The Game of Hearts

19. Past Quarrels PT 1

I sat silently at what I assumed was a dining room table. I expected the sound of clock work with the amount of clocks that were mounted on the walls, but they seemed to have died a long time ago. Alaric stood in the old kitchen, the floors creaking defiantly as he moved around. How the water worked in this old house was beyond me, but he sat a glass right on the table for me to drink. I eyed it curiously before looking back to him. "It's clean, I promise," he smirked before going back to the kitchen.

"What time is it?" I asked quietly, picking up the glass. I had heard earlier that the meetup then was midnight. It had to be close to that time, right? I felt anxious and confused.

"It's ten-forty-two," he said with a sigh, sounding almost as impatient as me.

"So what did Rowan do? You never really explained..." I decided it was the best course of action to stall him if he was ever planning to hurt me. Alaric turned to me casually, his handsome features showed he was having a discussion with himself. My guess was he was trying to figure out what he could and couldn't say.

"You won't run again?" He questioned, walking to sit in front of me at the table. I shook my head hesitantly, drinking the cool glass. It felt like I hadn't had water in ages. He nodded at me and took a deep breath. "He and I were close friends back in the thirties, we actually lived here. In this town. In this house. You know that bar he runs to keep all his friends in one spot? This was the exact situation... this was a place for him and his buddies. A haven. There are about ten rooms,"

I cut him off. "Ten?! This house doesn't look that big!"

He stifled a chuckle at my surprise and nodded. "Yes, it is," Alaric then continued. "We were the closest in the house, however I did have a sweetheart," he came to a pause, reminiscing back to the times I assumed. "She lived with us, a human."

A human girl? Lived in a house full of a vampires? I mean... she was also willing, so she must have loved and adored Alaric.

"We were set to be married. Rowan decided that he wouldn't allow it," Alaric began to chuckled darkly, leaving my skin crawling. "You see, he had grown to love her, too," I cringed at the words... Rowan didn't seem like the type. "I know, it sounds ridiculous, but back then Rowan was a hopeless romantic, a bad boy hopeless romantic. Meaning no woman would dare love him. When he realized he'd never have her... he turned on me... he killed her, and then my other best friend along with her when he tried to protect her..." listening to this story-well it became very sad-I didn't really know what to think of it... just that it was obvious Rowan had no right. "He then destroyed himself. He was never the same. I lost three people that day," he mumbled.

I pursed my lips, thinking what I could possibly say to him. "I-"

"It's done. I don't need apologies or condolences," he quickly recovered, taking a sudden and irrelevant interest in the wall to my left. I felt my heart squeeze. Rowan really was a monster, wasn't he? I scoffed and shook my head. Suddenly I hoped he wouldn't save me. I didn't need him. If he could do those things to his best friend, he could do them to me.

"I just wish he was different," I finally finished, taking a different route. The vampire shot his eyes to me, eyes squinting.

"You... like him, too. Don't you?" He asked. Hearing the word "like" come out of a seemingly old vampire seemed strange. It was the right term though...

"I don't... know. He's just so... so infuriating!" I didn't know if I was about to spill my vampire romance drama to the enemy, but it seemed like it. Alaric didn't give me a vibe that he was my enemy. "He's selfish, and cruel," I grunted. "He killed people," I whispered.

Alaric's face softened. "We are vampires," he said like it was a matter of fact. I scoffed.

"Doesn't mean anything! Can't you eat animals?!" I couldn't believe I was shouting rudely at my kidnapper whom had a strange torture chair downstairs. He didn't seem to mind though with that gentle expression and cool demeanor.

"If we try, we throw it up. It must be human. We can survive without it, however, for at least a year. Human food can fill us, but not satisfy us. But that is all," he said quietly. "We've all killed people... one way or another. Because of who Rowan is, he can't help himself. It's in our blood, as vampires. You either accept that, and take in who he really is as a person. Or you can love the daring hunter... who's also killed," the truth hit me in the chest.

He was right. Liam must've killed others as well. I scoffed. So there wasn't really any way around it. "My advice is... you just need to follow your heart. Let it take you where it needs. It knows."

Good advice, except I had never done that in my life. Nothing like this.

"He's here... looks like he brought a friend..." Alaric said, slowly turning to the door.