The Vampires #1: Alaric and Faina

Chapter 13 (Faina): Walk Me Out

Copyright © 2024 by GroveltoHEA

***TW FOR NON-CON/DUB CON***

For the last month, I'd been dreading the trial. Although I knew it was necessary to obtain my divorce, I wasn't even looking forward to it as a necessary evil to achieve my goal. I couldn't see past it for some reason, to my freedom. I thought of the trial and my thoughts stopped.

Everything was unsettled, but despite all the upheaval, our twins were growing and thriving. The doctors had stopped looking at me and talking about me as if I were a medical experiment, and for that, I was grateful. I wanted those moments of normal, as if I were just another pregnant woman who happened to be having twins. Since I had nothing to draw on in our society, no one to ask for advice, I Googled twin pregnancies to find out how humans dealt with bringing home two tiny babies instead of just one from the hospital. I made lists of things that the parents recommended, I read blogs, ordered two of everything...and wanted to share every discovery I made with Alaric.

Stop, Faina.

And if I looked forward to him feeding every night, I told no one. Not even Aullana who had become my confidant more and more. No, that was my dark secret, never to be brought into the light. But each night, when he'd curl his arm under my shoulder, and I turned my head toward him to bare my neck, in that moment, everything was as it used to be, and I could pretend for just those seconds until his fangs pierced my neck that we were happy, that we were looking forward to the birth of our miracle babies and welcoming them into our home.

Then I'd wake the next morning and wander by his room where he was chained every night. I'd slip inside for just a moment, but the room always unsettled me so I quickly left and began another day of missing what used to be and was no longer.

My father was also unsettling me. During that month before the trial, he was pushing me hard to demand Alaric's head.

"Faina, do you realize that while he may have admitted to Daylin, there were others? Four times in eight weeks isn't possible. There were others he fed from."

"But I asked him --"

"He came home and admitted to cheating with Daylin that night and when you asked him how many times he'd been with her, he told you only about her. You didn't think to ask about any others he fed and released with. Darling, I don't want to make this any more difficult for you, but I want you to be prepared for the reality of the situation. It wasn't just with Daylin that he betrayed you and your bond. He was just applying an old business negotiating tactic -- answer the question that is asked and don't provide any further information."

My father's words stayed in my head every day leading up to the trial, and each time I thought about them, I felt ill. I wondered if Alaric truly was guiltier than I'd known, if his betrayal was worse than I thought. Wondering if he would admit the truth to me, on several occasions when he came to feed, I almost asked him. Almost, but just before the questions came tumbling out, I stopped them, unwilling to learn the truth and have to be faced with more of his deceitfulness.

My father wanted me to call out Daylin and unnamed others as the blood whores, but I was reluctant to accuse Alaric of something publicly in court without first going to him to verify if my suspicions were true. The trial was already going to be difficult enough, but to make unfounded accusations for everyone to hear at the same time Alaric heard them seemed unfair to me, especially if I never gave him a chance to defend himself. He may have blindsided me, but I would not do the same to him because I was determined that this divorce would be as civil as possible.  So I told my father that as soon as he could provide me with the identities of these other women, I would be more than willing to name them in court.