On the ride back to the estate, Emily kept stealing glances at the ring her beloved had offered her. She couldn’t help the shit-eating grin she sported… She was that happy and then some.
Sure, to the supernatural world – to which she now belonged – she was his mate, and there was no bond as precious or as sacred. But until recently, she was human – 100% human – and with the mindset of one. Getting a ring – even if it was a promise and not an engagement ring – meant a lot to her.
“A penny for your thoughts, dorogaya?” Theodore asked after some silence.
“I’m just happy,” she told him sincerely. “Absurdly happy.”
“You never said you wished for a ring,” he said almost in reprimand. And then, in a pensive tone, he added, “but then again you don’t usually ask for much.”
Emily shook her head at that. “It’s not about its actual price-value. It could be entirely made of diamonds or of the cheapest kind of steel, and it’d be the same to me. It’s more about the feelings you poured into getting me the ring. If I had been the one to ask for it, it wouldn’t have been the same.”
“Okay,” he drawled. “But how was I to know you wanted something symbolic of our relationship if you never mentioned it?”
She gave him a pointed look. “Theodore King,” she said in a dangerously sugar-coated tone, “Are you telling me you never offered any of your previous bed-warmers anything?”
“Nothing symbolic,” he said with a shrug.
“You could have offered one of them chrysanthemums, and they’d have still valued it because it came from you,” she rolled her eyes.
“Are you seriously starting a fight right now, dorogaya?”
Emily wasn’t sure whether it was his mocking tone or his words that upset her so.
She glared at him even through her tears.
When she remained silent, he turned to look at her face, and was visibly taken aback at seeing the tears shining in her eyes.
“Dorogaya,” he said half cautiously half hesitantly, “I’m sorry.”
“For what?” She all but growled at him.
“For being an insensitive asshole, for teasing you… you name it!” He let out tiredly. “Just stop crying please?”
Emily sniffled and a small smile came to adorn her face much to her dismay.
How could she stay mad at him when he apologized so sweetly? Hell, why was she mad to begin with?
“I’m sorry as well,” she said after some time, “I am being too emotional lately… and I can’t help it.”
“It’s okay,” he assured her, “I should be more mindful of my words in front of my pregnant mate.”
“That, you should be,” she agreed with a nod and a brighter smile.
He chuckled at that.
When they reached the estate, Mrs Steams welcomed them in with a small tired smile. When she saw the ring on Emily’s finger, she stiffened noticeably.
“Mr. King, please tell me you didn’t propose to this gold-digger of a maid,” she let out in a horrified tone.
“Mind your words, Mrs. Steams,” he iced out.
“But Mr. King…”
“I have erased people from existence for less,” he told her briskly.
Emily put a hand on her mate’s arm and addressed the housekeeper softly. “You have to understand Mrs. Steams that I genuinely love Theo. It isn’t about how powerful or how wealthy he is. He could lose everything tomorrow, and I’d still stand by him. He and I… we have a connection that is almost otherworldly. Not many can brag about such a connection or even understand it.”
“Nonsense,” the housekeeper scoffed.
“Believe what you wish,” Emily said. “But if you want to remain as the housekeeper of the estate, I’d suggest you stop with your judgments.”
Mrs. Steams gasped in outrage or shock, one would never know.
After dinner, Theodore and Emily retired to their bedroom. And it was then that he chose to confess.
“I am only keeping her around because of a promise I made to an old comrade in arms.”
Emily tilted her head to the side and urged him to continue.
“You see her grandfather used to be an investor and a rather good friend. Having disowned his son for sleeping and falling in love with a maid – it was very much frowned upon then too – he hadn’t seen his only kin for over 30 years. On his deathbed, after seeing that I hadn’t aged much over the years, he understood that I’d live longer and entrusted his granddaughter to me.”
Emily’s eyes widened at that.
“So you’re saying…”
“That her aversion to you is mostly due to the fact that her own father fell for a maid, and was disowned because of one, and that later led him to his downfall.”
Emily nodded at him, “I’ll be more lenient.”
** ** ** ** ** ** **
The following day, at college, many students saw the promise ring on Emily’s finger and whispered about it, whereas some even stopped her to ask where she got it and its price. Each time she smiled at them and told them it was a gift – not wanting to share with them that it was a promise ring.
All through her first and second lecture, her head was in the clouds.
What Theodore had revealed to her made her see Mrs. Steams in a whole new light. No person in their right mind could hate someone who has never done them wrong after all.
It was soon enough lunch, and she was approached by an old high school acquaintance called Judith.
“How have you been?” She asked her softly. “I didn’t know you attended this college.”
“I only started a few days ago,” was Emily’s response.
“Oh okay,” Judith nodded.
Judith was eating a muffin, and Emily looked at it hungrily. Why did she choose to eat something “healthy” when she was obviously craving muffins?
She must have been obvious because, soon enough, Judith fished out another muffin from backpack and gave it to her.
Emily was in no mood to refuse it. She all but devoured it in two bites.
But within moments, her train of thoughts became hazy. She lost focus. She squinted slightly at her old high school classmate. She was about to tell her something when Judith exclaimed, “Are you feeling unwell? Should we go to the restroom?”
And with that, she dragged her away and Emily was unable to fight her off. Her mind was in disarray.
Her bodyguards didn’t do anything since she seemed friendly enough with the girl.
But the restroom had another exit… and it was through that exit that Judith dragged her off.
They found Thomas there waiting for them, a dangerous glint in his eyes and a freakish smile on his lips.
Emily had never thought Judith could drug her and then drag her away before she lost consciousness. She shouldn’t have been as gullible as to believe an old school mate was willing to befriend little boring her. But then again, how could she have known the girl was helping out the deranged Thomas?
Through that back exit, he led her towards the parking lot and then into his car. She wanted to shout but her mind was hazy, confused and she wasn’t functioning well. When she wanted to open her mouth, she closed her eyes.
Emily tried to use her phone but her hand wasn’t cooperating… She was utterly helpless.
What a potent drug they had injected her with!
And the saddest part of it was that they had barely left campus when darkness consumed her whole.