The Heat of Midnight

The Growing Distance

Chloe's POV

It's been more than a month since that pureblood had captured me in his bait, his claim over me now extending beyond just my body and soul. He have also succeeded in capturing my heart.

I am completely and utterly his, and my feelings for him run deeper than I had ever imagined possible.

But apparently, not even a few days after he told me of the council's plan to wed him to another pureblood, did he went cold towards me. The audacity of that man to become all cold and snooty!

He wasn't the playful, teasing, and always clinging as he is to me. He had become that notorious vampire, the one I once was knew.

It was like a switch had been flipped, and all of a sudden, he was cold and distant. He didn't smile or joke like he used to, and he just felt... different.

I want the old Lucian to come back, the one who made my heart soar with his sweet words. I wanted his playful teasing, not his cold shoulder treatment. Why had he become all cold and distant? I wanted his warmth, his touches, his laughter, his love; not this wall he was now putting between us.

I couldn't understand what had changed or why it had all gone wrong. All i knew is that, i hate him for making me feel this way.

As I sat in-front of my desk, trying to work, I couldn't help but crumple the paper in front of me. The words I had written just minutes before became a tangled mess. My mind was stuck on him, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't find the right words to put into writing. I was distracted, my thoughts constantly drifting to him. I couldn't focus and all I wanted was to be in his arms again.

I took a deep breath, trying to gather myself and focus on my work. But my mind kept wandering back to him.

I am here at the guild, buried in a mountain of paperwork. I was also making a set of plan on our target, which is no other than that blood sucker, Lucian. I should have killed him in the first place, and maybe then, things could have been more different and easy.

But I laughed and shook my head as I remembered how easy he had made it to place his fangs at my neck.

Who am I kidding?

I had been so weak, so vulnerable, that all it took was one look at that seductive smile of his. And I fell into his arms like a puppet, my legs feeling like jelly underneath me.

That sneaky, spell-bending, blood-sucking vampire. How he managed to weave his magic on me, because there is no way in hell that I would let anyone treat me the way he does for no reason. He must've enchanted my brain with his mind-control spell or something, because I'm too smart to be suckered in by his sweet talk and stupid smiles all the time. Goddamn it, I'm the hunter! Not the hunt-ee! And this mission was the reason why I'm tied to him! Why did I even accept it? Damn my greediness for recognition!

"I despise that scheming, mind-warping vampire. He's like a conniving, selfish blood-sucker who robbed me of my joy, my energy, and my peace of mind. And let me just say, I despise him. In fact, I hate him. With every fibre of my being, I hate him. And you know what else? I hate the way he's turned me into this crumpled, frustrated lump. I mean, seriously, who doesn't hate that smooth, charismatic, sneaky, manipulative blood-sucking vampire?" I seethed, crumpling the paper once more.

"And  if that snooty, fancy-pants vampire ever dares to show his face around me again, I swear sweet mother Mary and to all saints alive, I'll rain daggers down on him until he looks like a pincushion covered in ketchup." I inhaled deeply as I released my intrusive thoughts, letting them pour forth from my mouth. The sense of relief that swept over me was immeasurable.

I buckled down and refocused, trying to create a better plan on how to catch that vampire and his band of rogues who have been causing trouble in the city.

   After spending hours buried over those pesky papers, I finally allowed myself a moment of reprieve and leaned back in my chair before closing my eyes. My shoulders fell and the tension drained out of my body. As I listened to the sounds of the quiet office around me, I felt the weight of the work slipping away. It was time for a break. A well-deserved break. I just needed a little rest and my brain would be recharged and ready to take on another fight with this papers in front, that seems to be like waving at me.

I sigh. I have been distracted for this few weeks all because of that vampire. He literally know how to get under my skin.

"Chloe!"

"Oh, mercy me!" I jumped out of my skin when someone tapped me on the shoulder from behind. I glared at him, but my expression quickly changed when I saw his apologetic smile.

"Goodness, BigBud, you scared me to death! You know, a little warning would have been nice." I smiled and gave him a light punch on the arm.

"But really, it's good to see you. What's up?" I asked, trying to cover up how nervous he had just made me feel.

It was BigBud, the giant, pudgy, nerdy man, who looked like he weighed as much as an elephant. His round, pudgy face was almost covered by his bushy beard, and his belly jiggled as he laughed. A bag of chips was clenched in his meaty fist, and the smell of sweat and hot Cheetos filled the air whenever he walked by. He's always there to help when needed some tech support.

He brushed off his sweaty hands on his shirt. "Umm, the building will be closing soon, so you'll have to go home."

I nodded and smiled weakly at him, doing my best to hold my breath and ignore the putrid stench of sweat and stale cheese that surrounded him. His presence was like a cloud of toxic fog, and the smell made me want to gag.

Once he finally left, I took a deep, grateful breath and couldn't help but cringe at the thick, putrid smell that lingered in his wake. I quickly returned to the scattered, messy papers littered on the table, trying to get everything gathered and organized once more.

As I headed towards the parking area, I made sure to triple check that everything was in place and neat and tidy. Once satisfied that everything was right, I climbed into my car and was about to start the engine, but then I noticed something.

A sly smirk spread across my face.  "Well, well, looks like I have a visitor to entertain." With a satisfied grin, I started my car and headed off for a bit of fun.