It's so foggy.
My mind, the room, my eyes.
I drift in and out of various stages of consciousness, unable to keep track of time, days, thoughts. It's all just so...foggy. I fade out of my drug induced coma a few times, seeing nothing but eyes when I can manage to get my own opened. My mom's, my dad's, Malcom's, Dalton...
When I can manage to squeeze out words before I'm pulled back into the fog I spit out what I remember. "Danger." I tell them. "They're coming." I cry out. "Save them."
My cries fall on deaf ears, or no ears at all. I'm not even truly sure I speak the words at all. For all I know, I could be dreaming still. Momentary, brief little snippets of almost normal to break up all the fog. I don't know what's what anymore. I only know I'm safe. For now.
When I finally come up for good, I find myself in my parent's hotel. They've upgraded to a bigger room. A two bedroom suite from the looks of it. My own room looks more like a hospital ward. An IV bag hangs to my left, monitors blink and beep to my right. Most importantly though, the people I love stand in front of me. "It's ok, Rosie." Daddy soothes me. "You're with us, you're safe."
I want to cry tears of joy, but I know we don't have time. "How long...?"
"It's been three days." My mom tells my gently. "They gave you some blood to help you heal faster and you've been on some pretty strong pain medications, but you're doing alright."
"I don't care about me." I shake my head, expecting pain but pleasantly surprised when none follows. "The blood rain, we have to be ready for it."
My mom and dad both put hands on my shoulders, like they expect me to bolt off of the bed. "Just take it easy, baby." Dad whispers, brushing my hair away.
I shake my head again. "No, there's no time." I press on. "They're going to attack Castrum. We need to come up with a plan. The Force will be dealt with, but the casters are the real danger anyway. They can subdue vampires in seconds, no way to fight back against them. Elenora doesn't know the man, the scientist, his ultimate plans."
"What are his ultimate plans?" Malcom asks, stroking his chin in my doorway. I want to hug him oddly. I won't though. He's still an ass, even if it was his advice and his little voice in my head that got me back here.
I swallow hard. "He wants to kill everyone."
Before I can elaborate, Dalton and Lance separate, letting a strange man in a white lab coat walk into the room. "How are you feeling?" He asks and I flinch back away from this stranger.
"It's ok." Dalton says quickly, almost taking a step towards me and then staying put instead. "He's just your doctor."
I settle back down, knowing all these people wouldn't let him near me unless it was true.
"Just here to check your vitals and make sure everything is healing up properly." He tells me kindly, moving about the room, checking monitors and changing out my bag of IV fluids.
I tear my eyes from him, something about the way he moves oddly familiar, and go back to my family.
"How did you all find me anyway?" I ask out of curiosity.
"That was a joint effort between Lance, Dalton, and your dad." My mom says, pushing her strawberry blonde waves out of her face. "They narrowed down where you could possibly be by marking off where they knew you weren't on a map."
I nod to her and dad smiles at me. "Your tip that there was a city nearby you really helped. Once we figured out you were near Penndlebrook, finding you was pretty simple."
Malcom sighs loudly, squaring his jaw. "I still want to know who this man is." He grumbles, his auburn hair looking a mess for once. "How can he have so much pull over these people?"
"He's very manipulative." I sigh, knowing firsthand how smoothly he lies to the other two. "They trust him because he offers something they both want more than anything else. Even if he raises suspicion they don't want to doubt him because they want his lies to be true."
Dad runs his hand through his own hair, making his stick up like Malcom's. "Why does he have such a blood feud with us?" He asks. "It doesn't make sense. How could he hate us so much? And didn't you say he is a vampire himself?"
"Clearly not by choice." Dalton shrugs. "Not that it gives him a reason." He adds. "I just know that being turned against your will is a shitty card to be dealt, but to want to end all of civilization over it?"
Just hearing his voice again make my heart beat a little harder but I ignore it. Now isn't the time for that.
I force my eyes away from Dalton, focusing in on my doctor instead. Something about the way he moves is just so... He comes to the side of my bed, my mom giving him some space and he takes my arm in his hands, inspecting the site where the IV needle is injected. He even tisks his tongue, and that's when it hits me like a ton of freaking bricks.
"Oh my god." I gasp loudly and everyone stands erect, reaching towards me.
"What's wrong?" More than one asks.
"Are you in pain?" Dad adds.
Well, yes, but "No." I shake my head hard. "Dad, what town did you say you found me by?" My eyes are wide like saucers waiting on the answer.
He draws his brows together in confusion as he looks at me. "Penndlebrook, why?"
I jerk upright, my wires and IV pulling me back down. "He isn't a scientist!" I shout. "He's a freaking doctor! He's THE doctor!" I can't keep my voice down. "The doctor who created the Lamia Mortem! It's him!"
"Rose..."
I shake off the skepticism. "How did we not see it before?" I ask really to myself. "It makes perfect sense, he'd be able to manipulate blood."
Everyone else still looks confused, especially Nathaniel and Victoria who I feel bad I haven't had the chance to meet properly yet, but Dalton takes a short step forward. "But Rose, that can't be. I know being near Penndlebrook is a weird coincidence, but that doctor is long dead." He says gently, not wanting to offend me. "Marquise killed him and all of his followers."
"Well obviously not, because it's him." I snap, then lower my eyes. "I'm sorry, but I'm sure of it."
Mom glances back between us all. "The mad doctor?" She whispers, her voice cracking. Even she's heard the horror stories and seen up close and personal what he can do. "Calvin, is this possible?"
Dad looks to her slowly. "Kings are required to document everything in their journals and they have to be truthful." He tells her. "I've read Marquise's journal a hundred times and it specifically says that the doctor was..." His eyes widen and he looks back at me. "Dealt with." He shakes his head. "It said dealt with, not killed. Rose, you could be right."
"What should we do?" I ask. "We have to let people know or plan an attack, or something."
Dad shakes his head at me, then looks to the others. "You need to rest." He tells me. "I'll call Pedro and fill him in, everyone else, let's give Rose some space."
I'm more than annoyed that I'm being left out when it was me that figured it all out, but I can't deny that I'm tired. Sleep calls to me like a needy best friend and I slowly succumb, watching Dalton dip out of the room with everyone else slowly.
I wake up hours later, happy to find that I've been taken off of all of the machines and my arms are needle free. I take the opportunity to slowly slip into the bathroom and shower for the first time in way too long, washing out blood dirt and god knows what else from my hair. My muscles are sore when I move, but the hot water definitely helps.
I dress in a long sleeved flannel shirt and slide on a pair of panties and some cotton shorts before slowly padding out into the main room. It's dark, all the curtains drawn shut and a glance at the clock tells me that it's the middle of the day. Everyone's asleep.
I creep towards the door, my hand outstretched for the handle when I hear my name from behind me. "Mom, you scared me." I hold my hand to my chest, my heart pounding a beat into it. "I was just..."
Mom smiles knowingly and I know there's no point in lying about it. "I know what you were just doing." She whispers. "You sure you feel alright?"
"Yes, mamma." I whisper into her hair as she hugs me.
She kisses my cheek and smiles at me. "He's two doors down."
"I love you, momma." I laugh.
She taps my nose with her finger. "And I love you too, my sweet girl."
I hesitate, not sure if I should anymore. "Maybe I shouldn't." I sigh. "He's probably asleep."
Mom shakes her head and raises one eyebrow. "That boy hasn't slept since the moment you went missing." She tells me, then points to the door. "Now go on." I hide my smile as I turn. "Straight there, Missy."
The door clicks behind me and it feels so final. Am I really going to do this? What do I even say to him at this point? The last time I saw him we were about seconds away from having sex and then he was leaving me, and then he was coming back. I don't even know where we stand now. But I know where I stand.
Right outside of his door, my hand raised and ready for me to just suck it up and stop being such baby. I take a deep breath and knock quietly. I tell myself I'm give him exactly three seconds, if he doesn't answer by then, I go back to my own room.
But I've hardly even made that plan before the door slides open, revealing a shirtless Dalton in the doorway. We stare at each other for a second, and I hold back my smile at how adorable he looks with his hair all messed up and his two different color socks.
"Hi." He finally says, still staring down at me.
I bite my lip slowly. "Hi."
I feel like we are both just so unsure of what to do, but then he suddenly snaps out of the daze he was in. "What are you doing? You should be in bed." He goes to step out, probably to escort me right back to my room but I hold up my arm.
"No," I shake my head. "I've been in bed. I need to be up moving around, maybe eating a triple cheese pizza, but definitely not wasting more of my time laid up in bed."
He looks unsure for a second, but finally nods once. "Fine."
I look up and down the hall and then back up into his warm golden brown eyes. "Um, so..." I raise my eyebrows and smile. "Are you going to let me in or do you want me to stay out in the hall?"
He blinks twice then shakes his head at himself. "Right, sorry." He smiles as he steps aside and I walk in.
"What are you doing up so late?" I ask casually taking note that his bed is still made in the light the TV casts from the corner of the room.
He lifts his shoulders slightly. Those wide, strong, tan shoulders. "Couldn't sleep." He shakes his head, closing his eyes for a second. "Too much going on in my head so I was going to try to get a workout in, center myself a little, but I couldn't fully commit to that either."
I nod, standing a few feet away from him awkwardly. I can't decide what to do with my arms. Cross them over my chest, hang them down at my sides, put my hands in my little pockets. I settle with letting them hang lose when all the other positions don't work. I think I catch him smirking from the corner of my eye, but I can't be too sure.
"So, um, I wanted to..." My voice is too low so I raise it, too much. "Thank you, you know, for saving me. You told me once that you weren't going to be my knight in shining armor, but you kind of were. I can't thank you enough for showing up when you did."
He smiles nervously, crossing his own arms over his muscular chest. "Pretty sure you saved me first." He reminds me easily.
I nod once, smiling off to the side of the room. "Right." I mutter, turning back to him. "I guess that makes us even then."
I look up to see him staring a hole right through my very soul. "Not even close." He shakes his head at me seriously.
The tension between us feels palpable, like I could reach out and touch it.
That same pulling sensation in me picks up, begging me to get closer.
When he takes a step towards me, I have to wonder if his body was telling him the same thing. "You were incredibly stupid, Rose." His voice doesn't hold any malice. "Brave as balls, but stupid."
I smile at his phrasing. "I know." I nod.
"Thank you." He tells me, stepping forward again until he's right in front of me. Very slowly, and very carefully he slides his hand onto one side of my face, cupping my cheek gently.
I glance up at him. "I won't break." I whisper and he smiles.
"You already did." He tilts his head in the direction of my side. The blood has mostly healed up the bones, but they're still pretty sore whenever I think about it.
I purse my lips. "That's not exactly what I meant." I admit, leaning into his hand.
His eyes seem lighter somehow, like that dark cloud that follows him around has finally blown away and let in a little sun. "I know it isn't." He smiles, but then ducks his head, the cloud coming back. "I just...I know what you've just been through. I don't want to spook you."
The mention of it makes me shutter. My eyes flicking closed and I can still see him, licking his fangs before he put his hands on me. I shiver the thought away, opening my eyes to find Dalton pulling away. "See?" He whispers, frowning because he thinks he upset me.
I step towards him again, taking his hands from his side and placing them at my waist before stepping into him, placing my hands and the side of my face flat on his smooth chest. "I don't want to think of that." I tell him honestly. "I want to remember the way you feel...not him."
I can feel the anger that pulses through his body when he thinks of Defario too and I remember how happy I am that he's dead, and that Dalton was the one to do it.
After a minute the tension in his shoulders and his posture slowly releases and he holds me gently. "Distract me, please?" I whisper into his chest.
"I ended things with Eyan." He tells me and I whip my head up to look at him, still not breaking contact with his skin.
"Really?" I gasp, a little over excited and he nods. "Why?"
He narrows his eyes and smirks. "Because she was a whore." He smiles and I laugh until it starts to hurt my side.
"You knew that already though." I point out. "What changed?"
He looks down on me. "I took your advice and stopped lying to myself."
"And?"
He bites his lip around a smile. "And you're going to make me spell it out for you aren't you?" I nod even though he already knew the answer. "I was only staying with Eyan to attempt to distract myself from my feelings for you." He admits.
"And did it work?" I ask quietly. "The distraction I mean."
He rolls his eyes at me. "I think you know that it didn't."
I fight the smile that wants to stretch across my face. "Why not?"
"Because you are impossible to ignore."
"So don't."
"I'm not." He smiles, then lets it drop. "I'm sorry, Rose." He tells me. "I never should have left you the way that I did. I don't-didn't- I don't know, I didn't want to cross any lines with you when I didn't see the two of us having any kind of future together." He blurts out in a tangle of words. "You aren't the kind of girl you sleep with and then leave. You aren't casual. You're a forever girl."
I peel back just enough to look up at him fully, trying to dissect his emotion from his facial expression but he's not giving anything away. "Why is that a problem?" I ask. "Were you planning on leaving?" I can't hide the hint of hurt in my voice.
He slowly lets his arms drop from me and he turns away. "I thought I'd need to." He tells me. "You're the true heir here, this is your kingdom. There were years when I thought it would be mine one day, and I swear I'm not bitter about it," He turns back to face me and I can tell he's telling the truth. "you'll be twice the ruler I ever could have been, but anyway, I started making other plans the second you showed up."
I look down at my feet to hide my disappointment. "What kind of plans?"
I notice him shrug. "Missions...stopping human kidnappings, breaking in and releasing kids from feeder schools...worthwhile things."
Of course he had plans to go be the savior of tons of other people. Say what he wants but this man is exactly what a shining knight looks like. He wants to do so much good with his life. It doesn't stop it from hurting to know that he was going to leave. Likely without saying goodbye even.
"Those are beautiful plans, but...Dalton, I'm not the queen. And I doubt I ever will or even could be, even if I wanted to it would never be possible." I shake my head. "I can't just waltz in and be like 'hey everyone, here I am'. Besides Ireland needs you. The people need you."
He sighs loudly and I look up to meet his gaze. "Rose, you'd be an amazing queen and if you want, I know you of all people can find a way to make it happen."
"You really think so?"
"I know so." I can tell he believes it.
I shrug as I shake my head again. "It doesn't matter anyway. Even if I could come up with a way to make it happen, I'm not even really sure if I'd want it or not."
Dalton steps forward, putting a hand on my shoulder. "You know how you're really good at spotting lies and calling people on their bullshit?" I purse my lips as I smile. "I'm calling yours now. You know what you want." He calls me out. "Don't be afraid to take what you want, especially not because of me."
I sigh. "But I don't want you to leave." I whisper, then look up at him. "You missed another one of my lies you could have called me on." I tell him.
"Oh?" He asks gently.
I nod slowly. "It isn't just Ireland and the people who need you...I'm sure they do, but...I need you, Dalton."
Dalton shifts on his feet, inching a little closer. "I told myself that as soon as we found you, I'd help in any way that I could, and then once everything was in the clear, I'd go, but..."
I give him the best puppy dog face I can muster. "Please don't go," I whisper. "I'm not too proud to beg for you Dalton. Your plans are beautiful and worthy, but think what we could do here together. I want the same things you want. I want to see the same changes made as you do. I'm not too scared to make them happen. I want to do it with you." He smiles, leaning forward to kiss me sweetly on my forehead.
"Let's just make sure you have a kingdom left to run at all first, then we can figure out the other stuff, alright?" He asks and I nod once. "I promise to think about it, ok?"
I look up into his eyes. "Think long and hard about it." I tell him. "Then decide to stay...with me."
"You aren't playing fair." He sighs, the corners of his mouth pulling up slightly.
I shake my head, not breaking eye contact. "For the first time in a long time I'm not playing at all. No games here. I know exactly what I want when it comes to you."
He narrows his eyes. "Only when it comes to me?"
"Baby steps." I shrug and he smiles.
"Rose, you know...I was coming back...You're the only thing I'm sure about too." He nods to me, leaning down closer to me, making my heart beat faster. "Do you remember when you told me that you thought you were falling for me?"
I nod. "It was a lie too." I admit. "I knew I had already fallen for you."
Dalton smiles, broad and bright, a sight everyone should see but I'm secretly glad he saves it for me. "I've fallen for you too." He says, his words taking my breath away more than his smile. "I'm sorry it took going through so much for me to see it."
I put my hands on his hips and smile up at him, not able to hold it back. "I'd be happy to forgive you under one condition."
"Name your price." He says without missing a beat.
I part my lips and gaze up at him under my eyelashes. "Kiss me." I whisper, my voice coming out breathy. "Now."
His hands tangle into my hair as he pulls me into him. "As you wish, Your Highness."
His lips press against mine, sending sparks and chills at the same time through my tired body, bringing me back to life when I didn't even know I needed it. I taste him, feel him, and want more.
I pull away slightly. "I lied again." I whisper out of breath against his lips.
"Becoming a habit of yours, is it?" He chuckles.
"Maybe." I shrug, then lean my forehead against his. "I need one more thing for me to forgive you."
"And what's that?" His eyes seem to smolder on demand, making my breath hitch.
I tilt my head, holding onto the back of his neck. "I want to finish what we started before." I whisper to him and he smiles, his lips crushing into mine as he leads me towards the bed, both of us tripping up a few times and laughing on the way.
I feel him everywhere but my head just keeps screaming for more.
He stops when we reach the bed, pulling my face back from his. "Rose, I want to." He tells me then smiles, grinding his body against mine. "Trust me, I really want to..." He laughs and I can feel just how badly he does. "Are you sure though? I don't want to hurt you."
I inch up on my tiptoes, kissing him sweetly before lowering back down to the ground and slowly unbuttoning my shirt, not letting my eyes leave his. I undo the last button and then let the shirt slide off down my arms and fall down around my feet, loving the way his eyes widen and he takes in a sharp breath.
"You're not hurting me," I whisper sultrily. "You're healing me."
His arms slide slowly around my bare body and he lowers me carefully to his bed, helping me to forget every bad thing that happened to me and that's going on in the world as our bodies finally intertwine and the last wall between us finally fades away. No more denying what's between us now.
"You're the kind of girl you spend forever with." He whispers as his head settles onto my chest and we both have to give into the exhaustion and fall asleep in a tangle of sheets and naked bodies.