My exhaustion stretched on like a neverending story filled with every trope and plot twist imaginable. All I did was lie around in a room. I had no idea if it was mine or not, as I only stayed awake for a few fleeting moments before I drifted back to sleep.
Though, unlike the past few days, I seem to have regained some of my strength, at least enough to keep myself from falling asleep again. I lift myself up so that I'm resting my back against the headboard of the bed. Now that I'm able to properly take in my surroundings, I'm met with the sight of large arms resting on the side of my bed. Dorian. He continues snoring away, unaware that I'm awake.
I wonder how long he has been staying by my side. For the whole morning? For the last few nights? Or for days on end? I really shouldn't delude myself into thinking a soon-to-be vampire king would waste his days away, fretfully sitting at my bedside.
A smile betrays me as I begin to think of just that. My hand softly falls into his hair, carefully running my fingers through his tangled locks. It's nice to be back here. To be back home, I realize the comforting feeling taking hold of my heart is from a sense of belonging. I feel like I'm a part of this manor, a part of Dorian, a part of everything involving this odd land of beastly creatures.
The side of me that hangs back on my previous world still remains, though its presence has significantly wavered in the face of this new place that I have found for myself. For, the Earth that I have known all my life isn't one that I wish to return to, not when there's the Kingdom of Bestias in which Dorian lives in.
"Dorian," I call to him, suddenly desperate for him to wake up.
For a moment, he just grumbles in his sleep, only lifting his head slightly. He doesn't move from where he sits in his chair, slumped over. Then, as if he's suddenly shocked with electricity, he jolts upward.
The entirety of his golden eyes grows wide with what almost seems to be sadness before he finally sees me. He takes my empty hands in his, filling them with his warmth as he pulls me into him and sighs with a deep exhale that seems to hold all of his worries. His hand draws upward, gently pressing to the back of my head.
He bows his head, whispering breathlessly into my shoulder, "You have been asleep for far too long. I...I thought that I would never hear you calling to me again."
His arms tighten around me, almost making it impossible for me to breathe, but I say nothing. Instead, I just listen to his airy words that flow through my ears and to their resting place in my heart.
"I was practically going insane with the desire to destroy everything. I almost..." He swallows, pausing. The grip around me tightens even more, and it feels as though he's trying to crush me. Despite this, I continue to remain quiet, simply just returning his strong embrace. "I almost took it upon myself to punish those elves. I had planned to go into Dryadale during the midnight hours and rip all their filthy hearts out. But, I did not do so. I spared their useless lives, all for you, my felix culpa."
"If you wish for me to do otherwise, I'll gladly stain my hands with their blood," He leaves the decision up to me, but in his voice, I hear a small fraction of hope, the hope that I'll say 'I do'.
In some strange way, I feel my heart beating faster at the sound of him speaking of bringing carnage to the elves if I wish it to be so.
No other man has ever vowed to wipe out a whole species for me, except for Dorian. He's the only ever the first, never the last, or the second in almost every he does. From wreaking havoc upon those that hurt me, to gathering a whole army to save me, all of it shamelessly displays his unwavering devotion to me. And...I love every single bit of it.
I softly push him away from me to allow myself to look into his burning gaze. It's full of a dangerous love that swallows me whole with just one glance. I can't help but tug him toward me again to place a fleeting kiss on his lips. They taste of salt and the sweetness of the love only he can give me.
"You don't need to fight for me anymore, Dorian. I'm here now, with you, and I'm here to stay," I promise him between the short moments of the separation of our lips that seem to never want to part again.
"I'll make sure of that."
His words flow into my mouth as our lips lock together to form a passionate kiss that has been long since overdue.
When our chests are heaving and our lips reddened and plump from the constant assault, we part once more. He takes his hands and places them on either side of my flushed cheeks. His forehead lightly rests against mine as we mirror the smile on others' faces.
"Never again will I let you out of my line of view," He swears sternly, eyes full of protectiveness and a hint of dark possessiveness.
I laugh quietly at the idea of him following me around all day like a lost puppy. "You won't even leave me alone when I'm bathing?"
"Of course not," He answers simply with his smile growing wider. A hand playfully traces the line of my jaw and down my neck, only stopping at my collarbone. "I can't risk leaving you alone for even a fraction of the sun's or moon's time in the sky. What if someone happens to steal you away from me again?"
"Come on, Dorian," I implore, casting my eyes away from him, "That's a bit too extreme. Besides, if someone tries to take me again, I'll just use my dagger against..."
My voice trails off into nothingness as I come to the realization that I'm no longer in possession of my dagger. The last time I had it was when I fell asleep in Dorian's arms, still clutching it tightly in my hand. Now, though, that hand is holding Dorian's.
I let go of his hand, scrunching my eyebrows together with stress pouring over me.
"The dagger," Dorian echoes my words as he sits back in his chair. His hand disappears into the open flap of his button-up before it reappears with my dagger. "Is this the weapon you intend on fending off your attackers with?"
He dangles it in front of my face, and a sort of nausea crawls over me almost instantly.
Quickly, I go to snatch it back, but he grabs my reaching hand with his free one. The hold on my hand is tight and almost painful, but it soon softens.
His chest rises and falls like an ocean wave crashing upon the beach as he sighs and reluctantly places the weapon before me on the bed.
"You're in no need to be in possession of such a dangerous weapon." He maintains his focus on the dagger, not looking me in the eye even once. "The dagger of a mere craftsman should suffice, but if holding this weapon makes you feel safer, then I suppose you may keep it."
To hold onto a weapon that is meant to kill him is to betray him. The mere idea feels like a horrible sin that I would be committing against Dorian. Despite this, my hand rises from my side, then falls onto the hilt of the weapon. Finally, Dorian looks up at me, an unreadable expression lying on his face.
"This weapon is not one that was curated to be used against vulgar elves or trolls," He explains, voice filled with too many emotions for me to focus on just one. "Although it can kill them, it is not meant to be sullied with the stain of their red blood."
My salvia becomes thick and almost too hard for me to swallow as he wraps his hand around mine. He forces me to curl my fingers around the dagger, then guides my hand to his chest so that I'm pressing the point of the dagger flush to the fabric of his shirt.
I look everywhere but at him. The all-too-bright windows, the sparkling chandelier hanging above, and the beautiful curl of the gold accents on the ceiling. Until, finally, my eyes find him and I lose the breath in my chest.
"All of those that have held this weapon brought an end to the King of Bestias," Dorian murmurs as my heart begins to sink into a pit of fear and dread, "Every single man that has lost their life to this blade held silver blood within them, just like me."
"I had hoped that I would be able to escape the pitiful fate that has cursed the promising as well as the filthy men of my lineage, but..." He forces me to press the point harder into his chest, "...it seems this dagger has found its way to me."
"Cyra," He quietly says my name, then leans forward to brush his lips against my ear. "Do you wield this weapon with the intent to pierce it through my beating heart?"
Before I can answer, he adds, "If so, then I'll just have to let you do as you please. The unwritten will to my eternity is yours to hold. You may protect or destroy it, regardless of what you choose, my heart will still beat for you."
Thousands of words swarm my mind. Some are stringing up a sentence full of excuses, others form a sentence of the complete and honest truth. But, very, very few create a simple sentence consisting of three words. In the midst of all the chaos, I settle on those three words, opening my mouth to whisper them to Dorian.
Though, the door opens, forcing my lips to seal shut as Dorian and I break away from each other. Him with empty hands, and me with hands holding the dagger.
I carefully slip the dagger into the waistband of my clothes before turning my attention to the tanned woman who just entered the room.
She has a nose that curves upward at the end like the tip of a crescent moon and grey-marbled eyes that almost appear to be translucent. Her attire consists of a dark-colored dress that's interrupted at the hips by a belt mimicking a snake. The red eyes of the serpent seem to follow me as she walks toward us.
"I hope I'm not intruding on any tender moments with your awakened human, Master Dorian," She says, a slight tug pulls at her lips as she comes to a stop at the foot of the bed.
"No, you're not," Dorian dismisses her with a hint of annoyance in his vocals.
She swallows hard, eyes quickly flickering away from Dorian and back to me. "I couldn't help but come flying over when I felt my dear client crawl out from the depths of her mind! After all, it would be quite foolish of me to wait for even a single beat of a rat's heart to inspect you."
"Inspect me?" I repeat, not too thrilled about her choice of words.
"Well, certainly! We have to ensure you haven't been tainted by the petty magic of the elves or...anything else," She explains far too excitedly as I shrink into myself, already unwilling to be inspected by her.
"Get on with it then," Dorian orders her impatiently, standing, "I'll take my leave."
I grab his arm, desperate not to be left alone with the strange woman. "D-didn't you say you weren't ever going to leave my side?"
The woman lets out a gasp before she closes her mouth, smirking. "Isn't that quite the loyal vampire? I wish my crows were as devoted to me as you are to her, Master Dorian."
Dorian doesn't entertain the woman with a reply. He simply sits back down in his seat, never once letting his eyes stray from where I sit. His presence allows me to calm down for a bit until the woman's snake-like belt shoots off of her and latches itself onto my arm.
I'm frozen in complete shock, only able to watch in horror as the snake dips beneath the cover of my clothes. Its hard scales scrape across my bare skin, almost making it impossible to hold back the noises of discomfort crawling up my throat.
"How...how long does this thing have to be on me?" I ask, frozen in place and far too terrified to even breathe.
"Thing?" The woman repeats with a high shrill, "Her name is Ouro! She's a sweet serpent that won't even harm a fly. Well, on second thought, she may nip at you a tad if you provoke her." One hard glare sent by Dorian makes her immediately add, "But, of course, I'll make sure that does not happen to the wonderful bride of Master Dorian!"
I struggle not to wiggle around as Ouro slithers beneath my breasts and down my stomach. "What's it doing to me exactly? Other than, you know, thoroughly violating me!" I yell out of frustration, partially angered at the almost amused expression that has fallen onto Dorian's face.
"Ouro is an essential part of the inspection," The woman explains, "She'll be able to tell me if the elves have used their magic into you, or um..." She pauses for a moment and looks off to the side, "...if an elf or any other has, um — ah, how can I say this politely? —... held you in a manner past that of a simple embrace."
"I can tell you that myself!" I retort to Dorian who turns his attention away from me and down to the slow-moving bulge that is sliding past my hips. "I have not–..."
My voice hitches when the snake suddenly slides down my legs. The feeling is extremely unpleasant and quickly evokes a stifled whimper from me. Almost coincidentally, Dorian smiles.
I glare at him as every curse word I know of goes through my mind. He'll have hell to pay when this is finished!
Unfortunately, by the time the snake is back on the woman's hips, I am thoroughly drained. I let my back meet the bed as I lie down, scowling angrily while the woman talks to Dorian.
"Her body is void of any harmful magic," The woman informs him. "She's also in perfect condition for you, Master Dorian."
"Pure?" He asks her, but she quickly shies away from the question.
"I think I must be going now! A client of mine is in need of my assistance! Oh, I can practically hear her calling me all the way from Troglois!"
She laughs shakily before slicing her hand through the empty air. A thin opening is created that's just barely as tall as her. Her hand pulls at one side of the thin line to open a flap that leads into what looks to be a valley.
I watch in fascination as her head along with the rest of her body disappears behind the magical portal. I go to ask Dorian all the questions that have arisen in my mind but silence myself when I see the dark look in his eyes.
"Her reaction was like that of a vampiric servant that feared they might be punished," He comments, fingers tapping against his knee, "She must have held the truth I did not wish to hear."
I think back on his question from before. Pure? It dawned on me what he was asking about. My face flares red, mostly from embarrassment and partially from a bit of anger.
"I hate to break it to you, your royal highness, but there have been plenty of guys before you!"
Plenty of guys meaning one but that sentence would have been far too lame if I was completely honest. Though, I soon wish I had said otherwise when Dorian roughly grabs my chin, pulling me toward his scowling face.
"I'll make you forget about whatever lowly men have been before me," He grumbles, anger and strength radiating off of him, but I refuse to let it overpower me.
"Do not promise me something you cannot fulfill," I snap, forcibly pulling myself back and away from his grasp, "The man before you...I loved him, yet, despite that, all he did was hurt me. And no matter how much I wish I could forget about him, I just can't. It's not that simple, even though I wish it was."
Dorian's expression morphs into pity for a moment as his eyes glaze over before anger engulfs him once more. "Tell me his name so that I may rip his puny groin from his hips and feed it to him!"
The idea of Dorian doing such a gruesome thing to my ex is irresistibly appealing. That sad excuse of a man would surely cry like a big, old baby if he were ever faced with the true wrath of a man like Dorian.
I sigh, a bit disappointed that my ex doesn't live in Bestias, then I pull Dorian down so that his head is resting in my lap. Dorian gazes up at me with confusion and lingering anger.
I dive my fingers into his hair, sighing again. "No, I don't want you to do anything to him. He already got his punishment, and it was losing me. That in of itself is enough."
His lips pull into a deep pout. "I'll find out one way or another. Do not think pulling me into your lap will extinguish the anger in me. I swear..."
His rant is lost against my lips as I lean down to kiss him. When I pull away, his eyes have softened once more.
The vampire that craves blood and destruction is replaced by one that craves for me. My touch, my voice, my presence. He wants it all and I'll gladly give it to him until he grows tired of me.
I continue to rake my hand through his hair, quietly whispering to him about various thoughts that flow into my mind until his tired eyes have closed. I stare down at him, smiling sadly. Oh, how I wish this would last forever. Me with Dorian, and Dorian with me, but, unfortunately, it will not.
A tear of pity falls down my cheek as I make a grueling decision. I will wait till the very, very last second to kill him. Until then, it will be me and Dorian, but I know that it will soon just be me and my silver-stained dagger.
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