Damon went silent. I wondered how long I would have with this side of him before the angry and aggressive side came back. I shook my head in disbelief and fought the urge to cry out. Silently, I turned my head back to observe as everyone began to run indoors and lock their doors.
“Some of them,” began Damon, hesitatingly,” some of them, they like it.”
“They like it?” I asked in confusion.
“Yes,” he nodded,” most of them become addicted to the feeling, they enjoy it.”
I thought back to when Xavier bit me and how much I had enjoyed it. I felt shivers run across the back of my neck. The feel of his fangs digging into my skin had felt almost lustful and I would be lying to myself if I said I did not want him to bite me again.
I glanced at Damon who was now staring outside the window. I studied his perfect mouth and daydreamed the feel of his soft lips on my neck again, grazing me lightly with his teeth and finally, biting. I pictured him doing to me what Xavier did and almost shuddered.
The car finally came to a halt and we stopped in front of a small stone home. Garlic hung outside the doorway like chandeliers and I wondered what their purpose was.
I opened my mouth to ask Damon but he was already out of the car. I opened my door to follow but he turned to face me and yelled,” Get in the car.”
“Where are you going!”
“Get back in the car Holly,” he demanded. I did as instructed and watched two guards who were trailing us knock on the stone walls.
Seconds later, the door was opened by an elderly woman. She took one look at the guards and Damon and fell to her knees.
“No please,” she began to cry out. I opened my car door ready to run out and help her but the sight of the guards with extended fangs sent chills up my spine. Her sobbing only got louder and I watched in horror as the guards pushed past her and went inside. Damon stood to the side, completely unaffected by the screaming women, occupied on his phone.
At that moment I decided I hated him. I hated him for being so hot and cold. I hated him for not deciding whether he’s the good or the bad guy and I hated him because part of me knew if he could he would.
A couple of minutes passed by and I watched as the guards dragged out the same man I saw who was dressed in the odd costume. He was dressed in regular clothing now and that same terrified look took over his face.
I pushed the car door further open and jumped out, not being able to take it anymore.
“Damon please!” I screamed out,” Let him go!”
The lady screamed out louder watching the guards shove the man into their car and lock the doors shut.
“Please my son!” she cried out.
“Get in the car!” Damon snapped and walked closer to the car.
“Damon, listen to me. I know you don’t want to do this, please-”
He brought his face to mines, fangs extended and golden eyes blaring,” Unless you want me to dump you here and use you as a feeding fountain, you’ll get in the car.”
Terrified that the gentle Damon was now gone, I silently obeyed and got into the car.
The ride home was silent. The air felt thick and it was a struggle to breathe. The image of the old lady sobbing on her knees for her son replayed in my mind every second. The thought that a witch would soon erase all those memories was sounding better and better. Damon was silent and angry and I couldn’t tell if he was upset with me or with his punishment. After all, he did rescue this man only to be ordered to retrieve him again. I wondered why he saved him in the first place if he knew that his father would only find him again. I wondered if they were going to kill the man and why.
Back at the castle, Damon stormed out of the car and ordered them to take the man to the dungeon for now. He began to walk back towards the entrance and I chased after him trying to make one last desperate attempt to save this man’s life.
“Damon!” I screamed out,” Damon please.”
He entered the doors and into the castle completely ignoring me. I struggled to catch up to him, losing my breath but still screaming out,” Damon just listen!”
He suddenly stopped dead in his tracks and pulled me through a single door and into a small closet. I didn’t realize the anger on his face until he pressed my back against a shelf lined with towels and growled in my face,” Do you think I want to kill that man!”
I breathed in and out, suddenly at a loss for words. I didn’t dare take my eyes off his and was suddenly aware of how close his lips were to mine.
“Damon-” I breathed out.
“I have no choice,” his shouting made me flinch,” I don’t get to make the shots until I’m King, for now, I do whatever my father orders me to!”
I nodded.
Of course, I understood. I knew there were hundreds or maybe even thousands of lives lost at the hands of the pride of the King, but for some reason, the look of horror on that man’s face haunted me and I couldn’t just let him die
“I understand,” I said,” I just cant… I don’t know how to-”
“You don’t think about it.”
I remained silent.
Damon’s eyes suddenly trailed from my face to my neck. He lifted his fingers and outlined the fresh bite Xavier had given me. I winced in pain at the touch of the fresh wound and flinched back, staring at the ground.
“What is that?” he asked.
Suddenly I felt ashamed.
Instead, I replied with,” Nothing.”
“Holly did someone here do that to you,” his voice had gone soft and almost gentle. My eyes began to suddenly burn with fresh tears and I switched my gaze to meet him.
“It’s alright, I-”
“Whoever did this to you broke the law of The Underworld, I need to know who did thi-”
“You don’t understand, it’s fine. I-I let him.”
I watched his face turn into confusion,” Seth?”
I shook my head no and felt a tear escape down my face. As if doing so without thinking, Damon’s hand went up to wipe the tear. He looked confused by his own action but pressed,” who?”
“Xavier? What did he promise you?”
“He said he knew a witch, is it true?” I mumbled.
Damon nodded, his beautiful eyes glinting with sadness,” It’s true.”
“Will she help me?”‘ I felt slight relief to know at least he hadn’t lied about that part.
Damon remained silent for a few seconds merely staring into my eyes before whispering,” I don’t know.”
We stayed quiet for a couple of minutes, with his hands at either side of my face, both staring at each other.
I fought the sudden crucial urge to kiss him. It was almost impossible not to lean in and steal a peck. I knew if I were to kiss his soft lips I would never stop.
His eyes trailed down to my lips and I wondered if he thought the same thing. Damon suddenly brought his hands down from the wall and stormed out of the room, leaving me with the mystery of my thoughts.
What the hell what that?
The next morning came slower than the one before but at least I could say that I was getting somewhat comfortable in my new bed. I caught up on a couple of hours of sleep, mainly because I had hoped to dream of Damon. It was strange how often his eyes held captive the thoughts of my mind. I could lay in bed for hours just daydreaming of what it would feel like if he held me, looked me deep in my eyes, and tilted my head, planting soft gentle pecks along the side of my neck until he finally bit.
The thought caused shivers to run down my spine and I wondered where he was right now. We had a moment yesterday, in that closet after he pulled me inside and screamed at me. I remembered how he looked at my neck. I wondered why I wanted to see him again or if living in this castle has me going completely crazy.
I decided to cut myself some slack. There was never a cliche where the poor little human girl didn’t have a slight crush on the sexy vampire.
Sexy, jaw-dropping, mouthwatering… insanely complicated vampire-
I quickly shook the thoughts off and reminded myself that the main goal was not to shack up with the vampire, it was to get the hell out of here. I thought of Xavier and if he was keeping his promise. Had he called the witch? Did she agree to help me? Is she coming today?
I decided I needed to get out of bed and search for something to do. I grabbed the sandwich the maid had left for me and made my way through the echoed hallways and down the dark stairs. The castle was even more silent than usual today and I couldn’t help but wonder why no one was around. I wondered where they kept the villager man from yesterday and debated finding him.
Where would I be if I was a human captured and waiting to be killed by vampires? Dungeon.