Evaline | L. Lioncourt ✔

[07] Sincere Advice

She sat up in her bed with a jolt, her forehead beaded with sweat. Her hands reached up to her neck, searching for a bite mark but there was none yet her breathing was erratic, heartbeat racing from fear as she had just woken up from a nightmare.

His deathly pale features swam in her vision again, the piercing grey eyes, pointed canines as well as the chapped red lips. And though he was nowhere near her, she could sill feel the gentle caress of his knuckles, touching her skin for a mere fraction of a second before retreating away.

But is it death you want or is it revenge upon those who treat you so lowly? You want to be free of the chains they have bound you in, but is death really the only way?

His voice resonated in her ears as clear as if he was right beside her; his finger lingering close enough to her skin yet refraining to touch, shivers running down her spine each time the words had escaped his lips.

He was a creature of the night; a vampire. And yet she could not bring herself to stay away from him, like he had so strictly asked her to many times before as well.

She knew he could have easily killed her and had had the opportunity multiple times before, yet she was still alive and had suffered not even a scratch due to him. Despite the undeniable fact that she was an easy prey while he was a starving predator.

But my sweet maiden, if I had to prey on you why would I wait for so long?

She buried her face in her hands, stuck in a dilemma. He had told her truthfully that he was a danger to her life, and yet he was the only who treated her with respect. The only one who got concerned when she was upset. And the only one who had offered her a chance to get rid of those who took advantage of her.

She knew not what he required from her except for her blood, nor were his motives clear to her, but what she did know was that he was the only one who was willing to help her.

"Eva, what happened?"

She looked up to see Theresa sitting beside her, eyeing her with concern.

"Nothing. I just had a nightmare, nothing to worry about."

She gently clasped her hands in her own, "you can tell me if anything is bothering you. I have noticed that you have been troubled since the past few days."

"I am fine," she retrieved her gaze, looking down at their entwined hands. Theresa was her closest friend and she knew that the woman cared for her sincerely. But still she could not tell her what was actually bothering her.

"I know you are worried about that gentleman, is it not so?"

Evaline looked up rather startled, "what gentleman?"

She sighed, "there is no need to pretend in front of me. That French gentleman who you had met weeks ago? The one for whom you stitched some clothes and took food as well... Is anything the matter with him?"

"He is fine too," she replied though she was a bit anxious that she had once told Theresa about Lestat, "at least he was, when I last visited."

"Eva... You are not beginning to like him, are you?"

Her eyes widened in alarm as she looked up, "what? No..."

And yet she could not contradict those words in her heart. At first she had only felt sympathy for Lestat de Lioncourt, but with time that sympathy had turned to curiosity and then to admiration and then to a slight form of adoration, the thought of which churned her heart.

Theresa observed the uncertainty on her face then dipped her head in a low nod, "I'm not saying that it is wrong and heavens know I am not blaming you. But my dear friend, do not lose your heart to someone who can not return the affection." Her hands gently cupped her face, gazing deep into her blue eyes, "I know not what you feel for that man, but pray do not care too much for him. In the end, it is only going to hurt you."

She knew why her friend was warning her because Theresa had had experienced a rather rocky time in her life when she had fallen in love with Silas Hudson, but the tragedy was that he did not love her back. He had been a regular visitor at the tavern, belonging to the upper class gentry and had been ever so charming to the naive Theresa. But he had used all his charm to manipulate her and turned away from her when she had satisfied his desires.

It left Theresa heartbroken and she had had a rough time in coping with her grief too as Hudson still visited the tavern, cruelly choosing other tavern workers to satisfy his needs, right in front of Theresa's aching heart. That bitter heartbreak had torn her but also matured her beyond her years, such that her advice to Evaline was tainted with her own experience.

And yet she was right, because at the end of the day, no man would want to treat a woman of their profession respectfully. No man would take them in marriage and none would ever sincerely care for them.

"I know how it is in the beginning," Theresa resumed, resting her head on her knees as a wistful expression dawned on her face, "sweet caring words, gentle praises and delicate promises. I have never seen a creature as lovely as you, my dear. I would come here each day to lay eyes on you, my precious. Theresa I love you, oh how I love you."

A bitter laugh escaped her lips at those words but Evaline kept silent, a shadow of sorrow clouding her face as she let her friend resume.

"But when it all falls to dust, we are left by ourselves to clean up the mess. Just like we do each day and night at the tavern. Because who would want to accept a whore? Pray do not be offended, but that is the bitter truth. We may be women but our sole purpose is to cater to the needs of those who pay us for feeding their desires, thinking that they own us just because we need their money to survive. And if you lose your heart to someone who will not ever return the affection, then it hurts worse than death. It pains akin to a thousand knives ravaging your body. And it pains more to see him going about his life as if nothing had happened yet each sight of his wrecks you from the inside."

Evaline wrapped her thin arms around her, pulling her close in a hug as tears had started to our down her cheeks, "pray do not cry, Theresa. Hudson was a fool to turn you down."

"No... No. I was the fool to give him that power over myself. Eva, you are a sister to me. And I will never want you to end up in a similar fate as mine," she spoke up, her voice heavy with the emotions she was holding inside of her, "I beg you, do not be as foolish as I had been. Do not trust any man blindly and pray do not give him something as precious as your heart. For once it has been taken, it can never come back. And if you lose it to the wrong person, then it ruins whatever life is left for you."

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