The Heart Of A Vampire

chapter eighty: the talk

After giving the room one final look over, he decided to go fetch Evangeline and introduce her to her new home.

He walked down the corridor, making his way to his bedroom, at which point he opened the door, finding her as he had left her- lying in bed, wrapped up in the sheets.

He approached her, gently grabbing her elbow to help her into a sitting position, wincing at the look of pain that appeared on her face from the movement.

"I'm taking you somewhere," he said "Can you walk? Or should I carry you there?"

He didn't give her a second to even respond. The answer was obvious- she couldn't walk yet. He'd seen her earlier, how even while attempting to escape, crawling seemed like a challenge.

So how could she ever walk?

He almost laughed to himself at the thought- it was preposterous.

Regardless, before she could answer, he hoisted her up, holding her to his chest and beginning to carry her out of the room.

She didn't protest, didn't try to fight him off, having clearly submitted to him and accepted her fate.

Finally, they found themselves standing at the door to her new bedroom. He paused, trying to allow some tension to build before the grand reveal, hoping it would make the whole thing that much more satisfying.

"What do you think lies behind this door?" he asked.

"Probably not the outside world," she grumbled.

He sighed, fighting the urge to roll his eyes. Talk about ruining the moment.

"Perk up," he mumbled "You'll like this."

With that, he reached out for the doorknob, twisting it and then pushing the door open to reveal the bedroom that he had worked so hard on.

For a split second, her eyes widened in shock and amazement, a look of pure childish joy appearing on her features.

But just as quickly as it appeared, it was gone.

Vlad felt his heart plummet.

Did she not like the room?

The pair were quiet for a long moment before Evangeline finally spoke.

"Are you just trying to distract me?"

"From?"

"The elephant in the room."

"I'd say you're as big as two. Let's not flatter ourselves."

She stifled back a laugh, fighting back the urge to let up with the whole "I'm not in the mood," act.

"I want to talk to you. Seriously."

Silently, he began to make his way over to the bed before gently setting her down in it.

Finally, he responded.

"Alright. I'm all ears."

"You kissed me," she said simply.

"That I did."

"And now you're acting like nothing happened."

"Maybe I want to know how you feel before acting on what happened," he shrugged.

"How I feel.." she repeated softly to herself, biting down the lump in her throat- she had no idea how she felt.

"Yeah?" he urged her, raising an eyebrow expectantly. "Use your big girl words. Come on."

"Don't mock me," she grumbled. "Now I'm definitely not telling you how I feel."

A pause ensued.

"At least.. until you tell me how you feel," she added.

His eyes narrowed.

"Maybe I'm in heaven," he suggested "Maybe I want to kiss you again. Right now. And never stop."

"I.." she faltered, searching for the right words.

"What if.. I feel the same?"

"But do you love me?" he asked, his voice calm and even, showcasing none of the sheer nervousness he felt just by thinking about the subject- let alone asking her about it.

Her eyes widened at his words- they were bold. Bold enough to leave her speechless, struggling and grasping at straws for some kind of answer.

Did she love him?