The Vampire's Reluctant Bride

The Vampire's Reluctant Bride: chapter-10

Chapter-10

“You are the voice in my head?”

 The words hung dark and heavy between them. For a moment Lucius’ eyes clouded in confusion before clearing as realization dawned.

“You did not know.”He sighed.

It was not a question.

A lone teardrop brimmed over and travelled its crooked path down her cheek. She sat; hugging her knees to her chest, making no attempt to wipe it away. She squeezed her eyes tightly, trying to make the pieces fit.

Lucius’ smile, when they were first re-acquainted had made her briefly question whether he could read her mind; but she had dismissed it as a coincidence. His voice; when she had needed help had been followed by Lucius’ appearance- however she had thought nothing of it. However, the most damning evidence was in his choice of endearment-terms for her. No one else (barring her mother), called her Mia. And absolutely no one called her ‘Cariño’...So, why was it that she had not connected the dots?

First, discovering that Lucius was a vampire... And now, this. What else was she missing?

“Mia?”

She opened her eyes, only to find herself looking straight into the depths of ocean-blue eyes. She looked away, even as another tear ran the unsteady path down the smooth planes of her cheek.

I thought you knew, Cariño. I am so sorry.

He reached out to brush a precariously hanging teardrop from the corner of her eye, but Amelia jerked violently away; scrambling out of the bed and fleeing towards the door.

She needed to get away from here.

“Amelia?” He questioned, staring at her. Wondering what he had done to frighten her.

“Stay away from me!” She screamed, running outside.

She paused for a minute, clearly surprised to see the thunderclouds darkening the sky. A fat raindrop smacked into her upward tilted face- mingling with her tears before making its way down to her chin. It was followed by another. And then another, till it began to drizzle steadily.

She turned to glance over her shoulder and found Lucius standing just inside his door, studying her. Without a second thought she took off running- desperate to put some distance between them. She tore through the woods, not bothering about the roots which emerged from the earth to scratch at her bare legs. Not caring which direction she was headed. Twice she stumbled; once she even landed on a patch of nettles... but she was beyond care. She continued to run.

Amelia ran till she could run no more. Her feet hurt from the unexpected exertion and her heart pumped loudly to keep up with the sudden demand overload. She sank to her feet gasping and short of breath. The deluge continued, effectively hiding her tears; even as she crawled to lean against the bark of a nearby tree.

She looked at herself, frowning as she noticed the criss-cross of marks all over her legs marking her sprint through the forest. She could no longer see the palace walls towering over the trees and wondered where she had reached. All around her lay the dark, uninviting forest, marked by the sounds of its native creatures and the rain. Always the rain.

She huddled on the wet ground, drawing up her knees... Why had she run like that?

 She shook her head at her confusion even as fresh tears escaped her eyes, only to mingle with the rain.

She had always hoped that someday she would meet the man behind the voice...Then why was she feeling like her entire world had just crashed all around her?

Because she wanted that man to be her Prince Charming. Her Knight in shining armour... who would come and rescue her from this nightmare engagement. And now, that was never going to happen.

He was a part of the nightmare itself.

“Amelia?”

She jumped at the sound of her name. Peering around the thick bark of the tree, she found Lucius.

He stood a good ten to twelve feet away from her, waiting.

“Yes?” She answered, hesitant. He had followed her inspite of the way she had screamed at him before running away?

“Ummm...are you planning on spending the night here?”She could see that he was afraid that she would take off again.

“NO,” she rose; walking to him. She saw his jaw clamp together at her state, but didn’t comment.

“I suspect I am lost.” She admitted.

He nodded. “Follow me.”

Amelia was both, relieved and surprised by his stony silence. He did not pry, walking beside her at a pace she could easily match, but maintaining a safe distance.

A sudden gust of wind had her teeth chattering, making him offer his leather jacket. She accepted it gratefully, but was disappointed at his lack of words. It seemed like hours since they had been walking- Amelia could barely believe that she had covered so much ground on her desperate sprint away from his cottage. She could feel her legs getting heavier with each step and the cuts and bruises on them were starting to bother her. The sky had grown darker as they walked and she could barely see what lay ahead of her, making her stumble repeatedly (although she never fell, thanks to Lucius’ lightening-fast reflexes.)

When she stumbled for what seemed like the tenth time in the past minute, he stopped. “Are you going to scream if I carry you the rest of the way?”

She sensed the resignation in his voice, almost as if he expected her to refuse his offer. Was she really that difficult? But then, given her past outbursts, what more could she expect?

He lifted her up in his arms, taking care to hold her as far away from his body as possible. She stared at his face- it was smooth; with no sign of exertion. Nothing to indicate that he was walking with her entire weight supported practically by his arms alone.

 “Tired?” She questioned when he paused a few minutes later.

He shook his head, “I was wondering if you would mind terribly if I moved a little faster?”She shrugged, allowing him to readjust her in his arms.

 He now held her like one cradled a baby- her legs were wrapped around his waist while her arms locked on his neck, pressing her front to his chest.“Hold on.”

That was all the warning she got before the woods turned into a shifting black whirl behind her. It was a mere matter of seconds before the shapes returned to their normal appearance, making her wonder why he was stopping. Turning, she saw the entrance to his cottage.

“Why did you bring me here? Take me to my room, please.”

“No.”

With that single word, he was inside; flinging her down at the centre of his bed.