The Vampire's Reluctant Bride

The Vampire's Reluctant Bride: chapter-30

Chapter-30

Amelia shivered as she felt the nip of the cool night air against her skin, unconsciously taking a step closer to Lucius as they made their way back to the cottage. Her action obviously did not go un-noticed as Lucius promptly slipped off his coat and draped it over her shoulders.

She gave a small nod of acknowledgement as she adjusted it around her, slipping her arms through the sleeves before rolling them up to accommodate the difference in the length of their limbs. Almost immediately she felt the heavy weight of the envelope in the inner pocket of his coat. She gulped surreptitiously, hoping Lucius would not notice her discomfort.  

 The very packet which she had forgotten about twice in the course of twenty-four hours since learning about its existence now felt like a brand against her side, burning through the layers of cloth till she could feel its blistering presence against her very skin. Childishly, she suddenly seriously wished she could simply get rid of it so that she never had to see its contents. She felt the shiver run through her before she could control it and glanced at Lucius, grimacing slightly when she saw the corners of his mouth tighten. Still, he said nothing, and for that Amelia was grateful.

The envelope felt like it weighed a ton and Amelia bit back on a whimper as she felt her legs steadily lose their strength. Two more steps and she was sure that she needed to stop moving if she wanted the delicious dinner she had savoured stay inside. Her vision swam and she was no longer sure which way was up. The lead weight in her pocket had not let up and she abruptly realized that it was beginning to cut off her air-supply. The more she tried to drag the cool night air inside her oxygen-depraved lungs, the tighter the constriction around her chest became. She couldn’t breathe. Oh god, she couldn’t breathe!

She needed to breathe... she needed air... Inhale – Exhale. Inhale- Exhale....

Oh god, she can’t breathe!

Mia!

She blinked. Something dark was blocking her view... It was curled around her- whether to support or to restrain, she was still not sure. And there was a background noise- something almost soothing, a litany of sounds she couldn’t decipher. And why the hell was the darkness not letting up? She tried to drag in another breath, but something caught her throat and she choked. Oh god, she was choking.

Why wasn’t somebody helping?

 She was choking...she needed help!

Lucius, where was Lucius?

Shewaschoking!

A sudden jerk made her teeth rattle.

Mia!

She blinked blearily, she was still pressed against that dark shape...something was thumping against her back steadily. She swallowed.

“Mia? Can you hear me?”

Lucius?

Yes... yes, it’s me... think you can open your eyes for me, Cariño?

My eyes are open...

NO, Cariño... She felt the smile in his voice.

No? It felt like her eyes were open...hmmm... but she didn’t mind this dark... it was familiar. Making up her mind, she shook her head, atleast, she thought she did. She was comfortable now. The weight had eased up and she could breathe again. She felt safe. She didn’t want to open her eyes and confront that dark shape again. No, she was fine as she was. She was not going to open her eyes.

Come on, Cariño... for me? He cajoled.

I don’t like that dark.

It won’t be dark, Mia...now come on- open your eyes?

She whimpered- she did not want to open her eyes. But that warm voice was still talking...Still asking her and she could not refuse it. It was difficult, but millimetre by millimetre she forced her eyes open... and found herself drowning in twin pools of blue.

She smiled. Relieved.

“Hey.” Her voice sounded hoarse. Different....Unused, she realized. But- but she had been talking to Lucius, hadn’t she? She had been talking...but not aloud- she realized with surprise.

Wow, she hadn’t realized that she was comfortable enough with their ‘connection’ to be able to use it without conscious thought.

Aloud she only said, “What happened?”

“You had a panic attack.”

“Panic attack?” she repeated, realizing for the first time that she was cradled against her husband on the forest floor, her legs splayed out in front of her. In the distance she could see the welcome outline of their cottage against the shadowy forest.

Lucius didn’t offer any more explanations, gently hauling her to her feet even as he continued to support her against his side. With a blush she realized that the earlier dark she had complained about had been nothing but his shoulders. And, following swiftly on the heels of that realization came the memory of why she had suffered the panic attack in the first place. She stiffened.

Without a word Lucius brushed open the folds of his jacket and pulled out the envelope from its inner pocket. “I’ll hang on to this till you are ready.” He muttered.

Amelia felt her jaw drop open in surprise- how on earth did Lucius know?

She tried to school her expression but something must have shown on her face because Lucius just cracked a weary grin before slinging his arm around her shoulder casually- although she would bet her life that it was anything but casual: Lucius wanted to support her unsteady feet  without making her feel helpless.

“You think too loud, Mia.” He murmured, pausing as he tried to open the door without letting her go.

“I think I can manage to stand on my own, you know.”

He nodded, but did remove his arm, “I just don’t want to take a chance at this point... I’m not really sure I could handle another panic attack right now.”

She grinned, although it came out looking more like a grimace, “Over-protective much?”

He laughed; but dragged her inside, continuing to hang onto her till she was settled on the soft bed. She gazed up at him gratefully, thankful that he was giving her the few minutes of quiet that she needed to gather her thoughts.

Gradually she felt the tension leave her shoulders as she watched the now familiar motions of Lucius shrugging off his shoes and loosening his tie before he came to kneel in front of her. She jerked in surprise at the departure from routine.

“Think you can handle this now?” He held up the envelope.

Amelia nodded, struggling to control her suddenly erratic heartbeat.

“You better not be working up another panic attack, Cariño.” He warned.

She shook her head, reaching wordlessly for the white packet of doom in Lucius’ hand. He held it away, locking his eyes on her.

“What exactly are you so worried about, Mia?”

“I-I don’t know...” She admitted in a whisper.

His steady gaze stayed locked with hers for a few more seconds before he nodded. He didn’t offer any verbal comforts, silently holding out the packet for her; but he did not move away either. Amelia sucked in a fortifying breath, appreciating his wordless support- and tore the seal off.