Inhumane Seduction (Vampire Romance-on hiatus)

forty-eight

Forty eight - Alone

~Music highly recommended

-

♪ I loved and I loved and I lost you 

And it hurts like hell

I don't want them to know the secrets

 I don't want them to know the way I loved you 

I don't think they'd understand it, no ♪

[Fleurie- Hurts Like Hell]

-

~ XANDER'S POV ~

Abel looked nervous which was weird given the fact that he wasn't the one getting married to the princess' cousin in less than two hours.

He inhaled a breath before turning to me and reaching up to fix my tie. I glanced down at him before rolling my eyes.

"That's your second glass of ichor scotch. Perhaps you should consider slowing down, Lord Deathfall."

I sneered, mood souring the more he talked. He was just so naturally unlikeable. "Don't tell me what to do, Abel." I took a big gulp of ichor scotch just to vex him. It worked.

The short vampire irritatedly sighed. "With all due respect, you don't look very excited to marry Lady Sylvia."

I shrugged. I knew Abel wasn't one to gossip and it was also a pretty well-known fact that I wasn't very pleased about the arranged marriage the first time I heard about it. "Just not ready to marry." Well, that was a little bit of a lie. Maybe I was ready for marriage, but definitely not with Sylvia.

Abel didn't talk much after that, only fidgeting to himself and shifting his footing anxiously. I took the time to think about my Ophelia. I wondered what she was doing back at the mansion. We had spent the most wonderful night the night before. She was the best goddamn thing that ever happened to me.

I knew, though, what Elijah had said on the night of Athalia's wedding was right. Even if I wasn't arranged to marry Sylvia, I could never be with Ophelia anyway. I promised to protect her. Being her lover wasn't going to protect her. Sooner or later, I would have to marry someone and have a child so that my title as the Lord of Deathfall could someday be passed down to my child. Having a child with Ophelia would mean throwing her out into the spotlight. It wasn't going to be long until someone somehow discovered she wasn't human.

I was convinced I was doing the right thing. Perhaps Elijah was doing me a favour. Maybe he was doing this to protect Ophelia. I knew he had feelings for her. I could only hope the two of them didn't end up together. No, Ophelia wouldn't do that.

"Aren't you nervous?" Abel asked again, now with a lit cigarette in between his index and middle finger. His other hand was tucked into his pants pocket.

I glanced down at him and shook my head. "No. Just want to get it over with already."

He chuckled to himself awkwardly and pressed the cigarette to his lips. "God, what I'd give to marry Lady Sylvia. She's beautiful."

I didn't react nor replied to what he said. He was such a fuck-up.

He noticed my neutral expression and immediately swallowed before looking back into the distance. I did too, trying to keep my mind off the marriage. All I could think of was Ophelia. I didn't know when I could see her again. After the wedding, Sylvia and I were going straight to the afterparty and then leaving for our honeymoon the very next day. Our honeymoon was the only thing I dreaded more than the wedding itself. I just wanted to run back home and take Ophelia to bed for the second time. I missed her.