An Unacceptable Mate

Chapter Thirty Six

Nobody tried to stop me when I hurtled into the house and searched every single room until I burst into the attic where three bodies occupied hospital beds. I rushed over to Matt, seizing his deathly cold hand. There were three bite marks over his chest and one at his neck. His messy brown hair was slick with grease and his tanned skin shone with cold sweat. Though motionless, his face seemed to be trying to screw up in pain.

    "Matt," I gasped, fingers digging into his arm. "I'm here. It's Charlie. I'm here." I fell to my knees and pressed my forehead to his shoulder, eyes closed as I panted for air. My heart was crying out for him on so many levels. I couldn't believe they'd done this.

  "It was the safest option. He was not equipped to fighting hundreds of rogues in human form. It was with his consent," someone tried to assure me from the doorway.

I shot Dremos a glare over my shoulder, finding Katria, Sora and Acera standing just behind. My glare lifted. It was weird. I had this warm, fuzzy feeling just looking at this lot. They were like family.

    "You didn't have to do that to him. He's my best friend, I would have protected him, even trained him," I warbled quietly, looking back down at the once human.

  "It's not just Matt, Charlie. My Ellos is soon to be much the same as me. And Alastria," Katria said carefully, appearing next to the dark-blonde haired male in the bed next to Matt. She perched next to his body, brushing her fingertips over his smooth cheek affectionately. She looked at me. "These are just some of the consequences of The Purist's actions."

I swiped away a tear from my cheek, grinding my teeth together, swallowing the lump in my throat. My best friend was a vampire. My lover was a vampire. Hell was I next?

Acera appeared next to me, intoxicating scent washing over me. I leant into him and kept my gaze trained on Matt for a long time. Had he felt lonely while I was away? I'd disappeared from him that night at the ball. Had he been worried?

    "I feel so guilty, for leaving him like that," I whispered and then realised that I was talking to Acera who I felt most guiltily about over everyone.

He tightened his hold on me, hand rubbing up and down my spine. We'd been here so long everyone else had left. "I know. You shouldn't, though. This isn't your fault. None of it is."

Of course, Inerra was mainly responsible, but I could have at least struggled a little more? Instead I'd gotten more than intimate with him.

    "While I'm, ah," I inhaled deeply as I swiped my tears away, turning into Acera. "Dwelling over guilt, I want to...explain..." I lifted my eyes to his face, trying to be strong, but my heart stopped, stunned yet again at just how beautiful he was, both inside and out. My lips parted.

He leant in, hesitating to read my eyes, before running the tip of his nose down my neck, inhaling at intermittent points, to then whisper, "You don't have to explain anything."

My lower lip wobbled but I swiftly caught it between my teeth, relieved that he couldn't see my broken expression. Tears rolled over my cheeks, falling onto his shoulder in silence. I'd hurt this angel. Mentally. Psychologically? Probably.

All of a sudden I wanted to push him away and curl into a ball miles from anyone, never to be found. I suddenly hated myself for everything.

    "I want to," I lied through my teeth and carefully moved him back. I tried to make my expression firm, but I could tell he wasn't buying it.

He stroked my cheek as he nodded for me to proceed, aware that he couldn't stop my tongue if he tried.

My hands clenched at my sides every so often. "Well...after Inerra took me and after I saw you that last time, I was furious. He let me kill all these innocent vampires in chains. And I did." My eyes flitted to his face every once in a while, waiting for his emotionless mask to crack or for his eyes to narrow.