[Completed] Riley Hayes | A Vampire Novel - Book I

Chapter 32 - one last time

I woke up with the biggest headache I had ever had. And I awoke in a room I had never seen before. I looked around and saw no one. Where was I?

Faint memories sprung back into my mind. The fight with Leuca, him throwing me in that cold dungeon. My hands grasped my stomach, is my child alright? I didn't know.

Did I faint? My knees felt wobbly and I couldn't find the strength to get up. The fire beside me was too warm so I scooted away from it and climbed onto the luxurious sofa. How did I get here?

I still felt really tired so I grabbed the blanket that covered me before and pulled it over my shoulders. I laid down on my side and watch the fire dance in the fireplace.

Eventually, I heard a door open so I looked up and saw a surprised Beth looking at me. "You're awake!" She screeched gladly and ran up to me. She jumped over the sofa to hug me tightly. "God, you scared the crap out of us!"

"What happened?" I asked her, my voice muffled in her shoulder.

She pulled back and grasped my shoulders, "what happened? You slapped the damn Lord is what happened! Are you out of your mind?" She scolded me and even was rocking me back and forth.

"He was going to cut your finger off! I couldn't let that happen."

"That's how it goes, Ri... Now you got in trouble. You almost died in the dungeon." She seemed sad and hugged me again, "you need to stop almost dying of cold."

"Almost dying?" I asked.

She hummed, "yes, you were down there for a day and when the master came to get you, you already were unconscious. You then caught a fever and got severely sick, even the master's blood didn't work. You were out for six days!"

I can't even remember being so cold, just that I still feel so angry and betrayed. But six days? That meant... The raid was tomorrow! I haven't had the time to properly think of my actions. Was I going to do it? Escape?

The door opened again and Amalia walked in, surprised to see Beth hugging me tightly. Then she smiled brightly and welcomed me back. She asked how I was feeling so I told her I felt really weak. "Your temperature is still a bit too high," she said. "But I am glad to see you're awake. My brother has been concerned."

I huffed, just the thought of him angered me. Tomorrow would be the last day I would see him... The last time I would get to touch him. If Ryan's mission is successful then he will kill Leuca. Could he though? "He has been," Amalia whispered.

"He better have, it is his fault I was down there in the first place."

Amalia placed her hand on my head and patted it. "Please go easy on my brother, he realizes his mistake so please try to understand yours."

"My mistake? I didn't make a mistake." I defended, I haven't done anything wrong! Protecting my friend is in no way wrong.

Amalia sighed, "you have a special talent of softening my brother but also angering him more than anyone else. You can't hit him, Riley. If it would be at a social event, he would have been forced to kill you. No human unfortunately is to defy a vampire and surely not a Lord."

"Then he should have solved the problem differently! I will hold my ground, those girls were terrified and they didn't do anything wrong." I wrapped my arms around each other, "I thought you would understand."

"It is wrong but it is the method that works for Leuca."

I didn't care what worked and what didn't work, I really couldn't give a shit. I won't stand down and watch innocent girls getting mutilated. I didn't want to go into another discussion so I just nodded along. I also didn't have the strength for it.