Blurry is the Line Between Love and Lust: A Tears of Shame Novel [EDITING]

Chapter 23: The Nature of a Monster

Sorry this one is so short... it was originally part of the next chapter, but it didn't really flow, so I split up...

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Recap chap 22:

"Where are you going?!" She shouted and followed after me, lagged behind my vampire speed.

"He's dead. I'm going to kill him!" When I saw Ronan, I ran at him full force.

There was no one that could have stopped me.

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Chapter 23: The Nature of a Monster

Arianna POV

I followed them to the foyer. When I finally reached them, my eyes were met with a paralyzing site. The men I loved had entered into a vicious and lethal dance. I only saw flashes. Fists flew, bodies thrashed, and blood spilled. Xavier crashed Ronan into the walls repeatedly. Chunks of marble and plaster rode in the air like fragments from a bomb explosion. I'd never been so terrified in all my life. I had to have been stopped, before someone got hurt.

"Stop!" I screamed as loud as I could.

"You're killing him!" I pleaded for Xavier to listen, but my words fell on deaf ears. His fury was far too great. He had lost control. His eyes were ravenous, full of hatred, pain and betrayal. I couldn't have let him turn into a monster, a murderer, and I could not have let him kill his only brother.

"Please, stop this Xavier! Please!" I begged, but I knew they wouldn't listen. Ronan, who was once virile and strong, was now a chew toy in the mouth of an angry beast. He had stopped defending himself. He had given up, due to his guilt no doubt. My heart was torn into a thousand pieces. I needed to do something. I was beyond desperate. Surely I wasn't strong enough to have come between them. Who could have stopped such a murderous rampage?

The King!

I ran as fast as my human legs could carry me. The few yards to the King's chamber seemed like an eternity. I busted through the door. I was a little embarrassed at my lack of civility. But who cared when a man was about to die!

"You're Majesty, you have to help me." I pleaded. My anxiety level had reached a critical mass. I looked to the King. His eyes were hard and confused. They were cold and menacing. His dark, black eyes were set off by the paleness of his skin and the color of his long white hair.

"Xavier is killing Ronan. He may be dead already!" I shouted, and felt bad about it. Sorry King. I had always thought him to be dark and emotionless, but this time he was not. I awaited a response. That response would never come.

Slowly my mind caught up to his actions. He was gone in a flash. I needed to get back to them. So I ran, panted heavily. When I reached the foyer, I brought much needed breaths of air into my oxygen deprived lungs. I was apprehensive about what site would befall me.

King Asteroth held Xavier in a tight, forceful headlock. He hadn't used all his strength to restrain him, of that I was certain. He was older by nearly a century. Of course he was much stronger than his son. That fact was illuminated by the calmness of this movements and his tone when he spoke.

"Take Ronan to the infirmary."The King flatly ordered his loyal servants.

"He is badly injured and desperately in need of blood. Call upon the others to be his donors." He spoke as though nothing had happened. As though what transpired was a minor squabble, when in fact it had been quite the contrary.

Ronan looked horrid. Gashes covered him. Chunks of flesh were torn from his body. Blood seeped from every point imaginable. I was utterly beside myself at the thought that he'd come so close to death at his brother's hands.

Tears washed over me. I wept, uncontrolled for minutes, when the servants gently lifted Ronan's unconscious body and hauled him to the infirmary. I looked to Xavier, he seemed relatively unharmed. The only hint of what occurred showed in the faint trace of blood that dried near his mouth. He was calm, too calm.

"I will release you, my son, if you can control yourself." The King declared in an authoritative tone. He released Xavier and continued.

"What is the meaning of this Xavier? What could Ronan have done to deserve such vicious disregard for his well being?" He commanded answers, and I was certain he would have gotten them.

"He's been..." He searched for the words. "... Carrying on with MY WIFE for months!" He spat venom when he spoke the words 'my wife'.

"Is this true Arianna?" The King seemed interested, but I wasn't entirely certain if he cared about the answer.

"Your Majesty, I..." I searched the floor in hesitation.

"Well Xavier, you're behavior was no different. I should expect you to be a little more understanding, lest we forget Selene? At least no one had to die this time." Ouch that was harsh.

"Father, it's not the same." He sighed, a little annoyed at the King's jab.

"Arianna is a beautiful young woman. Perhaps if you had shown her a little more interest in the beginning, this all could have been prevented." He glanced at me. I was regretful that my actions had caused such a travesty.

"I'm sorry Your Majesty. This was my fault, but I'm grateful that you were able to save Ronan." I humbled myself before his commanding presence.

"Father, he deserved..." He argued but was cut off by the King's threatening tone.

"Enough of this! You will apologize to your brother immediately. I will not have such insolence in my home!" He commanded, and then he was gone. I met Xavier's gaze. His deep golden eyes bore into mine. He was pained, ashamed, and regretful. I couldn't have looked at him for one second longer.

I ran to my old room and cried hysterically. This was my fault and I needed to set it right. I had to start with Ronan. He almost died because of me, and I couldn't have lived with myself if he had. I wrestled with myself for hours until my mind converged on a singular thought. I forgave him. It was not Ronan's fault. He lost control, as all vampires had at one time or another. It was their nature, the nature of a monster.

The passage of time and the thought that he'd almost died solidified this revelation. I couldn't have blamed him, nor could I have blamed myself. I loved him, but our connection would have never been the same. A small piece of me would have always belonged to him, cared for him, but I could never have been with him. I couldn't have been in a relationship with someone who raped me. I could never have understood his loss of control, but I forgave it.

I needed to absolve him of his guilt.

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That King is something else HUH?

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