shuhaige
55
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“Oh. And if you have to find a wife, Fiona-”
“Will live her life with someone else, which has to happen anyway. I’m not upset about that.”From NôvelDrama.Org.
I pursed my lips. “But, Sebastian-”
“It’s impossible for us. Besides, she doesn’t love me anymore.”
“Yes she does!” I protested, bringing my face closer to his.
“Sebastian, do you have any idea how many guys have asked her out at my school?”
He crossed his arms.
“Good for her.”
“She didn’t say yes to any of them, Sebastian.”
“Maybe they didn’t meet her fancy.”
“Come on!” I cried, grabbing the front of his black jacket.
“You know that’s not true! She still calls you Seb! We’ve talked about this! What’s got you so depressed all of a sudden?”
He easily shoved me away from him. “I have to get married, Emily!” he shouted, losing his cool for the minute.
“It’s over for us! I have no choice upon whether or not I want to be King or not! My life hasn’t been mine since birth!”
I blinked at him, my mouth hanging open. This was the first time ever that I’d seen him yell.
“I’d rather die,” he finished harshly.
“So run away.”
The words left my lips before I realized I was uttering them. Sebastian’s eyes widened in shock. I quickly covered my mouth with my hands. After a moment, he let his shoulders sag and fell back into the couch.
“I can’t, Emily. I can’t do that to you and Vincent.”
“Me and Vincent?”
“If I leave and Vincent becomes king, it’s over for you two. A king could never rule with a human.”
My cheeks warmed and I held up my hand.
“W-wait Sebastian, Vincent and I will never get married.”
He gave me a dubious look
. “Really?”
“Really. He’s a vampire… I’m a human. The boundary can’t be crossed. You know that more than anyone.”
“There’s a difference between Vincent and I though, Emily. Vincent will not become king. He could live with you in the human world.”
“And watch as I grow old and die while he stays nineteen forever?”
“Well, he’s not nineteen. He’s actually-”
I shook my head.
“I don’t want to hear it!”
Sebastian grinned.
“Okay. Well, sure, he looks like he’s nineteen, but you could also stay young forever.”
“I could?”
“Yes. You know how, too.”
My body froze up when I realized what he was suggesting. It took me a moment to find my voice.
“Sebastian… I-I can’t. I can’t become a vampire.”
“You can,” he urged. “It’s not hard. It doesn’t even hurt.”
“No! I can’t! Don’t say it!”
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“Why? Why not, Emily? You could join our family for real. No one could say anything!”
My hands were shaking. The thought had never crossed my mind. Me? Becoming a vampire? Sure, Vincent had joked about it, but he hadn’t been serious. Not like now. Sebastian was dead serious. But it couldn’t happen! How could I become one of them? I was human… I would always be human. I always wanted to be human. Even if I lost Vincent…
My heart lurched. I grasped my chest, making a face. What was that ?
“Emily? Are you okay?” Sebastian asked, his eyes clouding over with worry.
“Ah, yeah,” I responded, slowly releasing my shirt. A throb of what felt like electricity swept through my body making me wince again.
Sebastian didn’t look convinced. “Are you sure? You can tell me.”
I shook my head, trying to smile at him. “No, it’s fine. Just a cramp.”
“Okay,” he replied skeptically. “Emily, you know I’m not going to force you to become one of us, right?”
“I know,” I told him, cupping my elbow. “I just can’t wrap my mind around it. I don’t belong in this world.”
He placed a hand on my thigh. “If you become a vampire, you will lose your Blue Blood status. Your blood will become normal.”
I caught my breath as this new information was thrown at me. “What?”
“You’ll have normal vampire blood. That means Ashton would stop coming after you. You’d be useless to him.”
“I wouldn’t have Blue Blood anymore if I became a vampire?”
“Yes.”
My mind was thrust into turmoil. Now what was I supposed to think? Would I rather join them? Or be hunted my whole life by Ashton? Even if the Rutherfords destroyed Ashton there was a chance he told some other hunters… It would be an endless game of Cat and Mouse.
“Emily, you don’t have to decide now. We still have six more days until Ashton comes.”
“I’m not changing,” I blurted out. Was he serious? He thought a week was enough time for me to decide something that big? “I can’t decide in a week. I need more time.”
A gently smile crossed his face. “I thought so. We’ll hold Ashton back. You can take as much time as you need, but you must remember while you’re using that time, Ashton will keep being a hazard not only to you, but my family.”
“Somehow this feels like blackmail,” I muttered.
Sebastian chuckled. “I guess in a way it is. I don’t want to see you fade away, Emily.”
“That sounds like a love confession,” I teased.
His eyes twinkled. “Do you want it to be?”
I pretended to gag. “You, Sebastian? Maybe if you got down on your hands and knees and said, ‘Oh, Emily. How I’ve longed for you. I love you more than all the stars in the sky and more. When I see your face, butterflies appear in my stomach. Please be mine forever’.”
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“You really want a cheesy confession from someone, don’t you?” he responded with a laugh.
I ducked my head in embarrassment. “No. That was meant to embarrass you if you did it.”
He suddenly pushed himself up from the couch and lowered himself to his hands and knees. I cocked an eyebrow in amusement. He wasn’t going to… Was he?
“Oh, Emily,” he started dramatically, heaving a heavy sigh. “How I’ve longed for you. I’ve longed for you like a dehydrated cheetah longs for a puddle…”
I laughed. “Nice improv.”
“I love you more than all the stars in the sky and more,” he continued, his face completely serious. “Actually, I love you more than all the water in the ocean. When I see your face, butterflies appear in my stomach. Please be mine forever.”
I scooted forward in my seat. “That’s not very King-like, but of course, Sebastian. I love you too.”
“Congratulations.”
I jumped in fright, my head whipping to Sebastian’s door. Vincent was standing there, his dark, wet hair matted to his forehead. A scowl was set onto his face, his eyes hard and hurt. My mouth opened, but no words came out. He didn’t think was real, did he?
“Vince,” Sebastian started, easily springing to his feet. “Welcome home-”
“Go die,” he responded, storming out of the room, and slamming the door behind him.
Sebastian and I exchanged startled glances. “He doesn’t actually think I meant it, does he?” Sebastian inquired.
I felt my heart sink. “I think he does…”
“Oh boy,” Sebastian breathed out. “Maybe I should go talk to him-”
“And get yourself killed? I think not. I’ll go tell him. It’s not like we did anything wrong… While I’m doing that, why don’t you just say everything you just said to me to Fiona?”
His expression darkened. “Emily.”
“You have one week left of freedom,” I started, narrowing my eyes. “You owe this to yourself and Fiona. Make it worth it, Sebastian.”
He faltered for a second. “Maybe you’re right,” he said quietly.
I nodded. “And if you don’t say anything, I’ll tell Fiona how much you’re still in love with her.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“I would and will. Now, I have to go find Vincent.”
He nodded. “Very well. See you at dinner.”
I hurried out of his room and took a right, heading for Vincent’s. Chances were he wasn’t in there, but it was worth a check. My theory proved to be right as I popped my head in to find Vincent was not in it. Frowning, I made my way to the kitchen. Maybe he’d be in there.
“Emily!”
My heart leapt into my throat at the sound of my name being called. I twirled around. “Joel!”
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The blonde grinned at me. “What did you say to Vincent? He’s pissed. He said something about you before storming out the door.”
“He went outside?”
“Yep, out the back.”
“I have to go find him.”
“Why?”
I ran a hand through my hair. “He heard Sebastian saying he loved me and that I loved Sebastian.”
Joel’s eyes widened. “Eh? And here all along I thought you liked Vincent! Sneaky, Em, sneaky!”
“No, Stupid, I do like Vincent. Sebastian and I were just joking around.”
“Oh. That’s no fun,” he responded, pouting. “I thought we were going to have some drama around here. Oh! I know! I could say I’m in love with you too!”
I rolled my eyes, brushing by him. “I’ve got to go, Joel.”
“Wait! I love you! Don’t leave me!”
I waved my hand at him from over my shoulder. “Goodbye, Joel.”
“Farewell, my love!”
Finding the back entrance was surprisingly easy. It led to the dreary outside. I stepped out, squinting into the dark forest that surrounded the estate. Vincent was nowhere in sight. This didn’t surprise me. Sighing, I chewed my lip, trying to decide what to do. Going into the forest alone would be very stupid. However, finding Vincent was my priority. Maybe if I traversed through it, I’d come across him. Or maybe he’d hear me and come toward me.
“I don’t want to do,” I muttered and, with a sigh, started for the tall trees. “I don’t even know what’s in the forest here…”
It didn’t seem like there were any animals. The forest was eerily hushed as I stepped onto the first dead leaf on the ground. It cracked under my foot, causing some sound in the silent woods. Gritting my teeth, I forced myself deeper into it. I had to find Vincent. At least the rain had turned to a light drizzle.
I tried going in a straight line so I wouldn’t get lost. Every now and then I’d look around for a landmark so when I went back I’d be able to find my way. No sounds came from anywhere among the trees. Not even the slightest crack of a tree branch. The silence was making me uneasier than any noise would. What kind of place was the area around the Rutherford manor? It felt like a holy place. No, not holy. It felt like some kind of sacred ground. A sacred ground for vampires , I thought dryly.
Time crawled by slowly and the rain became heavier. I continued searching for Vincent despite it, keeping my eyes wide and my ears alert. My legs were beginning to hurt and I was shivering, the cold going all the way to the bone. I was surprised it wasn’t snowing.
“Vincent!” I called, cupping my mouth. “Vincent! Where are you?”
Where are you? I heard in an echo. Confused, I looked around. How could there be an echo in here? “Vincent!”
Vincent!
“Must be a cliff around here,” I muttered, trying to see through the clusters of trees. It was nearly impossible.
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I wiped away the rain that was dribbling down my face, and then ran my hand through my damp hair. Maybe it was time to go back. Vincent would return home on his own accord at some point and I could talk to him then. “It would’ve been more romantic if I’d found him after searching in the rain for song long,” I sighed wistfully.
“Were you looking for me?”
My hand went to my heart and I scowled. What was up with people and scaring me today? It was really getting on my nerves! I turned slowly, shooting daggers at anything my gaze met. When I noticed unnaturally blonde hair, blonder than Joel’s, I froze. I blinked a few times, just hoping it was my imagination.”
“Well hello there,” the blond grinned.
“Luca?”
“Heh. You actually remembered.”
Immediately I clenched my fists, going into an offensive position. “W-what are you doing here? Where’s Ashton?”
“Not here,” Luca responded simply, closing in on me. “I was patrolling by myself today.”
“Patrolling?”
He rolled his eyes at me. “You know, keep a guard over the area?”
“Why are you doing that?”
“To keep an eye on you, of course. We’ll need to know if the Rutherfords decide to move you. Telling them was an interesting choice, girl. You just brought this to a whole other level. This will be much more fun.”
Slowly, I moved backwards, ready to turn and start sprinting. Ashton and Luca were keeping an eye on me? Was that how they knew I’d been moved to the manor? They were keeping tabs on me! I clenched my fists, angry. At least they didn’t know of anything inside the manor.
“Joel knows I went out here… If I don’t come back he’ll tell someone.”
Luca smiled viciously. “Joel can be easily taken care of, if I really wanted to silence him.”
“No!”
He chuckled. “Keep your wits, girl. I won’t kill him. I didn’t come to harm you. I told you, I’m just patrolling. You have your week.”
“Then…”
“I have something for you,” he told me, taking a few long strides so that he was in front of me. I could smell the scent of campfire on his clothing. His arms went around me, and I felt something being pushed into the back pocket of my pants.
I stayed completely still, holding my breath. When he didn’t move away, I tried to back up.
“I’m sure Ashton won’t care if I taste your blood again though,” he murmured, tightening his grasp on me.
” No ,” I said in a hard tone. “Get away from me, Luca.”
“You can’t stop me,” he teased, easily gathering my wrists into one of his hands. “I won’t lose control like before… well, maybe I will, but let’s hope I don’t. After last time, it might actually kill you, right? Ashton wouldn’t be happy about that.”
I struggled to liberate myself. “Luca! Let me go!”
“One little taste,” he said, his breath on my neck sending shivers down my spine. “I bet you let your little vampire toy drink from you all you want.”
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