AN: Hello, beautiful people! I know the chapter comes late yet again, but I have a lot work going in my life right now...applications, projects, yada yada...the kind of work that shapes your life later on, so I hope you can forgive me *brings out the xmas cookies for emphasis*.
Hope December is treating you all well! It just snowed for the first time this year for me. :D
Peace out,
Fearsome Hamster
P.S: The next chapter is the wedding, I will try to release it before Christmas, as an early present! Ho ho ho! :D
Margo dipped the quill into the pot of ink and continued writing the wretched letters.
With only two days left until the wedding ceremony, most of the invitations had already been written and sent out. She had left for last the ones destined to some of the insufferable members of her family, not surprisingly her father's side, hoping they would not be delivered on time. She grinned. Sometimes you had to make your own luck.
She was currently writing to a widowed aunt, a constantly angry lady always scoffing at her as a child and warning her of her impeding status as a spinster. Margo would have loved to see her relative's reaction upon receiving this message.
"Dear Ms. Hortensia,
The pleasure of your company is requested to share the joy of my union with Lord Zachary Frost on Saturday, the twenty-third of November hosted at the Frost Mansion.
Sending my best regards,
Yours truly,
Margo"
She folded the paper, sealed it with hot wax and prepared another piece of parchment, her fingers aching. Hours passed since she had been doing this. Her mind inevitably wandered to the incident a few days ago. Although, incident was too innocent of a word for what had occured between them. Her blood rushed to her cheeks remembering Zachary's touch.
Flashback
'What have I done?', Margo thought.
Her chest still heaved slightly in the aftermath. Transfixed, Margo watched a stray tiny drop blood pebble from Zachary's mark and slowly make her way down her neck, all the way to her naked shoulder.
Zachary seized the moment and let his tongue lazily trace the red path left by the blood. This time when he reached the puncture wounds, he licked more thoroughly, completely sealing the mark. Looking in the mirror straight into her eyes, he smiled mischievously, his fangs peeking through his plump lips.
That swiftly snapped her out her stupor. In a blink, Margo jerked herself away from him again, this time backing away several steps.
"What are you doing, Margo?" Zachary asked grumpily, a crease appearing between his indigo eyes. He stayed in his place though, not trying to get closer. Something in her twitchy movements must have given away her desire to keep the distance in this moment of confusion.
"T-this should not have happened," she whispered.
"Nothing is viewed as wrong between lovers," he adamantly said.
Lovers. A couple experiencing carnal love with each other. "Don't say that word." Margo shivered.
His eyes started glowing and his body language became tense, as if fighting against some hidden urge. "In a sense it is true, what we did is a pale shadow of what will happen on our wedding night. Then, we will become lovers without any doubt."
Noticing her trembling, he grabbed his velvet coat, sauntered over o her and draped the heavy piece of clothing on her shoulders. He leaned over, whispering softly in her ear. "I am looking forward to our consummation, little one."
In the blink of an eye, he was gone.
End of Flashback
Not surprisingly, after the incident, she had quickly packed some of her clothes and was set on stealing one horse from his stables and ride her way back to the HartWell mansion, far away from the vampire and whatever emotions he ignited in her. Looking back now, she realised her behaviour was completely foolish. What difference would a few days make? The wedding was the day after tomorrow- being in denial was a waste of time.
However, what surprised her that day was the carriage waiting for her at the entrance of the Frost mansion. Taking a glance back, she had seen Zachary watch her attentively from one the castle's long windows. He had guessed her escape and allowed it. Why? The fact that he had started to read her like an open book was unsettling.
Sighing, Margo forced her focus back on the invitation she was writing, attempting to sound civilised to yet another rude distant cousin of hers.
................................
She was finally done with the bloody letters.
Inhaling the cold fresh air of November, she walked along the crumbled path leading to the old nearby greenhouse. Like the poor state of her home, the greenhouse was unkept, her family having lost many of the servants in charge of the well-maintenance of it over the years. So many things had been lost due to her father's vices.
Yet, despite the shattered glass walls and the unforgiving frigid temperature, life still dwelled within. Some flowers still bloomed, strong trees now reached through the cracked ceiling of the greenhouse and to her Nana's delight, herbs such as mint and thyme were still prospering. There was a quiet strength in the the vegetation which had continued to flourish despite all odds and Margo often enjoyed coming here to meditate. This time was no different.
Choosing a stone bench near a rosebud bush, she sat down and gathered her thoughts, pushing the ones regarding Zachary in the back of her mind, despite her heart's protests. Lately, she had grown more and more concerned with Uncle Ray and Benjamin. Neither of them had answered her letters, nor had they been in town when she searched for them in their usual places. It was all very unusual.
The doctor responsible for Uncle Ray knew nothing of the old man's whereabouts after his discharge from the medical quarters. Remembering his last episode, she could not help but worry. Uncle Ray's heart was gold, but his mind was not always in the right state. What if he said the wrong things to the wrong man and got himself in trouble? Where was Benjamin? Her red-headed friend usually helped her when Uncle Ray went missing on yet another one of the old man's quests for the truth. Ben had disappeared into thin air as well. Not even his dear sister Celine knew anything. Between hiccups, the young woman had just told Margo of her brother's growing cryptic behaviour until he just never came home one day.
Margo sighed, clutching her purple scarf closer to her neck when the wind blew through a wide jagged hole in the glass wall. Winter was coming. She hoped that wherever her friends were, they were safe. If their absence continued, she would ask Zachary for aid. His help might come with a price, but she would do it.
Suddenly, a flash of red appeared outside, between the trees surrounding the greenhouse.
Margo stood up from the bench, her eyes searching. There it was again. The elusive flash of red seemed to actually be someone's hair. Someone was watching her and the person was not doing a very good job of it. Or maybe the individual in question wanted to be seen.
With quick steps, she went in search of her stalker. Dry leaves crunched underneath her boots the moment she entered the small forest near her home. Everywhere she looked, only tall imposing trees greeted her view. A squirrel abandoned its prized acorn and hid in the branches of a massive oak to her right when Margo stepped over a boulder blocking her path. Hiding between some orange leaves, it continued to watch her almost accusatory for disturbing its feeding time.
Sorry, squirrel buddy.
Margo huffed, a bit out of breath. No elusive red-headed stranger in sight. She did not want to go further into the woods, it would not be a wise idea with the dusk so close. The sun was already kissing the horizon. Just when she was contemplating heading back to the HeartWell mansion, a strong hand touched her back.
The young woman let out a scream, turning around rapidly.
"B-Benjamin?" she stuttered. He nodded. It was truly him.
Yet, he seemed changed, so unlike the lanky lad she encountered at the library weeks ago. Before her now stood an imposing rugged man, his friendly countenance replaced by a serious expression. Stubble had grown over his face, so unlike her carefully groomed friend and the black cape he was wearing seemed out of place.
Frustration rose quickly. "Where on bloody earth have you been? Celine is mad with worry about you!" At the mention of his sister, a shadow of regret passed over his face before it disappeared. "You have not responded to any of my letters, what was I to think happened to you?" Margo calmed herself down. At least he was safe.
Benjamin finally opened his mouth. "You are getting married after all...But tell me, Margo, do you know what kind of man you are marrying?" he asked mysteriously, his pale green eyes dropping to her neck.
The young woman was suddenly very glad for the wool scar she had grabbed in a hurry leaving home- Zachary's mark was carefully hidden under heavy layers of material. Ben's question seemed to have a double meaning. She felt the instinctive need to protect Zachary's hidden nature, he might be an insufferable vampire, but he was hers.
"I hava grown to see he is a good man. The circumstances might have been unfortunate, but I believe we will make our matrimony work," she answered diplomatically, keeping her own expression jovial on purpose. "Are you coming to the wedding? I have sent you an invitation you have not bothered to answer."
Benjamin sighed, disappointed with something. "Unfortunately, I shall not attend it, but I brought you a small gift." Underneath his cape, his gloved hands took out a majestic yellow rose.
She gingerly accepted it. "Thank you, Ben. It is beautiful, I did not know they still bloom this tim-," she gasped softly when she felt a sharp pinprick on her index finger. The cause was a simple thorn from the flower she was clutching, yet the unexpected intense pain made her wince.
"I apologise, I must have forgotten a thorn when I plucked it," Benjamin said, his eyes not meeting hers. A cotton handkerchief was wrapped around her bleeding finger.
"Do not worry, you know I had worse happen to me because of my clumsiness," she teased, trying to break the uncomfortable ice between them and hide the hurt that he would not attend the wedding ceremony.
He chuckled. "Like the time in the tavern when you broke Madame Percy's favourite china inherited from her great-great-great grandmother?" a note of teasing softened his voice, remembering her more of her old friend. All of a sudden, an acorn flew over her head, hitting a smirking Benjamin straight in the shoulder.
Bewildered, they both turned to the culprit. The squirrel from before was now perched on a branch near them, threateningly holding yet another acorn in its paws. Margo and Ben burst out laughing, but quickly hid for cover when more angry acorns and nuts started sailing in the air.
They laughed their way back to the HartWell Mansion in the end. It was good to have her old friend again if only temporarily.
Yet, she could not shake off the ominous feeling that something was not the same anymore as she watched Benjamin's retreating back fade into the woods.
................................
"Is it done, boy?" a rough voice echoed in the vast space of the wet cave. Good hiding places were getting harder and harder to find for their kind. Especially since that damned gargoyle had started hunting the skies for them.
"Yes, it should only take one day for the poison to kick in. Just in time for the wedding," the younger voice hesitated. "Remember, you promised it will have no side effects to the girl." Blue menacing sparks illuminated the tenebrous darkness, a sign of the young man's novice, but wild power.
Cruel snickering filled the humid air of the cave. "Are you threatening me, boy?" From the depths of the cavern, a precise arrow of dark blue light shot towards the young man, shocking his body into submission and knocking the breath out of him. "Remember your place. However, I do keep my promises. The venom will only make the girl see the true nature of the wretched supernaturals around her. Like it did for you," it hissed cruelly.
When the convulsions finally stopped, the young man raised himself from the wet ground. He felt the immense magic in him revolting against this harsh treatment. It longed to be released and to take its revenge on whoever dared to hurt its possessor. All at the right time.
As long as his friend would come to see the truth about her future husband, it would be worth it.