Love Sucks

Delusional - Chapter Four

Evie frowned at Nathaniel, her lips curling down as she scrutinized him. Then, with movements as quick as a bolt of lightning, the girl had pulled Abbi up from the bed and plunged toward the door, Patten following at their heels. Nathaniel blinked his surprise away and reached out, hooking his arm Abbi's waist and effectively pulling her back. Briefly, Abbi felt the need to grip onto Evie's arm and scream "No! Don't let him take me!" She didn't.

Evie watched Nathaniel. Something in his face must have been final, for she offered no other retribution. Evangeline's eyes found Abbi's. Holding Evie's gaze, she watched as they flashed with remorse then disapproval before the girl turned her head and walked from the bedroom just like that, Patten going with her.

Abbi felt her throat get thick as Patten and Evie left just like they had came: suddenly. She wanted to run after them, to separate herself from Nathaniel, but the only coherent thought she could manage was "What?". Keeping her back to him, Abbi prepared herself for Nathaniel's wrath, but only silence resounded between them.

Then, movements abrupt, Nathaniel pressed his hands into Abbi's shoulder blades and spun her around to face him. Her cheeks flushed as she regarded the agonized expression he wore, as if he was at some terrible loss. "Why won't you tell me what you want, Abigail?" Nathaniel inquired, voice low.

Abbi tried to break away from his tense hold on her shoulders, but to no avail, she was stuck, forced to see straight into his enigmatic, blue eyes.

"I don't want you to hate me, Love. Let me inside your head." He urged in a whisper. Her stomach lurched and she became extremely aware of where his hands were. Nathaniel continued to tease her with his soft words and distracting looks. "Why don't you want to stay with me?"

As if awakening from a trance, she shivered violently, glaring up at him. "You just don't get it!" Abbi exclaimed, her voice extremely loud compared to his.

His alluring features changed into a mask of unmistakable anger and he met her anger with full force. "Because you're not giving me the chance to." He said firmly, speaking with a perceptible growl in his throat, fingers dropping from her shoulders.

"You keep me locked up in here! My only friend seems to be that pillow over there, and my family-" Abbi choked, her eyes suddenly blurry. "They didn't even know I was attending your ball! And now, you expect me not to hate you when the only thing you've caused me is pain." Her fit of rage withered as a stranded tear ran down the side of her face. Nathaniel watched, his face unreadable. Abbi saw his hand twitch, like he wanted to touch her.

"Don't cry, Abigail. I never wanted to cause you grief." With a voice like smooth honey, Nathaniel finally reached out his hand, cupping her cheek as he wiped the tear away with his thumb. The act soothed her and the feeling she felt behind her emotion was instantaneous. A shudder spread through her being, while his touch put things in her mind she didn't want to see. And Abbi didn't want it. She didn't want to feel such things.

"Let go of me!" She snapped, ripping out of his grasp. "I told you not to touch me."

In a second, Nathaniel's attitude turned sour again and his eyes simmered like boiling water. "You are my subjugate. I can do what I want with you."

In that moment, she wanted nothing more than to slap him. "I am not yours, Nathaniel. And honestly, I can't think of anyone who would want to be." Abbi tried moving away from him as she said this, but Nathaniel only stepped closer; so close she could feel his breath tickling down the back of her neck. A warning bell went off inside her head.

"I bit you, Abigail." He said, deadly calm. "Once a vampire bites a human they are automatically named theirs. Therefore, you are mine. Any other arguments about the topic are a waste of breath."

His words brought the thought of his bite front-and-center, making Abbi shudder hard. Tears that she'd been trying so hard to repress welled up in her eyes and spilled over her cheeks. Nathaniel took in her silence slowly, his hands against her hips as he turned her around once more. Abbi met his blue gaze before it got too foggy to see and she was forced to look down again, letting her hands rest defeated at her sides.

"I just want to go home. Please, please let me go home, Nathaniel. I want to see my mom, and my dad, please ..." Abbi croaked, but her cry was cut short by Nathaniel's soft shirt against her face; he had his arms around her, pressing Abbi to his chest.

Nathaniel's lips were close to her ear. "I don't want you to be upset. This wasn't supposed to be a bad thing."

His words only made Abbi cry harder, and as she continued to sob, Nathaniel tugged her down to the bed. She fell limp against his body, allowing the tears to seep from her eyes. Abbi was pretty sure that his shirt was soaked by the time her tear ducts ran dry.

Nathaniel's fingers stroked her limp hair as he whispered shushes to Abbi repeatedly.

"Would you like to go somewhere with me, Love?" He finally asked, keeping the tone of his voice mutual.

Abbi, the after-effacts of crying profusely starting to wane on her, almost grinned. "No." She responded immediately.

"Awesome; lets go." He stood up fast, pulling her up in his arms as he did so. She was resistant against his lithe body, but before Abbi could realize what was going on, Nathaniel had her out the door and into the hall in a matter of seconds. It took her awhile to comprehend that this was the same hallway she'd been witness to at his ball.

"I never left?" Abbi sniffed, her nose all stuffed up after her "Tear-Session". The golden arched dome above her head was like a thorn in her stomach. A reminder of her lack in commen sense. Her face drooped into an emotionless mask.

"Of course not, this is my home. Why would I take you anywhere else?" He asked calmly.

"I don't know. It just felt like ... I was ... someplace else."

Nathaniel nodded softly, before flashing a perfect, award-winning smile. "Come on, Love. I want to show you something."

Abbi froze. "What is?" She was cautious.

"My backyard."