The Vampire's Court

Chapter 53-Mine. All mine. *smut warning!*

The next morning, Seraphine awoke to the soft light of dawn filtering through the curtains. She stretched, reaching out to the other side of the bed, only to find it empty. Dimitri was already gone. A weird mix of emotions settled in her chest—disappointment tinged with relief. Maybe the gods had finally granted her a moment of peace, but there was also that nagging feeling of missing his presence. It was confusing, to say the least.

As she lay there, contemplating her emotions, Stella, her ever-judgmental black kitten, leaped onto the bed with feline grace. Stella eyed her with those big, unblinking eyes, her tail flicking lazily, as if to say;

Well, are you going to get up, or what?

Seraphine sighed and propped herself up on one elbow, looking down at the little ball of fur that had taken up residence beside her. "Morning, Stella," she muttered, more to herself than to the cat. Stella responded with a slow blink, the kind that seemed to say, I'm listening, but I'm not impressed.

With a groan, Seraphine flopped back onto the pillows, her gaze fixed on the ceiling as she began to vent. "He's gone again," she said, a mix of frustration and something else she couldn't quite name in her voice. "And you know what? It's honestly unfair, Stella. How can someone be so... so infuriatingly beautiful and charming all at once? It's like he was designed specifically to drive me insane."

Stella let out a small, unimpressed meow, her green eyes narrowing slightly as she stared at Seraphine, as if to say, Is this really what you woke me up for?

"I know, I know," Seraphine continued, her frustration bubbling up. "It sounds ridiculous. But no matter how badly he annoys me, no matter how much he gets under my skin... I hate it when he's not around."

Stella gave her another slow blink, her tail flicking lazily. The kitten's expression seemed to scream You're hopeless, and Seraphine couldn't help but chuckle at the silent judgment radiating from the small creature.

"I mean, it's absolutely bewildering, right?" Seraphine went on, running a hand through her hair. "Four months ago, we couldn't stand each other. We hated each other. Or at least... I think we did? But now... now it's different. It's like..."

She trailed off, her voice growing softer as she wrestled with her thoughts. Stella's ears perked up, but she remained otherwise indifferent, simply watching Seraphine with that same unreadable expression.

"It's like... I'm in love with him," Seraphine admitted, her voice barely a whisper, as if saying it out loud might make it more real. "I've known for a while now, but I just started coming to terms with it. And with everything that's been happening, with us sharing a room and all... maybe I should just tell him."

Stella responded with a soft, indifferent meow, as if to say, Good luck with that, before curling up into a ball beside Seraphine, clearly bored with the conversation.

"No." She thought fiercely, "he needs to tell me himself." She didn't want to take that away from him, but she also wanted him to tell her the truth on his own, he owed her that much.

With that though, she reluctantly pulled herself from the bed, tossing one last lingering look at the empty space on the other side of the bed.

"Please let me in."

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Seraphine stood by the window, staring out at the bustling Parisian streets below, but her mind was far from the lively city outside. She couldn't shake the odd, sinking feeling in her gut. It wasn't just that Dimitri was gone, leaving before she even woke up. It was how everyone had acted so... evasive. Off.