Arranged? More Like Deranged!

Chapter 8

"Now you ask me?" He muttered.

"Yeah. I didn't ask you before because no one told me it was dangerous. I wouldn't have gone walking if I knew that." I snapped back. He was acting like I was completely the one to blaim. It wasn't my fault I needed some time alone.

Luke scowled at me, then grabbed my wrists and wrenched me off the bed. I stood, slightly shocked. Luke was never this aggressive with me.

He bent in very close to my face and asked, "What do you know about this castle?"

- - -

I didn't dare struggle against Luke's iron grip on my wrists.

"Practically nothing at all." I admitted in a cool voice. I wasn't about to let Luke think I was intimidated by his sudden agression. Maybe this was all a ploy to frighten me away from ever walking away from him without a word again. 

His eyes smoldered.

Or maybe it wasn't.

"Practically nothing." He repeated, disgust dusting his unusually icy voice.

Carelessly, effortlessly, he tossed me onto the bed. I landed on my butt with a soft thud, bracing myself from falling backwards with my hands.

"Then it's time for a history lesson." Luke said, staring at me. His eyes hadn't left mine since he'd came out of the bathroom.

"This castle, forever ago, was built to be the residence of a very powerful vampire, who at the time, was bent on creating the perfect home. A place full of humans living in the thousands of rooms so he would never have to leave the comfort of home to hunt again. This was back in the days of the myths, when the sunlight affected vampires terribly. Most of those human myths are not true any more. He brought girl after girl back here - after all, they are more of a pleasure to hunt. And for vampires, the opposite gender of prey always tastes sweeter, for whatever reason. But anyways, he kidnapped many women, from the ages of only eleven to about thirty. That's when the blood is at it's best, you know."

I wondered suddenly about Luke's need for blood. Strange, I know, to be engaged to a vampire and not think about this, but... I just never have. I wondered when he hunted. What he hunted. 

Most of all I wondered; did he long for a taste of my blood?

I shuddered at the thought. Suddenly this marriage seemed dangerous.

"But after many years of this, the taste of blood, no matter the age or gender or type, began to taste bland. Eventually it tasted bitter; terrible. The vampire began to be revolted by the mere thought of blood. This went on for an entire month. All the humans living in the castle at the time died of malnutrition. But one girl remained. A girl named Anna Maria Vincinetti."

The name was beautiful. Absentmindedly, too intriuged by the story to notice the anger still blaring in Luke's eyes, I asked a question. "What was the vampire's name?"

"His name was Marcus Devonair. Anna Maria was from Italy, as you could easily guess from her name. Marcus was wandering his castle, covered in flith and rot and mold, now, from ill care and disease, and he found Anna Maria standing perfectly still in front of a window. "What are you doing?" He asked her, coming up behind her. He noticed with flaring satisfaction that her blood smelt excruciatingly good. Finally, he thought, my hunger will be silenced."

"For whatever reason, Marcus waited for her answer. Despite his insane, ravenous hunger calling to him, he waited for her answer."

"What did she say?" I asked eagerly, now completely englufed in the story. Luke's anger was nothing next to my fierce interest in the story he was telling me. Talk about bedtime stories.