We Are Monsters

Monsters

"What do you mean?"

Blair held her tongue before saying another word, looking over her shoulders to make sure no one else was listening and when sure she took a deep breath.
"What I tell you now must stay private, I know this Warren is your family-"
"They're my family but...you're my partner."

The corner of her lip lifted slightly then dropped back into a thin line.
"Arranged partner, I'm not...the woman you actually love."

A small silence filled the gap, Wren couldn't deny he didn't love Blair because he barely knew her and she was right they were arranged by the Coven and Warren. He said his next words carefully,
"You're right, we were arranged by our families but...with time, I think we could be something more maybe even each other's desired."

Blair only stared at his face for a few moments, then her eyes closed and she leaned her head back.
"Wren, you're sweet and kind but...you can't love me, ever."

It was a harsh truth for sure but he needed to hear it, that she was sure of because having him hold hope for something that couldn't happen was...cruel.
"Why?"

The Coven couldn't hear Blair from across the stream, she assured herself, lowering her head to avoid not only Wren's eyes but subconsciously her Coven.

"Because...I'm a monster no one can love...and even if you did..."
In her mind the past clawed its way from the darkness, wanting to touch the light once more despite her efforts.
Tears brimmed in her eyes.

"It wouldn't matter if you did because my heart...it's beating ceased and it's broken."

"Broken? You mean you were...?"

Blair took a deep breath while rubbing her wrist, the tears threatening to spill down her cheeks.
"A few years ago, I used to sneak out from my Coven to a local town. Most of the humans there knew of our existence and feared us but there was a guy, cute and funny...Vampires are naturally cold beings, we don't share a lot or any emotions and we're discouraged to but Darrick..."
She closed her eyes while letting a sigh out,
"He brought all the emotions out of me, and he loved learning about my world..."

Wren watched her face as it suddenly shifted, turning from crestfallen to rage-filled. Her eyes were narrowed and the grass surrounding her slowly decayed, her voice deeper as she lived inside her memories and continued.
"But the people grew afraid of my frequent visits and eventually my Coven was made aware...They locked me up, made sure the marks didn't affect my beauty too much and starved me but...I didn't care 'cause Derrick was safe, he was okay..."

The grass was still decaying but slowed as her face fell once more, any and all emotion sucked out of Blair completely as she spoke.

"That was until they brought him to my cage, threw him inside...he was skinnier, I knew at that moment they had been starving him too...and together we were but...I was so hungry..."
Wren's eyes widened as the horror dawned on him, without animals to feed on a human must've been irresistible, he reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder waiting for her to continue. This was the most she had spoken since arriving and Wren wasn't going to stop her now.

"I tried to resist at first, but every time he breathed it was torture worse than anything else I'd experienced...he even offered himself up but with how skinny he was I felt I'd drain the life from him within minutes and when a vampire starts feeding, it's extremely hard to stop even when it's not human...I waited and waited until at some point my Coven must've been tired of waiting for me to do it myself...they came in and dug their fangs into him."

Almost instinctively Blair's fangs bared and she just barely noticed when Wren didn't flinch.
"I...I couldn't resist the smell of the blood, it was intoxicating and even though I tried not to, I held out as long as possible...I ran and sank my teeth into him...My Coven warned me after that if I ever dared to dirty my bloodline again I would be sent out and bred by every Mythical to exist for the rest of my life."
Wren made a sudden move, wrapping his arms tightly around Blair and pulling her gently into his chest. His voice was low and filled with a hatred that chilled her to the bone.

"It wasn't your fault, they are the monsters. You never deserved that and they definitely don't deserve you, no matter what...I'm here for you."
He leaned back as Wren's face softened so she could raise her eyes to meet his, and with a blush rising in his cheeks he continued,
"You are spectacular, Blair."

If her Coven had seen her pale skin turn warm and fill with colour there would've been severe repercussions, but they couldn't and the freedom she felt to express herself not just audibly but visually was overwhelming. Not nearly as much as Wren's words echoing in her mind though, deep inside her chest where her heart was frozen in time still releasing liquid but never pumping there was a slight twitch.

You are spectacular, Blair.

Those words had all the potential to be her undoing.