He Found Me

Chapter 1

Followed by another.

"Oh, what is it this time?" I sighed, following the source of the altercation.

I entered the bedroom upstairs, with Stephan in my arms, and saw two figures standing in the room; Jacqueline and Colin. Jacqueline, with her thick blonde hair that cascaded down to her waist and cat-like green eyes glinting with mischief, bent down to pick up an empty vase and throw it, aiming at Colin.

Shatter.

It was no surprise to me that Colin dodged. His reflexes surpassed those of an ordinary human. Even his senses – sight, smell, hearing, taste, and even touch – were enhanced.

Because Colin was a vampire. And Jacqueline was his soul mate and, since two years ago, wife.

"How dare you!" Jacqueline roared.

"Jacques–"

"Don't Jacques me, you jerk!"

Her eyes then landed on me and, immediately, she dashed towards me with open arms.

"EMILYYYYY!" she cried, before she wrapped her slender arms around me.

"What happened?" I asked her.

She pointed her finger at her husband accusingly.

"Colin was being mean to meeee!"

"What did he do this time?"

"I was not being mean to you!" Colin interjected.

"You so were!" she snapped.

"Ok, ok. Let me set your baby aside first. We don't want the poor thing to be caught up between whatever this is that you two have going on," I said, peeling Jacqueline off of me and heading to the cot in the corner of their bedroom.

After placing the tired Stephan inside, I turned around, facing the couple.

"You may now enlighten me," I said.

"9 months," Jacqueline began. "I carried Stephan in my womb for 9 whole months. I birthed him – and must I remind you how that experience was?"

"You threatened to castrate Colin with your own hands," I recalled, nodding.

"Emily, don't remind her of such ideas," Colin said, glaring at me with his sapphire eyes.

I shrugged.

"Go on," I said to Jacqueline.

"And when Stephan popped out, do you remember the injustice I had to face?"

"That he took his looks from Colin?"

"I wouldn't call that injustice, Jacques. What matters is that he is healthy and–"

"Nothing from me!" she said, ignoring Colin's attempt to reason with her. "Zilch. Zip. Nada!"

Colin pouted, looking at his wife pleadingly.

"Jacques, please–"

"And after suffering all of that," she said, interrupting her husband. "Colin here had the audacity to call me... Oh, I can't even say it."

"I didn't call you anything–"

"Fat," she stated, facing me with a flat look. "Colin called me fat, Emily."

I gasped.

"How could you, Colin?" I said, staring at him with wide eyes.

"I did not call her fat," he whined. "She asked me to button up her dress but I couldn't close them all the way up and I just told her that."

"See, see?" Jacqueline huffed. "He called me fat, Emily!"

I shook my head at the two.

"You two are such excellent role models for Stephan," I drawled, before I started to laugh at their immaturity.

Colin and Jacqueline were more than just my friends. They were my family - the brother and sister I never had. I loved them, and I loved their son, who was passed out in his cot, as if he were my own. Honestly, the moment I laid my eyes on him on the day of his birth was when I realised that I would give up my life for him.

"What has happened here?" a deep voice asked.

The three of us faced the doorway, where a middle-aged man stood.

Sam.

Sam used to be my legal guardian, but he always was a fatherly figure to me.

But, I did not always live with him.

5 years ago, I was in a terrible accident and, luckily, Sam was there to help me. I had no recollection of anything before the accident, so Sam decided to take me into his custody. Since then, I lived with him.

"What else could have happened?" I replied to Sam, crossing my arms. "A pointless lover's quarrel, as usual."

Strands of his salt and pepper hair clung to his forehead, which was covered in beads of sweat. His hazel eyes scanned the room, from the glass shards on the floor to the three of us.

"Well Colin, you might as well make good use of your time and help an old man load the carriage," Sam said.

"Only if Jacqueline kisses me," Colin said, glancing at her.

"Why would I want to kiss you after what you said–"

"Please, Jacqueline. Kiss the boy to spare my back. I am not 40 anymore," Sam pleaded.

Jacqueline, like me, had a soft spot for Sam. He was like a father to her too.

"Hmph! Fine," she said, before she quickly pecked Colin on his cheek.

"Wrong place–"

"This is what you're getting. Now shoo!"

Before she got to turn away from him, Colin held her hand, pulled her towards him, and pressed his lips against hers. Sam cleared his throat and vanished into the hallway while I quickly looked at the sleeping Stephan.

"You are the most beautiful thing to ever exist," Colin said after the kiss, staring at her, enamoured.

"Really?" Jacqueline said, enraptured by his piercing eyes and soothing tone.

I chose this moment to leave them alone, following Sam's footsteps.

"Of course," I heard Colin say as I left their room.

Once Sam spotted me entering the kitchen, where he was holding a glass of water, he cleared his throat.

"We will leave in an hour," he informed, to which I nod.

"Is there really no way to hide here?" I asked. "They will not stop here. We will have to move again."

"If there was, don't you think I would've let us stayed? Besides, it's the secured places that attract their attention."

"Would you have stayed if it were not for us?" I asked.

I knew fully well what this village meant to him. He was born and brought up here. So was Colin, and although he left the village for many years, exploring the whole continent of Crosire, he was attached to this place because he met Jacqueline here.

"Well... If it were not for you and Jacqueline, perhaps Colin and I would have stayed," he replied. "But both of you are very dear to us. It's too risky for you both, especially since you are of similar age to the Prince's runaway soul mate. Us three men cannot risk having both of you taken away from us."

"Three men?"

"Stephan is a man."

"Oh, that I knew. I was talking about Colin," I said, making him chuckle.

"Ah, Emily," he said, smiling warmly. "You and Jacqueline really are the life of our lives."

I returned his smile.

"Now go and start loading your things into the carriage," he ordered, bringing the glass to his lips.

*~*~*~*~*