✨ SEASON 1 OF A VAMPIRE ROMANCE STORY "QUEEN OF ASHES":
"It took one day for her life to turn upside down. From the bastard daughter of the king, Freya somehow ended up being on her way to the vampire court as their future queen. As if that was not...
"You tell me. Everything was fine until you blacked out."
Freya frowned. "Doesn't this usually happen?"
Leander shook his head. "No."
"Oh," was all she could say at the moment. She was still sore but felt no more like her soul was eager to leave her body.
"How are you feeling?" Leander's voice was soft and calming at her sharp nerves.
Freya quirked while trying to sit up. Leander took her hand to help her, and when their hands met, it was like the visions returned. She met his eye, spotting his dark irises analyzing her every movement. Spotting his frown when she didn't answer—stuck in observing his handsome face. Those lips, the other Freya was kissing, this mouth telling her he loved her. These visions...
"Frey?"
These visions were absurd. Probably her mind created those scenes just to give her some relief in the last moments. Creating some sort of alternative timeline, where she could be with him, instead of his brother. The labor one, though...
"Freya, what is happening to you?"
Her eyes watered, but she forced herself to manage a rasp. "I'm okay."
Leander frowned like he didn't fully believe her. He asked, "Can you stand up? We have to move, Princess."
"What were these creatures?" She asked, holding his hands for stability while standing up.
Leander quickly checked her whole figure up and down for any signs of other wounds. Satisfied with the fact that his blood did its job, he brushed her arms from the sand.
"Wendigos," he answered deadpanned. "You shouldn't have left the camp, Frey. All the more informing none of us. You could be dead by now."
A silent reminder of her fate, if not for him finding her so quickly. Freya understood. She scolded herself by now for that too. She should have not left her company. The realization that her legs carried her that far without spotting the dangerous territory was absolutely frightening. But at that moment, she didn't think about the consequences. She felt that she had to be alone. She had to let go of these emotions, otherwise, she risked suffocating.
"I know. I'm sorry," she said truthfully. "I wasn't thinking clearly, stuck in a need to be alone... I think I needed to mourn what is lost..."
Freya was nervous, which she showed by biting her lip. The need to confine her concerns was there, but she still felt a sour taste of betrayal. Whatever her mind showed her in these visions, Freya wasn't sure if Leander's closeness was what she wanted right now.
Leander sighed gently. "Look, I know the last thing you probably want to do right now is to be in my company. I know I messed up. And I can assure you that I'll try everything to gain your trust back..." Taking control over his unsteady feet, he continued, "But you cannot leave us like that again, Frey. You saw them. I probably should tell you about them sooner as well... Fuck my stupid brain, for that I'm also sorry. I'll tell and explain more once we're at the court."
"Why wait till then?" Freya frowned.
"Because our friendship, if you decide to still consider me as your friend, has to stay out of the public eye, Frey." The vampire tried hard to hide his anxiety, but nothing could escape Freya's eyes. Leander had never mentioned before that their friendship was such a sensitive topic.
"What about Qadir?" She asked with a slightly raised eyebrow, as if challenging him.
"Well, I don't trust him, and judging by your interactions, you either. Have to say he isn't the most perceptive person... Nevertheless, we should be careful. He's my brother's adviser, he has to be cunning in a way for that position to be maintained."
"I have an impression you don't trust your brother, either." That was a feeling accompanying her for some time now. He mentioned that his brother was complicated and they weren't always on the same side, but he never openly admitted that there was such a big distance between them. That was new.
"Because I don't. And neither should you, even if you're marrying him," he answered through his teeth.
Freya blinked, surprised by his reaction. "That's big coming from you, Leander. And why should I trust you? Just for you to lie to me again or hide even more things?"
"I never lied to you, Frey. I didn't mention things, but I never lied," he defended himself.
"There's not a vast difference."
"You see... It is, in my eyes. I didn't tell you about the pregnancy danger because I fucking care for you! I didn't want you to know until I investigated further and came up with a solution." His eyes blazed with anger. Freya couldn't be sure if directed at her or whomsoever. Badly for the vampire, that also triggered anger of her own.
"I don't care, Leander! I had a right to know! It's my life we're talking about. It's my health, my future, but also my own child probably growing up without a mother! I had a right to know!"
She will not cry now.
She refused to show vulnerability.
They were standing there in a true contest of gazes. That was the first time they were both equally angry. Only the silent whispers of a breeze coming from the lake reached their ears. The eerie air intensified the sensation of a silent battle.
"You think I didn't know that?" Leander retorted, breaking the silence. "Yes, Freya, you had a right to know—"
"Finally, we're getting somewhere..." Freya broke in.
"But do you know what I see when I'm looking at you?" Every breath he took was audible. "I see a woman who had her life turned upside down within a moment. I see a woman who took everything fate thrown at her and decided to bear it with a chin held upright. I see a woman who needed time until the next log was to be thrown at her... Because I see when you're thinking I'm not watching. I see every emotion in your eyes. And your eyes are the ones betraying you, because they were the ones who told me that you were not ready."
He kept her stare. Those dark eyes, impenetrable in their depth, stared intensely at her and analyzed every little movement. Those eyes she immediately spotted on that fateful day when they met. Those eyes, she chose to put her trust into, even when the man before her, as a whole, was one hell of a terrifying-looking person. She never thought about it, but now, she couldn't explain why she hadn't been scared from the beginning. What was that between them, that from the very first day, she wasn't wary of him as she should be? And looking into those dark eyes, she saw the truth. That he indeed saw everything. And call her a coward, but it actually terrified her. She felt even more naked than at the lake when he physically saw all of her.
"Tell yourself whatever it is you need to hear. I had a right to know and now, I think we should better get going back to the camp. The sun is rising," she rasped without confidence, and turned her back to him, fighting with herself not to show him even more of what a mess of a woman she had become.
Maybe he was right. Maybe she needed time, considering how she reacted after hearing the news. But she would have more time to think about what she had to do to come from this situation alive. And even if Leander was doing that for some time, she couldn't shake the feeling that the only right way of doing it was by doing it together—not separately. And the mere thought that he hid it only to care for her without her knowing left a deep shade in her heart. She thought they were a team. Guess she was wrong about that one as well, just as about a lot of other things lately.
Leander didn't respond. He took a few steps ahead and led her toward the camp in utter silence.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
