Lover Of The Last

14. A Crown For The King

"You are so brave and so quiet

I had forgotten you were suffering"

Arabelle's POV

All these years I've been haunted by the fact that my brother's bodies were never found. I was haunted by nightmares of vampires coming to take back the one child they forgot. And now, with my twin brother's unfamiliar red and black eyes staring at me, I felt nothing but pure fear. They were vampires now, no longer human; no longer my Theo and Thomas.

I watched in horror as hisses and inhuman growls sounded throughout the room, the group of pale faced demons barring their teeth at me like animals.

"Where are your manners?" The painfully familiar voice of my brother, Thomas, sounded loudly. "This here's our sister, told you she'd come, didn't I Theo?"

"Indeed." Theo said, standing up with Thomas and never breaking eye contact with me. "Nice planning on your part, brother. Writing a note that looked to be from someone else to have her sneak out." Theo said with an icy voice.

With their faces side by side, you could tell the difference between the twins; but with the red eyes and black viens visible beneath white skin, they didn't even look human.

I wanted to scream. I needed to release all these pent up emotions that I couldn't contain from seeing my brothers. But mixed with all the sadness and longing, there was anger. Pure anger, and I didn't know who it was for. For the demons that did this to them or the fact that my brothers look like they control the vampires standing below them? Too much confusion clouding my judgment.

"Look's like she's about to faint." Thomas chuckled. He moved like a predator stalking its prey to the small marble steps, then, like a blur; showed up right in front of me, on the other side of the Throne Room. "Shocked to see us sister?"

My mouth betrayed me along with my limbs, not moving or responding to the monster in front of my very eyes. Panic bubbles inside my chest as I watched his blood-colored eyes and needle teeth. I couldn't feel anything but a hellish chill coming from my once warm brother.

"Of course she's shocked." I heard Theo's laugh echo near the thrones. "She thought us dead and gone."

"You did didn't you?" Thomas spoke with a voice that was his, but entirely not at the same time. "Thought you could just live your life here in Trinivantin Palace and forget about your beloved brothers?"

I tried to control my shaky breaths when he reached up a thin hand; brushing the hair away from my face. I couldn't take this much longer. This wasn't supposed to be happening.

"You're wrong." I choked out. "I still hoped y-you two were alive. Turns out I was wrong."

They weren't alive, my brothers had hearts that didn't beat and lungs that didn't need air; demons with memories. Not the Theo and Thomas I knew.

Thomas fake pouted, his black hair falling around his forehead. "Oh, but you weren't wrong, sister." He thankfully took his icy hand from my face. "We're here, very much alive."

His red eyes narrowed and he chuckled a horrible laugh that made me fill with fear. This was all so wrong.

"You're dead." I began to back away, my spine hitting the wooden door. I wanted to run. "This isn't real and the vampires are gone, they never returned."

Theo laughed in the background again and my eyes snapped to him. "That's the thing!" He exclaimed with a devilish grin. "You humans are all in denial! Vampires never left, we've been here all along."

"No." I said, giving truth to his words about being in denial. My heart began to pound and I clenched my fists, things kept falling apart around me and secrets kept leaking. When would it stop?