A Hymn of Snakes

THIRTY THREE

     My head was killing me the next morning, thankfully a maid had put a glass of water and some medicine to soothe me for the day. I slowly changed, my body exhausted and drained. This was becoming a problem to me, slumming down to the library. I intended on giving up. For I knew I would never be able to escape this damned cage. My head hung as I almost fell asleep at my desk, that was until a familiar face came to me. Theron Santrill sat across from me, reminiscing that of a ghost. He immediately started his speech as I looked down his eyes, "Delia, something is happening. Something big, you need to escape." The bags under his eyes were dark, his cheeks caved in. I wondered if he'd eaten or slept recently. I didn't have to energy to hear him out so I pushed myself up, "Please, it's bigger than you and I." He pleaded but I began to stalk away.

He reached out and snatched my wrist and that's when an annoyance returned to my side. I cracked my neck as Alex's cold touch seized my hand. "I thought I said not to touch her." His voice wild and threatening. They were both in a twisted disturbance in the way, I wanted them both to leave me alone.

"She needs to know what they'll do to her!" Theron said, my face snapping to his attention. I asked him to be my spy, he knew something about the Keepers.

I needed to hear him out.

That seemingly didn't click in the Prince's stupid head, he yelled from the tops of his lungs. My brow perked as he placed another threat in the air, his voice ripping through the air as everyone in the study turned to look at us. "Get out of my sight before I kill you Theron, I should have done it a long time ago. Don't tempt me one last time." Theron who was already terrified of something, quickly pulled himself together and scurried off in his own fear. I sighed, now I would have to hunt him down. My day was only getting worse.

I shook my head, "He didn't even do anything." I transcribed as I forced my hand from the Prince's grasp. He reluctantly let me go as I snickered, turning my back to him and walking away. My own fear slithered it's way around my spine. "That wasn't necessary your highness." I said coldly, his eyes boring into my back.

"After everything he's done to you, you let him touch you like that." He asked me.

The audacity- my gaze turned back up. His eyes red but not glowing, his own mind was in control. I didn't know if that was good thing or not but I didn't have the space to argue. "What about everything you've done to me? What about that Alex?" I asked him tired, so very tired. "Don't act innocent when all you've done is shown me how much of a monster you can be. Leave me alone and go bother someone else." I said trying to make him leave.

"I have to do this for my people." He started.

I was so exhausted from always being angry, I just wanted to sleep. I just wanted to be left alone, I shook my head. "Then do it, just leave me out of it." I whispered into my own chest. Slipping in and out of my own mind, even Ithe was too exhausted to deal with him.

Alex became a possessive ass and stood before me, blocking my way as he refused to let me go. His hands grabbed onto my shoulders as he tried to shake me, I stood my ground. I flinched back as his voice raised to me, "I don't care who I am at the end of the day, you're mine. No man, no human, and not even death can decide that." I have Leon the day off and now I suddenly found myself regretting that.

I put my hand to his chest to push him off of me, "You don't own me." I attempted to escape but his grasp was so sturdy he could break my bones.

He was desperate to own me, desperate to keep me close to him. So he will bind me to him however he pleased; it was clear he didn't care about how much he hurt me. "Soon I will." He said in confidence and I had no doubt that he wouldn't be able to do it. The Prince of Vampires was able to bring me down to my knees. I couldn't escape him- even if I wanted too. Then guilt seemed to swarm his eyes, but I didn't believe him. "I wish I were a different man Delia, someone who could give you the life you deserve." Not one bit.

A cold hand rested on my back, a snarky red head threw the Prince off of me. Kate snarled as she stood in front of me, "Time to shut up Pretty Boy, you may be my Prince but I'm a fine believer in Democracy so if you don't back away right now I swear I'll throw you out the window." She promised him, her strength over powering every part of Alex. Kate was still considered a fledgling, so right now she was in the most powerful part of her life.

"You're Kate." He said, without a fact in the world.

Kate enraged was worse than the devil, the girl put her hand around the Prince's neck. The guards stepped forward but I stood on her guard. "And she is not yours, never was- never will be." She forced from her teeth, hissing at him as she lunged. The guards moved towards Kate but she backed away, putting her hands up as if she was innocent. "Let's go Delia." She said as she pulled me away from them all, a smile rising on my face.

We escaped from them all, as if I was running away from the Keepers before. I followed behind Kate with laughter in the beginning of my throat. "Thank you." I said, we both made eye contact. She asked me with her stare if I wanted to talk about it, "Not right now." I said as we slipping out into the night against the garden.

I caught onto my breath, she sat on the ledge of the fountain and her hand skimmed the water. She set her eyes back on to me, exhaustion rolling off my shoulders. Kate refreshed me in just one little moment, then she started a fresh new target. "Holstein and I went back to the club to see if we could find something out about the missing Vampires." However, she left it off just like that. So my guess was that they didn't find anything valuable, because she would have started off with that. However, I had something else to focus on.

Like children I changed the subject, a smile falling down my cheeks as I lifted my brow fired by curiosity. "You and Holstien went to the club, alone?" I asked her, she blinked at me.

Almost as if she didn't know what I was asking, I wanted to see if my prediction had been right. If Holstein and Kate truly were as perfect for each other as I had originally assumed. "What are you suggesting." She asked me and I just shrugged my shoulders as if I were clueless.

I elbowed her, she shook her head. I toyed with the idea but she didn't seem satisfied. "I didn't know the Queen's embassy was your type Kate." I insinuated, knowing in the past Kate had dated nothing but dirt bags and idiots. I'd rather he date Holstein then I wouldn't have to worry about her.

"Oh shut up." Her face went red as she blushed, how cute I thought. Her gaze fixated on the water below her. I was glad someone was at least reaching happiness."It's not even like that, I don't think." She said flustered, without an answer to comply too.

So I asked another question, "Did you two kiss?"

She looked up at me and waited to answer, her shoulders slouched as she looked pulled her body closer into her body. Excitement becoming of her gaze as we stood up and began walking back to my rooms. I don't know what I would do without Kate, I wasn't ready for her to leave. Her flight back to Seattle would be a mourning. "Yes and he is phenomenal- I mean really. Just the sexiest man I think I've ever met." She said and I cringed, I didn't want to think about Holstein in any way shape or form like that.

"I'm going to stop you there. I don't think about Holstien being sexy... ever." I said as I put my hand up, thinking that I might just puke. We walked into the west side of the castle and guards bowed their heads to me in respect. I accepted the respect that came with being the Duchess, and a little part of me did want to see the power that could come with being the Prince's fiancé.

If only I could have the power without the person, how pitiful. We walked up the stairs as she joked around making the air light, "Well now that your love life is in the trash you can hop on mine." She said but being friends with both people, I didn't know how I felt about that. Then when we came up to my door, there was a present sitting down. It was wrapped in a brown paper with a navy ribbon. A while grew on my face, "What's that?" Kate asked me but I didn't know what to tell her.

I slouched down and took it in my hands, a vague memory came to my mind of the night before. Kazimir Belova's darkened brown eyes, I didn't remember what we talked about but I knew this must have something to do with it. I unraveled the paper and saw a journal, "A birthday present." I opened the letter that cased the top of the leather bound notebook, Happy Birthday. -K. Just two words, but they meant more to me than any person would ever know. Even with the coming of autumn, I prepared for my heart. Maybe winter wouldn't be as cold as I thought.

"I take what I said back." Kate said flirtatiously but doubt lived in my mind. I didn't know what Kazimir wanted from me, but whatever it was- it was good hearted.