Who Said Vampires Don't Exist? Well, I Did, Until Now

Chapter 17: Your Royal Highness

Chapter 17

The room went completely silent as Claudius' form was dragged front the room. The last image I saw was his deep red eyes staring directly at me. It sent a shiver of fear up my spine, and the room fell into an unsettling stillness. Reuban held the same stance leaning against the bookcase, but now his gaze turned to me.

I didn't realize until that moment what a horrible state I was in; my legs were sprawled out beneath me, and I could barely feel them they were so cold. One of my hands held onto my bleeding neck as blood gushed onto my shirt. The tips of my hair were drenched in gore, and I could feel that my face was deathly pale.

"Erikson... are you alright?" He continued to watch me as I turned my gaze to him. He didn't appear to be harmed in any way, but I had a feeling he was struggling. There was so much blood surrounding us, most of it mine, it must have been terrible for a vampire. His eyes were still the same shade of deep scarlet.

"Do I look alright to you?" I attempted to sound bitter and sarcastic but my voice was only a whisper.

Reuban took a few hesitant steps toward me. He was almost moving in slow motion as he reached his hand out. A remembrance of Claudius doing the same gesture flashed before my eyes, and I instinctively flinched back. Reuban's face softened a little as he took in my pathetic form.

"It's alright; I'm not going to hurt you." He took another step closer and lowered down onto his knees. His black jeans were obviously getting soiled in my blood, but he didn't seem to notice. I realized how ridiculous I was being as I scurried farther away, but I was in too much shock to stop myself.

"Jamie." That one word caused me to freeze, much like I had in the garden. I couldn't understand why Reuban saying my first name caused this reaction from me. My heart raced as Reuban reached out his cold hand and stroked it along the length of my jaw. "Jamie... I'm sorry. I should have gotten here faster."

I never thought in a million years that Reuban would apologize to the likes of me. Hadn't he said time after time that I was too insignificant to deserve the honor of his kindness? Now here he was, asking forgiveness of me for something he didn't do.

"You don't..." The sound of my voice and how hoarse it was surprised me. I had to clear my throat a few times before speaking again. "You have no reason to apologize. I shouldn't have come here alone... so I should be saying thank you. If you hadn't shown up..."

I didn't want to think about what could have happened if Reuban hadn't showed up. They would probably find my lifeless body lying on the ground, drained of blood. Or perhaps Claudius would have kidnapped me himself to use as a constant 'pet.' I shuddered at the thought and quickly pushed it away.

"Well, this is what you get for being thoughtless." Reuban spoke in a playful voice, and I had a feeling he was trying to cheer me up. "Stupid girl."

The corners of his lips turned up in a smile as a returning one filtered across my face. He hesitantly reached out for one of my hands and held it gently in his palm. Timidly, he used his thumb to trace around the soft spots of my fingers. His touch was so light and soft, it almost didn't feel real. His cold touches sent shivers through my arm as I finally began to relax.

"We need to get you back to your room."

I nodded in compliance and held tightly onto his hand as I tried to rise onto my feet. My legs shook as I attempted to take a step forward. Unfortunately, my body had other ideas, and I fell onto Reuban. He caught me easily as the world began to swirl around me.

"You've lost too much blood to walk." In an instant, I was off the ground and cradled like a baby in Reuban's embrace. His body was cold and hard, but it felt comforting as I snuggled my head into his neck. The way he was holding me was so pleasant that I nearly felt like I could fall asleep.