Man Of My Dreams

Chapter Twenty

I pulled the tape recorder out from under the nightstand and pushed the stop button. I didn’t get much. Silas had only mentioned Osiris and killing my– I mean Kian. I hoped it was enough to convince him. I started to walked out of my room door when I heard loud, rushed footsteps. And then Kian stood in my doorway. And I was hit by such an immense wave of fear. I could see all over his face that he was angry.

But I had to do this. Silas had plans to kill him. Osiris wants to overthrow him. Suddenly I felt really stupid for having staked Silas. Perhaps Kian would have rathered him alive to question or something. “I had to,” I said, holding up the tape recorder so he could see it. Kian didn’t look up from Silas’ ashes. His chest began to rise and fall quickly. All of the hair on my body stood up. I should have thought this through better. But he wouldn’t kill me, would he? Unless he thought… Unless he thought I killed Silas to cover my tracks up. That’s what I have the tape recorder for but what if he doesn’t even give me a chance to play it?

Shit, shit, shit! My heart was thundering in my chest. I wanted to scream for Mrs. Nora, but nothing would come out. Kian’s magic was in the air, and it was thick. He’s angry. No, not just angry. He’s furious. Enraged. What do I do? Run? He hasn’t even looked up at me from Silas’ ashes. I inched closer and closer to the doorway until I was nearly out of it. I’m so scared, I may not be able to run.

I have never killed anybody before. My heart was pounding in my chest. The thumping was so loud, I could hear it in my ears. But I had to. If I hadn’t driven that stake into his chest, he would have killed Kian and there is no telling what my own fate would have entailed. I looked away from Silas’s body, or rather his ashes, to find Kian on his knees. Hands in his lap and head hanging low. My heart broke at the sight of him.

His only friend dead. And by my own hands, no less. Doesn’t he understand that I had no choice? Will he forgive me? Will he believe me when I tell him of his only friend’s betrayal? Or will he lock me away? Or worse, kill me? The room began spinning. Anxiety was buzzing in my chest like a swarm of honey bees. My breath began to quicken. I took a wobbly step in Kian’s direction. His head snapped up and he locked his eyes into mine.

“What have you done, Wren?” his voice deep and guttural. I shook my head, “Please,” was all I could get out. I took a slow step back. The look in his eyes was purely primal. He’s going to kill me. “I–” I tried to form the words but my fear and panic had struck me still and quiet. I felt the floor beneath me start to shift. The walls around me began to crumble. Oh fuck! He is going to kill me!

“Kian, please,” I held out my hands, “listen to me. He was going to kill you. I had to!” The words fell out of my mouth in a scream. But Kian wasn’t listening. His face void of any emotion. Strictly primal, predatorial rage was radiating off of him. I took two more slow steps back, and then I turned on my heel and ran for my life. The last thing I heard as I cut a corner was the deep rumble of Kian’s sinister laugh.

Ensuring he would catch me and when he does, nothing and no one will be able to save me from my fate. It all ends here.

But it wouldn’t. Not yet, anyway. I ran smack into Mrs. Nora. “I killed him. And Kian–” She grabbed me, and began ushering me behind a door I don’t think I have ever seen before here. Said door didn’t look strong enough to keep a six-hundred year old, pissed off vampire who just so happens to be the strongest one in the world. But then I noticed it. We weren’t in a normal room. This room was meant to seem that way though.

“It’s a lockdown room. In case of emergencies. Not even Kian can get in. Speaking of, I could feel the shift in his magic. He’s upset.”

“Upset isn’t even the word.” I sat in the corner, and played the tape. Everything was there. A ghost of a smile spread across Mrs. Nora’s face. “You did good, girl. We won't be waiting for Kian, either.” she said. I noticed she had something in her hands. It looked like… something. I had never seen it before.

“It’s a device I’ll use to play that tape through all of the speakers in this house. Which are also there for emergencies only. If someone were to break in, his majesty would come in here, lock the doors, and use the speaker system as a way to communicate. There’s a speaker in every single room. So, unless Kian is off of his property completely, he’ll hear what Silas had to say.”

And so, she played the tape. Over, and over, and over again. Until finally, Kian’s voice came from the other side of the door. “Alright, you can come out now.” I looked at Mrs. Nora, and she nodded slowly. “I swear if he kills me…” I pushed the door open, and Kian took me in his arms. Color me shocked. This was the last reaction I thought he’d have. I relaxed in his arms. “I knew it,” he said quietly. “I knew he was wrong. I’ve spent all this time trying to prove it, but I kept coming up”

“When I was half dead, he showed up in my room. Bragging about his plans. Thankfully, Mrs. Nora had been suspecting him for quite some time. She left that scroll for me to find in the library. She heard him that day in my room. She helped me get better. Helped me do all of this.” I said, breathing his scent deeply. I had missed him. I had craved his presence, his touch, his smell… I hadn’t allowed myself to think of him or any of that though. Because I had no hope that I would ever have him this way again.

“I am so sorry, Wren. I should have believed you. I let you rot inside that room. I am so, so sorry.” I pulled back a little to look at his face. He was crying.

“Hey, it’s okay.” I grabbed his face in both hands, “It’s over now. Well, this part is. I did what I had to do.” His eye darkened, “If you had not been successful in killing him, I would have. He touched you.”

“That was my idea. And, not like that, either. I knew I had to get close to him. I knew he would come back here to visit me again. To see if I died or not. I knew he would brag. And I knew he always looked at me like he wanted to eat me. I was healthy again, so I did what I had to. The tape recorder was under my nightstand. I hit play as soon as he came into my room. And went to work. It was easy. I knew I had to do something he wouldn’t ever expect. I’m sorry if that’s crossing a line. But it’s what I needed to do. To save you.”

Kian nodded, his eyes scanning mine. “I will never forgive myself for this.” He turned his face away from me. I shook my head, “Well, I forgive you.” And then I kissed him. Kian lifted me off of my feet, and carried me out of that room. Down the hall, to his room. He laid me gently on his bed, and stayed atop me. This kiss was still happening, until Kian pulled away. “You saved my life, Wren. How can I ever repay you?”

“You don’t have to repay me. Having you is all I need. It’s all I have ever needed. I love you, Kian. I have loved you all of my life.” He stroked my face with the back of his hand.

He smiled. A smile I had never seen him smile before. One of true happiness.

“I love you too, Wren.”