I'm brushing him off?
"Can you please go? I just need some time alone."
"Why? Is something wrong?"
 Yes. Everything is wrong. What I'm feeling is wrong. What you did to me
is wrong. Hell , even my whole life has been wrong.
Before I knew it, he had closed the distance between us. Tucking a piece
of my hair behind my ear , his eyes watched me. Suddenly I remembered
the same hand caressing Katrina's face as he kissed her.
"Don't touch me." I pushed his hand away from my face as if I had been
burnt.
"Is that really what you want? I don't know why you're being distant
because your heart wants the opposite. If you don't want me to touch you
then why is it beating so fast? Why does your breath hitch as if it becomes
harder for you to breathe when I'm close to you? Why do these nervous
lines appear on your face? Does my touch make you nervous, Alexis?"
The way his eyes were filled with playfulness made me like this side of
him. But then I remembered the love they held yesterday while he was
looking at Katrina. I was just a playing toy for him, he thought of me as the
same little girl he locked up all those years ago. He didn't take me seriously.
He thought he could get away with playing with my emotions. One
moment, he's so close to kissing me, while just five minutes later, he's busy
sucking another girl's face. I didn't know why that made me extremely
angry at him.
"Is that how you feel when Katrina touches you?"
That was like a blow to his face, and he didn't dare hide the shock. Even I
was surprised at what I said, but there was no going back now.
"What? Lexi, I..." He began but I cut him off by turning my back to him.
Picking up the blanket, I started to fold it. In the middle of the night, I had
woken up to my hurting back so I decided to sleep on the bed.
"Actually, I don't want to know what she makes you feel. Please just go,
I'm sure you must have a lot of catching up to do with her now that she's
back after... How many years?"
"Eighteen. But that's besides the point. You really want me to go? You
know to catch up?"
"Yes."
The blanket in my hands was ripped away from me as the king forced me
to face him, harshly. We were barely a couple centimeters apart, allowing
my mind to make up different scenarios of what could happen in this
position. His eyes glared into mine, "And you wouldn't mind if we do more
than just catch up? "
 I had no idea what he was trying prove, why he was asking me all this.
Even though I made it look like I didn't know what he was talking about, I
knew what he was implying. I felt like he was testing me somehow, like I
had to show him the thought of them doing anything together didn't effect
me at all.
"Why would I? Who am I to stop you from doing what makes you
happy?"
He was growing angrier by the second, I could feel it. The way his eyes
were just a minute away from turning golden. I could make out the calm
before the storm in them.
"Then surely, you wouldn't mind me touching her then? See if her touch
still has the same effect on me."
"You shouldn't be wasting time, then, you're Majesty. Go and find out."
His hold onto me tightened, his fingers almost digging into my arm. The
pain became almost non existent when he used his other hand to slid it
around my waist, to my back. The movement caused my thin cotton shirt to
rise up a bit, making one of his fingers come in contact with my naked
flesh. He brought his face next to mine, whispering in my ear, "you're
telling me that you wouldn't mind me touching her like this?"
I could only manage to nod my head, not trusting my voice to come out
strongly. My mind was yelling at me to push him away, but my hands,
which were in a fist by my side, wouldn't cooperate.
My breath was knocked out of me as his hand slowly started moving
upwards, dragging my shirt along with it. The simple featherlike touch was
enchanted with burning fire. Surprisingly, that fire was icy cold on my skin.
"Why would I mind?" My voice was barely audible. Even though I'm
sure he heard it, my words were ignored by him.
"You wouldn't mind me exploring every inch of her body like this? While
she wraps herself around me, too? While I pull her close to me so that our
bodies are practically glued together?"
"Stop," hearing him say what would happen between them, made me feel
ten times worse. I wanted to throw his words out of my head.
His fingers pushed back my hair, giving him a better access to my neck.
Before I could stop him, I felt him breathing against my skin, his lips
brushing against it as he whispered, "Tell me you wouldn't care if I place
love bites all over her skin, kissing, bitting, tasting it."
 The memories of what happened last night came back crashing down on
me, making the pain in my chest return.
"Like you did last night?"
His eyes snapped up to meet mine, "What are you t-" he paused for a
second as the realization drawn on him, "Oh. You were there weren't you?
You saw me kissing her. It's not what you think! She kissed me. I was just
so shocked to even think about pushing her away for the first few seconds.
You were there? I didn't even smell your scent..."
"How would you, I'm sure the name Katrina was flowing through your
blood, preventing you to think about anything else."
Preventing you to think about me.
For now, I didn't care if I sounded selfish. I didn't care that I was thinking
about myself because no one will ever know the person I've become. I had
never felt more glad that Damien couldn't read my mind than I did at that
moment.
"Alexis," he took a hold of my shoulders once again, his voice dropping
to a soft tone, "how much did you hear?"
"Enough to know that no matter where she goes or what she does, a part
of you belongs to her and will always belong to her. Enough to know that
you missed her. I know you've accepted her back in your life. Oh, I know
you guys must want to share a room, too. Don't worry, I'll move my stuff
out of your room into this one. If that's not okay with you, I'll just sleep on
the couch that's in the hallway. I--"
"Is that really how much you trust me? Is your faith in me even worth a
single penny? Do you think I'm that naive to give that girl another chance?
That's like handing a knife to an enemy who has stabbed you before. I never
knew you thought so.. So low of me. Yes, we kissed. Do you know what
happened after that? All it took was one image that flashed across my eyes
to push her away. I admit, I was thinking about forgiving her. But one
thought opened my eyes. Want to know what made me push her away?
What made me ignore her protests to let her stay? You. A hurt expression
on that beautiful face of yours if you found out was all I could think of.
That was all it took for me to not take her back. I realized that I may have
feelings for her still, but I didn't want her back in my life. I'm letting her
stay for a couple days, though. Until I arrange a place for her to stay at in
the city. I feel like it's the least I can do, she left her house and family for
me. A family who will never take her back, I know. Nothing is more
important than their dignity for those people, not even their own blood."
I didn't know what to say. How do I apologize for misjudging him? I had
clearly thought wrong by not staying to watch their whole conversation play
out. I felt like a heavy weight was lifted off me. But it soon came back
down as I took in how hurt he looked. He tried to hide it by looking at the
wall next to him as if the pattern on it was the most interesting thing in the
world. And that's when I knew, I messed up.
I should have trusted him more.
He glanced at me for a second, "I'm just gonna... Go do some work. And
also deal with that bitch who stabbed me."
Even though it looked like he was back to his usual self, his smirk
twitched. His shoulders weren't straight with confidence like they always
were. His eyes were gloomy as if he had just lost a battle. I don't know if it
was just me over thinking again, or he really wasn't okay. But why? Since
when did he care about what I thought of him? How can he be this affected
by me misunderstanding him?
He started to walk towards the door, he barely got a step away from me
when I grabbed onto his hand. One question was still left unanswered,
which I probably should have asked the second I saw her.
"Who is she?"
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
**********************************
-J.S
31. Past. (part 1)

" Stop asking me to trust you while I'm still coughing up water from the last
time you let me drown."
________________________________________
The spare bedroom,
Crystalline Castle.
**
"Who is she?"
He knew who I was talking about, but took some time in answering, "my
wife."
My eyes widened. His what? His wife? His wife. His wife.
No matter how many times the words repeated in my mind, I was having
a hard time digesting them. Why didn't I ever think of this before? I just
thought they were close, that they really loved each other. But the thought
of them being married never crossed my mind. I had so many questions but
no answers. I was afraid to ask him about his past. What happened, why
they aren't together anymore.
As if reading my mind, he said, "I guess I do owe you an explanation. Do
you really want to know? My past. It's not all butterflies and rainbows,
Lexi. Just a heads up."
It was now or never, I thought, so I nodded.
"Okay," he sighed and then continued, "A long time ago, when my father
adopted me, this Kingdom of Eveland was nothing but a dust on the perfect
picture of the Vampire world. Being the oldest land of civilization, it was
supposed to be the dominating Kingdom. All of the other Vampires,
witches, royals, were supposed to fall under the King of Eveland. The
rightful heir to this throne was supposed to be the ruler of the Vampire
world. But over the course of time, it all started to changed. The walls of
this place that once stood proudly under the sun, started to get old. The
system became corrupted because of my grandfather. He was a man who
was so overwhelmed with his new power that during those centuries he
ruled, everyone else was treated like they were dirt on his feet by him.
Everybody saw how selfish he was and how little he did to improve this
world. The other Kingdoms became stronger while Eveland grew weaker
and weaker. People who had the money started migrating. This island of
Eveland lost its dignity, it faded away just like its importance. By the time
my father became the king, there was almost nothing left for him to rule
over. People didn't take him seriously, they thought he was just like his
father. That's when my so called father, King Isaac, adopted me. He found
out about my mother being an angel living a peaceful life with her son in
the woods. He found out what I was capable of. Not being born made it
impossible for me to die. Or at least that's what I think. I believe only my
mother would know how to really kill me. But anyways, he saw a better
Eveland in my eyes, he told me this himself after he made me believe
mother left me. He became my teacher, training me day and night at a
young age. Sending me off to fight and kill without thinking twice about it.
If I did, he would hurt me tremendously. By the time I hit eighteen, I was
prepared to lead an entire army of men. I became in charge of everything,
turning this Kingdom around to the way he wanted it."
"You said he found out about what you were capable of. What is that?" I
asked.
"Turning invisible, having sharper vision than a normal Vampire, sensing
danger, things like that. Oh and the fact that my emotions affect the
weather. But I think he main reason he adopted me was because I can fly,"
he joked, "So as I was saying, everything was in perfect shape for about a
century. My father crowned me the new Vampire King the day I hit 25,
proud of the person he had turned me into. Showing emotions were a weak
person's symptoms, that's what he taught me, and I believed it. I locked
away any sort of feelings in me, put up metal walls around my heart so I
wouldn't feel. But nothing seemed to be going according to my plan after
the day I met her. I saw her at a meeting. It was one of the important
conferences which were held once every three months. She was one of the
King's most trust assistance. One smile from her was all it took for me find
some sort of interest in her. After that, we bumped into each other, not
literally, in other places like restaurants in town, bars, etc. I was surprised to
find out that even though she worked for my neighbor, she lived in Eveland.
Time began to pass by, while we exchanged a few smiles here and there.
Then finally I got the nerve to ask her for a dance at a fancy restaurant. I
still remember how happy I was when she accepted. I didn't even realize
when those meetings which seemed like a coincidence at the time, turned
into planned dates. Those dates ended with us sleeping together. It was just
casual sex at first but later, it became something serious. After that
everything was a blur, engagement, wedding, honeymoon. We were on
cloud nine, a point of no return. Everything was a dream come true until
that one day..."
************Flashback************
____________DAMIEN'S POV___________
I walked down the hallways, trying to find my wife. In my left hand, I
held the bag which contained the designer dress she wanted, while in my
right, a flower bouquet which I had picked up on my way back to the castle.
The smile wouldn't leave my face as I thought about how happy she would
be. She would shower me with a million kisses and I wouldn't complain
once.
"You will regret this," I heard my father hiss. His voice was coming from
the study. I turned right, towards the closed set of doors. Pushing them
open, I stepped in to find a jaw dropping sight in front of me. The moment I
stepped into the office, my wife plunged the wooden stake into my father's
chest, ending his life. I ran in full speed towards them, throwing her off him
in a second. The fact that she killed my father didn't leave a hint of worry in
me for her. I saw my father's eyes dropping as I held his hand. Even though
he made my life a living hell, at least he was the reason I wasn't an orphan.
At least I had a home after my mother abandoned me on the streets. He was
my only family, along with his mate, who was like a mother to me. She
loved me more than her own son. Her own son she disowned because he
tried to kill father once. Nobody knew where he was now.
"What have you done?!" I turned around to face the witch who starred at
me with her eyes wide.
I tried to telepathically talk to my guards so they could come here as soon
as possible, but for some reason I couldn't. I couldn't connect to them.
Knowing this is her doing, I narrowed my eyes at Katrina.
I stood up, taking a hold of her throat, I flew her across the room. All the
love I had for her faded away to the back of my mind, the image of her
killing my father fresh in my memory.
"Answer me, Dammit!"
 Using my speed, I picked her up from the corner, pinning her againt the
wall, while my hands stayed wrapped around her neck. Her eyes suddenly
turned from innocent to dangerous looking, something that I've never seen
in them before.
Suddenly, as if my hands had a mind of their own, they let go of her. My
body was automatically pushed a couple steps away from her. I was caged
in my own body. Her doing, I realized.
"Surprise, my love." She winked.
"Why did you kill him? What do you want?!"
By now, I knew this was not the Katrina I fell in love with. Maybe, that
Katrina didn't exist at all.
"Well, what do you think? He found out about my plan, of course." She
laughed, walking towards the table to pour herself a glass of water. Her
causality only increased my anger, making me fight against the invisible
cage she put around me.
"What plan?"
"My plan to kill you," her straightforwardness made me feel glad that at
least she wasn't talking in riddles, but the sentence still hurt like a bitch. She
was planning to kill me?
"So this was all fake? Your love was a show? For what? Why did you
marry me in the first place if you wanted to kill me? Why do you want to
kill me?"
I had so many questions and so little time. I could feel it slipping from
my hands.
"Patience, my love, patience. I'll answer all your questions if that's what
your last wish is. Yes, I made you fall for me. All those times we
coincidentally met in different places, was all planed. It was always my plan
to take things slow, to root myself so deep into your mind that all you
thought about was me. And when I knew you had fallen for me, I confessed
that I loved you. When you proposed, that was the first prize of my efforts.
You were too big of a fool to marry an ordinary girl just for her looks. You
didn't do any background checks, you said it didn't matter to you. I was
never from this Kingdom, that place I've been staying at was my temporary
home to be close to you. Now, why I want to kill you? For power of course.
After you die, I will be the ruler of this Kingdom, along with the entire
Vampire realm." She let out a laugh, throwing her head back, which just
made her seem more evil.
 "But you already have that. You're already the Queen."
It seemed like I was missing something.
"You're right. I do. But I don't want to share all this with you. I want to
share it with someone else. Someone who deserves to be the king more than
you. Someone who I'm truly in love with. That special someone I went
through all this chaos for."
Blood boiled under my skin, as I tried to hold back my anger. My sharp
teeth screamed against my gums to be let out, to be able to rip someone's
throat apart.
"Enough of the talking. Now, shall I do the honors or would you want to?
You know, the honor of killing you. Actually would you really want your
precious Katrina's hands to get dirty with your blood? Why don't you kill
yourself, at least then you wouldn't have to face the pain of getting stabbed
by someone you love so much."
Her remarks hurt me like sharp needles were piercing my skin. But I tried
to hide it.
"No, you go ahead. Remember when I said I would give my life for you?
I wasn't lying like you, I meant it,"
I saw her flinch a little but she took control of herself quickly. I smirked
because my plan worked.
Then suddenly, she picked up the stake next to my father, and buried it
deep in my chest without a second thought. I had to compliment her speed.
A few seconds passed, a look of confusion crossed her face as I stood
right in front of her as if nothing happen. She took out the stake, while
blood started to pour out of my chest in great amount. She gasped as the
wound sew itself back together, leaving nothing but a simple scratch on my
skin, visible through the hole created in my shirt.
I laughed, taking a hold of her hair to bring her face close to mine. I
pulled at it harshly as she let out a hiss.
"Remember yesterday, back to the good old days when I trust you? I
showed you my wings? Well I forgot to tell you something. Not only am I
half angel, I cannot die either. Maybe I can, but definitely not by a wooden
stake, or I would have died a hundred times before. Clearly, you need to do
some background checks as well, don't you think?"
Her eyes were burning with anger, as if they would erupt like a volcano.
But then, soon her face mirrored my smiling one.
 "What if these Vampires who love you so much come to know about the
real you? What if they come to know who you really are? Half angel. A
pure creature with white wings? Something that's the complete opposite of
what they are? Would they still let you rule over them, Damien?"
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
***********************************
End of part one :)
-J.S
31. Past (part 2)

A/N
Just to clear it up-
King Issac - Damien's father
King Elias - Damien's grandfather
Melinda- A witch who's like a mother to Damien.
________________________________________
"He never seemed shattered. To me, he was a breathtaking mosaic of the
battles he's won."
_________________________________________
A guest bedroom,
Crystalline Castle.
**
**********Flashback over *********
Alexis's POV ~~~~~~~~~~~
A devastated looking Damien snapped back to reality as I placed a
comforting hand on his arm. Even though he was here with me, it seemed
like he was living through that time frame all over again, his black eyes
experiencing those emotions once again. However, when they met mine, the
vulnerability in them evaporated away, the only thing visible in them then
was anger.
"She told them," he said with so much hatred which was directed at that
witch, "She told them everything, over exaggeratingly, I must say. I couldn't
break that barrier around me or I would have been able to stop her from
leaving that room. I couldn't communicate, I couldn't do anything. I had
never felt so helpless in my entire existence than I felt as that time. What
happened after that is something I would rather erase completely from my
memory if I get the chance. She turned them against me, the people who I
thought was my family. My subjects, my councils, servants, everyone
loathed me."
Damien was pacing around the room, as if trying to hide how much the
thought effected him. He wasn't used to showing his feelings, he wasn't
used to being weak as his father had said. I wanted to mention how he could
trust me on this. How he didn't have to act like a stranger around me. I
wanted to tell him it's okay to be hurting, but no words seemed to leave my
mouth.
"She ran out crying that her husband betrayed her. She told them I hid my
true identity from her, if she had known what I really was she would have
never fallen in love with me, shit like that. She told them it was me who
killed my father, and how foolish they were to believe her. They chained me
up. Right in front of the castle, there's a stage where the past King's gave
their speeches. But after that day, the only noise that was heard around the
area were my screams. Katrina told them that not only did I betray her, but
also the entire Kingdom. She opened the floor for any volunteers who
wanted to cause me pain. You have no idea how crazy this half of my
spieces can be. They knew I wouldn't die but that didn't stop them from
torturing me. The first punishment they gave me was setting my clothes on
fire. It couldn't kill me, but that doesn't mean it didn't hurt like Hell. I still
remember the laughter around me, the smell of smoke that surrounded me.
Everytime I thought this was the end of me, the bitch called reality would
bring me back to her right before I felt unconsciousness overtaking me.
That was the first time I called out to her. My mom. That was the first time I
wanted to relive the sweet memories of her, first time I forgot my hatred
towards her. But it didn't stop there, they--"
He cut himself off before he could speak another word, as he finally
turned around to look at me. To look at the mess I had become as I
prevented myself from crying. I didn't know there were bigger monsters
than him out there, who held a thirst for his blood. The thought made me
want to somehow hide him from this cruel world and protect him. But then
I wanted to laugh at myself when I realized how stupid that sounded.
"No, I can't tell you what else they did. I don't want to fill that pure mind
of yours with nightmares" he sighed turning away from me again, "I was
chained up for about four days, undergoing different methods that caused
me pain. But then, she showed up. Melinda. A witch who was like a sister
to my father, who treated me like her own son."
************flashback *************
Damien's POV~~~~~~~~~~~
"Stop!"
 I smelled her unique power before I saw her. As I tried to open my eyes, I
could make out a figure approaching me through the blurriness caused by
my tears. However, I had no more strength in me to keep them opened, so
they tiredly returned to their closed position. Somehow, her motherly
presence soothed me. I felt a tiniest bit of hope bloom in my chest since as
long as I can remember. The pain in my body toned down a bit as a sense of
safety washed over me.
The wind picked up as I embraced the first positive energy in the air.
My body was sore like it has never been before due to the chains that
prevented me from even sitting down. They forced me to stand upright with
my arms stretched out, wrists chained to the poles on either side of me. The
dried up burnt pieces of clothing were glued to my body like second skin.
Nobody wanted their children to witness that scene so they had draped
some fresh clothes over me.
"What is going on here?" Melinda's angry tone snatched my attention,
"What have you done to him?"
Her voice dropped to a mere whisper, but it didn't sound any less
demanding.
"If you knew how this man had betrayed us, you wouldn't be taking his
side!" A voice was heard from the crowd surrounding me.
"I know everything, you fool! His identity was never hidden from me."
Murmurs erupted from the crowd, increasing by the second as people
shoot accused glares at Melinda.
She made her way towards me, everyone clearing away from her path,
"What has he done? Tell me. What has he done to be granted by such sick
punishments?"
Her eyes looked over at each and every person presented, demanding
answers.
"He became the greatest king Eveland has ever seen," She continued, "is
that why you're trying to get rid of him? He gave you all shelter when your
families were wandering the streets. Was that his mistake? He took money
out of his own pockets to rebuild the homes, schools, hospitals that you all
lost while his grandfather was in charge. He's the reason our daughters can
leave the house and return safely. Anyone with a functioning mind would
think twice before touching a woman against her will, scared of being
thrown into the shark's mouth by their king. He banned those sky touching
high taxes that you were paying to king Issac. Is that why you're punishing
him? Or is it because he gave birth to new employment opportunities so that
you can actually enjoy your life instead of struggling to survive. He set a
target in your aimless life."
I couldn't open my eyes to see why the crowd was suddenly silent, maybe
they had left already, bored of Melinda's words. But as she continued, I
knew she wouldn't be talking to herself.
"You really think he killed his father? His teacher, the only person who
gave him home when his own mother abandoned him? I never thought you
Vampires would be foolish enough to believe an outsider's words, rather
than investigating deeper into the situation." she shook her head in
disbelief, "This man standing in front of you is the reason this island of
Eveland still exists. If it wasn't for him, all that hard work your ancestors
put in to get this place to the top would cease to exist. All the other
kingdoms would have done whatever they could to make this place
completely disappear. Wars would have taken place to fight for the number
one position in this Vampire world. If it wasn't for him, your kind would
have eaten each other and been long dead. Do you hear me? Dead. He gave
you all a new home to spend your life in, he became the hand to get you out
of that horrifying time frame. And this is how you pay him? By chaining
him up and burning him and making him suffer? Remember when all those
children went missing under King Elias' rule? It wasn't because King
Derrick of Fierson sent soldiers to kidnap them. It was because your own
king was about to sell them to him as slaves. All of you who are only a
century old, would not be standing here, but rather be slaves to a much
more cruel Kingdom. Damien didn't want you to know this. He thought
about how crushed you would be if you came to know about the royals,
people who are supposed to take care of you, had plans to completely
destroy you. He didn't want you to go through the pain of being betrayed by
the people you worship. And you're calling a person which such angelic
thoughts a betrayer? If your past king saw a brighter future of this world in
his eyes, why can't you? I have never felt so guilty that my kind created you
all, a terribly sick society!"
Third person POV ~~~~~~~~~
The fast wind which seemed no less angry than a wild animal a second
ago, stilled.
Silence.
 Silence lifted from the ground, wrapping itself around each Vampire
standing around the stage. As it reached their head, the intensity caused
them to drop in shame. The silence, mixed with huge amounts of guilt,
lifted up, forming a cloud of shame over them. The imaginary cloud twisted
and the silence fell apart in a million pieces as a voice in the crowd
whispered, "I'm sorry."
It only took that one voice for many others to whisper the same, until
everyone got down to one knee and bowed their head, as a respect to the
man they had thought completely wrong about.
And for the first time in days, the sun, which has been hiding in the
shadow of clouds, reappeared. The sunshine reflected the hint of smile that
slowly took place on Damien's lips.
When Katrina appeared, running through the castle gates, looking
worriedly around the crowd, she knew she was too late.
The people of Eveland had already recognized who was their real well
wisher, who was their true leader.
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**********************************
-J.S
32. Invisible.

"The scariest thing about distance is...

You don't know whether they'll miss you,
Or forget about you."
-The notebook.
_________________________________________
Same place,
Stronger feelings.
**
Alexis' POV ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I was having a hard time believing the fact that Damien let Katrina stay
at the castle even after what she did to him. What he was thinking is beyond
my understandings, I guess love does that to people. Is this what Maria
meant when she told me love is blind? What's the purpose of holding onto
such emotion when it's just going to prevent you from seeing the end of the
cliff on the path you're taking?
I realized a similar emotion was affecting me in a way. It was hard to let
go of the fact that this man was the cause of my miserable life. He took
everything I had ever loved away from me. Then why is it that when he was
telling me his past, I couldn't be more glad that he got everything he ever
desired back. He locked me up for ten years, but there I was worrying about
him when I saw him in my dream, spending a day at those dungeons.
He abused me on my eighteenth birthday, but here I was on the verge of
crying when images of him being tortured flashed through my mind.
This was wrong. I shouldn't be feeling any affection, any sympathy
towards him.
But nonetheless, what he went through was something I would never
wish upon my worst enemies.
"That's it. That was my last meeting with her, after that, she packed her
bags and dissappeared before I could even confront her. And now she's
back. Now that I think about it, I shouldn't have even let her stay under my
roof. I don't know what came over me... It became impossible for me to say
no."
Yeah, because no matter how big of a Monster she is, she will always
have you wrapped around her finger. I bit my lips to hold back the words.
"I guess because she's still your wife. You feel a sort of responsibility
towards her?"
He laughed but there was no humor in his eyes, "that witch doesn't
deserve to be called my wife. Us Vampire's don't believe in divorce. We
think if there's really no trust, no devotion in the relationship, it has already
been torn apart. We don't need a piece of paper to represent that. She is not
my wife anymore."
He emphasized the last sentence, to make sure I understood that. But no
matter what he said, I will always see him as her- her husband.
For some reason, the words sounded very strange in my head, but if I
keep reminding myself that, maybe it wouldn't hurt as much.
"Stop lying to yourself," Damien took a step towards me, standing a few
feet away from me. I got worried when he continued to decrease the
distance, while at the same time, making my heartbeat increase. This fact
had often gone unnoticed by me, but now it was as clear as those crystals
decorating this castle, his presence made my heart run faster, as strange as
that sounded.
What he said finally drawn on me. What did he meant by that? It seemed
to be responding to what I was thinking about. There was no way had I said
that out loud. Unless... My eyes widened.
"You can still read my thoughts?"
"No I can't, " he sighed sadly, but his eyes told a whole different story.
His eyes were looking straight into mine, without blinking. He did that
when he was lying.
"Really? What am I thinking about right now?"
I knew he would lie, but my mind had quickly made up a plan. A plan I
didn't know would succeed, but it was worth a shot if I wanted him to
confess.
I cleared my mind, pushed away any thoughts that might give him a hint.
Then I thought about darkness. Pitch black. The darkness that was always
surrounding the dungeons, sunlight being blocked by the windowless walls.
The horrible smell.
 "Laying down in an open field, surrounded with exotic scents of flowers.
Sunshine hitting your tan skin. That's what you're thinking about? It's not is
it? I told you. I could only read your mind when I gave you my blood and it
was fresh in your system. Not anymore," he smirked, looking sure of
himself.
Things he listed were basically the exact opposite of what I was thinking,
so I wasn't sure anymore if he could really read my mind.
I shifted the images in my mind into desolation. Now only focusing on
him. My eyes met his, holding the intense gaze. The smirk was knocked off
his face as he gulped. If I wasn't mistaken, he looked rather nervous. But
why?
I tried to focus on my plan.
My eyes averted from his, slowly moving down to trace his perfect nose,
his lips, that parted a little as my gaze fell upon them. I looked up again to
see his reaction. His eyes held a look I couldn't identify, it almost looked
like a warning.
But I couldn't back down now.
I quickly returned my gaze on his lips, thinking about how they felt
against mine not too long ago.
I needed to stop but I also needed to know if he could read my mind.
"What am I thinking about now?"
Focusing so that my thoughts were clear, my gaze stayed on his lips for a
little over two seconds, thinking back to the day they were against mine. I
finally let myself imagine how they felt against mine. So wrong, yet so
right.
My eyes moved lower, wondering how it would feel to trace his freshly
shaved, strong jaw with my lips. Before another thought like the previous
could hit me, I was snatched back to reality as I felt the weight of the cold
wall against my back.
The distance between us long forgotten, now there was barely any room
between us as Damien had a strong hold on my arms.
"Continue with those thoughts and I just might turn them into reality, and
believe me, it won't be limited to just kissing," he whispered in my ear as he
kept one of his hands on the wall next to my head to keep himself from
putting all of his weight on me, but still trapping me.
"So you can read my mind," I said, this time with confidence.
 He straighted up and looked at me, almost adorably. As if he just got
caught stealing cookies from the jar he wasn't supposed to touch.
"What's that phrase you humans use?... Gotta blast?"
I was confused because I've never heard that before. But before I could
question him about it, he winked and disappeared.
Just like that.
"Damien!" I couldn't help but call out.
To my right, the curtains were pulled apart, by an invisible force, inviting
the sunshine in. Then I remembered he could turn invisible.
Has he done this before? Been in the same room as me without me even
knowing? Has he been watching me while I cleaned his room, washed his
clothes, ironed them...?
But then again he has far more important stuff to take care of instead of
watching over me. Like run this Vampire world..
"Damien!" I called out again, "show yourself!"
Suddenly, music started to blare through the speakers placed on the
shelves. It was a slow and dramatic tune, which I'm sure would have scared
the hell out of me if I was standing in the darkness of the night.
Out of nowhere, a pillow came flying at me. If I didn't catch it on time, it
would have collided with my body, not that it would have hurt much. I was
attempted to run around, punching every empty space that filled this room. I
would eventually hit him, right?
I felt him grab a hold of my waist, spinning me around, and there he was.
He stood only a couple inches away and whispered, "boo."
I stepped forward to ask him since when he can read my mind. I thought
it would be temporary, that's what Emma said when he gave me his blood.
But before I could question him, he dissappeared again.
"Damien!" I practically screamed, looking around.
"Lower down the volume, sweetheart, we wouldn't want people to get the
wrong idea when you're screaming my name like that," he replied from God
knows where. What did he mean by that?
"But yes, I can read your mind. I wasn't able to before, but after I gave
you my blood, I felt a stronger con-- It was supposed to be temporary, but
ever since then, I was able to read your mind."
So he could read my mind all along... He could read my mind when I was
crying over him kis--
 I stopped myself from thinking any further on that subject. He can't
know.
"That's not fair," was all I could say, frustrated.
"You can block me though," It was as if the air was talking back to me,
I'm sure if anyone walked in right now, they would think I'm crazily talking
to myself.
"How?" I needed to know.
He let out a laugh, "Why would I tell you that, sweetheart? So you can
shield your thoughts from me? I don't think so, I actually enjoy it when you
keep reminding yourself how much you hate me when it's quite the lie."
I could almost see the smirk on his face, which made me frown. This
time, I knew his voice was coming from my left, not too far away. So I
turned to walk in that direction, but I ended up hitting my toe on the table's
leg. It made me cry out, rather loudly.
I bent down to check if my toe nail was broken, because it sure felt like it. I
hissed in pain as I took a hold of my feet, though there was no blood in
sight. Suddenly, Damien appeared next to me, "you okay?"
"Just fantastic," I looked up and glared angrily at him.
He reached down to my level, and picked me up bridal style, making my
eyes widen, "What are you doing?"
"Must you always be so clumsy?"
He made me sit on the edge of the bed, while he was on the floor as he
took a hold of my feet, examining it. If my eyes could see correctly, he
looked worried.
Just a couple weeks ago, he would have done anything to cause me pain.
But now here he was, where it seemed like he couldn't even stand the
thought of me getting hurt. Here he was, massaging my feet even though
the pain was long gone. His eyes were looking down at my feet, while I
watched this caring side of him.
Why must you always be so bipolar?
His dark eyes snapped up, meeting mine. A cute frown took place
between his eyebrows, but I could tell a smile was hidden behind his bitten
lips.
"What did you just call me?" He narrowed his eyes.
I chose to ignore his question, "you shouldn't try to hide your smile. It
makes you look younger."
And more lively...
 He raised his eyebrows, "so you're saying I look old when I'm mad?"
I didn't mean it like that but I decided to go along with it, "mhm, more
like one hundred and twenty five years old."
No words could describe how surprised he looked. I realized it wouldn't
take long before that surprised expression turns into a furious one, so I
opened my mouth to apologize. But the words transformed into laughter as
he stood up on his feet and started tickling me.
"How old do I look?" I could barely comprehend what he was saying.
I continued to laugh between every word I forced myself to speak, "
one... Hundred... And... Twenty... Five!"
At this point, I was laying flat on the bed, trying to get as far away from
him as possible. But he continued to tickle me while his body hovered over
mine.
"Mind saying that again?!" he laughed with me. His laugh made me
smile on the inside, making me forget the pain in my sides.
He was dangerously closer now, and I think that's what made him stop
tickling me all together. Finally noticing the small distance between us, he
continued to look into my eyes. The arm he was supporting his weight on,
was slowly bending, magnetically bringing him closer and closer to me.
The nervousness made me stop breathing at once.
"Damien! Wh-- Oh."
Emma.
I turned my head to find Emma standing in the doorway, frozen on the
spot.
It took less than a second for Damien to push himself off the bed,
completely away from me. Just then, Emma turned around, placing a hand
on her closed eyes while yelling, "I didn't see anything! Continue with the
make out session, I'll just come back later!"
"We weren't making out!" Both Damien and I said quickly at the same
time, which just made it worse, so I snapped my mouth shut.
She turned around, now smirking," but you guys were getting pretty
close to it, weren't you, my sweet brother?"
Damien avoided looking at either one of us, and started to walk out of the
room and said, "I gotta go. Duty calls," while pointing a thumb towards the
door.
"Wait," Emma stopped him, "I almost forgot what I came here for!"
 She took a hold of his arm, making him face her. "What's that bitchrina
doing in our house?! What were you even thinking when you let her
inside?" She asked, her eyes burning with anger I've never seen in them
before.
Damien sighed, "It's not what you think, Em. I would rather stab myself
numerous times than accept her back in my life. It's only because... Ugh, I
don't like repeating myself, so why don't you ask Alexis?"
I could tell Katrina being mentioned has put him in a bad mood. His eyes
were back to being gloomy as they looked aimlessly at the wall. Then he
started to walk towards the doorway again, but stopped as he reached it.
Turning around, he looked straight at me.
"Be ready at 6, We're going out."
"Out? Like out of this castle?" I couldn't hide the excitement in my voice,
even though everytime I've stepped out of this castle, it made me want to
rather stay inside. Although, I couldn't help but think this time it would be
better.
"Yes. Out of this hell as you like to call it."
That made me drop my gaze to the floor. But can you blame me for
thinking that way? A place where you've been locked up and abused
wouldn't exactly be a heaven to you.
From the corner of my eyes, I saw Damien flinch a little. Or maybe I was
imagining it.
Emma broke the silence, "If I'm not mistaken, you" she pointed a finger
towards Damien, "are asking her out on a date."
A what?
She crossed her arms while looking back and forth between her brother
and me, smiling. While Damien just narrowed his eyes at her.
"What's that?" Why must you always hide these things from me, Maria?
"It's --"
"Don't you have more important stuff to do, Em, than play a little cupid?
Don't even think I don't know what's going through your head. You're not
slick, lil sister," he messed up her hair, making her slap his hand away.
"And don't you have more important stuff to do than almost kiss my best
friend? Oh right, I forgot, nothing's more important than her, huh?" She
winked at him.
Best friends? Since when are we best friends? But then again, she is the
only friend I have. And I couldn't be more glad to have her by my side,
always.
Damien looked deep in thoughts for a few seconds, he did that when he
was communicating with someone. If I wasn't mistaken, it seemed like
Damien didn't know what to say to that, so he simply replied with, "I gotta
go, but this isn't over," pointing a finger at her, he playfully glared and left
without another word.
"Girl, you have a lot to tell me." She turned towards me.
And so I did.
**
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A few hours later...
Tears ran down my cheeks as I blew my nose once again. Tossing the
tissue in the small garbage by the bed, I turned back to the screen.
"Jaa Simran, Jaa. Jeele apni zindagi."
Emma, sitting beside me, let out a cry of joy. She wasn't the only one, I
couldn't hold in my excitement either as I literally jumped up, yelling yes.
"Hey! Careful with my babies!" I looked down to see her pick up the big
bowl of popcorn, shielding it away from my cheerful self. I muttered a
sorry, while sitting down and grabbing a handful of popcorn. I returned to
the bollywood romantic movie we were watching, called Dil wale
dhulaniya le jaenge.
As I sat there, with a tear stained face, my best friend by my side, and
surrounded with junk food, I knew this was something I had missed out on
during all these years. This was an experience that I will never forget.
"Oh my God, this is the tenth time I'm watching this movie and it makes
me cry everytime. I think next we should watch another bollywood movie,
Bajirao Mastani, what do you--"
She noticed my teary eyes as I tried to blink the tears away.
 "Hey, why are you crying? Now they're together!" Emma said,placing a
hand on my shoulder.
"It's not that," I shook my head.
"Then?"
"It's just... This just seems too good to be true. I never thought I would be
able to escape those dungeons, let alone laugh and cry over a movie. I never
thought I would get to experience this. Get to experience this amazing
friendship we have..."
I didn't have words to describe how I was feeling at the moment. Just
very greatful.
Emma didn't say anything, she just wrapped her arms around me,
hugging me. I returned the comforting gesture.
"Forget about the past, Alexis. Wait. Actually don't. I know you went
through hell and back. And that is what's going to make you even stronger
in future. Not just physically strong, but also emotionally. You feel that
hatred inside you? Hatred towards everyone who did you wrong, including
my brother? Hold onto that hatred. Never let that fire inside you die out.
You're gonna need it. You have to make everyone who caused you pain
pay."
Her words slowly sinked in, and I realized how true they were. I did held
a burning hatred towards those who made me a prisoner. It's just that
strange bond that makes me forget it so easily. The bond is so smart that it
makes me feel like any other negative emotion is wrong.
"One more thing," Emma continued, "No matter what happens, never
mistrust my brother."
What did she mean by that?
"I have these visions, even though I don't remember much after I snap
back to reality. But even if I did, I'm not allowed to tell anyone. I think this
just might be my gift. It's common for a royal to have a gift of seeing some
images from the future. Since I'm not eighteen yet, I'm not fully sure what
they mean or symbolize. But please, promise me. Even when you feel like
everything you've experienced in these past couple weeks is a lie, you will
listen to that heart of yours. I promise it'll point you in the right direction.
Just never lose faith in Damien. Promise me you will never stop believing
in him."
I knew I had every reason not to trust him, but something in me made me
nod my head and say "I promise."
 Even though I didn't completely understand what I was promisimg at the
time. But if Emma can really see the future, I had a feeling I'll find out
sooner or later.
"Good. Oh look, it's 5 o' clock already. You need to get ready! Your
clothes must be in Damien's room, right? Let's go."
"Wait," She suddenly stopped, "I need to make sure the path is clear, let
me just make sure that witch isn't in his room. I don't want her anywhere
near you."
She got off the bed and walked out into the dimly lit hallway, leaving me
alone.
That's when the pain hit me.
It felt like someone suddenly stabbed a knife in my stomach, if not
multiple,because I'm sure this pain was ten times worse. But when I looked
down, there was nothing there, no knife, or any sharp object that might be
the cause of the pain. As I lifted up my shirt, there wasn't any visible
wound. I didn't know what was hurting me.
As I felt the shock slowly fade away, I screamed.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
***********************************
-J.S
33. Mates.

Maybe I hope too much.

Maybe I dream too much.
Or maybe I love too much,
To just give up on you."
_________________________________________
The guest bedroom,
Crystalline Castle.
**
Alexis' POV~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What was happening to me?
Why did my stomach feel like it was getting stabbed over and over
again?
What or rather who was causing this?
All these questions were jumping around in my head, giving me a headache
as well. So many questions but yet not a single answer. All I could do was
scream, as if that will make the pain dissappear. But it didn't, no matter how
much I cried, the pain continued to grow.
Clutching my stomach with my arms, I looked up when I heard his voice.
He telepathically appeared in front of me, rubbing a thumb over his
stomach, his eyes confused, "Why does my-"
He stopped talking when he noticed the scene in front of him. When the
pain got worse, I couldn't help but kneel on the ground.
I felt sick.
Even though I was sure Damien must have figured out what was
happening to me, he didn't make any attempt to help me. His face was
blank, not giving any hints about what he was thinking. He still continued
to watch me as I found the last bits of strength left in me and whispered,
"D-Damien, it hurts."
At that point, it felt like even the small amount of energy left in me was
being sucked out.
 That was when I heard Emma's voice as she appeared into the room. I
heard her yell something at Damien but I couldn't make out the words. As I
felt my head land on the carpet, I realized I was too far gone to even open
my eyes and see who was touching my forehead gently.
Too far gone to make out who the feminine hand belonged to. The hand
that made the pain completely dissappear.
But, unfortunately, that hand couldn't pull me out of the darkness that
surrounded me.
Then everything went blank.
**
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**
**
**
"You were out for a day."
Eric, who was standing by the bed, answered my unasked question.
I had just woken up from what felt like years of sleep, but according to
Eric, it had just been a day. I was sleeping for an entire day but I still
couldn't find the energy in me to get up or even move, so I let myself lay
flat on the bed as I pulled the blanket up, closer to me. When I turned my
head slightly to the right, trying to ignore its heavy weight, I noticed it was
dark outside. That meant I had been passed out all day.
Memories of what happened the day before rushed back to me, making
me wince a little. That horrifying stomach pain, me screaming as Damien
just stood there silently watching me. Watching me as I cried my eyes out,
begging him to help me.
What I got out of that was something I would rather not think about. But
a voice still whispered at the back on my mind.
He just didn't care.
Realizing this isn't the time to be stressing over him, I blinked back tears.
I had much more important stuff to sort out. Much more important things to
find out.
I looked to my left to find Eric standing next to the bed, hands in his
pant's pockets while Emma sat beside me, I made an attempt to sit up as
well, but she stopped me, "No, it's okay, you shouldnt move around. Just lay
down."
I listened to her and let my head hit the pillow gently before I threw any
questions towards her.
"What happened to me?"
She glanced at Eric for a second before giving me an answer that seemed
confusing even to her, "the doctor shrugged it off by saying it couldn't be
anything but a minor stomach ache. He took your blood sample and
everything, he didn't find anything wrong."
My frown mirrored hers, "a minor stomach ache? That was not a minor
stomach ache. I felt like I was on the verge of dying!"
When I tried to sit up this time, Emma helped me and placed two pillows
behind me so I could lean back.
"I know. I saw the pain you were going through. I can't believe my idiotic
brother just stood there like a statue. I'm telling you, it must have something
to do with Katrina. My brother turns into her puppet whenever she's around.
That's what I've always heard, but now I've seen it."
Eric joined in, "there's another possibility as to what might have caused
that pain."
"What's that?" Emma asked.
He turned towards her as if the information was private, "that type of
pain usually occurs when someone's mate... When their mate sleeps with
someone else, Em."
Emma's eyes widened," why didn't I think of that?"
Suddenly, her eyes became more distant and angry. As if thinking of
different ways to kill someone, but who? Emma was the kindest person I
knew, besides Maria, who I barely saw anymore since she was always busy
with her work. So when someone as nice as Emma fisted their hand in pure
rage, there was bound of be something wrong. Something was definitely
wrong.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" She asked Eric.
Eric was in deep thought for some time, his eyes concentrating on the
floor, as if the answer to all his problems would soon be written there. I
took the silence as an opportunity to finally make my presence known.
 "What's a mate?"
I quickly scanned my brain to remember if I had ever heard that word
before. But I came up with blank, which meant I had no idea what it meant.
If it had anything to do with the minor stomach ache I experienced last
night, I had to know what it meant.
Eric and Emma exchanged a look again, probably communicating
through their minds. Finally, Eric turned to me and tried to explain what it
meant.
"A soulmate. Beloved. Mate. They're all the same thing. It's when a
person is destined to be with you, romantically, they're your soulmate. Your
other half. I don't know much about humans but every Vampire has one. It's
pretty unheard of now since barely any Vampires find their true mate any
more. But those who do, they're the lucky ones. Because having a mate is
one of the best feelings in the world, as corny as that sounds."
More questions were growing in my mind but I decided to ask the most
important one, "how do you know someone's your mate?"
"You can tell by many different way. Like you might feel your entire
body becoming calm once they're near. When they touch you, you will feel
these tiny little sparks on that spot. I've heard Vampires can usually tell if
someone is their mate by looking in their eyes. It all depends on how
educated one is. If someone who's never heard about mates might not be
able to figure it out when someone is their mate."
"Someone like me?" I raised my eyebrows. Something about the way he
was describing how this mate thing worked, was ringing a bell. I felt like I
was missing something, a line which completed the entire sketch.
He nodded, "and someone like Damien."
"He doesn't know what mates are either?" I questioned, surprised. Being
the king of the Vampires, you would expect him to know everything as in,
everything.
Emma laughed, "nope. I don't think so. He laughs at ideas that has
anything to do with love. He says mates don't exist, everyone in this world
comes alone and dies alone. He believes those who claim they're in love,
are the ones who jump into an ocean to find a source of life. But they'll soon
realize that they can't breathe, that in the end, love really does kill."
"Do you expect someone with that thinking process to know what a
soulmate is?" She asked me.
Of course not.
 Suddenly I thought of something that should have drawn on me minutes
earlier.
"So you and Eric are mates?"
Emma started coughing as if she was choking on air. I noticed all colors
draining away from Eric's face as if all of his secrets have been revealed. I
didn't realize it was such a dramatic question, and that I would receive an
equally dramatic response.
"So...?" I dragged on as none of them seemed to be in any position to
answer my question.
"No! Why would you think that?" Emma finally spoke up.
"It's just when Eric described what mates are, you guys were the first to
pop up in my head. I've seen those not so secretive glances between you
guys."
At that point, Emma was full on blushing, something I've never seen
before.
"I wouldn't know. Eric missed out something, Vampires are able to tell if
someone is their mate when they're of age 18. So I wouldn't know. Ask
him." She suddenly crossed her arms, looking away.
I noticed Eric scratching his neck, looking rather uncomfortable.
"Are you her mate?"
"Yeah, Eric. Am I? Even Alexis wants to know now."
Why did I have a feeling that they've had this conversation before?
"I can't answer that." He finally said.
"See, Lexi. When someone refuses to accept their mate, it's either
because they want to play hard to get, or they have someone else in their
life."
"It's neither one of those. You wanna know what's stopping me from
being with you? Really wanna know?" Eric seemed mad now.
Then what he said next was something I would have never expected.
"It's your scary ass brother who would drop that stay away from my lil sis
or I'll kill you speech on me."
I couldn't stop myself from laughing out loud, Emma soon joining me. I
couldn't believe even someone as strong as Eric was scared of Damien.
Even though they were close friends.
"Remember when I said he walks around with a stick up his ass? I wasn't
kidding, he even admitted it when he said he'll take it out and hit me on the
head with it."
 That made Emma and me laugh louder, while Eric just scowled at us,
"yeah it's so funny, I'm living everyday trying to think of a way I'm going to
explain this mate thing to him without making him want to sentence my
death right then and there. Glad you guys find it amusing."
He turned away from us. My eyes almost fell out of their sockets when
Emma grabbed his hand lightly. But then my eyes narrowed again as he
brushed her off and shoved his hand in his pocket.
I tried to take away some of his sadness, "Eric, he only wants what's best
for his sister. And what could be better than knowing that the person who
has always supported you, the person who has always been by your side, is
the one destined for your sister? Sure, he's going to be a little over
protective but I just know it won't take him long to realize that Emma
couldn't have a better mate than you."
Both Emma and Eric were shocked for a reason I wasn't sure of.
"Did someone ever tell you how smart you are?" He asked me suddenly.
"What can I say, you tend to save up all of your intelligence when you're
locked up and never really get the chance to use it."
"Even though I believe you would be a really good mate for Emma, I still
haven't forgotten about the time you pretended Damien was dead."
I saw Eric lower his gaze onto the floor, looking rather guilty and I could
hear that emotion in his voice, "I know. I'm sorry about that but I just
couldn't say no when Damien basically ordered us to do as we were told."
I guess I somewhat understood. Damien was their king and he had to
listen to his every word, even if he didn't agree.
"But I was actually surprised by the amount of concern you held towards
the guy. The way you were clutching onto him made it seem like a part of
you was being ripped apart from you. What I don't get is, why? Why were
you crying over him being hurt when he has hurt you countless times
before?"
I would like to know that too, Eric.
"You already know, you're just afraid to even think about it," Emma
placed a hand on my shoulder.
"I hate how you guys can read my mind. You, Eric, Damien. I Hate it."
She frowned in confusion, "Damien can read your mind? I thought he
wouldn't be able to anymore 'cause it's been a while since he gave you his
blood."
I nodded,"yeah but he told me he still can for whatever reason."
 I decided to leave out the part where I had to basically trick him into
admitting it. That thought alone made me think about how yesterday was.
The day was going pretty good without any arguments between me and
Damien. It was going great when Emma and I watched movies and shared
popcorns. But then it all came crashing down with that pain in my stomach.
I shuddered a little just thinking about it. Why is it that whenever I feel
even a slightest bit of happiness, it always turns out to be the calm before
the storm?
"Oh, you forgot to tell her one important thing about mates, Idiot." Emma
accused Eric while he just raised his eyebrows.
She turned towards me as if to make sure I caught every word she would
say, "When the mates meet, they feel a connection. A connection which
might be ignored at first, but with time, it only grows. The more time the
mates spend with each other, they would feel the bond between them
becoming stronger and stronger. Usually Vampires can block their mind,
but if you share a strong mate bond with someone, it might become
impossible to block them. With time, they also feel a stronger need to be
closer. That need will only get worse until they decide to finally give in if
they hadn't already. If one of the mates is human, that person might not feel
a strong desire but it would be hell for a Vampire, being away from their
mate. They might even die without their other half."
That made me realize just how serious this whole mate thing is. It's
almost unfair to have the fates choose who you get to spend the rest of your
life with. But who was I to question things when this has been going on in
their world for centuries.
"So a vampire can have a human mate?" I had to ask.
"Yes. It has only happened once in the history of Vampires. But that
doesn't mean it can't happen again." Eric said.
His statement made me think about that locked room Emma and I once
stumbled across. She had told me that room was the place where the past
Vampire King and his human mate spent time in. It was their own little
paradise, away from the cruel reality of their subjects, the people who didn't
want them to be together. My fingers strangely itched with curiosity,
something made me want to unlock that world and see what lies inside it.
Their powerful love story made me want to unveil the dusty secrets of that
room.
Was that the couple Eric was talking about?
 "Yes. He was the only Vampire in history to have a human mate, but their
love story only ended in destruction." Emma answered my thoughts.
"Stories end. Love stories don't." Eric stated surprisingly. He never
seemed like the hopelessly romantic type.
Even Emma was surprised, "well aren't you incurably romantic."
"That's not the only thing I am," Eric's voice dropped, as he lightly
touched her hand that was placed casually on her lap.
"Damien," I said as I turned my head to look towards the door.
From the corner of my eyes, I saw Eric retrieve his hand quickly away
from Emma, stood up from his sitting position on the bed. The movements
were so fast that I barely saw them play out. It took less than a second for
him to stand away from her, due to his Vampire speed.
He turned his head to the side, towards the door. His eyes turned
confused when he found no one there.
Then, I couldn't hold in my laughter any longer as the sound came out
nonstop. It didn't take long for them to realize the trick as Emma soon
joined the laughter.
Eric's light brown eyes playfully glared at me, "you-"
"Hey! Leave my friend alone." Emma gave him a slight push to make
him step away.
"I don't know about you guys but I'm starving, it's almost dinner time.
How about you join us, Alexis?"
I hesitated because I wasn't sure if I could sit at a table and eat with a
bunch of Vampires who drank my own kind's blood.
"Didn't you just eat before coming here?" Emma asked him.
He shrugged his shoulders, "I shower with my clothes off."
A blank expression took place on Emma's and my face.
"What? I thought we were listing things that don't matter," turning
towards me, he said, "Oh and don't worry. It'll just be a few people and
they're not gonna try and drink your blood."
"You guys go ahead, I'll join you later. First I really want to shower."
"We'll meet you downstairs, Eric." Emma said.
I guessed she wanted to stay in the room while I showered in the attached
bathroom. I was grateful for that since I didn't want to be all alone after
what happened last night.
As Eric left, Emma told me she had my clothes transfered from Damien's
room to this one. So I made my way to the closet, and picked out a pair of
leggings with a maroon colored sweater. With clothes and a towel in my
hand, I closed the bathroom door for a much needed relaxation that only a
shower can provide.
As I stood under the shower head, letting the warm water wash the tears
and the stress away, something clicked.
It felt like I had suddenly found the last puzzle piece of a big picture.
What Eric and Emma told me about mates suddenly made perfect sense. I
had been afraid to even think about it when they were near, but now it was
as clear as the water falling from the shower head.
Damien might be my mate.
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
As we made our way down the long sets of stairs, I wondered why they
had the kitchen so far away from the rooms. If I was hungry, I would want
to have the kitchen as close to me as possible so I didn't have to waste so
much energy just to get some snacks.
"Well maybe you can readjust these things as you wish, one day." Emma
winked at me.
As if I will ever get that chance.
As we entered the main dining hall, I suddenly stopped walking.
My mind turned into a cloud of emptiness when my eyes collided with
his. But then all I could see was red as I noticed the hand that was placed on
his shoulder.
The hand that belonged to none other than Katrina.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
***********************************
-J.S
34. The Locked Room.

"She's the alcohol that keeps him drunk at night but leaves him with a
thundering headache and an empty heart in the morning. And even though I
try to be the water that sobers him up, he just keeps running back to the
same bottle of vodka every night."
________________________________________
The dining hall,
Crystalline Castle.
**
Everyone froze.
The maid, who was in the process of pouring down some red liquid in
Damien's glass, looked up and stared at me. Her reaction caused the liquid
to start spilling out of the glass when it was all full. Katrina was standing
next to Damien while he sat in the seat meant for the King at the very end
of the long table. She noticed the liquid that slowly started to make its way
towards Damien's sleeve, and let out a yell. She made Damien stand up,
while ordering the maid to clean up the mess she created as quickly as
possible.
A servant, who was frozen on the spot with a tray filled with food, was
snapped back to reality by Katrina's loud voice. He hurriedly placed the tray
on the table, and joined the other maid to clean up the spilled liquid.
"Don't let them get to you." Emma whispered, next to me.
She grabbed my hand, walking towards the other end of the table where
Eric and a person I didn't recognize sat. She pulled out a chair for me, I
smiled at her, thankfully. She took a seat right next to me just as I noticed
who was about to sit across from me.
Katrina pulled out the chair directly in front of me as she said, "Damien,
why don't you sit here for now?"
It seemed like he has been listening to her every word as he just nodded
and sat down. Katrina occupied the chair right next him, shifting it closer to
his.
 I was having difficulties choosing between whether I should just leave, or
face him. But then I realized why should I give him the satisfaction of
having some sort of control over me. His actions didn't affect me, and I
won't let them start affecting me now.
I will not be a coward, running away from him just because I felt tears swell
up in my eyes by just looking at him.
Emma brought me out of my thoughts as she pushed a bowl of pasta
towards me. I remembered Maria sometimes seeking in the food when she
came to visit. It was actually the only time of the week I looked forward to,
when she would bring some pasta.
Just as I picked up the fork, I couldn't help but look up in his direction.
Our gaze was fixed on eachother for mere seconds, but it had a far
greater impact on him. Suddenly, his spoon dropped out of his hand, hitting
the plate with a loud shattering noise.
His eyes averted from mine as they started looking around, almost
confused.
"How did I get here?" He suddenly demanded.
The question wasn't directed towards anyone but everyone at the table,
including me turned to look at each other in confusion.
Katrina broke the silence as she laughed, casually, "Damien, you've been
sitting here for the past few minutes."
He shook his head, as if he couldn't even make out what she was saying,"
I was in my room. Then you--"
He pointed a figure at Katrina, but before he could say anything else, the
servant who was walking by the table, suddenly tripped.
Or maybe it was planed.
The way Katrina sneakily pushed back her chair a little, didn't go
unnoticed by me. The sudden movement caused the servant to hit his feet
on the leg of the chair, hence falling over. The stack of plates he was
carrying came crashing down with him.
She stood up, "What's wrong with all you people today?! First the maid is
spilling blood all over the table and now this? Get your head out of the
clouds!"
The young servant muttered a sorry as he started to pick up the plates,
with shaking hands. I could tell he feared these people, so he might be a
human.
 "I've lost my appetite," Damien stated as he stood up and simply walked
out of the dining room without a glance in my direction.
I debated on whether I should go after him and demand him to finish his
sentence or help the poor servant who looked scared for his life as he
stacked the plates. Then as I looked down at my bowl of pasta, I thought
why not just focus on this for now, everything else can wait.
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
"Have you seen Damien?" I asked the maid passing by me.
She simply shook her head, the same response I've been getting from
multiple people.
I've checked everywhere I could, his room, his study, but there was no
sight of him.
"The king left earlier to sort out some problems at the border," a staff
who must have heard me going crazily from place to place, answered. I
watched as she returned to cleaning the dust off the huge painting that hung
proudly on the wall of the hallway.
"Do you know when he will be back?" I asked her.
She shook her head, "I don't know. When the problem concerns the
border, he usually takes his time to sort it all out before returning."
"Thank you," I smiled at her even though my mood suddenly dropped.
So there was a chance that he might not be back until tomorrow. With
that thought in my mind, I walked back to the guest bedroom I was
occupying.
During my stay here, it seemed like my mind has unconsciously
memorized the confusing paths of this castle. The brightest part of the castle
was the top floor, the floor where the King's bedroom was. The guest
bedroom was located in the same hallway, so it was easier to find my way.
As I grew closer to his bedroom, more candles were lit up to brighten the
halls. And as I stopped right next to his room, those candle lights turned
into the light provided by electricity.
 Something I realized was how selfish the king was to only modernize his
hallway, his room. Everywhere else I walked, it made me think I had gone
back in time.
I kept walking until the guest bedroom came in my view. Feeling pretty
tired from the night before, I closed the door to get some sleep.
As I lay down, I wondered what would it feel like to live a life outside
this castle, outside this world. Back at the human world.
Would it just bring more nightmares? Or will it heal me completely?
Give birth to a new me?
If Damien himself told me he doesn't believe I would be a cause of any
destruction as the prophecy states, why can't he just let me go?
Maybe this the conversation we need to have the next time I see him.
**
**
**
My sleep was rudely interrupted in the middle of the night.
At first when I heard the music, I thought I was dreaming. But then I
realized I couldn't be dreaming with my eyes open.
It wasn't the kind of music that made your heart race faster or made you
want to nod your head to the beat. Not the kind of music that made you
want to throw your hands up and moves your hips with the rhythm.
It was the kind of music that made you want to understand the lyrics. The
music that made you lose yourself as it wraps around you, completely
pulling you in. This was even more magical than a dream.
It was a slow tune, but as it eventually picked up the pace, I was curious
to find out who was playing such melodic music.
I automatically pushed the covers off me. My movements were relaxed,
maybe the music was getting to me. It seemed like I was in a stance.
Everything looked peaceful. Everything felt peaceful.
When my feet touched the ground, it made me feel like I was as light as
the air. I grabbed the shawl that was draped over the couch, wrapping it
around myself. The thin, long night gown did nothing to protect me from
the cold night air that was sneaking inside the castle through the open
balcony doors and windows. As I stepped into the hallway, I tried to ignore
the way the fabric of my gown touched the floor behind me, acting like a
broom.
 I didn't know how, but I just knew which way the sound was coming
from. It was strange since I've never had this good of hearing before.
I followed the sound as if I could almost smell it too.
I stopped in my tracks and finally looked up to see where my instincts
have brought me.
The locked room.
It was still locked. A big metal lock was hanging from it, with an equally
big key hole. Then how did that person who was playing the instrument get
in?
I recalled Emma telling me there was a balcony attached to the room, but
who in there right mind would climb these castle walls just to get inside that
room?
I heard footsteps coming from the other end of the hallway. And just
when I was about to make a run for it, his face came into my view.
Damien.
He said nothing, just stood there. Watching me.
Again.
"Who's inside the room?" I asked him, pointing a thumb at the closed set
of enormous doors.
"You think I would know?" He stepped closer, "What are you doing here
anyways?"
"I heard the music..." I still wasn't sure what instrument it was.
"A flute," he stated, "someone is playing a flute in there."
"Who?"
"Ghosts."
He suddenly laughed at my scared expression while I just glared at him.
"I'm surprised you can hear it too," he said, looking rather surprised.
What?
"Nobody else has ever been able to hear that music. I hear it all the time,
but whenever I ask my men about it, they say they don't hear anything. And
I didn't want to seem like a crazy person so I don't push it."
"Well, what are you waiting for? Open the door and find out who's a
threat to your reputation." I crossed my arms.
I hadn't forgotten about what I had been wanting to talk to him about. But
at the moment, there was this sudden desperation in me to find out what
was behind those locked doors. I can ask for my freedom after this.
 "Are you crazy? We don't even know what danger what lies inside that
room. The last time somebody went in there, they didn't come back out
alive."
"But that was because they committed --" I stopped, realizing what I just
said. If he found out I knew about the story of this room, he would surely
doubt me. I was desperate to find out what lies inside that room, but not
desperate enough to put my freedom at stake.
I turned my head towards the door as the music stopped, but then it
started playing again right where it left off a few seconds later. The
beautiful melody was really not helping me to stay away.
"Oh, so Emma told you." It wasn't a question.
"Don't tell me you're not curious to find out who's playing that flute, too."
I saw him hesitate, that's when I knew I almost had him.
"Or are you just scared, "I said," you know, of the ghosts,"
"Fredrick!" He called, turning his head a little to the right.
A man in his early twenties appeared right next to him, his green eyes
alarmed.
"Yes, your Majesty?"
"Open the door." Damien ordered, even though his eyes were looking
straight at me.
"M-my King?" the guard looked like he just got the biggest shock of his
life.
"Open. The. Door."
That was all it took for the guard to nod his head as he disappeared,
probably to bring the key.
I pulled the shawl closer to me, feeling rather nervous now. Maybe it was
because of the way Damien's eyes were watching me. That made me angry
for some reason, as I recalled the same expression on his face the day
before while I was crying in pain.
"Will you stop looking at me like that?!" my voice raised with every
word.
"Like what?" he just shoved his hands in his pockets, as if he was hiding
something.
"Like you did last night while I was withering in pain right in front of
you. But instead of helping me, all you did was watch. Do you have even a
small amount of that angelic side left in you? Or is the bloodthirsty
monstrous side taking over? Because I sure as hell don't see any symptoms
of you being half angel!"
He looked as confused as he did at the dining table, "You were in pain?
When?"
I rolled my eyes, "Exactly what I would have expected from you. Just
pretend you don't know what I'm talking about instead of answering my
question. How mature of you."
He shook his head, " Yesterday, after leaving your room, I spent the
whole day at the office. Then I went back to my room to get ready by 6
because I promised you we would go out, but Katrina brought me a
sandwich that she made and wanted me to try it. I was only gonna take a
bite but then I couldn't stop eating it because it was good. I don't remember
anything that happened after that. I don't know what's happening to me,
okay?! Today, I didn't know how I got to the dining table. The moment I
came back to consciousness, I was staring into your eyes."
What he said made perfect sense because that's exactly what happened. I
remembered how he snapped back to reality as I looked at him. But I didn't
want to make the same mistake of forgiving him over and over again, just
for him to find new ways to hurt me.
Before I could make up my mind, the guard appeared next to us, again.
I let the music that surrounded us take away some of my anger.
Damien took the big key from his hand, ordering him to go.
"You sure about this?" He turned to me.
I glared at him, as if to say hurry up already.
"What? I just don't want you clinging to me when you see any ghosts."
"I would rather let one of them tear me to pieces than be anywhere close
to you. "
Even I knew how big of a lie that was. But he didn't need the extra bricks
to enlarge the size of his ego.
He just shrugged as he took a hold of the lock with his left hand,
inserting the key in it using his right.
A thunder striked, loud and booming noise outside. The wind picked up,
I could tell by the way the curtains moved violently against the opened
windows. The music suddenly stopped.
But that didn't stop Damien to unlock the door and give it a gently push
to reveal what secrets lived in this mysterious place.
Maybe it's about time I'll find that out.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
***********************************
-J.S
35. More Mysteries.

"Maybe one day we'll find that place where you and I could be together.
And we'll catch our dreams within the waves of change. So smile for me one
last time and believe that we'll meet again."
-r.m drake
_________________________________________
The Locked Room,
Crystalline Castle.
**
The moment Damien pushed open the enormous set of doors, I was
blinded by a white light. It wasn't just some light coming from a candle or a
bulb. It was much more bright that I was prevented from seeing anything
else around me. I placed my hand in front of me as if that will block it.
It took less than five seconds for the brightness to fade away until there
was absolutely no hint of light left in the dark night. One second it was
bright to the point of blindness, and the next, complete darkness.
Even the candles placed in the hallways went out as a cool breeze passed
by.
Right when I felt Damien grab my left hand, the flute started playing
again.
"Please don't say something stupid like who's there. " He warned me, his
voice ringing through the music.
He took a step forward, never letting go of my hand. I soon followed his
steps, pushing back the fear which was slowly rising in me.
I felt a sudden change in the atmosphere as my feet reached past the
threshold of the door. It felt like I had left behind the world I grew up in,
entering a completely different one. The room was all dark so I couldn't
make out a single object placed in there. But right when we were both
completely in the room, the candles starting to light up, one at a time. The
one close to me magically lit up, then the second, then the third, the pattern
continued until the room was bright enough to make out the wall designs
and furnitures placed neatly in the room.
The place was huge, it was bigger than I imagined it. I wasn't quite sure
what I imagined to be in this room, but what I saw before me was beyond
beautiful.
The floor was hiding under the carpet with red designs on it that reached
every corner of the room. Across from me, there were windows that
covered the entire wall. Moonlight stretched out from them, visibly kissing
the floor. A small doorknob notified me that's where the exit to the balcony
was. The room was adorned with draped clinging to the frames of the
windows.
Even though this room has probably been locked up for years, there was
surprisingly no dust in sight. The place looked untouched, yet so lively, as if
someone had just spent hours cleaning it.
The ceiling had molding that was emaculate and rarely seen in other parts
of the castle. It was beautiful, grand, and ancient, all at the same time.
A love seat occupied the space beside me, with a golden coffee table that
reflected the moonlight.
As we slowly walked further into the room, I noticed the two single sofa
chairs pushed against the wall. They both had a crown shaped back,
indicating they was meant for none other than the king and queen
themselves.
My eyes hungrily took in every inch of the breathtaking place. The
strange thing about the square bed was that it had a support at both ends.
There was a tall mirror located in the far left corner, the room was too dimly
let for me to see my reflection.
The sound of flute surrounded us, picking up its pace. But we couldn't
find the source of the music. There wasn't anyone in the room, then who
was playing the flute?
Suddenly I heard laughter.
It wasn't a scary sound which I expected, the soft laughter belonged to a
girl.
As I noticed Damien's confused reaction, I knew he heard it too. I looked
around, doing a full 360 but nothing was unusual. Nobody was in sight.
"Zeke, let me make the bed,"
Who said that? All we could do was standing there in pure shock and
listen to whatever was going on.
 "Why don't you have one of the maids do it? I have to show you
something." A male's voice replied.
"What the..." Damien started. He stopped taking when I shushed him.
"Because this is our room and I don't want an outsider touching every
memory we created in here." The same girl who was laughing earlier said.
"You're weird," the man murmured,"Hey, you'll never stop loving me,
right?"
I heard the ringing noise of her bangles as she shifted, "the day these
furnitures lose their shine, will be the day I stop loving you. So that's
impossible since you know how much I love cleaning."
"That doesn't make me feel any better but okay." The man replied,
laughing.
I heard the bangles again, as if she was hitting him as he continued to
laugh.
Then slowly, the laughter and the chit chat dissolved into thin, silent air.
My mind was jumping from one thought to another, thinking about what
those voices could indicate or mean. My eyes shifted around the room once
again to find a portrait to my left.
I let go of Damien's hand as I walked closer to the painting, it becoming
less and less blurry with each step I took.
When I was mere inches away from the portrait, I could make out the
faces of the King and the Queen.
I stopped breathing.
The shock consumed me as I took a step away from the picture.
The older king was standing up proudly, while his elbow was placed
casually on the throne like chair next to him. Sitting elegantly on the chair
was the Queen with her hands in her lap.
They were dressed in clothes that didn't belong in this century, or the one
before this. The pieces of clothing looked uncomfortable with many jewels
decorating them, but I guessed these royals were used to the fancy attire.
But the way they dressed wasn't what took my breath away. It was their
faces.
The faces which were identical to Damien and mines.
My eyes stayed glued at the portrait as millions of questions ran around
in my mind.
Who were these people? The ones from Emma's story?
Why did they look like me and Damien?
 "Damien," my voice was lower than a whisper as I called out to him.
"What? Discovered some ghosts ye-?"
His sarcastic remark was cut short as he took in the picture as well.
"This shit's even scarier than a ghost," his voice dropped.
I squinted my eyes to read the tiny writing just below the portrait.
King Ezekiel and Queen Aaliyah of The Vampire realm.
"When did we take this picture? Do you remember, Alexis?"
I decided to ignore his sarcastic tone as I narrowed my eyes at him. I was
trying so hard not to freak out and run around the castle like a mad woman
while he was standing there making jokes.
"Who are they?" I asked him.
"It says King Ezekiel... That's the oldest Vampire King. I've never come
across any pictures of him until now," he frowned, his eyes concentrating
on the King's face.
"Why do they look like us?"
His eyes snapped to me, "you think I would know? I'm just as confused
as you are."
"You're right. Who am I asking? You don't know anything. You don't
even know that Katrina has been controlling you with her super witch
powers,"
Woah, where did that come from?
I turned away from him, embarrassed.
He took a hold of my arm, pulling me back," You think I don't know
that? You think I'm too stupid to figure that out already? I was planning to
kick her out as soon as we get out of here. She didn't seem suspicious
before, but after you told me how I've been acting recently, she's definitely
up to something. Hell I don't even remember you being in pain last night."
I prevented looking at him, focusing my gaze on the most shocking
image I've ever seen in my life.
"And as for this portrait, only Melinda can tell us what this means now."
The quietness of the room made me notice the music had stopped
playing. It was just a painful silence surrounding us now.
"When will she be here?" I asked him.
"I don't know,"
"You don't know? My whole life depends on what she has to say about
the damn prophecy. And you don't even know when she will be here? What
kind of King are you?" I accused him.
 "Well I'm sorry if I can't find the time out off my busy--"
Suddenly he winced, as if it hurt to even talk. But I didn't give it much of
a thought because I was too busy thinking about only myself at the moment.
"You know what? It doesn't even matter anymore. You said so yourself
that you don't think I'm a threat to you. You think I'm too naive and weak to
cause any sort of destruction. So why don't you just let me go? I want to be
free!"
There, I finally said it. But what pissed me off was that he wasn't even
taking me seriously, he seemed distracted, looking down at the floor in
confusion. His hand was placed on his chest, rubbing a thumb over where
his heart was. What's wrong with him now?
His eyes finally met mine as he registered what I just said.
"What are you talking about? You are free. You're no longer in the
dungeons!" his voice suddenly raised.
"Please, if this is your definition of being free, then I feel sorry for you!"
My tone matched his. I don't even know what provoked the anger between
us, but there was no going back now. I will get what I've always wanted, I
will not back down without a fight this time. Even if my chances are
nonexistent.
All of sudden, I heard him let out a cry of pain as he bit his lips
afterwards. While his hand still rubbed the spot on his chest, I decided to
not neglect it any more.
"What's wrong?" I asked him as my voice dropped once again.
"It fucking hurts! Wait, why am I even telling you? It's not like you
care!" He said, filled with more anger than before.
"Yeah, that's a great excuse. Just pretend you're in no state to talk so you
won't have to. But I won't let you avoid this topic any more!" I gave him a
push that didn't have much of an impact on him in the first place.
As I retrieved my hand, he grabbed it.
"Wait. The pain eased a bit!" he took a hold of my hand and placed it on
his chest while I just stared at him more confused than ever.
"What the fuck..." he began cussing.
"What's going on?" I asked him.
"The pain gets better by your touch, Dammit! Great, this is just great."
"Admit it. Now you're just looking for excuses to be near me. That and
also to avoid granting me my freedom."
He completely ignored me.
 "You know what? It's probably this damn room. It's filled with so much
lovey dovey shit that any negative emotions don't last very long in here.
Yes, that must be it. I just have to get the fuck out of here."
He dropped my hand and started walking towards the door. The loud
noise alerted us that the big doors shut close, making Damien freeze in his
track.
He let out an angry growl, kicking it with his feet. Closing his eyes, I
guessed he tried to mind link his guards or someone. But as he opened them
and turned towards me, from the anger in them I could tell it didn't work.
What happened this time? Did he forget to drink blood or what?
I recalled the same thing happening when his car broke down and we
were forced to walk through the forest.
Deja vu much?
Luck was just never on my side.
Walking closer to the door as well, I grabbed the handles and started to
move them back and forth. But the doors didn't budge. They didn't open.
Had someone locked them from outside? No, that couldn't be it. I didn't see
anyone outside when they closed.
"Why do I always get stuck with you?!" Damien stared to pace angrily
around the room, trying to find a way out. But there was only two exits, the
balcony and the now locked doors.
He tried opening the balcony door but failed. I watched as he got ready to
punch the glass to shatter it, but I stopped him.
"Damien!" I ran to him, "Don't. You have no right to kill the beauty of
this room."
Even though he could easily replace the glass, it felt wrong to change a
thing about this place. I didn't know where this possessiveness came from.
Strange.
I took a hold of his arm which was raised, ready to crash with the glass.
He stopped, so I lowered my hands.
Suddenly, I was hit with a strange tingle like feeling in my heart. I
ignored it at first, but a few seconds later, it became impossible to not
wince.
"You're hurting too, now? I told you this was a bad idea! Who knows
what else this room--"
The pain got worse with each passing second, it felt like someone was
squeezing my heart. The only thing my mind could think about at that
moment was that if my touched took away his pain, then it might work both
ways. Maybe this pain was being caused by the negative emotion, hatred,
between us. As another wave of pain hit me, harder this time, I couldn't help
but lean forward, wrapping my arms around his neck like my life depended
on it.
And it probably did.
"Woah, easy there." he laughed at my sudden movement, but wrapped his
arms around me, too, "What were you saying earlier? I would rather let one
of the ghosts tear me to pieces than be anywhere close to you."
He mocked me.
"It's not like I have a choice," I mumbled against his shirt, "I think it's
over now."
The pain had deceased and it was barely there anymore, so I took a step
back.
"As I was saying, let me go back to the human world.
I didn't know where I would even go, but for now, all I needed to do was
get far away from this place as possible.
"I can't do that." he simply said.
"Why the hell not? Actually, why didn't you just kill me the day you
kidnapped me?! That would have been so much better than rotting in there
for years!"
He grabbed my shoulders with his hands, "you think I didn't try that?!
Well guess what, I tried so hard to think of a way to just get rid of you but
even the idea of it sounded ridiculous! It was impossible for me to hurt you
after I saw you!"
"And you thought the idea of keeping me locked up in there didn't sound
ridiculous at all?! You're such a selfish little asshole! You say you didn't
want to hurt me, but open your eyes, Damien! Keeping me here against my
will has hurt me mor--"
I couldn't even finish my sentence before the pain returned. I reached
forward, but not to hug him again, to give him a hard push.
"Any sort of contact between us can make the pain go away, so it doesn't
matter if I'm hugging you or hitting you."
I continued to punch him, and during the third hit, he actually let out a
wince. But I wasn't sure if it was because of the abuse or the pain in his
chest which has returned.
 I glared at him, "you know what I think? It wasn't any prophecy that
brought me here. You were selfish enough to not hurt me because you
needed me. If something happens to me, you go down, too! I can't believe I
didn't think of this earlier when Emma told me about mat--"
I was rudely cut off when he used his speed to change our position until I
ended up being trapped between him and the wall, with his hand on my
mouth.
"You don't know what you're saying. To be honest you're the one who
sounds like a selfish bitch when you think so highly of yourself. You're not
anything to me, especially not my weakness. So don't put too much pressure
on that tiny brain of yours."
He looked at me, as if to see if he made himself clear. I just glared at him,
since I couldn't even talk. He removed his hand from my mouth and turned
away, running the same hand through his hair in frustration.
"The first thing I'll do when we get out of here, is break down this room.
This pain in my chest is hurting worse than getting kicked in the balls."
He started to walk away, the pain getting worse with each step he took
away from me, "Damien."
"But I would rather go through this than be glued to you." he simply said.
I pushed myself further into the wall, wanting to just dissappear. Be
anywhere but here. Where our closeness feels like paradise, but we were
both too stubborn to accept it.
I saw him lean on the wall opposite from me. His eyes were blinking
furiously, looking at the ceiling. It looked like he was having trouble
breathing.
And my body didn't feel any better as I coughed. It felt like I might even
throw up.
After avoiding each other for a couple minutes, the pain continued to get
worse and worse. I looked at him and our eyes finally connected. A rush of
emotions hit me all at once. Pain, anger, hurt, frustration, but this time there
was something else I couldn't even point out.
"I hate you so much," he breathed out.
"I hate you, too," I hissed, barely being able to talk.
Then the invisible wall of any negative emotions between us suddenly
shattered. We both moved at the same time, him towards me and me
towards him.
 Our bodies met in the middle of the room, almost colliding with
eachother. He pulled me close to the point where I couldn't even breathe,
but that was the least of my worries. The pain evaporated, leaving behind an
empty space in my heart which was being filled with something else,
something that scared me more than the pain I experienced.
"I'll let you go, "
"What?" I was having a hard time believing his words.
"I'll let you go back to the human world. Just like you want. But I just
need some time. Two days is all I'm asking from you. I'll be out in a
meeting all day tomorrow, If we get out of here by morning. But when I get
back on the day after tomorrow, I want a chance to say goodbye before you
leave. Just give me two days and then you'll be free."
Compared to the ten years I've already spent at this place, two days
seemed very little. Just two more days and I'll be free.
"Okay," was all I said.
"Damien, I don't think the pain is going to come back, now that we're not
yelling at each other." I explained, as I made an attempt to move away from
him.
But he stopped me, "Stay. I never said you could leave me just yet."
I couldn't even count the amount of times I've thought that this guy might
be bipolar. But then something else hit me.
This was just his Vampire side showing, the part of him that needs his
mate. But the real Damien would never want me anywhere close to him.
If it wasn't for the mate bond, he would want nothing to do with me.
I had to keep that in mind.
Something else I needed to remember was to find out the secrets hiding
behind that portrait. I just couldn't leave without knowing why I look like
Aaliyah and Damien like Ezekiel.
I just couldn't.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
***********************************
-J.S
36. Preparations.

"Who needs cocaine when human emotions can fuck you up just the same?"
_________________________________________
Past King and Queen's bedroom,
Crystalline Castle.
**
"Miss," someone was calling me, "miss wake up."
Trying to block out the voice, I rolled over to my left side. But suddenly,
more sunlight hit my face, making me pull up the covers over my head.
Covers? I don't remember my body being covered with any blankets last
night, because there weren't any--
Memories of what happened last night rushed through my mind. The
music, Damien and I following it. Us opening the locked door, only to be
met by the biggest surprise of our life. The portrait of the King and Queen,
who looked just like us. Us being locked in.
Me falling asleep in his arms...
The last thought was enough to make my eyes snap wide open, as I sat up
abruptly on the bed. The covers fell around me in a tangled mess. I looked
around only to find that I was still in that room. My eyes discovered the
maid standing by the bed, who had her hand stretched out as if she was just
about to shake me. I noticed the door was wide open behind her, making me
wonder who unlocked it.
And where was Damien?
"The king left for the meeting as soon as the sun came up, he'll be back
by tomorrow. He ordered us to wake you up at nine and lock this room
again once you're out of here." she informed me. Even though she was
talking to me, her eyes were looking around the room, almost frightened.
By the way her hands were clasped together to prevent them from shaking,
I could tell the room gave her an edgy feeling.
While I experienced a sense of curiosity and belonging here, she was left
with an eerie feeling.
 "How did Damien open the door?" I asked her. She looked surprised,
maybe because I called the king by his first name. But I don't think it really
mattered what I call him anymore, not even to him because he lets it slid
everytime.
"The door?" she seemed confused.
"Yes, when we were in here last night, we got locked in. So how did
Damien manage to escape this morning?"
"I don't know anything about that, Miss. I was just told to wake you up."
Her brown eyes looked at the door. The young girl looked like she was
ready to blast out of the room, so I felt bad to making her even more scared.
Pushing the covers off me, I got out of bed.
"Hey, did she-" the same guard from last night appeared in the doorway
with the key to lock this door once again, "okay, good. Now both of you
humans, out you go."
As I made my way over to the door, I suddenly felt upset. With each step
I took closer to the door, the desire to stay increased. Something was
pulling me back, as if the silence was begging me to stay.
And that's when I knew I was going crazy.
Mentally shaking my head, I started to walk faster. But something else
caught my eye.
A sharp light hit my eyes, which I discovered was the small vase
reflecting the sunlight. It was placed on a small round table by the wall,
with only a stem inside it, no flower in sight. As I looked closer, I noticed
the glass vase was placed on top of a piece of paper, as if to keep it from
flying away. I ignored the guard for a moment as I rushed over to the table,
taking a closer look. How did I not see this paper yesterday? But then again
it was so dark in here that I couldn't make out every single detail of the
room.
"What are you doing? Come on, or I'll just lock you in, I have much more
important tasks waiting for me." the guard huffed.
I quickly lifted up the vase and grabbed the piece of paper. Hiding it from
the guard and the maid's eyes, I almost ran out of the room.
I heard the lock being placed back on the door as I walked away from the
room that only bloomed so many questions in my mind, but no answers.
**
**
**
 **
**
Somehow, I managed to find my way back to the guest bedroom I had
been occupying for the last few days. The door was open so I simply
walked in, closing it behind me so I would have some privacy.
Some privacy to read the price of paper I stole from the room. I cringed
at the word stole.
It wasn't really stealing when I'll just put it back after reading it right? I
was simply borrowing it to find answers I deserved to know.
Soothing out the wrinkles caused by me clutching it, I started at the
coffee colered paper in my hands. The writer used a blank ink which was
fading away to the point where I could barely read the words. They were
holding on to the paper for their dear life.
The writing was cursive and artistic as if whoever wrote this, poured out
so much emotions in each and every word.
Ezekiel,
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry.
I know such a simple word would never be enough to erase this stain on
my character. It will never be enough to make you forgive me.
I will always be the girl who made the first Vampire fall in love with her,
just to rip apart his world. It was my fault your own people turned against
you. They didn't want a human as their Queen, a race they thought wasn't
capable of running a kingdom, a race which wasn't even considered a class.
But it never mattered to you, your strong love for me was reaching the
sky that even these bat turning Vampires couldn't stop it from growing. You
treated my like a princess when you first met me. You treated by like a
queen when you fell in love with me.
You use to say "Queen, because Queens deserve only the best,". But this
queen doesn't.
This queen doesn't deserve anything but death.
Some say that the life is a beautiful lie and death is a painful truth.
But now my life has become a painful lie and death... Death suddenly
sounds like such a sweet truth.
But that is something I don't deserve either.
I wish... I wish I could experience the pain you went through.
 Maybe that will take away some of this guilt.
I wish I could feel it all. The betrayal, the suffering you felt when you
were killed by
I had to stop reading as a loud knock came from the door. Hiding the
paper in the top drawer next to me, I quickly opened the door to reveal the
same maid who woke me up.
"Princess Emma is calling you for breakfast," she said while her eyes
were glued to the floor.
"I'll be down in a minute," I politely dismissed her so I could go to the
bathroom and do the daily routine.
**
**
**
**
As I made my way down the stairs towards the dining hall, I wanted
nothing more than just to go upstairs and finish reading that letter. I thought
it would give me some answers as to why I look like Queen Aaliyah but
that paper made me question more things.
She was saying sorry over and over again. She was extremely guilty
about something, that was for sure.
But why? Is it because of King Ezekiel's death? Did she feel like it was
her fault he was killed?
I believed that might be true because people disliked Aaliyah, while
Ezekiel was in love with her. He was willing to give up the throne for her. I
remembered Emma telling me there was an uprising against the king. It got
so worse that people started burning down the front part of the castle.
Ezekiel was murdered while he was confronting his subjects.
If it wasn't for Aaliyah, his subjects would never have hated him.
I was brought out of my thoughts as I bumped into someone, I looked up
to realize I'm in the hallways close to the kitchen, and standing in front of
me, was none other than Damien.
He was dressed in a navy blue colored shirt, a black tie, black pants, and
a pair of dress shoes. His usual formal wear, but something was different.
Didn't the maid say he already left for the meeting?
He said nothing and just stared at me, so I decided to ask him, "Damien, I
thought --"
 Suddenly he looked behind me as if I wasn't even there, and started to
walk past me but I grabbed his wrist.
Something didn't feel right. I was missing something. But no matter how
hard I tried to search my mind, I couldn't find anything that would make
these red flags of suspicion go up.
Damien twisted his wrist out of my hand, quickly walking away. All I
could do was stand there in confusion.
What was wrong with him?
I shook my head, realizing Emma was waiting for me.
When I got to the dining hall, the first thing I noticed was the large
amount of people occupying this place today. The loud chit chatter filled the
room. The hall was big enough to have two long table placed on either side
of it. On one of the tables, all the children sat eating breakfast, while their
mother stood next to them, scolding them to stop talking.
The other table was where Emma was sitting with a group of people, but
the seat next to her was empty. I walked closer to the table and it didn't take
her long to notice my presence.
"Alexis, finally! Come on, sit," she said and I sat down next to her, "how
good are you at multitasking? Because while you're eating breakfast, I need
you tell me all about your adventure in that spooky locked room."
She placed two pancakes on my plate as the girl sitting across from me
said, "hellooo, aren't you going to introduce us, Emma Knight?"
"Oh! Yes, Alexis this is Eileen, and this is Tanya, my crazy friends," she
shook her head.
I said hey to both girls while they shook my hand.
Eileen was the girl sitting across from me. Her blond hair was in a messy
bun with loose curls falling around her face. While Tanya had pin straight
black hair and light brown eyes.
Eileen's hazel eyes sparked with curiosity as she smiled at me, "so tell us,
what's behind that door? When Damien left, he ordered everyone to stay
away from the room and only a maid was allowed to go in to wake you up.
What is it that he so bad wants to hide? Wait, how did you even manage to
get in? We all know how strict Emma's brother is with the rules."
"Eileen. Let her breathe first! Her eyes are getting bigger and bigger with
each question you're hitting her with," Tanya laughed.
"No, it's alright. You remind me of me," I said to Eileen, "and I guess my
curiousity and rambling just got so annoyed at one point that Damien
thought it was better to just let me see what was inside the room."
"And to answer your question, we didn't really find anything interesting.
It was just this beautiful bedroom that looked old but surprisingly it never
lost its shine. There's a portrait of the king and queen. Oh and one of the
walls is covered with huge windows, so at night when the moon is up, the
light gives the room a glorious look."
When I gave them a brief explanation, I decided to leave out the part that
the King and Queen looked exactly like Damien and me. I'll just tell Emma
privately later.
"That sounds.... Pretty boring," Tanya sighed.
Emma laughed, "tell me about it. I thought there would be piles of bodies
lying around while their ghosts played hide and seek in the dark."
Eileen shushed them,"But guys, I'm sure it wasn't so boring for Alexis
over here," she winked at Emma, "I heard they both spent the night in
there."
I almost spit out the orange juice. I coughed as Emma started to rub my
back.
My defensive side kicked in, "but that was just because --"
"'Cause they were playing hide and seek or something to pass time,
Eileen. Come on, give her a break." Tanya let out a laugh but I didn't know
what was so funny.
"Yeahhhh, " Emma said, carrying out the h,"hide and seek..."
"Under the sheets..."
I was so busy being embarrassed while looking at my food that I didn't
even care who said that.
"Hiding in each other's arms..."
"Hey now don't mess with my best friend," Emma laughed while placing
an arm around my shoulders.
"I've got some good news for you, Alexis," Eileen smirked," that Katrina
witch got kicked out of this place for good this morning!"
I gasped as I registered her words. When Damien told me he was going
to kick her out, I didn't think he would actually do it since he... You know,
somewhat still had feelings for her. But Eileen's words gave me so much
relief that I couldn't believe it.
I tried to hide how bright my day had just become.
"We got locked in last night." I said, making them gasp as their
expression turned serious.
 "Really? Then how did Damien manage to get out this morning?" Emma
asked.
"I would like to know that, too. I saw him while I was walking here but
he shrugged me off and walked away before I could ask him," I told her.
She stared at me confused while Tanya said, "Damien? He left hours ago,
and he won't be back until late at night. Are you sure it was him you saw?"
I nodded.
"Maybe he forgot something," Eileen suggested.
"Maybe," I said and then turned to Emma, "how come there's so many
people here today?"
"Oh! I forgot to tell you. Well you see it's Damien's birthday tomorrow...
Every year we throw a big party for him, people volunteer to help set
everything up. So everyone is here early this morning to eat breakfast and
get to work as soon as possible."
It's Damien's birthday tomorrow? Why didn't he tell me? Now I knew
why he wanted me to stay for just two more days. So I would get to see his
birthday.
"It's only gonna take them one day to decorate?"
"Yup, Vampires work fast," she winked, "and not just decorating. The
food is going to be prepared today as well, so that tomorrow everyone is
having a good time and nobody is stuck cooking. We don't want anyone to
miss out on this biggest celebration of the year."
It sounded like tomorrow would bring so many good things. Maybe by
the time I leave this castle, at least some good memories will be fresh on
my mind.
"I want to help," I declared.
"Of course, you didn't think we would let you just sit here and do nothing
while we worked our asses off, now did you? You're gonna help us manage
everything." Eileen laughed.
A maid came over to pick up our dirty dishes, but I stopped her before
she grabbed mine, "I got it."
"So let's start then," I said as I picked up my plate and made my way into
the kitchen.
**
**
**
**
 "6 ft tall?!"
It wasn't a person we were talking about, but a cake!
"Yes , miss. There would be about a couple hundred people attending this
event." The lady who was in charge of making the cake, Janice, said as she
placed the final touches on the top of the cake. I was holding onto the stool
she stood on so that she wouldn't fall down and bring the cake down with
her.
"Isn't it going to melt?"
She laughed, "that's why we will put it in the fridge now so that doesn't
happen."
"Is there a fridge that big to fit this thing in?"
"You ask too many questions," she shook her head lightly, "but yes. We
have a fridge as big as the King's bedroom."
Why didn't I know of this important piece of information before? I could
have been spending the majority of my time there instead of taking a nap or
two when I was finished with my chores. But then I realized I probably
would have froze to death so that's not a good idea.
I helped Janice get down by holding onto her hand.
"Woah," A little boy around six years old appeared out of nowhere and
started to run towards the cake, "Is this what heaven looks li--"
"Hey!" Janice took a hold of his shirt before he almost collided with the
cake, "Didn't your mother teach you any manners? What are you doing
here, anyways? No children allowed in the kitchen. Shoo."
Suddenly the boy's smile turned upside down,"I can't find my momma.
She said she was going to the ball room to help out when I was eating
breakfast. But I don't know where that is."
"It's okay, Janice. I'll take him to the ball room so he wouldn't run around
here anymore. Come on... What's your name?"
I watched as his chocolate brown eyes widened excitingly at the mention
of me taking him to his mom, "Axel, and what's your name?"
"Alexis," I took a hold of his hand and began walking out of the kitchen
to the ball room. Suddenly he snatched his hand out of mine.
"You're Alexis!" he explained, looking rather angry.
"Yes ..."
"You're the girl who punched the king!"
My eyes widened, "What? What are you talking about?"
 "This morning when I saw the black spots under King Damien's eyes, I
asked him what happened to him. He told me a girl named Alexis punched
him! You're evil, I don't want to go anywhere with you."
He crossed his arms, turning away from me. Why that little King of... He
will never let me live in peace, will he?
"I didn't punch him. You're king is lying --"
"Don't call him a liar! You're the liar,"
"Do you want to see your mom or not? Come on," but he wouldn't budge
when I pulled him. So I had no choice but to pick him up while he
continued to struggle in my arms.
"Let me go!"
If this is how kids act, then I'm definitely not having any. That thought
surprised me, since when did I start thinking about having my own
children? I mentally shook my head.
The first thing I noticed when I stepped into the ball room was its size. It
was a square shaped hall that seemed bigger than any of the other rooms at
this castle. The ceiling was so high that I couldn't even make out the blurry
patterns on it. A huge chandelier hung from it, above the center of the room.
The Kingdom of Snowvale's ball room seemed nothing compared to this
one, and it wasn't even fully decorated yet.
I felt the heavy stressful atmosphere as I looked around to find people
focused on their work. Some were running around with baskets of
decorations. There were numerous stools and stair ladders being occupied
by people to put up the decorations.
So far I couldn't discover the theme of the party, because there were
different kinds of things being passed around.
Poker chips and cards... Green wallpaper... Some ropes... Magazines that
had half naked men and women on them... Pillows and huge blankets...
Mirrors
There were also some fences set up to form these mini stations inside the
ball room.
"Momma!" I bent down so Axel could stand up on his feet. It didn't take
very long for him to run to his mom.
"Axel, what are you doing here? I told told you to stay in the dining hall."
His mother dropped the lights she had in her hands to pick up her son.
I told her how he almost knocked down the birthday cake, so I had to
bring him out of there. She quickly apologized on her son's behalf, glaring
at Axel.
"Thank you for bringing him here, I got so lost in the work that I almost
forgot about him," she turned towards Axel, "but you kids aren't allowed in
here, this is going to be an adult party. Let me drop you off in the movie
room where all your friends are."
"Mommy, I can't be in the kitchen, I can't be in here, then where do I go?
I don't feel special at all."
They started to walk away as his mom told him to stop complaining.
"Alexis, over here!" I turned around to find Eileen sitting at a table,
facing an old woman sitting across from her while Emma stood next to
them.
"Selena, what about her?" Eileen gestured towards me as I stood next to
Emma.
"What about me?" I asked her, confused.
Selena took a hold of my hand before I could even ask her what was
going on. She closed her eyes and began to chant something.
Emma whispered, "you'll know soon."
Why did I have a feeling that the lady was a witch?
Her eyes fluttered open as she whispered one word.
"Wrath."
Eileen clapped her hand over her mouth, as if to hide a laugh.
"Oh and by the way, good luck for tomorrow. You're going to need it."
There was an edgy tone in Selena's voice, which send a shiver down my
spine.
And it wasn't the best time to be thinking this, but it seemed like I had
found the last puzzle piece that I had been missing.
There was something missing when I touched Damien this morning.
Sparks.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
***********************************
-J.S
37. A Night To Remember.

"If I began to draw myself away from you, we'd still be like two mixed
colors of paint. Impossible to separate."
_________________________________________
The King's hallways,
Crystalline Castle.
**
"Is Damien back yet?" I asked the same maid who woke me up yesterday
as I was passing by her.
She nodded, "Yes, I was just going to his room to drop off his suit for
tonight."
In her hand, she held a hanger that was sticking out of the plastic bag the
suit was wrapped in.
"Here, I can give it to him," I held out my hand.
She sighed, relieved, "thank you. I really wasn't ready to face the King's
morning rudeness. He's not much of a morning person."
I took the suit from her, saying it was no problem. In fact, it gave me a
reason to show up in his room this early in the morning.
As I stood right outside the King's bedroom, in a casual white buttoned
shirt and jeans shorts, my mind started to debate if I should even go in or
not.
It was around seven thirty in the morning, and it was his birthday. That is
the only reason I'm here, to wish him. It's not like I was dying to see him
after a long day of being away from him yesterday.
Who am I kidding?
Today was my last day here, and something made me want to spend as
much time with him as possible. Just for today, I wanted to forget about
what he did. I knew I could never forgive him for making me suffer for
years, but I just wanted to make the best of today.
I wanted to start my life again tomorrow on a positive note, because a
hateful beginning only ends in destruction.
 Before I could chicken out, my hand reached out and knocked twice on
his door. As I waited patiently for him to open the door, I ran a hand
through my damp hair. I knew I should have dried them, I should have
combed them.
I stopped, realizing what was going on.
Since when did I start stressing about how I looked? It's not like I wanted
to impress anybody, especially not him. So it shouldn't matter if my hair
was messy or if my clothes were alright.
I knocked again because he clearly didn't hear the first time, even though
he has super good hearing abilities. Maybe he knows it's me.
Conciously, I pushed the right handle down, and the door opened quietly.
Damien was sleeping peacefully on his stomach, his arms and legs
sprawled on the bed. The sheets were tangled around his body. The fact that
he was shirtless didn't go unnoticed by me. Or maybe it was one of the first
things that stole my attention.
I mentally shook my head, internaly telling myself to stop being a creep.
For a second, I thought I should let the guy get some rest and I'll just come
back later, but my feet made no attempt to go out of this room.
Placing the suit carefully on the sofa next to me, I walked towards the
dark drapes hanging off of the huge windows. I pushed them apart, inviting
the sunshine in, while saying rather loudly, "rise and shine, your Majesty.
It's a beautiful day."
I heard movement behind me, I turned around to find out that he had
pushed his head under the covers to block out the light. He acts like such a
baby sometimes.
"And what makes it even more beautiful is that it's your birthday!" I said,
in an overly exaggerated tone.
"And you know what else will make it even more beautiful? If you shut
the hell up and get your super cheerful ass out of my room." he replied,
grumpily.
I took some deep breaths. I will not let him ruin my last day here.
"By the way, how old are you now? A hundred and what...?"
I didn't even notice that I had been walking closer to his bed, until I was
standing right by it. So it wasn't hard for him to just remove the sheet off
him, and pull me completely onto the bed. He took a hold of my arm
pulling me forward, which made me lose my balance and stumble onto him.
His arm reached around my waist to flip me over while he caged me with
his body. He wasn't putting all of his weight on me, but half of his frame
was covering mine.
My breath got stuck in my throat at our closeness.
"D-Damien," I started but he shushed me.
I tried so hard to think about anything else but the present. I tried to avert
my attention from his carved to perfection facial features. My eyes locked
onto his dark ones, trying to find the reason as to why they were looking at
me with such... Intensity.
"Why didn't you open the door when I knocked?"
At the moment, I could desperately do anything in my power to keep my
mind from thinking about the way my body was feeling. If asking numerous
questions made me forget about the need to be close to him, then so be it.
"I'm just tired," he sighed as he lowered his head to rest it against my
neck, making my eyes automatically close. Did he have any idea what he
was doing to me? I was trying so hard to ignore the tingles, the shiver his
touch sent through me. I didn't know what I was feeling, but I just knew it
was wrong to feel this sort of emotions towards him.
"I couldn't get any sleep the day before yesterday, locked up in that room,
or last night."
"What time did you get back?" I asked him.
"Around five."
I could hear the tiredness in his voice which made me a little upset. I
never expected his kingly duties to be a piece of cake but I just thought
being a royal came with more luxuries than struggles. But I had been
proven wrong over and over again.
My hand, having a mind of its own, reached up and my fingers got lost in
his silky hair. He ran his nose up and down my neck, as if he could smell
the blood running through my veins.
"I- I should get going then. You need to sleep."
As I made an attempt to get up, one of Damien's legs fell upon mine,
pinning me down.
"You're forgetting something," he lifted his head so his eyes could meet
mine again.
"What..." I said, "Oh. Happy birthday, Damien."
He frowned,"that was lame."
I raised my eyebrows. I didn't know wishing someone a happy birthday
was lame nowadays. Guess a lot can change in ten years.
 "Where's my birthday present, though?" he smirked.
Well, shoot. How can I forget about that?
"You'll get it tonight before I leave."
He suddenly fake gasped while I stared at him in confusion, "I didn't
know you liked to play dirty, Lex."
As I realized what he thought I meant, I hit his shoulder. Were all men
this dirty minded or did I happen to be the lucky one to be stuck with a
pervert?
"Okay, but seriously though, what if I say you can give me my present
right now?"
Right now? I didn't have anything to give him.
"Believe me, there's a lot of things you can give me," he let out a
chuckle, "but for now, a kiss will do."
I gasped, trying to push him away from me, but failed. The memories of
our last kiss at the royal Ball rushed through my mind, making my cheeks
feel hot.
Suddenly, he reversed our position, so that I ended up being on top of
him. But even then I was caged due to his arms gluing me to him. He lifted
up a hand to run his fingers through my hair, "I don't know about you
humans, but in our world, nobody ever denies the birthday boy or girl."
Had he suddenly gone crazy? I couldn't kiss him, for God's sake!
"Yes you can. You want me to teach you how? You bring your face close
to mine, tilt it a little to the side. Then you just place your soft lips against
mine, then part them a little so that I can--"
"I get it!" I was sure my face was turning redder than his wall paint. It
didn't take me long to realize there wasn't an escape, I had to do this or else
he would never stop convincing me. Convincing me? He won't stop forcing
me to.
I placed my hand on the
pillow by his head, while his eyes watched me carefully.
"What are you looking at? Close your eyes!"
His eyes instantly fluttered closed. I made sure he wasn't peaking before
closing the distance between us as slowly as possible. I found his patience
surprising.
I was overcome with a sudden need to close the distance between us as
soon as possible. The thought of me leaving tonight just increased that need
to the point where I wanted to kiss him. Everything inside me was begging
for just one last touch, for just one last kiss.
I did what he told me to not too long ago, but when our lips met, there
wasn't much I could think about. He immediately responded, pulling me
closer as if he was a dying person and I was the last bit of oxygen left.
This kiss was different than the last one we shared. That kiss was filled
with rage, our anger towards each other. This one was filled with a strange
longing. It was like he wanted to memorize this small moment just like I
wanted to paste it in my mind.
This kiss was more careful, he was treating me like I was fragile enough
to break. But his hold was still firm, like I would disappear if he let loose.
Our last kiss was his way of proving he could control me. While this
kiss... This time he was teaching me how to fly.
And I let him. I let him take me higher and higher, without fearing the
consequences of crashing down. Without fearing the heartbreak I'll
experience when I leave.
The most strange part about this kiss was that it felt like I had done this a
million times before. This was barely our second kiss, but I felt so used to
it. I felt so used to the way his lips molded perfectly against mine. The
moment our lips had touched, a bell was ringing at the back of my mind. As
if a memory was slowly unfold, I had known exactly what to expect. His
movements, the way he caressed my jaw before gripping the back of my
head to pull me closer, seemed oh so familiar.
I missed this.
I don't know how I could miss something I've never had, but I just missed
this.
For once, there wasn't fear in my heart or guilt in my mind. I let myself
get completely lost in his kiss. His lips pulled on my bottom lip gently. I
gasped as I felt him swipe his tongue on it. That's when it became too much
for me to handle so I pulled away, taking as much oxygen in as possible.
I couldn't help but rest my cheek on his chest, to hide my blushing face
from him.
"Now that's a nice way of wishing happy birthday."
"Shut up and sleep," I replied, closing my eyes as well. His birthday party
was at 6 o' clock, so it wouldn't hurt to take a nap. With that being the last
thought on my mind, I fell asleep in his arms.
That's only two times in a row, I'm sure I wouldn't get used to it.
 **
**
**
**
**
**
The ball room,
Crystalline Castle.
**
"Ladies and gentlemen, the moment we all have been waiting for has
now arrived," the announcer said as Damien and I stood on top of the
staircase.
I looked down at my dress to make sure everything was in place. The red
ball gown that Emma had picked for me made me feel like a princess. The
top part of my dress was covered with lace that embraced my body
elegantly. The tightness of the dress broke apart at my waist, as the silky
material went down to the floor, hiding my heels completely. The dress was
so long that it was sweeping the floor behind me, if someone stepped on it,
I'll be a goner.
I shook my head to get rid of the negative thoughts.
The party theme was the seven deadly sins, which were pride, wrath, lust,
greed, gluttony, sloth, and envy. Yesterday, the witch had told everyone
their most powerful sin, and mine turned out to be wrath. Everybody was
required to wear something that represented their sin.
Mine was wrath, so I had to wear red to represent anger. My hair stylist
had dyed the bottom part of my hair a reddish orange color that glowed in
the dark, which made my curls look like flames.
I noticed Damien glancing at my hair every so often, probably amazed by
it just like I was. I took this time to take him in. He was professionally
dressed in his signature black suit. Underneath it, he wore a red vest with
black designs on it. A black colored shirt was glued to his body while a red
bow tie was placed around his neck to complete the look.
He looked like the definition of perfection today. I mean he looked good
everyday, but today his body was just screaming for attention. His freshly
shaved jaw looked like it could cut a finger. His hair stylist made sure that
my fingers itch to comb through his soft looking hair.
He looked like a present ready to be--
 I stopped myself right there. His smirk reminded me he could read my
thoughts. My eyes quickly averted from his, focusing on getting down the
stairs in one piece.
"Now presenting King Damien of the Vampire World, and lady Alexis
Smith." The guard next to us announced while Damien held out his arm so I
could place my hands on his elbow.
The moment my eyes fell upon the ballroom, my mind was overwhelmed
with amazement. It looked nothing like yesterday, it was transformed into a
perfect place for Damien's birthday celebration.
The center of the room was packed with people, while all around them,
the ballroom was divided into parts by small wooden fences. I quickly
scanned to count about seven different stations inside the ballroom,
probably one for each sin. Different colors were radiating off the different
sections of the room. The first one to steal my attention was the station to
my left.
With the dance floor occupying most of its space, that was the biggest
station of all. Everything there was dark and red, even the disco lights,
giving it the lustful atmosphere. But that wasn't what stole my attention, it
were the four poles set up around the dance floor.
Each pole was accompanied by a stripper wearing the least amount of
clothing possible to hide the body parts which needed to be hidden. They
were dancing and doing tricks that made my eyes widen and my face
cringe.
I was so glad that Emma and her friends had explained all this to me
before getting dressed, or else I would have been so confused.
The nervousness hit me again as I realized we had made it to the bottom
of the stairs. I was glad that I didn't fall on my face or something. People
didn't waste a second to surround us, well surround Damien to wish him a
happy birthday. He shook everyone's hands and accepted hugs from all the
girls.
I saw Emma standing a couple feet away from me with a group of
people, gesturing for me to come over. Her sin was sloth, laziness. So she
had her designer make a pink Sleeping Beauty gown for her. The diamond
tiara made her look truly like a princess, which she was.
I was about to walk towards them but then I felt Damien take a hold of
my hand as he turned towards me, "just gonna abandon me?"
 "I'm not like you," I referred back to the royal Ball where he abandoned
me when I didn't even know anyone, "I'm just going to Emma. Besides, you
have plenty of company."
It was true, the girls in front of us were giving me impatient looks, I
knew when I wasn't wanted somewhere. Damien gave me a smug look, why
did I have a feeling he was planning something?
I took my hand out of his, uniting with Emma and Eric. She introduced
me to some new people who were very inviting. We talked for a few
minutes before someone mentioned they were hungry.
We decided to eat at the "gluttony" section, which was right by the
kitchen. Gluttony was consumption of food or drink more than one needs,
to the point of waste. But for today, everybody could eat as much as they
wanted to because of a special ingredient that took out the fat from the food.
From the labels on the counters, I could tell there was food from different
parts of the human world, Indian, Italian, Chinese, and much more. A liquid
was being passed around that made it impossible for ones hunger to die
down for tonight, so they could try all sorts of different food at the party.
I wonder how sick that would make them in the morning...
I saw a sign that said, chocolate comes from cocoa, which is a tree. That
makes it a plant. Therefore chocolate is salad.
We sat at one of the round tables, while Tanya challenged us for a pani
puri competition.
A girl named Mahi explained Pani puri was an Indian snack, thin and
crispy round balls filled with mashed potatoes, chopped onions, super spicy
water and sweet sauce.
And that is how we ended up stuffing our mouth with as much as we
could eat, the person who ate the most pani puris without giving up would
be the winner.
I came second, giving up right before Eric and I heard Emma say
something about me having an advantage because it was human food, made
for humans.
"People tend to make up excuses to cover up their defeat," I winked at
her.
She stick her tongue out, before Eileen said we should explore other
stations.
We walked into the sloth station where the lazy bums were receiving a
massage while a movie was playing on the big screen. The floor was no
where insight because blankets and pillows were covering the entire area.
A slow relaxing music was also playing.
I quickly walked out, leaving Emma there, because the sight itself made
me yawn. Tanya came with me to the next station which I belonged in,
wrath.
I never understood how could that be my most strongest sin. Maybe
because I had been angry at Damien for locking me up my entire life?
There were mini boxing rings set up, while people were fighting with
each other. But what made me confused was that in every ring, there was
one person who wasn't fighting back at all.
"This is where people can take out their anger," Tanya explained," when
you step in, all you have to say is the name of the person you hate, and their
illusion will appear in front of you. Just their simulation, not the actual
person."
I laughed, "I would rather hit him than his fake image."
"Who?"
I shook my head, "Noone. By the way what's your sin?"
She was wearing a forest green dress that sparkled against her pale skin
while her hair was up in a high messy bun.
"Envy,"she sighed but I barely caught the word because I was too busy
looking at the scene behind her.
Damien was sitting on the throne like chair meant just for him, while a
girl was sitting on his lap. She had super short white shorts on with nothing
but a red bra. My eyes almost popped out of their sockets as I thought that
maybe her sin was lust. I saw Damien's hand was casually placed on her
waist while he talked to people sitting in front of him.
Suddenly, all I saw was red. A fire sparked inside me, which made it
impossible for me to hear what Tanya was saying.
I told her I'll be right back as I didn't waste a second more to make my
way over to where his majesty was sitting.
End of part 1.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
**********************************
-J.S
37. A Night To Remember. (Pt 2)

Song for the chapter- blue jeans by Lana Del Rey. I'll tell you when to
play it. Enjoy.
"The world is filled with evil things,
That blinds your eyes,
And steals your dreams."
-Anon.
_________________________________________
The ballroom,
Crystalline Castle.
**
I lifted up my dress a little so it was easier to walk. My eyes set on the
pair sitting on the throne made everything around me turn into a blur of
nothingness. As I got closer to them, the urge to push that girl off him
became stronger.
Then suddenly a wall appeared infront of me, making me bump into it.
But as my eyes focused on the figure, I realized it wasn't a wall, but a white
collared shirt. A shirt which belonged to a man. A shirt that soaked up the
red liquid, which had spilled from his glass as a result of our collision.
My eyes looked up to find a pair of red eyes, but they quickly turned into
an electrifying shade of blue as he blinked.
"I'm so sorry!" I blurted out as my hand went to my mouth.
The man who seemed to be in his twenties simply smiled and said, "It's
okay, I should have been watching where I was going, too."
But then as he glanced down at his shirt, he frowned. I quickly grabbed a
napkin from a table nearby and started cleaning it, still in a state of shock. I
was shocked because he wasn't reacting the way I expected a vampire to.
These were short tempered creatures as I had seen. Or maybe it was just
Damien who held that title.
I felt his blue eyes watching me as I tried to clean up his shirt. But no
matter how hard I tried, the red stain was still there, as dark as ever. No
doubt it was blood.
 I felt bad for ruining his shirt so I said, "come with me."
I instantly knew how to solve the problem. The laundry room wasn't far
from the ball room. It was night so the maids must have already done the
laundry and Damien's clean shirts must still be in there.
The man didn't question me and simply followed me as I walked towards
the back of the ball room. I guessed he must have read my thoughts about
where we were going.
"I don't know if the King might get mad if your borrow one of his shirts, but
he has way too many to keep track of them."
He shook his head, "believe me, he wouldn't mind. We're like brothers."
"Really? I haven't seen you around before. Are you a royal from another
Kingdom?"
"I used to be a prince actually," he shrugged.
As we made it to the laundry room, I pushed open the set of doors and
was greeted by darkness.
"Woah," he suddenly gasped, "your hair. It glows."
I smiled, "like flames since my sin is wrath."
Grabbing a candle from the hallway, I walked inside the laundry room.
The folded clothes are always placed in the far corner.
"Mine too, but that's understandable. I just can't imagine someone like
you having wrath as your most powerful sin. You seem like the sweetest
person ever. What's your name by the way?" he walked beside me.
"Alexis. And yours?"
"Valentino." he answered, but he seemed to be in shock, "so you're
Alexis? Sorry but I just didn't expect you to be attending this party."
"Why?"
"I don't know honestly, I thought you would be hiding in a room
somewhere trying find a way to get revenge."
My movements paused as I turned to look at him, "revenge?"
"Why, yes. Don't you want people who made you suffer to suffer as
well?" His eyes watched me carefully, "I know about the prophecy. I know
why Damien kept you locked up. You were supposed to be the cause of his
destruction. But you know what I think? He kidnapped his own destruction
and brought it to his doorstep. You might not even have a reason to destroy
him back then, but now you do. He gave you that reason himself."
As I thought deep about his words, I realized he didn't speak anything but
the truth. I would never have even met Damien if he hadn't kidnapped me,
let alone plan his destruction.
But someone who's close friends with Damien telling me this just didn't
make any sense. What was he implying? If they're friends, why would he
want me to take revenge from him?
"I know you're probably thinking what kind of friend am I. I'm not trying
to provoke you to attack him or anything, I just can't see anything wrong
happening around me. I can't see him get away with the horrible things he
did to you without an atonement."
"I don't want any revenge from him. That'll only cause more violence and
create problems that weren't there in the first place."
But he didn't seem to be listening to me as he said, "I know how you feel,
you know? I know how it feels like to get your parents taken away, or rather
you being pushed away from your parents. I know what it feels like when
you don't have your parents' arms to catch you when you fall or their voice
to sooth you at night. All it took was one person who snatched them away
from me. All it took was one person to snatch you away from your parents.
If I can get revenge from that person, why can't you?"
There was something about the way he talked, about the way he moved
that reminded me of someone. But the frown and the pained expression on
his face prevented me from pointing out who exactly.
Suddenly, I saw his eyes turn a purplish color, flickering back and forth
from blue to red until the blood red color was all that remained as his iris.
That was the moment I started thinking if it was really a good idea to be
alone with a stranger.
"Don't you want to ruin him?" There was an edginess in his tone, the
friendly atmosphere long forgotten.
"I don't want to build my world with someone else's ruins."
That wasn't me who said that. It couldn't be. The words came out of my
mouth and it was my voice but it was still not me. Why did it feel like I
didn't have control over myself at the moment?
He was in deep thought for a minute then he smiled as if we weren't just
talking about ruining someone.
"Very well."
I quickly picked up a folded shirt and handed it to him, not wanting to be
in his presence any more.
Taking the shirt from me, he added, "congratulations, you passed the
test."
 I stared at him in confusion, what did he mean by that?
"This was a test to finalize Damien's decision on setting you free tonight.
He wanted to make sure you wouldn't join one of his enemies to take
revenge from him. But now, after I tell him you're not a threat at all, he will
be setting you free tonight. Once and for all."
I couldn't believe I had to prove my innocent again and again to that hard
headed so called King. Did he want me to write it out for him in my own
blood? If this continues, I might just one day prove him right.
"So you've been lying all along? You're not a prince, are you? You work
for him."
I saw him shake his head in the dim light the candle provided, "that part
was true. I was a prince once, I would have been a King if the title wasn't
snatched away from me."
A distant look appeared on his smooth face. His stormy blue eyes
dropped to the floor, but not before I saw an emotion flicker through them.
Guilt.
He was feeling guilty. But for what?
"Oh. I'm sorry," I felt like this was a touchy subject for him so I
apologized.
Valentino's eyes never left mine as he started to unbotton his shirt,
flashing his tan chest. Finally coming to my senses, I turned around to give
him privacy. I waited until he said he was done.
Turning back around, I realized the shirt I had randomly picked matched
his blue eyes. It didn't take him long to tie the tie around his neck again.
He was just hired to spy on me so I made no more attempt to start a
conversation as I led him out of the laundry room.
"Look, I know you hate me for tricking you like that. I was just doing my
job."
I quietly nodded, placing the candle back where it belonged in the
hallway. I could hear the craziness of the party not too far away, as I
followed the noise.
"Let me make it up, yeah? May I have this dance?"
My eyes widened as he held out his right hand, waiting for me to reply.
His question made me think about Damien and that girl once again, how
they were wrapped around each other. It was clear he wasn't going to be
around, he would rather spend time with his precious fan girls. I had
nothing better to do anyways, so why not.
 As I opened my mouth to says yes, a girl who looked no older than 12
appeared next to me. I recalled this being an adult party, then what was she
doing here?
"Miss! I've been looking everywhere for you," by the sound of her voice,
I could tell she had been running, "his Majesty sent this for you."
In her hand, she held a tray while a neatly folded piece of paper sat on
top of it. I hesitantly grabbed the paper and slowly unfolded it.
(A/N, play the song now)
Meet me at the terrace,
The moment you've been waiting for
has now arrived.
All the tears you had left have been
cried.
From now on, it's my turn to grief
And your turn to shine.
After today, our paths will never
intertwine.
Because once you step through the
Portal, your life will begin.
And it will be the end of mine.
-Damien, aka "selfish little asshole".
With each word I read, I found myself suffocating more and more. My
chest tightened as his words registered in my mind. What exactly did he
mean by that last sentence?
Why does it matter?
This was my dream come true. I was finally receiving what I had desired
for my whole life. I should be celebrating my almost freedom, I should be
jumping around in joy. But I wasn't. I should be happy. But I wasn't.
For the reasons still unknown to me.
I couldn't breathe.
Air. I needed air.
"Can you show me the way to the terrace?" I asked the girl, my voice
barely above a whisper. I was hit with all these emotions that I started to
feel light headed.
Murmuring something along the lines of I'll see you later to Valentino, I
followed the girl to the stairs in the ball room.
 As she pushed open the enormous set of doors, the terrace came into my
view.
She turned towards me and curtsied, which caught me off guard. What
did I do to receive such special treatment? Before I could question her, she
dissappeared into the hallway.
Taking a deep breath, I picked up my dress and stepped out of the
threshold, into the windy night. The terrace was big but oddly simple
compared to the other parts of the castle. The floor was concrete while a
few flowers grew around the edges. Some benches and a swing seat was
placed in the middle.
But the scene in front of me left me in awe. Damien stood on the edge,
facing away from me, his hands in his pockets. My eyes barely
acknowledged him, too busy looking at the city far below us. The lights
were blinking like stars on land. From this view, I could tell that this was
one of the highest parts of the castle. What surprised me was there was no
railing across from me. But then again, why would they need one when the
Vampires can just close their eyes and teleport somewhere else if someone
happens to fall down?
I looked up at the clear sky, much thankful that the moon at least
provided some light. But if the sun was fake here, was it possible that the
moon was too?
I'll have to ask Maria later.
My chest tightened once again as I realized I'll never even get to see her.
She was away because her sister was sick. Which was very much possible
since they were humans living in the Vampire world. How did they get
here? That'll forever remain a mystery for me, too.
"You called me up here?" I broke the silence of the night.
"Yes. I did."
There was no movement, just three simple words. I walked closer to him,
not even trying to fix my hair anymore, which was swaying with the wind.
"Once I open the portal, we're going to step into it. You're going to feel
like you're falling for a couple of seconds, but the you will snap back to
reality. The reality of being in the human world."
He was still turned away, which was starting to irritate me. He was being
too straight forward, talking professionally like he was in one of his Kingly
meetings.
 There was just so much to say. It felt like there were way too many
unspoken things between us. The thing was, even I didn't know what I
expected him to say.
You just want him to stop you from leaving.
No. I wanted to leave more than anything. I craved that freedom, to the
point where I wanted to breathe it.
"There's an apartment I rented for you, don't worry about paying the bills
until you get a stable job. My men will take care of that. You will find two
maids at your apartment, they will help you with daily tasks. You need
anything, just tell them," he sounded more ridiculous by the second.
I felt a tug at my heart as he mentioned the plans he had for me, but I still
disliked the thought of it. I realized I was having battles with myself, which
really needed to stop.
I wrapped my arms around myself when a breeze passed by. For some
time we just stood there next to each other, looking at the alive city as if we
could see each person's life play out.
"What is it like, the human world?" I asked him, but still not looking at
him.
A few images of the human world were glued to my mind, but they were
pretty blurry. My teacher scolding me when I drew on the school walls. A
lot of memories of my parents but I would rather not open that door again.
"It's not any better than here, if not worse. At least we treat a different
race, humans, like they're below us. But they... They put down their own
kind. Hatred among the people burns the planet, sometimes literally."
My body shivered at the image forming in my mind. Was I ready to face
a world like that? Alone?
"I've grown up playing with hatred every single day of my life. I think I
can handle it."
I tried to sound strong, but even the hesitation in my voice betrayed me.
His head dropped as if he was looking at the ground beneath his feet. As
I turned to face him, while he still was turned towards the city, a million
thoughts ran through my mind.
I started to feel envious of the wind that ran though his hair. I wanted to
be the wind that kissed his face, wanted to be the air he breathe. Tears
welled up in my eyes, probably a result of the windy night. As I tried to
blink them away, they ended up falling down on my cheeks. I bit the inside
of my mouth when I realized something.
 I would have to leave his hand so that I could grab my freedom.
But I wasn't ready to let go.
"Are you ready?" He asked me, which made me hide my thoughts from
him, or at least try.
"Yes," a lie.
"Well I'm not," Damien finally turned to face me, but the scene infront of
me left me speechless.
His golden eyes were shining brighter than ever, maybe due to the unshed
tears in them. His face looked like it hurt for him to even breathe. Suddenly
his face hardened, but his eyes told a whole different story. Never have I
seen such different emotions clouded in one place.
My eyes couldn't handle seeing him like this. My ears couldn't handle
hearing his broken voice. My Mind couldn't believe his vulnerable state.
And my heart... My heart wanted nothing more than for me to take away his
pain.
Without even realizing what I was doing, I reached forward and gathered
him in my arms. Wrapping my arms tightly around his neck, I pulled him
close to the point where only our clothes stood as a barrier between us. It
didn't take him long to return the hug. But this wasn't just a hug. A hug was
such a simple word to describe what this was. This was a union of two souls
to form one. This was a promise made by me, that it will always be him and
only him. When I pull away, it felt I would be leaving a part of myself with
him.
"I-I was so sure," he started, "I was sure of myself. I promised myself
that I wouldn't fall again."
What did he mean by that?
"I promised myself that I wouldn't stoop this low again."
Suddenly, his broken and defeated tone turned into a confident one.
"But at least I'll be keeping one of my promises. I promised you that
you'll be free tonight. And I'll do just that, set you free."
Before I could tell him that I wasn't ready yet, something hit me.
Pain.
Sharp pain.
In my stomach.
Pulling away from him, my head slowly dropped to look down at my
stomach.
 A dagger was plunged into it, while red liquid coated my already red
dress.
The pain prevented me to think straight.
The last thought on my mind was that he stabbed me.
Damien stabbed me.
"I'm sorry," he whispered and I surprisingly heard it.
Then, he pushed me backwards. That was when I understood why he had
been standing on the edge, so that he could push me off the terrace easily.
As my feet gave up, my body fell backwards into the arms of the cold wind.
Then I was falling. But not to the human world, but to my death.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
***********************************
-J.S
38. Day And Night.

A/N, the song is for the last part of the chapter, I'll tell you when to play
it ;)
"We are all in the same game, just different levels.
Dealing with the same hell, just different devils."
_________________________________________
~~~~~~~~~Unknown's POV ~~~~~~~~
A scream.
A scream pierced through the night sky. Even though I was in the
crowded ballroom, the sound stood out in the mist of the loud music. As I
quickly scanned the room filled with Vampires who seemed to be enjoying
themselves, I didn't find the source of the sound. Not only that, but I noticed
nobody else was affected by the scream, or they just didn't hear it at all.
Narrowing my eyes as I concentrated harder, I realized the noise came
from the outside.
From the terrace.
To find out what was going on, I closed my eyes to teleport at the tallest
part of the castle.
When my eyes opened again, the scene infront of me sent a shiver
through my spine as bewildereness clouded my mind. A man stood at the
edge of the terrace, looking down. Dressed in a black suit, his posture was
stone like, rigid. But before I could try to see who it was, the horrifying
scream once again stole my attention. This time it was lower.
Someone was falling.
Wait, I know that voice.
Alexis.
Without wasting a second more, I ran faster than the wind, towards the
edge of the building. My feet didn't stop when they reached the end of
concrete, and my body fell forward towards the ground as a result. My
wings, as if they had a mind of their own, appeared on my back.
 So much was happening in so little time, that my mind could barely grasp
what was going on. But there was one thought that stood out, as clear as the
day.
I have to save her.
My eyes made contact with her relaxed face, which scared me. Her hair
was flying all around her as she got closer to the ground, but unfortunately
her body wasn't flying. It was just falling, lifelessly. I was thankful that my
wings provided that slight push I needed to reach the ground before she did.
It hurt when one of my feet and a knee made contact with the ground
floor, but the pain was soon forgotten the moment Alexis fell in my
outstretched arms.
Had I not been there to cushion the fall, she would have lost even the
slightest bit of life left in her.
"Alexis!" I finally found my voice.
"Alexis, wake up! Open your eyes, look at me. I order you to get up,
dammit!"
I shook her, yelled at her, I tried everything I could to get any sort of
reaction, any sort of movement from her. But she didn't open her eyes. And
then for the first time ever, there was an emotion in my empty heart. I felt
something I never knew I could feel anymore.
Fear.
The smell of her blood was stronger than ever, making me check her for
wounds. I retrieved my hand from her body, only to notice it was stained
red. The front part of her dress was darker than the rest, and wet.
She was stabbed in the stomach.
The color red blinded my vision, as my anger reached its peak. I was
feeling thirsty, thirsty for the blood of the person who did this to her. I
quickly mind linked my best runner guards to catch the man on the terrace,
and to block everyone from exiting the castle ground. I also ordered the
patrol to spread the blocking powder around the castle, the powder that will
prevent any Vampire from teleporting in and out of this place.
Picking Alexis up bridal style, I stood up. I mind linked Eric to get the
best human doctor to my room as soon as possible.
Thanks to my Vampire speed, I was able to make it to my room quickly. I
was proud of my staff when I noticed the doctor was already there, waiting
for me. I placed Alexis' almost lifeless body on the bed and the doctor
started shouting orders to his nurses.
 I could tell Emma and Eric were holding back questions, but I was
grateful. The thought of not knowing the answers myself angered me. I
couldn't do anything but stand there by my Alexis as she just layed there
with her eyes closed. She looked peaceful but I knew her insides where
fighting for life. Her soul was swinging between life and death.
"What happened to her?!" Emma finally asked.
My Mind completely ignored everyone else as my only focus was on
Alexis. Feeling my golden eyes appear, I turned to the doctor, "Save her. If
anything happens to her, I will take the life out of you and make her drink
it."
The hunger to know who did this to her made me debate if I should leave
Alexis' side to go find answers. I unguarded my mind so Eric and Emma
could clearly read it and know what happened.
"Let's go, Damien. The bastard can't get away, " Eric hissed, snapping me
back to action. My body didn't know what to feel anymore, it seemed like I
was still in shock. Every part of me didn't want to leave her side. But we
didn't have time, we had to find out who stabbed Alexis. I nodded, glancing
at her one more time, and then me and Eric teleported to the ball room.
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
"What do you mean you didn't find any intruder?!" the guards flinched at
my furious tone. Furious? I was beyond furious. I had been receiving the
same response for the past hour now. And the way they seemed to be
looking at me cowardly just added salt to the wound.
I was informed nobody had gone outside ever since Alexis was stabbed,
which was two hours ago. My guards had been sent to different parts of the
castle in groups to find the person who was dressed exactly like me. The
need to save Alexis had prevented me from looking at his face. I just
remembered he was dressed like me. The red bow tie and the red vest was
seen by the corner of my eyes as I jumped off the building.
His scent was hidden with that spray the Vampire hunters invented. It
takes about a day for the scent to reappear as the effect of the spray fades
away. All the guests presented in the ballroom didn't have their scent
hidden, so it wasn't one of them.
"Find the dagger. I don't care if you have to flip the castle upside down, if
you want to live to see another day, you will find the dagger." I looked at the
group of guards to my left, they quickly nodded and dissappeared.
I heard murmuring among the crowd. They had been told everything
about the situation, but I really didn't see any reason why they had to
discuss it with each other.
"Silence!" Eric demanded them. They quickly obeyed because there were
only commoners attending the party, no royals.
No royals.
There weren't any royals here except Emma and me.
Then what was this strong scent I've been smelling for some time now? I
had smelled it on Alexis earlier. The man clearly didn't know that royal
scents can be hidden, but not entirely. Me being a royal gave me an
advantage, my senses were stronger than my guards.
It was very faint, but it was still there. It smelled oddly familiar, but I
couldn't point out who it was. Whoever it was, we had definitely not met in
a long, long time. Following the scent, I ended up in the "Envy" station.
From there, the scent dissappeared.
Even though a million questions were running through my head, there
was only one person I could think of who would dare to cause any harm to
Alexis or me. She had killed someone close to me before, why won't she do
it again? But this time, I knew for sure that she wasn't alone. She had a
royal by her side.
"Get me Katrina," I turned to face the remaining guards who were
waiting for an order, "now."
"And failed to present her alive in front of the King, will result in you
losing your position." Eric added.
My men quickly moved to action, and that was when I couldn't stop
myself any longer. I had to see how Alexis was doing. The desperation to
find out if she'll make it through was twisting my insides. I explained some
more investigation procedures to Eric, leaving him in charge as I teleported
to my bedroom.
I walked closer to the bed and examined Alexis. If they didn't look down
at her stomach to find the now patched up wound, anybody could mistake
her for just being asleep. Her brown hair was sprayed around her beautiful
face.
With her ruined make up, it was a wonder how she managed to look just
as beautiful as with it on. Her long red dress was supposed to make her feel
like a princess.
But now, she just looked like a dying princess.
The hope, all the positive emotions which were always splattered on her
face, weren't there anymore. My eyes were begging to see that smile that
made me smile. The way she frowned whenever I yelled at her, even the
way she glared at me, I wanted to see it all again. It became harder for me
to breathe when I noticed the dried mascara which once ran down her
cheeks. She had definitely been crying before and during the time she got
stabbed, which made me clench my fist. The bastard made her cry.
"How is she doing?" I cringed at how weak my voice sounded so I
cleared my throat.
"Your Majesty," the doctor was struggling to find the right words, but
soon started talking once I ordered him to spit it out, "she was stabbed, but
thankfully the knife didn't injure any of her important organs. The wrong
angle by the person also saved her life..."
"So her life isn't in danger?" I had to confirm that my princess would be
alright.
"No, it's not. But..."
I glared at the fourty year old man, how dare he even try to raise up my
hopes when there was clearly a "but" in his sentence?
"But she had lost too much blood, don't worry, I requested your human
maid with the same blood group as her to donate blood earlier. That blood is
now being filled into the patient's body." the doctor said, but I could tell he
wasn't done talking.
"Then that's a good thing, right? She's going to wake up soon?" Emma,
who I barely noticed stood up from the chair, came to stand next to me. Her
eyes looked puffy as if she had just spent an hour crying, which made me
avert my eyes from her because I was afraid I might just break too.
"That's the thing. We don't know when she will wake up. The next few
days are going to be very difficult for her, both physically and emotionally.
Her body needs time to heal from the event. We were on the verge of losing
her heartbeat earlier, it's still faint. The sooner she wakes up, the better. But
that's not in our hands, it's in hers. We can perform all sorts of different
procedures on her, but at the end of the day, it's up to her to keep fighting.
The main problem that we're facing here is that the patient is losing her
motivation, if she hasn't lost it already. What makes us wake up every
morning? A reason to live. But she doesn't have any, what I've been able to
conclude is that she doesn't have a reason to wake up. She doesn't want to
wake up."
The last bit of patience broke as I grabbed the doctor by his collar, "What
do you know about her, huh?! She's a fighter, not a coward who gladly
accepts the easy way out. She won't give up that easily, she will fight for her
life until her very last breath, do you hear me? That's the Alexis I know. If
my Alexis can be strong enough to stand against a man like me, strong
enough to walk though the burning pain I've caused her and still smile, she's
definitely strong enough to fight death. She doesn't bow down to anyone,
then is who is this attention seeking bitch called Death?"
"Damien! Let go of him," I pushed back the doctor, just because I
couldn't see the pain on my sister's face. She suddenly snaked her arms
around my torso as she let out a sob that broke my heart, "tell me you're
going to bring her back."
I nodded and tried to comfort her, but to be honest, I was the one who
needed the comfort her hug provided. Closing my eyes, I realized I just
wanted someone to tell me that everything will be okay.
But it won't be, not until the girl who was peacefully sleeping woke up. I
didn't dare try to search my mind for the reasons as to why I was so affected
by seeing her in this state. I was afraid of the answers I'll receive.
"Go talk to her, tell her how much you need her. You're the only person
who can bring her back, brother. You're the only person she'll come back
for." Emma stepped away from me, giving me a slight push towards the
bed.
My mind wanted to correct her, wanted to ask her since when did I need
her? But only my heart knew how true that was. I did need her.
I never thought I would admit this, but I did need her. My eyes needed
her beauty, which spreads to everything she touches. Or maybe I needed her
ability to find beauty in even the smallest things. My ears needed the sweet
sound of her voice to block out the screams of the prisoners that haunts my
dreams. Hell my brain needed the headache she provided me with, because
it reminds me that I'm still capable of being hurt. I know it sounded
ridiculous, who would want to feel pain, but the feeling reminded me that
I'm not just an empty shell.
The moment I close the distance between us, when I could hear the
hammering heart of hers, I always felt like it was my own that was beating.
Her touch, her warmth had this way of making me feel human again. The
way she unknowingly took care of me reminded me of the blurry memories
of my mother.
I didn't even notice when this girl infront of me became the reason of my
sanity. I didn't even notice when our bickering became my escape from this
world's reality.
A/N - play the song now.
Taking a seat next to her frame on the bed, I reached out to caress her
cheek ever so lightly, afraid that she might break.
"Hey,"
Really, Damien? She just went through hell and back because your ass
couldn't save her on time and all you got to say was hey?
From the corner of my eyes, I saw Emma forcing the doctor and the
nurses to wait outside the room, and she closed the door after her.
Good, because I really didn't want anyone to know what I was about to
say next.
"I'm sorry. This is all my fault. I'm not just talking about the stabbing, but
you being here in general. If it wasn't for my own stupidity and my wrong
decisions, you wouldn't be here. You would be back in the human world
with your parents, living a meaningful life. You would have been thinking
about what to wear for your senior ball, not wondering if you would live to
see another day. This is all my fault, my fault for letting that prophecy blind
me enough to not know the difference between right or wrong. I know you
will never forgive me, but I want just one thing from you. Please, no matter
what, please don't give up fighting for your life because of me," I couldn't
hold in the water like substance from flowing out of my eyes.
I never thought I would live to see a day where I break down. Today just
proved how wrong I was to think that I wasn't capable of feeling. My hands
grabbed onto her hand, giving it a slight squeeze. I just needed to hold onto
her, maybe to prevent my hand from shaking, or maybe to prevent her from
slipping away from me.
What was I doing? I couldn't be acting weak infront of her like this. I
needed to show her how to be strong, not be emotional instead!
 "When I first saw you, I thought you were the most precious little thing
in the world. I could see the death of your parents playing over and over
again in your eyes, it was never my intention to kill them. I never ordered
my guards to do any harm. That is why they're still rottening in prison,
failing to follow such simple orders from their King."
I wanted to tell her that I never meant for her parents to die, but that still
doesn't change the fact that I was the only person to blame.
"I know your parents loved you very much, Alexis. Wherever they are, I
know they must be watching over you. To see you like this, must be killing
them all over again. If not for me, please come back for them."
No response.
I wiped away my tears, angry at myself for being so useless.
"They must be so proud of you. You've grown up to be a strong,
intelligent woman, I know you must be having a hard time believing that
I'm saying this, but it's the truth. No matter how much I argue with you, and
say that I hate you, I would never wish this upon you," I tucked a piece of
her hair behind her ear, "you're a fighter, baby girl. Someone who can show
me that the world doesn't revolve around me. And it's weird but I love it
when you prove me wrong. I know I sound crazy, huh?"
Please, give me a hint that you're listening.
Please just nod your head. Move your fingers, anything. Please.
No matter what, I won't give up on you.
"We're opposites, you know that? You're like a beautiful sunny day,
always lightening up people's world. While me, I'm the darkest time of the
night, always scaring everyone away. But the night and the day also come
together to form the most breathtaking creations ever, the sunrise and the
sunset. Without you, there won't be any more breathtaking moments in my
existence."
What was I doing? I was spilling all the secrets that I myself didn't know
my brain was holding back. I was never used to talking about my feelings,
maybe because nobody really cared. The last time someone did, it was all
for show. That was when I shut everyone out, I let them believe that my
heart was made of stone. But here I was, spilling my heart out to the woman
who was nothing but a mere prisoner a couple months ago.
I watched her carefully but still wasn't granted with any movements by
her.
No, I will not lose hope.
 I realized how this night took a sharp turn. Earlier I was planning to set
her free from me, no matter how much every cell in my body was
screaming at me to not let her out of my sight. Although my wish was
granted, she was right infront of me, but yet so far away.
And no matter how much I told her to come back to me, she didn't.
My eyes widened in fear as I thought what if she turns out to be the next
person I will lose forever?
My mother.
The man who was like my father.
His wife who raised me.
Then my one true love.
I've lost everyone who was close to me, what if Alexis turns out to be the
next person on the list?
No. Not her.
Suddenly, I felt the royal side of me who was used to always having his
way come out.
"I won't let anything happen to you, do you hear me? Even if death
comes knocking on your door, it'll have to pass through me to get to you. I
will tear this world apart piece by piece if anyone dares to take you away
from me," I stood up abruptly, looking up at the ceiling.
"Whoever is listening up there, did you hear that? I don't even know if
you're real, but I'm willing to believe that you are if Alexis' life may be in
your hand. Please, she never really had the chance to live. If you give her
that one chance at life, I promise I'll make the most of it. I promise I won't
let anyone hurt her again, not even myself."
My eyes softened when I looked at her. Immediately taking a hold of her
hand, I whispered over and over again the words she once said to me,
"Please don't leave me."
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
***********************************
-J.S
39. Feel Again.

A/N
Hey guys, This chapter might seem a bit confusing at first, just go
with the flow, it'll make much more sense at the end ;)
Happy reading!
_________________________________________
"Lying here in dark, the thoughts and
visions of you come the strangest. I
dive into them, always, in hope it'll fuel
a dream...
A chance to be with you."
_________________________________________
The King's bedroom,
Crystalline Castle.
**
~~~~~~~~~Damien's POV ~~~~~~~~~~
Two days.
That's how long it's been since Alexis got stabbed. The scariest part was
that she still hasn't come back to consciousness. Two days since my
birthday, after this, I don't think I'll ever be able to celebrate the day in
peace.
I continued to ignore the pain in my chest as much as possible. I've never
felt anything like this before. I felt like my own life was sliping away from
me. Even thought I was already dead, I felt like I was dying all over again.
I hate feeling again.
I silently begged her through my eyes to come back, like I had been
doing for the past two days. But I received the same response, nothing. I
had barely left her side, much to my kingdom's dismay. My subjects have
been complaining, but it was impossible for me to focus on anything but her
well being. My mind was clouded with her memories, they kept playing
themselves over and over again, sometimes making me feel guilty for
treating her the way I did.
I was such a douche to her, she didn't deserve that hostility. And for
what? Just because I was feeling insecure about my power, was that it?
At the moment, nothing seemed more important than her. I know I
sounded like an emotional mess, but I didn't care anymore if I came off as
weak. For her, I was more than willing to drop my high reputation just so I
could see her smile again.
Yesterday, I had given her my blood to help her heal faster. But the
doctor simply said that her body was resisting it. Which was very strange
because when a vampire gives a human their blood, it's powerful enough to
completely take over the human body, it's easy to mingle. But in this case,
she wasn't letting me help at all. Did she just grow this hatred towards me
recently or was it buried inside her since the very start?
I mentally laughed at myself, was that even a question? The real question
here was how could this human be strong enough to deny me?
I was feeling more restless and helpless as the clock ticked away. It was
taking every nerve in my body to stop myself from shaking her and yelling
at her to wake the fuck up.Couldn't she see her life wasn't just her own
anymore? How could she just walk into my life like that, turn everything
upside down, and then leave me to pick up the mess I had become?
I was used to getting anything I desired. Never did I ever beg for things.
I've grown up to hate it when others begged, even if it was for their life. But
here I was, so close to getting on my knees and beg for her to come back if
need be.
"My king," the guard who was in charge of finding Katrina suddenly
called me through mind link.
"Yes?"
"We found her."
That was all it took for me to drop Alexis's hand gently as I quickly told
the nurse beside me to watch her.
It was time to get some answers I've been dying to hear from that witch.
**
**
**
**
**
 **
I took pleasure in watching Katrina struggle to break free from the ropes
tying her to the chair. With my arms folded and back leaning against the
wall, my eyes glared at her. She closed her eyes, murmuring some witchy
magic words, probably to escape me. I smirked when her eyes snapped
open because her powers failed to work. Letting out a huff, she finally
stopped struggling and glared back at me, "Why am I here?!"
"First of all, I should be the one interrogating you. And second, let's cut
the bullshit and get straight to the point. Now, I expect a honest and clear
answer from you. Live up to my expectations and I might just make your
death quick and not painful at all."
In less than a second, using my Vampire speed, I closed the distance
between us. Griping the arm of the chair, I leaned my face closed to hers.
"Why did you stab Alexis?" I hissed in an angry tone.
At first, I didn't receive the reaction I was expecting. I was expecting
something along the lines of fear, or even anger because her true colors
were revealed. But what I got instead was a look of confusion from her.
Then as her frown slowly disappeared, realization took over her face.
Confusion, recognization, and then pure shock. I could tell her wide blue
eyes held questions but she remained silent.
Although I had dealt with many criminals, which allowed me to read
them like an open book, I was still having a hard time trying to figure her
out.
The discoveries I made and what was on display just didn't add up.
Things were definitely not what they seem, and it was up to me to dig
deeper to find the truth.
"Answer me!" I shook her shoulders, finally bringing her back from her
inner conflicts.
"What?" the confusion returned back to her.
"Do you not understand English, woman?! Honest and clear answer."
"I..." she was deep in thought again, probably trying to find a way out of
this.
"Come on, Damien. You're smart enough, I'm sure you've already figured
this out. Why do you think I did it?"
She was trying to turn the tables here but like she said I was smart
enough to figure it out.
 "I don't like jumping to conclusions when it comes to crimes. Although I
might have an idea of why you did it, I still want to hear it from you."
"What if it wasn't me?"
"Investigation is still going on. We found the dagger, it wouldn't be long
before that leads us to its owner, aka you. So you might as well just admit it
now because you know how much I hate it when people test my patience."
"What happens when you do find the killer?" She asked as if it wasn't
her.
"Slow and torturing death, of course. But if you don't waste more of my
time and be more cooperative here, maybe we can come to an agreement
that satisfies us both."
"Yes," she hesitated but carried on, "I was the one who stabbed her. But I
didn't do it only for me, I did it for you as well. Did you forget about the
prophecy Destiny told you about? That girl is supposed to be the cause of
your destruction, and you're letting her roam free in this castle like a
freaking princess. Can't you see? Alexis is manipulating you. This was her
plan all along, to make you trust her. It's only a matter of time before she
turns the prophecy into reality. She is going to destroy you the first chance
she gets. That bitch is going to betray you--"
"Like you did? You should take a peak at yourself before you accuse
others of such things! Look at what you did years ago before you even think
about calling her a back stabber."
How dare she think that Alexis is like her? She's not a bad person, she's
the most selfless human I've come across. Even though many did her
wrong, she always tries to see the good in people. She brought out the good
in me. Although this world brought her nothing but pain, she never wished
it upon anyone else. In fact, she welcomes my kind with open arms. She
was a loyal friend to my sister. There's no way all that was just for show.
She smirked, "I see she's already got you wrapped around her little
pinkie. Why did it bother you so much when I insulted her, huh? Why can't
you stand me calling her a bitch? You've changed, Damien. Can't you see
she has changed you? I've never seen you so worn out before. I've never
seen you care this much about a human. And what's up with your eyes?
Why do they look like you've spent the last few days crying? Why do they
burst with emotions at the mention of her name?"
"That's enough. I don't have a soft spot for the human or anything. It's
just that she's been through a lot and... I want to end her suffering. I would
have done the same thing if it was someone else on her spot. I care because
she was on my grounds while she got stabbed. She deserves justice."
It seemed like my words went in through one of her ears and out the
other. The witch completely ignored me.
"Now that I think about it, you never tried to punish me for killing your
father. But I can see you already planning my death for stabbing Alexis.
Could it be because you've fallen for her?"
"I told you to stop talking! Or should I shut you up myself? Your glass of
evilness is full Katrina. It's time you get punished for your sins."
I grabbed the dagger placed on the small table next to me, it was coated
with the venom that would kill a witch instantly if it made contact with their
blood. I had the dagger placed on her neck in an instant. Her eyes held fear
now but she quickly closed them to hide it.
"This wasn't the first time you tried to kill her. The reason you came back
wasn't because you left your home for me, but it was because you wanted to
get rid of Alexis. That night when she experienced that severe stomach
pain, it was you causing it. You were trying to suck the life out of her by
performing some rituals in your room. What I still don't get is why? It can't
be just because she's meant to be my destruction, you would be more than
happy to destroy me yourself. There's something else that I'm missing here.
Why do you loath her so much?"
Her eyes opened again, a guarded expression took over her face, "Isn't it
obvious? I want you back to myself, Damien. That girl stood in the way of
what I wanted, so I simply decided to get rid of the obstacle. Yes, that was
me performing rituals to kill her that night. She would have died then and
there if you didn't approach her. Your mere presence caused the pain to
disappear. I guess the warmth of your love broke her out of the cold walls
of my envy."
I laughed at her well thought out story, while she just looked at me
confused. I can't believe she really expected me to fall for all her lies.
"Liar. It wasn't me who ceased her pain, it was you."
I watched as the words drawn on her, she suddenly panicked, "What are
you talking about? I was the one who caused her pain, so why would I want
to cease it?! I wanted to kill her, throw her out of my way, so I could get
you back. During these years I spent away from you, I realized how much I
truly loved you. I simply wanted the love of my life back, the love she was
beginning to take away from me. I had to kill her before she killed you. I
finally succeeded, on the night of your birthday, she wasn't lucky enough to
escape her death."
"Did she know it was you who stabbed her?"
"Do you think I'm stupid? Of course I hid my identity by wearing a
mask."
Yes, of course you wore a mask Katrina, I thought sarcastically.
"Your sick. You can't die this easily, not after you made an attempt to kill
my sister when she tried to push you away from Alexis."
"What was I supposed to do? Your sister was getting in the way of my
target," she shrugged cassualy. I found it surprising that she was going
along with all the lies I was throwing at her.
It wasn't her.
She didn't stab Alexis.
"You can drop this act now." I demanded her but she just looked at me,
more furious than ever.
"If you're going to get rid of me, do it now. You said you'd kill me in an
instant if I told you why I stabbed Alexis. Well there you have it, I wanted
you, Damien. But now I've realized that you're far too gone for me hold
onto you. You said you wanted to kill Alexis' killer right? Well I'm right
infront of y--"
"Stop fucking lying! I knew it wasn't you who tried to kill her, but you
just confirmed it. And I also know that you know who tried to kill Alexis.
Who the fuck are you trying so hard to save? Who is this person that you
would give up your life for?!"
She laughed humorlessly, "You're forgetting something, Damien. I don't
care about anyone but myself, you said that yourself. I'm the same Katrina
who killed your father, I'm the reason you were tortured. And you still
refuse to believe how cruel I am."
"If it was the old Damien standing infront of you, your dead body would
have been lying on the floor, drowning in your own blood by now. But the
thing is, I'm not the same Damien I was a couple months ago. You were
right, she changed me. She taught me how to think more logically instead of
acting upon my anger. Now, you're probably wondering how I came to
know of your innocence? The answer is simple, I had my men spying on
you the moment I allowed you to stay here. I knew there had to be bigger
reason as to why you returned. And there was."
 "My spies told me beforehand that sandwich was drugged, but I still ate it
to find out what you were up to. While I was under the influence, the
security was increased. But I was confused as fuck when you didn't do
anything. After leaving me unconscious on my bed, you went back to your
room. You were peacefully sleeping when Alexis felt that pain. The doctor
who checked her was a witch, she informed me that the pain Alexis felt was
due to a witch performing a ritual to kill her. But the method could be
interrupted if another witch touches the person. You were the one who took
away her pain by touching her forehead and secretly murmuring."
She scoffed, refusing to believe a word I said, "Admit it, you just don't
want to kill m--"
"You knew Alexis' life was in danger. That's the reason you came back,"
my voice raised a little, "What I don't get is why were you trying to save
her? I have a feeling you know all about the situation, you know who is
trying to hurt her, you know who's behind all this! Who are you trying to
save, huh?!"
Her eyes avoided looking at me, they stayed glued to the plain walls of
the dungeon. Her mouth was pressed in a firm line, as if holding back the
words which were on the tip of her tongue.
"Fine," I said, standing up straight, "I guess I'll just have to track and
hunt down your loved ones back at your kingdom, I'm sure it's one of them
if your trying so hard to save the person."
"You'll do no such thing!"
I turned to leave but her mumbling stopped me.
"What was that?" I turned back around to look at her, to be met by her
narrowed eyes.
"It was my sister who was planning Alexis' death a while ago." Katrina
looked like she was forcing the words out of her mouth, "One day when I
found her trying to control your mind, I just knew I had to do something to
stop her. But for that I had to know her plan first, without her getting
suspicious. She was controlling you to separate you from Alexis. So I made
a plan of my own, I came here, got you under my control to make her
believe she was succeeding in creating this wall between you guys."
I interrupted her, "so technically, you did the same thing she was going to
do. How does that make you innocent?"
She shook her head, "I only did it because I needed time. I needed time to
find out what she was planning to do next. I was afraid it was something
big. So until I found out what it was, I decided to make her believe her plan
was working. That she had you under her control but in reality, you were
under mine. If you hadn't thrown me out of the castle on the day before
your birthday, none of this would have happened to Alexis. I thought you
would protect her, dammit! But you were probably too busy giving that
attention to some whore, huh?"
Scowling at her, I chose to ignore her words because I was afraid my
anger would again get the best of me. Or maybe I was angry due to her
being right.
"You never told me you have a sister,"
"I didn't tell you a lot of things back then, Damien." she gave me a straight
look.
"Fair enough. What's her name?"
"Destiny."
"That witch is your sister?! The witch who told me about the prophecy
ten years ago?"
I couldn't believe this. But now that I think about it, they could definitely
be sisters, both culprits and plotters.
"Small world, huh?" she just shrugged.
"Hold on. Why would Destiny want to kill Alexis? What does she
accomplish from this?"
"Because you're in the way of what she wants, power. She can't just kill
you to gain your position, but she can do something that will spread hatred
among your people towards you. She can kill your Vampire side, bringing
you back to your original form. If she succeeds, you will only be an Angel,
like you were when you were 5."
I let out a chuckle, "and just how would she manage to kill the strongest
Vampire King?"
Just the thought seemed hilarious.
"By killing Alexis, of course. Your entire existence depends on her. Until
she keeps breathing, you're out of danger. But the moment she dies, you die
with her. If she falls, she's taking you down with her."
What? Whatever Katrina said didn't make sense at all. How could my life
depend on that human? Why?
"She's your mate. The pain you've been feeling in your chest for some
time now, is the pain of losing her, your other half. Now that your Vampire
side has met his mate, and the bond has gotten stronger with every second
you spent with her, you won't be able to survive without her."
What she said next made me stumble back, while it felt like I was on the
brink of my death. My life literally flashed before my eyes, making me
realize nothing will ever be the same again.
"You need her more than the air you breathe and the blood you drink."
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
***********************************
-J.S
40. Why Does It Hurt?

(A/N - Song above for the second half of the chapter ;)

"I could've seen this coming right from the start
You should beware, beware, beware
Of a woman with a broken heart."
-Beware by Big Sean.
______________________________________
A day later..
~~~~~~~~~~Damien's POV~~~~~~~~~
"Look who's finally awake," I said, sarcastically, as the girl's eyes
fluttered open to meet mine. Fear immediately shot through them, but it
didn't take long for her to return to her calm state.
"Welcome to the loving dungeons of the Crystalline Castle, Destiny," I
gestured to the plain walls of the small room we were in, "your sister is
thrilled to have you here."
She turned her head to the side to find a smirking Katrina present.
I had never felt more proud of my men than I was in this situation, with
both of the culprit witches tied up. One of them might be the reason Alexis
was fighting death, that thought alone was enough to make my blood boil.
Destiny started thrashing in the seat, trying to pry the ropes off her. Her
body wasn't the only thing moving, her mouth started to shoot questions at
me too, "Why am I here, Dami-- I mean, your majesty?"
"You know the answer damn well, Destiny. I'm sorry we had to meet this
way after... What, ten years? But you brought this upon yourself because of
your evil tricks," I said, all the while glaring at her, "That prophecy was
never meant to come true, was it? You tricked me into believing Alexis was
a threat to me, just so I would--"
"You think I wanted to do any of that? I never wanted to tell you only
half of the prophecy, she made me do it!" Destiny pointed an accused figure
at Katrina.
"What's the other half of the prophecy?"
 Secrets were being kept from me, and my fingers iched to dig them out.
Hell it felt like everybody was plotting against me. I didn't know who to
believe and who to not believe. Why did I feel like these sisters were just
trying to confuse me?
"Never mind that, I don't wanna know. It'll probably be another lie
anyway. You know what? I've come to a solution to this problem. Since it
looks like you both are going to be pointing fingers at each other for
eternity, I might as well kill you both. I want to be able to sleep peacefully
tonight, knowing that the one who tried to kill Alexis is six feet under,
dead."
Adjusting the knife in my hand, I walked closer to Destiny.
"Katrina is only doing this to get me out of her way!" that left me
confused, once again.
"What do you mean?" I narrowed my eyes at her, tired of the sisters'
bullshit.
"She wants you to kill me because she's in love with my mate."
What?
It was now Katrina's turn to defend herself, "That's not true Damien!
Wait... It is, but he's my mate, for God's sake! She's accusing me of her dirty
deeds so that she can have him. She's the one who wants to throw me out of
her way."
I let out a chuckle," oh, this is great. I didn't know two sisters being in
love with the same guy drama was involved in this as well. Just when I
thought I've had enough of your lies, you pull this stunt on me. Katrina, if
he's your mate, then I'm sorry for your loss."
I turned toward Destiny, "and if he's yours, then I'm sorry for your loss.
There, you guys received that pity glance you were aiming for. But now,
without further delay, let me just finish you both off."
Maybe I wasn't doing the right thing. This was definitely not what I was
taught to do when I learned the duties of a fair King. But at the moment, I
didn't care. I just wanted to get this over with because my eyes were longing
to see that human girl.
Just when I raised the knife up to Destiny's fragile neck, I heard a voice
that I never expected to hear again.
"Hello, brother."
My breath got caught in my throat as I slowly turned around to find my
little brother, my childhood best friend, standing before me. But he wasn't
so little any more, his height same as mine. He looked nothing like the time
he was thrown out of this place, he looked... Better, grown. The only thing
that didn't change about him were his ocean blue eyes, I could almost see all
those good childhood memories we shared together playing through them.
Just as they were flashing across mine.
"Valentino?" I whispered, shocked.
"My king, I'm very sorry. We couldn't stop--"
I quickly told the guard it's fine because it's only my brother. He bowed
and left, feeling much relieved.
My gaze fell upon Valentino again as he blinked once and just like that,
the warmth in his eyes were gone, replaced with the icy cold death stare I
was so used to seeing. It was the stare I received from him the moment he
walked out of the castle doors. At the time, I knew it meant a promise, a
promise of revenge. But over the years, I realized I was stressing over
nothing. My little brother would never hurt me, he broke up with his
girlfriend of three years for me, for God's sake!
Just because she told him I didn't belong in this castle, that I was an
outsider who was receiving way too much attention. The attention that
should only be Val's.
I couldn't hold back the smile that stretched onto my lips, "it's good to s--
"
"Is it, Damien? Are you really glad to see me? I can feel the hatred
radiating off you--"
"That's not towards you! That hatred is towards of these witches who
tried to kill my mate." I tried to explain.
Oh and did I mention what Val's royal gift was? Being able to feel what
other's were feeling. I know it's really not that great but when you want to
tell if someone likes you or not, it's an advantage you have.
"What if I tell you it wasn't any of them? It was me who tried to kill
Alexis, and I would have succeeded if you didn't show up and cushion her
fall."
All the brotherly feelings towards him disappeared in an instant, while
my hands reached forward to grasp the collar of his shirt.
"What the fuck did you just say?"
"Are you fucking deaf?! It seems to me that all these responsibilities of
being a king has aged you. This isn't for everyone, afterall you weren't even
born into this, you weren't born to rule! I've always been the rightful heir to
the throne."
"Are you serious? Is that what this is about?! Your stupid ass was envious
of me so you decided to take revenge by killing my mate?"
I slammed him against the wall as he let out a wince, "Envious. Good
word choice, Damien. Guess what, it was your birthday party that made my
plan possible. Envious, envy... Ring a bell?"
I let his words slowly sink into me, they invaded my mind and suddenly,
it all clicked.
The night of my birthday. The seven deadly sins themed party... Envy
being one of the sins. Every station had its own games, its own uniqueness.
There were booths set up in the envy station, all you had to do was whisper
the name of the person you envy the most and let magic take over. The
specialty of that station was shape-shifting. You were able to walk around,
look and act like that person for the rest of the night, but vampires would
know who you truly are by your scent. That's the thing, Alexis isn't a
vampire, she thought it was really me.
"Why did you want Alexis to believe that I was the one who killed her?"
this was something I did not get.
"It's simple. If by any chance she survives the stabbing or the fall, the
pain of her mate killing her would definitely end her life. And I'm sure it
already did."
Fuck. No words could explain how much my hands wanted to strangle
him to death.
I know Valentino was watching realization draw on me, but I didn't pay
attention to him as I asked the sisters, "is this the mate you were talking
about?"
"Yes," Valentino spoke up, "but it really shouldn't matter to you which
one of them is my actual mate."
I tightened my hold on him, "of course it does! You couldn't have
accomplished this on your own, you had to have help from a witch. Which
one of them is your mate, you sorry excuse of a brother?!"
"I'm not your brother," he took a hold of my shirt's collar as well, "You
know what Damien? Leave my mate out of this. You have me, the main
cause. I'm tired of playing games with you. It's time I get back what is mine
and only mine."
 He pushed me back a little, which made me want to punch him square in
the jaw, but his next words stopped me.
"I, Valentino Knight, challenge you, Damien Knight, to a duel. The
winner gets to rule over the Vampire world while the loser is to never show
his face around here again."
Never did I ever think the brother I used to play fight with, would be
challenging me to an actual deadly duel. But if I backed out now, I would
be seen upon as a coward. I can't let him win this.
"What happened? Not man enough to actually fight for what you want,
Damien?" he raised his eyebrow, amused.
"I will have your head before dusk tomorrow, you asshole. Prepare all
you want at the training grounds until then, but we both know who's-- "
I was cut off by a haunting scream. A scream that I knew oh so well. It
could only belong to one person.
Alexis.
**
**
**
**
**
**
The view in front of me left me speechless.
I watched as Alexis continued to scream and thrash around on the bed, as
if trying to get away from someone. The nurses were holding her down as
the doctor was filling up a syringe. Emma was trying to get Alexis to open
her eyes.
I didn't waste a second more and closed the distance between me and my
mate. The nurses moved aside once they saw me, I quickly took their
position and hugged Alexis' shaking body to me.
She immediately relaxed under my touch as I continued to whisper
soothing words into her ear. She sniffed a little, which made me wonder if
she was crying. The image made me want to hug her closer, as if that'll
protect her from all the cruelty this world has brought to her, including me.
How can I protect her from me, too?
After making sure she wasn't shaking anymore, I slowly started to lower
her head back onto the pillows. Her hair was sticking to her sweaty
forehead. What caused her to act this way?
 "Alexis?" I softly called out to her, afraid that she might start screaming
again. She didn't answer, but I saw her eyes move under her eyelids.
She heard me.
Just at any moment now, she would leap into my arms and then I'll tell
her that she's my mate, my other half. Then all those thoughts of hers about
leaving me will disappear from her mind, and I'll make sure that she lets me
in her heart. I messed up big time, and I was more than willing to make up
for it.
I would spend the rest of eternity gifting her back all those small
fractions of life I took away from her, each with a more precious way.
It seemed as though all my prayers were answered when she slowly
opened her eyes. She looked like a baby, opening its beautiful eyes to look
at the world for the first time. The movement stole my breath away.
Gasps filled the air and I heard the doctor moving around to get
something.
Alexis' eyes scanned the room, the people around her, until her gaze fell
upon me.
Suddenly, all sense of calmness left her body as she started screaming
once again, "You!"
She pried herself off the bed in such a sudden force that she ended up
falling onto the floor, where she continued to scoot away from me. Her eyes
filled with shock and fear, she continued to scream things like, "Get away
from me, you murderer! You tried to kill me, he tried to kill me! Please
somebody help me, get him away from me!"
All I could do was stand up in shock while the doctor, Emma and the two
nurses tried to calm her down, "Miss, please. You shouldn't be moving
around too much, please calm down."
The lady doctor glanced at me, "I think it's best if you leave this room,
your majesty."
I managed a nod and simply walked out of my bedroom, every step I
took away from her hurting more than the last.
**
**
**
**
**
**
 Couple hours later
Trying to make as less noise as possible, I pressed my ear to the closed
doors of my room. Alexis' calm and even breathing told me she was asleep.
Exactly what I was hoping for.
Without wasting a second more, I pushed open the door as quietly as
possible. The nurse quickly looked up from her sitting position. She was
about to say something but I pressed my finger to my lips, telling her to be
quiet.
"You can go get a snack or something, I'll look after her." I said, while
she nodded and left the room without a single word.
Closing the doors behind me, I locked them.
My steps were hesitant as I walked closer to my bed, where the angel was
peacefully sleeping. I had no words to express how grateful I was that she
was out of danger now, she will be back to her normal self in no time, as the
doctor had notified me.
Everything was almost perfect, almost.
There was still the fact that she believed I was the one who tried to kill
her. I had to clarify the situation to her as soon as she gets better. Her body
and mind were still weak, which made her vulnerable to such shocking
news. I had to take this slow, it was better for her that way.
A strand of hair was covering her face, and my fingers automatically
reached forward to push it back.
Which was a big mistake.
Those round, big blue eyes of hers opened and stared back at me,
innocently. When the fear started to show in them, I was reminded of the
time I first met her. That seven year old girl's eyes held the same fear.
It felt like reality suddenly kicked in.
We were back to square one.
I nearly got scared myself when Alexis let out a small scream. She got up
faster than my mind could register and literally flew away from me. Well,
she tried.
She stood up on her shaking legs, walking backwards until her back was
against the wall.
"You, again! Please don't kill me... I'm sorry, I'm sorry... I will never try
to l--"
"Alexis!" My voice was louder than I expected, which made her flinch
and even more scared.
 Great going, you asshole.
I got off the bed and walked towards her, with my palms facing towards
her to show I wasn't carrying any weapons on me.
Which I probably won't even need if I was trying to kill someone, but
that's besides the point.
"Look I'm not trying to kill you, Alexis. That wasn't me you saw on the
terrace, I would never hurt you. You're my ma--"
She screamed again, pressing her body to the wall, "stay away! Don't
come any closer. Help! Somebody, Emma! P--"
There are times when I'm not very proud of my short temper, and this
was one of those times.
Before she could continue to bite my ears off, I placed my hand over her
mouth, "shh. Dammit, woman. For someone who hasn't spoken in days, you
sure as hell have a strong throat."
She kept trying to get away from me, shaking her head and mumbling
against my hand.
I sighed,"I'll let you go but you have to promise you won't scream."
She slowly nodded and I let go, but instantly regretted it.
"Why did you try to kill me?"
This time, her voice was barely above a whisper. Her eyes were holding
back tears as betrayal flashed across her eyes.
Was it because of me? Did she believed I betrayed her?
But isn't that a good thing? You could only feel betrayed by the people
you trust and care about, so did that mean...
Her broken state brought me out of my thoughts. Hell I would rather
have her scream at me all day, just not this.
I knew she was terrified, but I still took the risk of cupping her face with
my hands. I was much grateful when all she did was flinch a little, but didn't
push me away.
God, I missed her so much.
"Alexis... That wasn't me. It was--"
"I saw you with my own eyes," a tear fell from her eye, "you invited me
to the terrace, gave me that hope I've been seeking for my entire life. You
made me dream my freedom only to snatch it away in the most twisted,
fucked up way possible. You stabbed me."
When she let out a sob, I tried to speak up, but no words were leaving my
mouth. Her words were like a slap to my face, they left me speechless. But
they weren't true, all I was planning to do that day was set her free from me,
back to the human world.
"Was that your plan all along? I can't believe I was naive and stupid
enough to believe you when you said you're setting me free. That was your
definition of setting me free. Once and for all, like you said."
I couldn't take it anymore, "that wasn't me! It was--"
She suddenly pushed me away, cutting me off once again.
"Stop, you're making it worse! How many more lies, your majesty? You
know what I don't understand? I don't understand why does the pain of you
trying to kill me hurts more than the actual stabbing! My body may have
survived but the thought of you betraying me is slowly and painfully eating
my soul. Why?! Why does this invisible wound on my chest hurt more than
the-- ow."
Alexis' hand quickly grabbed her head as if she was feeling lightweight.
"Baby-" I placed my hand over hers, and then tried to pick her up to carry
her back to bed, but she refused to get close to me.
"You need to calm down," I shushed her, "It's --"
"Don't touch me," the fire in her eyes were back again, "Who knows
when you might strike again."
I took a hold of her shoulders, bringing her body dangerously close to
mine, her face only centimeters away from mine.
"I would never try to hurt you because I fucking lo-"
No.
I can't let this happen again, I can't let my anger get the best of me.
"Are you just going to give up on me this easily? What happened to the
Alexis who always saw the good in people, who always believed in me?"
"You killed her. Didn't you say yourself that this world is anything but a
fairytale. That day when I almost got raped, you told me this place is filled
with monsters hiding under a friendly mask. You just turned out to be one
of them."
Ouch.
"You're right. I am a monster, was and maybe I'll always be one. It was
stupid of me to think I could give you that fairytale you've always dreamed
of...
"
Why didn't I think of this before? It was wrong of me to keep her here
with me, caged once again, just because she's my mate. I was being selfish
again.
"What are you saying?" she asked, confused.
I wasn't even making sense anymore, not even to myself.
"You deserve better, someone who wouldn't think twice about placing all
the happiness in this world at your feet. Someone who's capable of lo-" I
turned away because I would never want to leave if I kept looking at her,
"I'm truly sorry, for everything. I know the damage I've caused is beyond
repair, but I hope some day you can find a way to forgive me."
Sometimes I really hated my sharp senses. As I walked away from her, I
didn't want to listen to her hammering heartbeat. It only reminded me that
it'll never beat for me.
As a drop of her tear fell onto the floor, I realized that I didn't just make
her cry a river, but an ocean for me.
I hope that someday, somebody can shower her with so much love that'll
match the depth of that ocean.
But why did the thought fucking hurt?
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
************************************
-J.S
41. Answers.

(Song for the chapter - Professional by the weeknd)

"You said you liked storms, so I let you in
Turns out you could only handle a little rain
And I'm a hurricane."
-Anonymous
______________________________________
~~~~~~~~~~~Alexis' POV ~~~~~~~~~~
"Alexis,"
The voice woke me up from my slumber and my whole body became
alarmed.
Was it Damien again? Didn't he tell me he would leave me alone from
now on just last night?
"Alexis, wake up,"
Oh it was Emma.
When my tired eyes met hers, she sighed in relief, "I know you must be
feeling down right now, but this is really important. Go shower, there's
someone here to meet you."
She turned to the maids, ordering them to assist me and make sure my
wound remains untouched.
Sitting up, I asked her," Who wants to see me?"
A small part of me was afraid that it might be Damien. I didn't want to go
anywhere near him.
"Trust me, you'll know soon enough. Now come on."
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
 A Guest bedroom,
Crystalline Castle.
**
I stared at the middle aged woman in front of me, wondering if I've seen
her before. As she stood up from the love seat, I noticed her odd attire. She
was wearing a peach colored gown with tiny beads decorating the borders.
With her hair pinned back in a bun, she looked like a person who lived a
simple and sober life. But there was just something about her that screamed
power.
I noticed her two followers standing behind her as well.
"Hello, my dear. The name's Melinda."
I gasped. Melinda.
She's the person my life depended on. Damien was waiting for her arrival
from the human world before he decided to kill me. I recalled him telling
me she's one of the oldest witches alive, also like a mother to him. She's the
one who saved him from Katrina and other vampires' torture.
She was finally here. But I was still debating if that's a good or bad thing.
"I- I'm -"
"Alexis Smith, reincarnation of Aaliyah Knight. I know, dear."
Rein- What? Wait... I've heard that name before, or read it. Then it
clicked, the painting in the locked room. That was the name of the Queen
who looked exactly like me.
Did she know the secrets behind that picture?
"I'm sorry for being late, Alexis. I just got caught up on some important
issues in the human world. If I had known Damien has found his mate, I
would have came back sooner. Now, I know you must have a lot of
questions. We have a lot to discuss, why don't you have a seat first? I can
see you're unwell."
Did she just say I'm... Damien's mate?
Feeling a little dizzy, I sat down on the chair the maid placed before me.
Melinda sat across from me, her eyes carefully studying me.
I was about to ask her about the mates thing but she spoke before me,
"Did you notice the sudden change of Damien's attitude towards you
yesterday?"
Of course I did. Ever since I've woken up after God knows how long,
Damien has been awfully nice to me. It almost seemed like he wasn't the
one who tried to kill me. Either that or he was a great actor.
 Why was I even thinking about other possibilities? Of course he's the one
who stabbed me. I saw him with my own eyes. It was him.
"Yes, he's been very kind towards me... Almost like he actually cares. But
no matter what he does or says, I will never be able to look at him the same.
I will never be comfortable in his presence again, not after his attempt to
kill me," I explained to her, but it seemed like she already knew about the
situation, "But what I don't get is... How did I survive? There is no way I
could have survived that fall, unless someone..."
I drifted off in my thoughts again.
Melinda nodded like she knew what I meant, "unless someone caught
you before you hit the ground. Yes, that's exactly what happened."
I gasped again," who was it?"
"You'll know soon enough, dear. For now, it's important for you to
understand Damien's sudden change of behavior. The mysteries that you're
about to solve, they have already been figured out by him. When he found
out you're his mate, the guilt washed over him. He couldn't even face you,
even though you were unconscious. So he came here, in this guest bedroom
you used to occupy. He was searching for peace, and he found it here where
your scent invaded the room. That was when he found the letter. The letter
you took from the locked room, remember?"
Oh my God... He found out about me stealing that letter. I will surely be
dead the next time he comes across me.
"That should be the least of your worries, Alexis. Why don't you open
that drawer and find out for yourself why?"
I didn't waste a second more, almost knocking back the chair, I ran to the
drawer. The wound in my stomach complained, but I ignore the pain.
Opening the drawer, I took out the folded piece of paper and began reading
from the top again.
Ezekiel,
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry.
I know such a simple word would never be enough to erase this stain on
my character. It will never be enough to make you forgive me.
I will always be the girl who made the first Vampire fall in love with her,
just to rip apart his world. It was my fault your own people turned against
you. They didn't want a human as their Queen, a race they thought wasn't
capable of running a kingdom, a race which wasn't even considered a class.
But it never mattered to you, your strong love for me was reaching the
sky that even these bat turning Vampires couldn't stop it from growing. You
treated my like a princess when you first met me. You treated by like a
queen when you fell in love with me.
You use to say "Queen, because Queens deserve only the best,". But this
queen doesn't.
This queen doesn't deserve anything but death.
Some say that the life is a beautiful lie and death is a painful truth.
But now my life has become a painful lie and death... Death suddenly
sounds like such a sweet truth.
But that is something I don't deserve either.
I wish... I wish I could experience the pain you went through.
Maybe that will take away some of this guilt.
I wish I could feel it all. The betrayal, the suffering you felt when you
were killed by the love of your life, your soulmate, your other half.
I'm sorry for killing you.
You gave me all the happiness in the world, but I brought you death.
I swore to avenge my parents' death, but when the killer turned out to be
my mate, you can't imagine how devastated I was.
This is hurting me as much as it hurt you, my love.
I can't go on with this pain.
Before I end my life, I only have one wish.
There's only one way to get rid of this guilt, for me to feel the pain you
felt when I stabbed you in the heart.
I will pray till my last breath that may my wish come true.
Always yours,
Aaliyah.
My breath hitched as I read the last few words of the letter.
Who in their right mind would wish such things upon themselves?
Love is definitely a crazy thing.
I felt Melinda place a hand on my shoulder, "The saying be careful what
you wish for has never made more sense."
I turned around to face her, " What does this mean?" I held up the letter.
Although, a small part of me knew exactly what this meant, but I still
wanted to hear it from her. The woman who seemed to know everything.
Fear overwhelmed me as I waited for her answer.
"You are a reincarnation of Queen Aaliyah while Damien is Ezekiel's.
After Damien read this letter yesterday morning, the Ezekiel inside of him
awoken and all your past memories together washed over him. He
remembers everything now. But I'm having a hard time believing that's not
the case for you. Do you feel any different after reading this letter?"
I thought about her question for a second. Did I feel any different?
No, I didn't. I felt like the same Alexis I was a couple minutes ago. If I
was Queen Aaliyah in my past life, then why couldn't I remember? I didn't
remember a thing, not even me writing this letter. I felt no different, maybe
that's why I was thinking if this is even true or not.
"Don't stress yourself too much, maybe it's better this way. There are no
limitations to what people would do to forget a haunting past, so consider
yourself lucky because you don't have to live with the guilt anymore," she
took the paper from my hands and grabbed a candle that was still burning
from the night before. I watched as she put the edge of the paper on the
flame. The flame expanded upwards, turning the paper into ash, burning
away the past.
Was any of this even true?
It made so much sense though. Queen Aaliyah's wishes came true when
Damien stabbed me.
Tossing the last remains of the paper on the floor, Melinda looked at me
again, "Now comes the most important part. Close your eyes, dear, I want
to show you something."
"What?"
"Trust me, you need to see this. Hush and close your eyes now."
Hesitantly, I did as asked, only to be met by the biggest surprise of my
life.
As the scene disappeared, I opened my eyes again. I stared at her in
shock.
"It wasn't Damien, it was Valentino who tried to kill me?! Oh my God..."
I clenched my forehead and took a seat, barely being able to stand up after
watching what happened that night play out before my eyes.
It wasn't him. It wasn't him. Damien didn't try to kill me, why was I
foolish enough to believe otherwise?! And that jerk didn't even try
explaining all this to me last night!
 Okay... Maybe he did, but I was being way too stubborn to even listen to
him. But can you blame me? The moment I opened my eyes, him stabbing
me was fresh on my mind. It made me want to get as far away from him as
possible.
I should have given him a chance to explain, God dammit!
Melinda placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, "It's okay, we all
make mistakes and yours was justifiable."
"You don't know how bad I feel. I treating him like... Wait, why would
Valentino want to kill me? What does he want from me?"
She sat by me and answered all my questions. I found out Valentino only
wanted to kill me because I'm Damien's mate. If I die, then his vampire side
won't be able to survive without his mate. Valentino wasn't alone in this
wicked plan, he had a witch helping him, it was either Katrina or Destiny.
She told me about Valentino and Damien being brothers, both hungry for
the throne. That's the reason a duel was taking place between the two
tonight. Sword fight until the other surrenders.
The image made me want to vomit.
I don't know what made me want to stop him. Maybe the fact that he
might get seriously injured?
Another thought hit me," I'm Damien's mate?"
She nodded, "Yes, I have a feeling you already know what that means,
right?"
Shock consumed me, while I was still afraid to even think about us being
mates and what new problems that might cause.
"What about the prophecy that brought me here..?"
I watched her smile for the first time, "aha I've read the prophecy and
yes, it is, in fact, true. The prophecy about you being the cause of
destruction will be turning into reality sooner than you think, dear."
"What do you mean? What am I going to destroy?" I asked her, even
more confused.
"I'm afraid only time will give you that answer. My job here is done, but I
will be residing here for a week more until all these issues between the
brothers are solved. You mind helping me with that?"
The prophecy still invaded my mind but I smiled and said, "of course.
Just tell me what you need me to do, I owe you."
And I really did. Who knew a conversation with this woman would make
me look at my life from a completely different angle? Although there were
many other unanswered questions that I didn't know myself at the moment,
It still felt like a breath of fresh air entered my lungs.
All those sparks I felt whenever my skin made contact with his, that bond
I've always felt between us... It was a sign. A sign that it was meant to be.
I knew I sounded like a love sick puppy but-
Love?
Was I in love with Damien Knight?
No, of course not. This was just the mate bond making me feel and think
such things, I didn't even know what love is.
"Actually I need you to do something for me," my attention drifted to
Melinda again as she said, "go talk to him. When I met him yesterday, after
he walked out on you, he was very angry, blaming himself for all the
unfortunate events in your life. Knowing Damien, he's probably somewhere
in the training room, letting out all that anger built inside him. You're the
only person who can put him out of his misery, Alexis. What more can a
mother want than her son to be happy?"
Smiling sadly, I placed my hand on hers, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
The training room,
Crystalline Castle.
**
The training room was pitch black when the guard closed the door behind
me. Moonlight was the only source of light that peeked in through the
window, and under that ray of brightness, stood none other than his majesty
himself.
He didn't notice or acknowledge me yet, since he was too busy doing
tricks with a long, wooden stick in his hands. My gaze fell upon his chest
which was covered by a layer of sweat, glimmering under the moonlight.
His body moved naturally, handling the stick as if it was a part of him. No
doubt he was practicing for the sword fight tonight.
 Just thinking about what might happen tonight made my stomach turn. I
had a bad feeling about this, the same feeling I experienced the night of his
birthday.
I had to somehow stop him from fighting with his brother, who knew
what tricks Valentino had up his sleeve this time.
As I walked further into the room, I noticed it wasn't as cold in here.
I didn't realize I was just standing there admiring his beauty until Damien
fell on one of his knees, ending the practice. The sound of the stick making
contact with the floor brought me out of my stance, while Damien lifted up
his gaze ever so slowly. His eyes looked at me so intensely that I forgot how
to breathe and my mind went blank.
All of a sudden, he stood up and walked closer to me, looking rather
concerned now.
"Alexis, what are you doing here? You should be resting in bed instead to
touring the place," he frowned.
"He remembers everything now,"
Melinda's words repeated themselves in my mind but I was having a hard
time believing them.
There was nothing different about him, except for the concern directed
towards me.
Maybe he's just a good actor. But was he ever planning on telling me
about it?
Knowing he can read my mind, I quickly pushed the thoughts away.
"So you want me to stay in bed, bored out of my mind all day?" I asked
him.
"Aali-" his hand reached out to touch my cheek but he closed his mouth,
realizing what he was about to call me. I let out a small gasp as his hand
made contact with my skin.
Why was his touch ten times more electrifying?
I closed my eyes tightly for a second, trying to ignore the sparks that
spread throughout my body.
"Alexis, how are you feeling?" His voice was just above a whisper.
"I'm feeling better," my voice came out a little squeaky so I cleared my
thought and said, "yeah, I'm fine now."
"Are you sure? I'm a little confused, see. Why aren't you trying to get
away from me like you were last night?"
 The whole time he was talking, my eyes were glued to his lips, those soft
kissable lips of his.
Jeez, what was wrong with me?
Quickly averting my eyes from them, I noticed the fact I've been ignoring
since yesterday.
The always sharply dressed, fresh and clean vampire looked like he just
woke up from the dead. His eyes were a little red and tired, while it seemed
like he hasn't shaved for a couple days.
Could it really be because he was worried about me, like Melinda said?
I snapped out of my thoughts, realizing he asked me a question.
Why am I not trying to get away from him?
"You know how to read minds, so why are you asking me this when you
probably already know the answer?"
He looked at the floor, dropping his hand from my face and running it
through his hair, "I've... I've decided that I won't be trying to read your mind
without your permission again. I want to fix the mess I've created and I
think respecting your privacy is the first step I should take."
How can he change this much in such a short amount of time? Was this
Damien or Ezekiel talking? Did it matter?
Maybe he really was guilty...
"I just talked to Melinda," I announced.
His eyes widened, "You did? What did she tell you?"
"Everything. She told me you didn't stab me, in fact, you're the one who
saved me," I paused as he let out a sigh of relief, "I don't know what to say
but I think I should apologize for jumping to conclusions so fast."
"Hey," he took my face in his hands again, "it's not your fault. We haven't
really been buddies ever since you came here so it's pretty obvious that you
would believe what you saw."
How can he be so calm after knowing our past? How can he even look at
me after knowing I killed him in our past life?
"She told me about King Ezekiel and queen Aaliyah, too. All about this
reincarnation thing."
He was shocked to here this, and that's when he didn't even meet my eyes
anymore.
"She did? So you remember everything now?"
"Not really. I read the letter... But I don't remember anything about our
past life. Melinda told me you do?"
 "Yeah," was all he said.
The air suddenly became tense. As the time passed, I could feel the
awkwardness getting thicker.
"So I'm guessing you hate me now? I mean I did ki-"
"I don't hate you, Alexis. I know that must be the hardest thing to believe
but trust me, I just can't. I don't even know what to feel anymore. I feel like
there's two different beings in me, and I'm conflicted between who is right.
I'm divided in half, one side of me wants to cause you pain for betraying me
like that, while the other side understands why you did it. I- Ezekiel killed
your parents, even though it was on accident in the dark night. Maybe he
should have been more careful, maybe he deserved what he got. Aaliyah
wanted to revenge her parents' death, so she killed her own mate. I just
know it must have caused her an equal amount of pain as Ezekiel, if not
more. I just hate her last wishes, they made you suffer her consequences.
That's what prevents me from hating you, because you've already suffered
enough. Ezekiel got what he deserved, the Aaliyah within you got what she
deserved, end of the story. I think it's best if we just forget about the past
and move on. Start a new life without any thoughts of revenge or hatred
towards each other."
All I could do was stand there, beyond surprised my his words. Since
when did he become so wise? It made me feel a little better that he was as
desperate as me to just move on from the past.
He cleared his throat before adding, "Um, did Melinda tell you anything
about, you know, the words mates perhaps?"
I internally smiled, if that was even possible. She did tell me Damien and
I are mates, and I remember Emma and Eric telling me what exactly a mate
is.
Someone you can't live without, your other half. Someone who only
belongs to you and vice versa.
Was I ready for that kind of commitment yet?
I don't even have much experience about how this world works, I
wouldn't have anything to offer.
I just didn't know how to take this all in. I was afraid of getting attached,
but at the same time, my heart wanted to take all the risks. I would either
drown or make it back alive, but it sounded like one hell of a journey.
Wait, would he want a mate like me?
 Although I was aware that we were mates, something made me want to
hear it from him.
"No, she didn't. What is it?" I asked, putting on my best confused
expression.
The hope which was clearly shown in his eyes a second ago, completely
dissappeared as he said, "oh... Well, don't worry about it."
That's when I got my answer.
To cover up how upset that made me, I changed the subject.
"I heard you're fighting your brother, tonight. What's the point, Damien?"
At the mention of his brother, the rage filled Damien was back again.
"What's the point? Oh I don't know, maybe the fact that he tried to kill
you?! I'm going to make the bastard suffer for even having such thoughts.
The fight is over when one surrenders, but I'm not really in the mood to
follow some stupid rules. I make the rules. I might just end up killing him.
I'm going to make him regret thinking that he stood a chance against me."
Damien turned away, punching the wall next to me.
"Damien!" I pulled his hand away from the dent he created in the wall. I
winced as I noticed the blood dripping from his knuckles.
"Who do you think you are, huh?" I almost yelled at him, feeling tears
build up in my eyes as I continued to examine his hand.
I noticed a hand towel placed on a small table in the corner and I quickly
grabbed it. As I began to clean up the blood, I could feel his eyes on me.
Suddenly, he retrieved his hand from me, looking at me confused.
"I'm the one who punched the wall, but why does it look like you're
hurting more than me?"
I don't know. Couldn't he just shut up and let me help him?
He stepped closer to me, which I didn't know was possible since we were
already too close. But at the moment, even close wasn't close enough.
His face dipped a little, almost like he was about to kiss me. My eyes
automatically closed as his hand took a hold of my chin.
I felt something stir up inside me as he landed a soft kiss on my forehead.
His luscious lips sending multiple waves of tingles through my body.
His face was still so close to me as he whispered, "stop worrying about
me too much."
I forgot how to breathe but of course he had to add," I mean I don't want
you running into the fighting zone tonight, which I'm sure your
superwoman instincts will advice you to do so. I don't want you getting in
my way when I'm trying to kill my brother, understood?"
I frowned, "you don't know how lucky you are to even have a brother.
You guys may not be related but you grew up together. And I'm sure during
your childhood years you didn't fight over the throne, did you? Children
love unconditionally, and that's your little brother we're talking about here!
Don't tell me there wasn't a point in your life where you would have killed
or died to see a smile on his face."
He shook his head, refusing to even think about it, "but it's different now,
he's different. This Valentino isn't the the Val I grew up with. I didn't even
realize when those playful fights turned into deadly ones. I never knew he
had all this hatred built up inside him towards me. You know what? This
isn't just about the throne anymore. I could have easily rejected his
challenge, but I didn't because I want to make him pay. It doesn't even
matter he wanted to kill me, what makes me break his neck is that he tried
to use you as a weapon. I'll never forgive him for this."
"Damien, I understand why he did it, though. He's just angry. Think
about it, he was born into this royal family as a heir. Then your dad brought
you out of nowhere and anounced you as the next vampire king. How do
you think that made Valentino feel? The attention that he received was
divided in half between the two of you. I don't know the solution for this
situation, but I know for sure that killing him isn't it."
I could tell my words hit home as he was thinking deep about them.
Couldn't they just come up with a fair deal of some sort? But how would
that be possible... There can only be one Vampire King.
Ugh, if his so called father didn't kidnap Damien at such a young age,
none of this would have happened.
"No. I won't let you change my mind this time."
Damien turned to leave but I decided to give it one more try.
"If Valentino's parents were still alive, do you think they would have
been proud of their sons, who are getting ready to rip each other's throat
out? Think about Emma, how would she feel when she witnesses her two
older brothers, who are supposed to be her role models, fight? You're lucky
to even have a family, Damien. Love them."
As I whispered the last words, he opened the door and called out to a
guard.
"Take her back to my room, safely,"
 Why does he have to be so damn stubborn?! I sighed as I realized only
God knows what will happen tonight.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
************************************
-J.S
42. One Last Time.

"The best person in your life is the one who comes to your mind when you
read this."
______________________________________
***********Alexis' POV************
I followed the guard closely as he led me up the stairs and down various
hallways, with each step becoming harder to take. The guilt of two brothers
fighting over me tonight slowly started to eat my insides. No matter who
wins, either way it's bound to be a loss. If Damien wins, he'll lose his
brother he grew up with forever, and if Valentino wins, the kingdom will
lose one of the greatest Kings who had run it. Why should all those people
suffer because of something happened to me?
I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't notice when a fist collided with
the guards jaw and he was knocked out on the floor in seconds. I looked up
to see who had punched him, it was none other than Valentino, Damien's
brother himself.
The man who tried to kill me.
The man who probably won't hesitate to do it again.
My eyes widened as I realized the danger I was suddenly in. There were
no emotions on his face though, he just gave me a blank stare. Finally
coming to my senses, I tried to make a run for it. Key word, tried.
I wasn't even five feet away from him before he had me trapped against
the wall, with his body covering mine. I pushed myself further into the wall,
only to feel the photo frame digging into the top part of my back.
"Let me go, please," I whispered, but my begging seemed to have no
effect on him as he just continued to look at me, his eyes now filled with
determination.
"Help! Someo-" I was cut off when he placed a hand over my mouth,
making my heartbeat increase drastically in fear.
"I mean no harm, I just came here to talk,"
 To talk? How did he expect me to believe a word he said when he
stabbed me merciless not so long ago?
I silently prayed someone would come save me from this monster, I
closed my eyes and tried to reach Damien, if he was really my mate,
shouldn't he be able to sense that I'm in danger?
Damien, please save me.
Suddenly, Valentino grabbed my arm and pushed me inside a room next
to us, closing the door when he was inside as well.
"I won't fight and kill Damien tonight if you just hear me out!"
That seemed to get my attention and I wasn't trying to get past him to
open the door anymore.
"What?" I asked him, confused as hell.
"I'm here to tell you exactly why I tried to kill you-"
"I know that already, because I'm Damien's mate. You wanted to finish
me off so that without me, Damien would be an easy target for you."
He simply shook his head, "No. The prophecy Destiny told Damien years
ago, it's real. But you see, there's a slight twist to it. You're not just bound to
be Damien's destruction, you have the power to destroy the whole damn
Vampire realm."
I laughed at how pathetic he sounded, here we go again with the whole
prophecy thing, they just never seem to leave me alone, do they?
Valentino continued, "I'm serious, there's something dark within you that
I wanted to finish off by killing you, before you kill off each and every one
of us! Realizing Damien wasn't gonna be much help because he decided to
spare your life, Destiny and I came together to get the situation under our
control. You don't know shit, Alexis. You have no idea how much stronger
you're getting the longer you stay in our world. There's people out there
who are willing to sacrifice their everything just to get you under their
control. They want to use you as a weapon to their own means. But I won't
let that happen, so I'm giving you two options. One, you leave this place
and Damien alone, go back to wherever the hell you came from. I'll spare
Damien's life and go run another kingdom with my mate. Or two, stay here
and witness Damien getting killed by my hands tonight. Belive me, I've
figured out the way to kill off his vampire side without using you as a
weapon this time. That way, when I do kill Damien, you'll be as good as
dead too without your mate. If you don't die completely, which is a
possibility because you're not a vampire yet, you'll definitely become weak,
you won't be a harm to us anymore. So whatever you choose, I'll win either
way. Option one will secure the Vampire world and option two will grant
me the throne of this kingdom. It's up to you how you want to make me
win."
What the...? I decided to sit down because I was afraid my feet would
soon give up because my head was spinning too fast. Nothing made sense.
There's something dark within me that can destroy the vampire world...?
How can I be the destruction when I don't even know how to fight?
"It's in your blood. We don't know exactly what you are yet, but you're
not a mere human, Alexis. We've been trying to figure you out day and
night, but everytime we come up with nothing because you seem so normal,
but there's just something that separates you from other human beings. Tell
me this, were your parents really your parents?"
How dare he ask me that?
"Of course they were! I may not remember much about them, but they
were the best memory of my childhood, they loved me and cared deeply
about me!" I said.
He held up his hands, "okay, okay. Just asking because you're different.
We-"
I cut him off, "how do I know you're not lying? You tricked me once into
believing it was Damien who tried to kill me, just so I wouldn't continue to
fight for my life. You're just trying to manipulate me again so that when I
do leave Damien, it'll be easier for you to kill him without his mate, isn't
that it?!"
I think I had his game figured out.
"What?! Okay, I get that it must be hard for you to believe me, so what
do you want me to do to prove myself to you?" Valentino sat on the sofa
across from me, waiting for my response.
That gave me time to think this through. If I leave Damien and go back to
the human world, isn't that what I wanted? But am I really ready to leave
Damien yet? As crazy as it sounded, I've gotten used to his presence. It'll
definitely be hard to live without him for a while, but I had to do this to
keep him and his kingdom safe. They would only be safe if I was away
from them.
"Call off the fight right now. If you really want me to leave this place
alone, call off the fight before I leave, so that I know you're not going to
betray me and still fight Damien tonight." I would be more than glad to
leave, knowing Damien will be okay here, and no danger will come
knocking on his door again, even if that danger was me. I couldn't be selfish
enough to stay with him, he'll be safe without me.
Valentino was deep in thoughts for a while, looking down at his shoe. But
when he looked up, he gave me a clear answer, "I promise to call off the
fight right now if you promise to leave him tonight."
"I will."
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
**
"Are you sure about this?" Emma seemed like she was on the verge of
crying as she asked me the same question for the tenth time. I put the shirt I
was folding down in the suitcase and sat on the bed, next to her.
"Yes, Emma. There's no point of me staying here any longer. Damien was
going to let me go the day I was... stabbed. So it shouldn't matter if I leave
now when I was gonna leave then anyways..."
I just told her that I was leaving because I wanted to, I didn't tell her
anything about what Valentino said, as it was a part of the deal we made.
She didn't know about Damien and I being mates either. It hurt to leave my
only best friend behind but this had to be done, for her own protection.
Knowing I can cause her pain in the future, was enough to make me back
away.
"I know, but-"
"Did you find a place for me to stay at yet?"
"No. Because you're not going anywhere." she frowned.
"Don't be stubborn, Emma, if this is what she wants, let her leave."
My heart skipped a beat when I heard his voice, my back was facing him
so I couldn't see his expression, but I didn't want to. I was afraid if I get a
good look of him, I'll never want to leave him.
What was wrong with me?
Get it together, Alexis. This is the man who was behind those years
worth of suffering. You should be happy you'll finally be free from him.
 So what if we are mates? This had to be some sort of mistake, it won't be
long before he'll forget about me.
I stood up and continued to pack my clothes.
"But Damien, she can't leave just like that! How is she gonna be able to
survive in a world so unknown to her? She wouldn't have anyone to take
care of her there, where is she gonna stay?" Emma continued to shoot a
bunch of questions towards Damien but he didn't respond, I wonder why he
was so quiet? What was he even doing here? I knew Valentino had called
off the fight and decided to leave for good, I overheard the guards talking
about it outside my room and Emma told me too.
"I'll be fine. I'll sleep on the streets if I have to, but I just want to get as
far away from this place as possible."
Maybe if I act cold towards them, it'll be easier for them to let me go? I
laughed internally, it'll be easy for Damien to let me go either way, he's
probably happy that he wouldn't have to put up with me any more.
"Emma, I want to talk to her alone" I heard him finally say something.
"Okay, but you better convince her to stay or I'm leaving with her!" I
heard her close the door behind her as she walked out.
"So, this is it then? Is this your final decision?"
With every word he spoke, he walked closer to me. Now that it was just
the two of us in the room, I felt much weaker. I wanted nothing more than
to tell him that no, I wasn't so sure, I wasn't sure if I'll be able to survive
without hearing his voice or go to sleep without feeling his presence nearby.
I didn't have the guts to tell him that I'll miss those tingles I get everytime
we touch or the way my stomach turns just by the way he looks at me
sometimes, as if those golden orbs can see right through me, into my soul.
That's why I was afraid to even turn around and face him, I was afraid of
the emotions I'll feel when he looks at me that way again.
I didn't want to feel anything towards him.
"Yes. I just want to get out of here" I said instead.
"If that's what you want, I won't stop you. But just say you want to leave
me by looking straight at me. Why aren't you turning around, what are you
trying so hard to hide?"
I simply closed my eyes but when I didn't respond, he turned me around
himself by grabbing onto my shoulders. The moment I opened my eyes to
meet his, the tears that I was trying so hard to hold back, escaped my eye.
His thumb wiped it away the moment it fell onto my cheek, his eyes
looking at me confused.
Even I didn't know why I was crying just thinking about being away
from him.
I can't. I can't leave him.
But then I remembered Valentino's words, you have the power to destroy
him and the whole damn vampire realm.
I had to be strong.
"Why are you crying, are you okay? Does the wound hurt? Let me see it-
"
"I'm fine. Just let me go, and I'll be more than fine once I'm away from
this place, away from you."
I could make out the hurtful expression he was trying so hard to cover, I
wish I could take it back but this had to be done. I had to remember I was
doing this for him as well.
"Alexis... If you really want to leave I won't stop you, but just hear me
out one last time... I know the damage that I've done is beyond repair,
nothing I ever say will bring back your parents, or make up for the years
you spent locked up because of my insecurities, but I just want to tell you
how much I regret putting you through all that. I wish I could take it all
back, all the times I've hurt you, all the sleepless nights you had because of
me, all the tears you've shed, the questions you had going through your
head, I WISH I COULD TAKE IT ALL BACK. But I can't, and I don't
think I'll ever forgive myself for it so I won't ask for your forgiveness either,
because my sorrys won't fix anything. I just don't want to be a monster to
you, yes I actually care about what you think of me which is weird because
I've never cared about what anyone thought about me. I had always been
happy to know people were frightened, I don't want you to fear me."
Why was he telling me all this now? This is just gonna make it harder for
me to leave so I tried to not think of what he said, even though it touched
my heart to know he really did feel guilty for putting me through so much. I
don't think I'll ever be able to forgive him but knowing that he regrets it all,
takes some of the hatred I felt towards him away.
"You're right, there's nothing you can ever say that'll take away some of
my pain, I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive you. So it's better if I just
leave all of this behind, leave you behind and try to move on. I'll just
pretend this was all a nightmare and start a new life, a life where you won't
exist, Damien."
Why did I love the way his name rolled off my tongue?
Damien, Damien, Damien. It was as if I could feel his name running
through my veins, evading my heart, taking over my brain. How am I ever
going to be able to get him out of it, out of my thoughts?
He averted his eyes away from me, as if he didn't even want to look at
me. He moved past me and zipped the suitcase, "I'll have my guards assist
you to the portal that leads to the human world."
"You're not coming with me?"
I realized how stupid I sounded, so I added, "I mean, aren't you gonna at
least come with me to the portal, just to make sure I-"
"You'll be fine," he simply said, still turned away from me.
Then he walked towards the nightstand and grabbed the medications I
took this morning, "I should probably explain to you when to take these,"
I watched as his hand shook a little, and the bottle ended up on the floor,
thankfully no contents fell out of it. The way his voice cracked didn't go
unnoticed by me either.
"I got it," he said as he bent down to pick it up,"you need to take extra
care of yourself 'cause I won't be there with you to remind you to take these
pills. When you get there, take this one as soon as possible, and this- these
blue pills are to be taken once in every 20-- no 12 hours, and these long
ones right after you eat something, and this-- wait, you're not gonna
remember all that, let me write it down for you..."
He started to search the drawer for a notepad and pen but snapped it shut
when he didn't find any, walking towards the study table, he started looking
for it again in a hurry.
"Damien, wait."
He ignored me, "Dammit, where's a damn paper when you need it!"
At this point, he started to move things around, making a coffee mug hit
the floor and shatter. Making sure not to step where the cup pieces landed, I
walked closer to him.
"Damien," without thinking what I was doing, I grabbed onto his arm to
make him face me, but the scene infront of me left me speechless.
There were... There were tears in his eyes.
My eyes widened as realization hit me, Damien Knight was crying.
But why?
 The exact moment he faced me, the tears started falling freely from his
golden eyes, all I could do was stand there in shock as he literally fell onto
his knees and held my hand, almost in desperation.
"P-please, don't leave me," he whispered, his voice cracked with
emotions I've never heard form him before. His eyes found mine and there
was something I've never seen there before, hope.
Seeing him like this, almost begging me to stay, made my heart drop to
my stomach. That's when I knew this was a scene I never wanted to see
again. I would rather see the Damien who never bows before anyone and
carries himself with pride and dignity. I hated seeing him in pain.
"I can't live without you," that sentence alone knocked the breath out of
me.
I wanted to tell him that I can't live without him either, every day would
be like torture, worse than the last one I went through. But could I really put
him in the danger my existence will bring him?
I reached down and took him into my arms, hugging him tightly,
memorizing every muscle in his body because who knows if I'll ever get to
see him again?
He hugged me back just as tightly, as if I'll slip away if he lets me go.
With my arms around his neck, I felt the softness of his hair one last time. I
felt the wetness of his tears on the side of my neck as his hand fisted my
hair as well.
I didn't realize I was crying too until a sob broke through my mouth, I
tried to stop crying, to not come off as weak, but it just got worse as I
started sobbing more and more.
I didn't want to leave him.
But I had to.
When I opened my eyes again, they stared emotionlessly at the plain wall
ahead of me. I slowly pried myself away from Damien and stood up, "I
have to go now."
I felt more like a bitch, just ignoring his protests as I grabbed my suitcase
which was waiting for me by the bed, and walked towards the door.
"Alexis," I heard him call out once more before I crossed the threshold,
ready to start a new life.
Without him,
The Vampire King, who I had fallen deeply and utterly in love with.
 ___________________________________________________________
_________________
************************************
THE END, for now...
The SEQUEL is now up on my profile!! It is called "HIS QUEEN".
-J.S.
Author's Important Message

Hello, my lovely readers!

How are you guys doing?! I know I went missing for the past.. couple
years. *Nervous Laugh*
I don't really know if you guys want an explanation or even care to know;
but I've just been focusing on my undergraduate studies, I am pre-med
student so its been hard to find any time to actually sit down and write!
There were a lot of things; family, friends, college, work, which all
demanded my attention. I hope you guys understand that life happens, to all
of us, and I hope you are able to forgive me for not continuing Damien and
Alexis's story.
To be honest, I was experiencing major writer's block, I had no idea how
to shape their love story next! Plus, it had been a few years so I figured I
come back to the story so refresh my memory. I edited the whole thing,
changed up a few things. Okay, I actually made some major changes to the
story, added some scenes, even changed the characters a little bit. Now you
are probably wondering what in the world am I going to do with these
changes and how can you read them?
I have a very important message for you:
I AM GOING TO PUBLISH THE VAMPIRE KING ON AMAZON.
(Kindle Direct Publishing).
I knew I just couldn't give up on these characters, but there was a lot of
room for improvement so I am still polishing this book. Once I feel satisfied
enough with it, I will have it available for you guys on Amazon as an
eBook AND as a hardcover!! So yes, you will be able to hold your own
physical copy of THE VAMPIRE KING in your own hands.
IMPORTANT: Once I publish the book on amazon, I will be taking it off
Wattpad so you will only have access to it on Kindle. I will publish it on
amazon this MARCH, so please keep an eye out for a link that I will post
on my profile. I'll write another author's note like this on the book itself
with the link, but that will only be up for a day or two!
 **If you really don't want to miss when I publish the book and can't wait,
you can follow me on Instagram where I'll have the link in my BIO!**
INSTAGRAM: XO.JITIKAA
Again, I want to thank you guys sooo much for loving this book and
always coming back to it. You don't know how blessed I feel to have such
an amazing group of readers! Thank you all for reaching out to me, for
worrying about me, even for the threats that I got to update! LOL.
Take care, you guys! I'll be in touch soon!
*On my way to write the much awaited sequel now* XD
Published on Kindle

Hello my lovely readers!!

You have no idea how excited I am to be releasing THE VAMPIRE
KING on Amazon today!
You can find the link in my profile description—>
Wattpad won't let me copy the link here for some reason.
It's currently only available as an ebook but it will be in paperback within
72 hours! Amazon is reviewing the paperback version so it can print it, so
those of you wanting a hard copy of the book can order it in a day or two.
Please don't forget to share with your friends and leave reviews on
Amazon itself; please share on your stories too and tag me on Instagram!
Thank you in advance for all your support, I wouldn't be here today without
you all. I have so much in store for the next book and I know it will NOT
disappoint.
Also, please let me know what you guys think of the new cover! I hired a
graphic designer on 99designs to design the cover for me, I know many of
you will be wondering :)
HAPPY READING!
Love,
Jitika