Hybrid - The Countess's Heir (Under Rewrite)

Six

A few days had passed, and Jean couldn't shake the guilt of still being with Evan. She knew she loved him, but there was always a nagging pain in her chest.

I love him. Don't I?

She was beginning to doubt herself.

Jean went inside the room and found Jenna curled up on the bed, her back facing her. And the guilty feeling intensified. The blonde didn't simply tolerate her relationship with Evan but kept her appearance as the countess's heir's soulmate. Clan members were ecstatic when they found out that a Nightbloom was mated with a Knightley, apparently two strong and ancient vampires. Though the Nightblooms were few, their name carried some kind of reputation.

She tried to approach her, but there was a barrier, like always, and she couldn't feel rejected by her own mate. She couldn't even touch her when they were alone. They shared a bed, but they were never intimate. Jenna would hook her arms around her when they were meeting the clan, but as soon as their bedroom closed, the blonde would pull away from her and put up her barrier until the next time they needed to make an appearance.

And her other half's action wounded her deeply.

But I hurt her first, didn't I?

"Jenna," she called, but she got no answer. She walked around the bed, and her heart broke into pieces as she saw her face etched with pain. Her brows were in a deep furrow, and her face was blood-stricken. She wanted to reach out, but her hand was met with a solid, invisible barrier.

She stood up and went for the door. She peered over her shoulder and sighed.

"I'm so sorry."

Jean wandered around the castle, thinking about her other half and her boyfriend.

I leave one and hurt the other; it's fucking unfair.

Why did it feel like an impossible choice?

She was pondering her life when she found herself in front of their library. A familiar brunette stood at the head of the table, a gigantic book in front of her. She knew her mother felt her when she saw the finger skimming the pages suddenly stop. She looked up, and Jean gave her a smile, but instead of receiving one in return, she was given one of her deadly stares. Then she turned her attention to the book.

She sat beside her, but the woman, the one who never took her eyes off her on her first days of being a fledgling, barely acknowledged her.

"Taylor." There was nothing.

"Mom." She poked her side and found out it was a bad idea when the older vampire glared at her.

"What?" Her voice was cold, which sent a shiver down her spine.

"Are you mad at me?" she asked but was met with silence. "What did I do?"

Taylor continued glaring at her before turning her attention back to the seemingly more interesting-than-her-own-daughter book.

"Why are you doing this?"

Her mother, the one who she knew had endless patience when it came to her, slammed the book shut so hard she saw dust fly up, and she felt the sound reverberate on her. She looked at Taylor with wide eyes.

"Wha—"

"I should be the one asking you that, Jean."

She grew confused. "What?"

Taylor glared at her. "Damn it, Jean, look at Jenna! Don't think I didn't know."

"I—"

"Can't you see how painful it is for her?"