Guilty All The Same (English)

23 - Surprise

He had waited for the girl to fall asleep, but it hadn't taken her long. Being bitten by a vampire was an experience that drained your strength and could lead to death, it was more than normal that the young girl was so tired.

Trying not to wake her up he had sat up in bed as he watched her sleep blissfully. He thought back to the talk about his age that had renewed his desire to possess her. He reached out and stroked her hair. Compared to him, she really was a child in every way. And the problem could not lie in the ten or so biological years that separated them. Absolutely not. Too many centuries separated them.

"Murasaki was also only a child when Genji fell in love with her..." He whispered. Was he simply in love with her?

He smiled. He already knew the answer to that question.

More than a month had passed since the girl had entered his life and changed it completely. His was not just falling in love, it had turned into love. And he was eager to prove it to her. In every possible way.

The same thoughts that had driven him to bite her earlier resurfaced. He thought of her hands on his body, her nails in his skin, her moans, her name escaping his trembling lips. He burned with the desire to see her like that, at least once.

What if she didn't want to? Yet he felt she wanted it too, her body spoke clear for him. But her other attitudes also held him back. What should he do? Try to have her all to himself anyway? Or wait again? He looked away from her and went back to lying in bed.

There was another matter that tormented him. By now Yurika had become his guest, and by now she was much more than that to Ferid, but that didn't take away from the fact that he had kidnapped her from her loved ones. As much as she had never hinted at wanting to talk about them it could still be that she missed them and wanted to go home. After all, that cohabitation was not of her making. And as much as he was afraid of losing her, he could not continue to keep her with him against her will.

He would offer her to come home, but not before officially declaring his love for her. Maybe he'd have to give her up... Or maybe not. Maybe she wasn't willing to give up that new life either. How much he hoped in it.

Work, vampires, work and vampires. Those were the only things his father could think of. He laughed. That was all he could think about, too, really.

It was enough to think about how he'd never given Aoi the slightest glance. Because he was too focused on his work to think of anything else. And this attitude came directly from his father. Since Yurika had disappeared, he had not even mentioned his daughter. Could it be that he had forgotten? That he never thought about her? He probably gave the impression of having better things to do, the only one among them who really seemed to care was Shinya.

He who wasn't really his brother cared more than he and his father showed.

"Kureto?" "Aoi, I asked you not to be disturbed." "I'm sorry, but he..." "Kureto I wanted to talk to you." To his surprise Shinya's voice broke into their conversation. He sighed. "Come in."

"If I understand correctly you plan to attack the vampires." "Yes Shinya, we're going to do just that. The time has come to regain control of our territory." "Do you think there is still any hope?" I sincerely hope so. But he didn't voice those thoughts out loud, he still wanted to keep a demeanor.

"That's not what you have to worry about, you know that perfectly well." The other sighed. "I know, but I can't. When certain things happen to people you love..." "It's inevitable to worry." Kureto concluded, surprising the man. "That's exactly why we fight vampires, to eliminate them completely, avenge the loved ones we've lost and save the few that remain. Remember this. It is our duty to be strong." And with those words he tried to make Shinya understand that he was not intent on continuing that stupid conversation.

"You're just like your father." He muttered before walking out.

Kureto sighed as he sat down. He thought about Yurika more often than anyone could have imagined. He found it hard to believe that she might be dead, after all, humans were invaluable to vampires and killing them certainly wouldn't have been any advantage. The thing that bothered him was the nobleman who had kidnapped her, who knows what plans he had for his sister.

He smiled. It would have been even more satisfying to see him die.

"Hello Shinya, don't you say hello to your friends anymore?" "Guren. When did you get so excited?" "Oh, come on. You know I'm always happy to see you, my dear friend of endless battles." Shinya lifted his eyes to the sky. "What is it? Are you afraid of getting dry in the upcoming fights with the vampires?" The man did not answer. Guren understood. Not that it took much to do so.

Shinya had become a bit predictable lately, seeming not to have accepted the whole Yurika thing. And he understood that. He would have gone crazy too if he hadn't known about her.

But was his condition any better? Sure, he knew she was alive and well. That was according to Ferid's words. That vampire was the problem. He knew him, which was why he couldn't trust him and not worry about the girl. Heaven alone could know what he was doing to her.

"You need to stop thinking about her all the time." "Guren. How can I not think about her? How can I? She was there. With all of us. But instead... We couldn't do anything. Nothing." He paused briefly. "It's not fair." "I'm sure she's still alive." Shinya looked at Guren. "I wish I could take her home." And he left.

Guren stood there for a while, aware that that wish was unlikely to come true. Ferid had already let him know how things stood. A thought crossed his mind, but he quickly pushed it away. Yurika could not be willing in that situation. She couldn't.

That day, too, the daily training session had succeeded in destroying her physically. Ferid couldn't help but smile, little by little his girlfriend would become stronger and stronger. He also smiled at the surprise he had planned for the evening, everything would be perfect.

"I'd treat myself to a nice hot bath, I'm in pretty bad shape." "You're no less beautiful than usual, my dear." Yurika huffed, "Don't lie." "I never lie." The girl looked at him not at all convinced by his words. "Come on, hurry up. I want you down by eight and, make sure you follow my instructions." She looked at him confused. "What are you talking about?" The vampire walked up to her and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Tonight you will understand."

"If you wanted to freak me out, you succeeded."

She sighed after reading the message he had left for her in her room. It said she shouldn't go into the bathroom with clothes, but that she would find something special waiting for her once she got out. "You'll find him naked on the bed and that way you're all set. You don't even have to struggle to get undressed." "Kurena, please stop it."

But that was enough to turn her into a pepper and make her even more agitated, preventing her from fully enjoying her bath. How could she be comfortable with someone like Ferid? Who knows what cunning plan he had thought of.

She came out of the bathroom hesitant, ready to face the worst. She was surprised to find the room deserted, yet something on the bed caught her attention. She approached it and gasped. On the bed there was a dress... Dreamy. It was blue, inlaid with silver beads. It had a sweetheart bodice and lace sleeves, a wide tulle princess skirt. She caressed the fabric of the dress, she had never worn anything like it. She found another note next to the dress.

I am waiting for you, my princess. Don't be late.

She clutched the piece of paper to her chest and smiled, happy and eager to find out what he had in store for her. She slipped into her dress and looked at her figure in the mirror. She rolled over. She truly felt like a princess. She slipped on her heels and prepared to walk downstairs. Her heart stopped as she saw the vampire waiting for her at the top of the stairs in an elegant dinner jacket. He was gorgeous.

Ferid's eyes also betrayed the same dreamy emotion. "You are beautiful."

19/04/2021