The Count's Princess (Completed)

The Devil Proposes

Alexandru was dead weight as he rested his sleepy head on my shoulder. His heavy arm was on top of me wrapping me close to him. His knee was also keeping my legs down.

I slipped out from under him, very tired, and turned my alarm off. I went to work and could barely keep my eyes open.

Alexandru and the others had moved in and began living at my apartment for a full week now. Everyone stays awake and alive until five in the morning. I woke up at six. I caught Alexandru just a few days ago sneaking in when my alarm was going off. I needed to work full time so that I could afford my apartment. The others were pitching in but I still felt like I needed to work. Everyone had so much going on I didn't want to burden them with bills too.

"Maggy, ... Maggy!" I burst awake at Debby's voice. "Stop falling asleep." I rubbed the saliva leaking from my mouth off my chin and got up from the little kid's napping area.

"Sorry," I groggily said.

"Is that boyfriend of yours keeping you up late?" Debby teasingly asked. I mistakenly subconsciously nodded. "Maggy!" Debby protested. "Tell him he's inhibiting your work!" I waved her off.

"I'm fine," I defensively said.

"Maggy, you fall asleep at least twice a day. How many hours of sleep do you get?" I went to tell her a lie until I answered truthfully.

"Four," I walked away.

"Four!?"

"I told you, I'm fine."

"You won't be fine when Carmichael starts noticing those bags under your eyes and the weight you'll gain."

"Bags? And weight?"

"You try covering it up with makeup usually, but today you didn't. Probably because you were too tired this morning. And a woman is more likely to gain weight if she doesn't get at least six hours of sleep."

I looked down at myself. "Have I gained weight?" I haven't noticed.

"No, but you will," I rolled my eyes. "Oh, everyone wanted to go out tonight from work. Steve, Lucile, Annette, and Austin. Also John and Camden would like to come too. That would make it even. But you could invite Carmichael if you want."

"Oh, when?" I knew I sounded like I didn't want to go but I'd rather go out with my friends at the apartment more."

"Tonight,"

"Oh, I'm busy."

"Oh, okay."

"Sorry,"

"No problem."

I got home and found everyone playing cards. The tv was on the news and reporting another attack. Alexandru was sitting on the couch and I walked over to him. He opened his arm and I sat on his lap. I curled up into his chest and wanted to fall asleep right there and then against him but opened my eyes when the news anchor reported that the violent murders stopped. I lifted my head and Alexandru wrapped his arms around me. "It's over," he purred into my ear. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed his cheek hard. Everyone cheered and Octavian stood up.

"We should celebrate!" Everyone agreed and we decided to go out to dinner.

"It's a good thing you're human again," Ana-Maria said to her husband. We all piled up into my car and drove to a restaurant. We sat at a chaired table in the middle of the restaurant. Alexandru sat beside me and kept his hand on my knee. Octavian sat on his other side and Ana-Maria sat on my other side, Lukas, in the middle of them. He was in the middle of ordering his meal when I heard my name be called by a familiar voice. I turned and so did Alexandru. It was Debby and Steve and everyone she had mentioned earlier at work. How was I supposed to know she meant out to dinner! And at this place!!!

The company looked at my friends and weren't impressed.

"Antonio?" Debby hesitantly pointed out. The bald vampire lowered himself in his seat then got up and went to the bathroom. "Antonio is hanging around you and you can't even tell me or him about me?"

"Debby—" I tried to say.

"Debby," Steve began, "she's running with a new crowd now. Let's go," Debby's face was flushed. I didn't feel like dealing with the awkwardness so got up and went to the bathroom as well. I heard Ana-Maria follow me and heard Debby call out to her to be my new best friend.

I sat on the sink as Ana-Maria wiped at my tears with napkins.

"I wish Alexandru wore his suit," I sniffled. "He always had a handkerchief handy."

"I'm sorry your friends are all d*cks." I laughed.

"But, I didn't know I would suddenly lose them."

"Well, at least it will be easy to leave them now."

"What?"

"Now that the attacks have stopped, we're going back to Transylvania."

"Wait,"

"Hasn't Alexandru told you?" I shook my head.

"I'm sorry Maggy,"

"It's okay," I hopped down from the sink and looked in the mirror. "Ana-Maria, do I have bags under my eyes?" She looked at me.

"Yes,"

"Can I tell you something personal?" The pregnant woman placed her hand on my back.

"I'm in love with Alexandru. Sometimes I feel inseparable from him. But it won't always be like that. I'm gonna grow old and ugly and he's not. I want to have kids ... I want to get married ... working at the nursery has only made me want it all more! But Octavian's words just keep replaying in my head."

"I'm sorry Maggy,"

"I don't know what to do," I wiped at my face and stained my arms with tears. Ana-Maria said that we should probably get back outside and I agreed. Our food was waiting for us and Alexandru asked if I was okay. I knew that the boys heard us in the bathroom and I figured at Alexandru's announcement.

"I know I haven't mentioned this out loud but when we committed ourselves to helping the Americans we promised one another to return home once the task was over." He turned to me. "Maggy, I would be the luckiest man and," he went into a low voice, "vampire if you joined me and," he gestured to the other three, "in Transylvania." I looked at everyone and only Ana-Maria had a nervous look upon her face.

"Alexandru,"

"Please, say yes," he was desperate. The pros and cons ran through my head and all the happy moments I had created in Transylvania. Alexandru got out of his chair and got down on one knee. I gasped and so did Ana-Maria. Others in the restaurant turned their attention to the vampire kneeling on the ground and anticipated for what was to come. "Maggy Maryland May, I remember the day when you first told me your full name. You dove into a monologue of how you got it and I knew from that moment that I loved your voice. I remember the day you first played piano and I knew from then on that I wanted to forever play music with you. I remember the night you taught me how to pray. From that night on I knew that I wanted to be pure and clean for you. I remember the night we spent on the beach four years ago. You made me human again from then on." Girls in the crowd were awing and even wiping tears from their eyes. "Maggy Maryland May, I don't believe in soul mates, but I believe in a plan." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a black box. He opened it and revealed a giant rock of a diamond. "I have waited years to meet the one who would make me forever happy. I know ... that I have met her ... I let her go once ... and I plan on never letting her go again." This time I wiped a tear from my eye. I stared straight into the Count's beautiful, violet eyes and smiled. "I love you," cameras were going off and I caught some people filming. I looked down at the ring. "It's very much real," Alexandru added. I laughed and so did others in the restaurant. "Will you marry me?" I nodded vigorously without hesitation.

"Yes! Yes!" I flung my arms around Alexandru and he kissed my temple before squeezing me back.

"Yes ... ." He slipped the ring onto my finger and lifted me out of the chair. He kissed me with my feet off the floor and everyone in the room cheered.

"I love you," I breathed into the vampire's pointy ear.

"Not as much as I love you," he uttered back.