Protect My Love ~ Book 4 ~ The Royal Blood Collection

Chapter 19

My mood was low, I stayed at the back of the building until I could force a smile. It took a while for that to happen and I knew that my parents would mercilessly tease me for fraternizing with Merrick when it was the last thing that I wanted.

Forgetting him would be difficult. He drove me crazy and all it did was make me want him more. Sex was amazing and sleeping beside him made me feel like I'd found my forever. Clearly, I was mistaken.

A day. Just one damned day and he's done this to me. It seemed incomprehensible to think that I could love someone after such a short amount of time but I feared that it was true. My heart was in pieces because of the words that we spoke and that I'd never see him again. And of course, the fact that what we had meant nothing to him. I was just a distraction, a moment of pleasure that was all too convenient.

He didn't love me and I don't know why I expected it of him. Maybe it was the words that he'd spoken earlier this afternoon when we woke. I thought about everything that he's said to me, every gesture, every moment. Nowhere did he indicate that he wanted permanent and I realized that I was the one that had jumped ahead of the situation.

The realization didn't help any, now I knew that I was a fool and that I deserved this heart that was in pieces. Every single part of me was in turmoil, turning over and breaking into even smaller pieces. I looked up at the night sky and wondered why this pain was necessary. Why couldn't I just accept it and move on as Merrick had? He seemed perfectly fine when he turned to walk away. Not a flinch of emotion, just the same cold stare that I'd gotten yesterday.

Everything that I wanted was walking away from me and there wasn't a single damned thing that I could do about it. He didn't want to be with me so there was no point in discussing this with Alaric. If Merrick had asked, I could have done that. I could have asked my uncle to change the orders. There was no point when Merrick didn't want that to happen.

I had to accept that this was how it would be. I'd return home, broken and sad. In time, I would find someone else and hopefully not be scarred by these events. No one would be good enough but I had to accept that I had no control over this.

My return was met with a quiet curiosity from my parents. They said nothing but I knew that they probably had a lot of questions.

The awkwardness was broken by my father suggesting that we return home and to do so on the road. It was soon agreed upon and to distract themselves, they quietly went about packing, probably wondering what had gotten into me. I'd left in a good mood, returned in a quiet one.

A week of driving through the desert of province three to province four where it was a little cooler due to the proximity to the coastline. When we got there, we'd take another week of driving through four and into five. By that stage, I'm sure that my parents will be sick of the sight of each other and my siblings will have spent the entire two weeks squabbling about being stuck in a car for hours on end.

I just wanted to fly back and hide in my room for the rest of my life.

My mother packed everything while my father organized the security detail and I guess, inform Alaric of what we were doing. I sat by the window and looked out at the compound. From this position, I could see the transport terminal and I could see Merrick. A solitary tear slid down my cheek as I watched him get into the back of a truck with several other soldiers.

I should have known better.

"Well, that's it. Everything is packed and ready to be loaded. Are you ready for an adventure?"

"I'd rather just go home." I murmured.

She sat down on the chair next to me and smiled sweetly.

"I know it's been a rough few days, meeting your birth father and all but you are a strong young woman, you will get through this. You don't need him."

I looked at her and it was like she knew and didn't mean my birth father. She gripped my hands tightly.

"You do not need him."

I smiled, despite the pain and suffering.

"No, I don't."

Satisfied, she got up from the table and opened the door. I wiped my face and removed all traces of my sorrow before anyone else saw it and began to question why.

As I stood from the table, I watched the truck pull out of the compound. Wordlessly I said goodbye to the vampire that I thought was everything. I was mistaken, he was nothing.

My mother grunted as she pulled the bags out to the breezeway.

"Where is everyone?"

She huffed as she stood up.

"Can you drag them out while I find someone to help?"

I nodded and dragged the bags out the door, momentarily glancing at her fleeing figure.

"My lady, can I help with them?"

I gasped and turned to see Farren standing behind me.

"Yeah, that would be great, thanks."

She smiled and followed me into the room, taking the last of the bags out. Farren stepped back into the room and closed the door.

"Is everything okay?"

"Of course it is my lady," She said as the lock was turned.

I backed away, feeling a whole lot of dread coursing through me. Farren grabbed me before any emotions could take hold, pushing me to the ground.

"Get off me," I screamed.

Her hand covered my mouth, I squirmed and struggled but it was no use. As her fingers pinched my nose shut, I heard my mother on the other side of the door. She was calling out for me, then I heard her try to open the door. The last thing that I heard was her muttering that I'd wandered off and left the bags behind.