Empty Eyes: Book 1

Chapter 25

Tears began to blur my vision when I realized the person I'd searched for so desperately was finally before me, "S-Sasuke!"

He hesitated, but pulled me to my feet by my arm as he avoided meeting my eye. I winced at the pain in the middle of my back from the vehicle crashing. The usually tanned skin on his face had paled like he'd seen a ghost.

The information I've acquired in the past twenty four hours was so overwhelming, but I still couldn't stop myself from wrapping my arms around him and squeezing tightly. The fact that he'd left me for six months wasn't even a thought in my mind. I tried to think of something, anything, to say, but the only thing that left my lips were sobs.

Slowly, he lay a hand on the back of my head and wrapped his other arm around my body. After dropping to this unhealthily low weight again, he seemed so much bigger than before. If I was a twig, he was a redwood tree.

"Come, Sakura, we made a deal."

I nearly jumped out of my skin as Gaara's voice met my ears. His tone suggested he was offering me a warning to obey. When I released Sasuke and turned to look at the king, he was standing near the broken car door in the sand with his eyes blazing red.

My blood froze in fear and I glanced back at Sasuke. He still wouldn't meet my eye and kept his glare locked onto the Suna native. My chest tightened as I tried not to let his indifference affect me and I attempted to keep my composure as I turned to do as told.

Before I could even take one step, I felt a large hand on my shoulder and he pulled me back to stand in front of him, "She's been claimed. You know the laws."

My eyes widened and my tears started welling back up. What's he doing? Does he like me or not? If so, why did he leave me? And if not, why's he defending me from another vampire?

"Your uncle and I have an agreement."

"I don't give a damn what you think you have. She's spoken for and this is a fact you need to accept."

The redhead came closer, bright eyes locked onto me, but he froze a yard or so away when I felt Sasuke's grip on my shoulder tighten slightly. The king looked at him before returning his gaze to mine.

My voice shook with both emotion and fear, "I'm sorry, Gaara. After what you did...I'm afraid of you."

The Sunagakure king tilted his head in a calculating way as his studying eyes danced between me and Sasuke, "You are afraid of this Uchiha, too, correct? Why choose him?"

I looked back at the prince in question, who continued to refuse to meet my eye, "Afraid of..? I'm not afraid of Sasuke. Why would you think that?"

Gaara's eyes jumped back up, "I was informed he attacked you worse than I had."

I felt anger boiling in my stomach and tried to take a step forward, but was held still by Sasuke's hold on my shoulder, "That wasn't his fault! He was forced. You weren't!"

Gaara's already blank expression flattened further as he processed my argument. "How can you be sure that I, too, wasn't forced?"

My eyebrows lifted in shock and I paused, "...were you?"

He tilted his head in confusion once more, "No, I was not. However, you can see how easy it would be to convince you."

My anger returned and I took a deep breath, trying to remember that this was a terrifying pure-blooded vampire and the ruler of an entire nation, so I needed to take care in how I spoke and acted toward him.

"I know for a fact that he was. I'm sorry, Gaara, I just don't feel the same way about you."

His eyes burned into mine for what felt like ages before he broke them away and turned them onto Sasuke, "If I ever hear that you have hurt her again, I will personally end your life."