Chapter Fifty-One | And So It Begins
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Queen Elizabeth left me alone to collect my thoughts, not after bidding her goodbyes to her grandchildren and shifting back into the role of vampire queen. I moved the twins to the bed to lay with me after they had woken up, after the little incident with Victoria, I don't let them sleep away from me unless I'm up and moving around.
I laid on my side in the middle of the king-sized bed, curling around them as they pulled and played with my hand, I leaned forward and placed a kiss on Adelia's cheek then another, Cassius struggled to roll on his side, his leg thrown over Adelia's waist. He let out a garbled giggle when she began to pull at his toes.
A smile curves at my lips, my heart expanding wider at their antics, they were mine and I wasn't going to let anyone take them from me; not after I gave my life to birth them into this realm. Someone knocking at the shifts my attention away from them to the door.
"Who is it?" I called out with Cassius tugging on my hair.
"Guess who?"
I can hear the smile in his voice as the knob turns in pops his head, face light with glee when his gaze lands on the twins. Abel opens the door wider to let himself in, shutting it behind me, and shuffles toward the bed. The twins turn their attention away from me to the new intruder, both wore identical expressions as they accessed him and who he was.
"They look so like Delano, right now, it's not even funny," he comments. "Especially him."
He laughs to himself and moves around to my side, leaning over me in a hug, "Not only did I come to see these little creatures but I came to check up on you." he says, looking me over, "How are you, little human?"
I smile. "I'm good," I look over at Cassius and Adelia, "I'm really good."
He nods following my gaze before turning back to me, "Good because I had to ask after that ass-kicking you gave Victoria," he snorts, eyes glinting, "You just got yourself a new admirer."
I run my tongue over a fang, "Well," I pause, shrugging, "that was a long-awaited ass kicking if you ask me." I tell him, sighing, wanting to get her out of my mind.
Abel chuckles and perches himself at the end of the bed, his legs crossed over one another as he reaches and snags Adelia's foot, she yanks it away from him, staring him down with eyes like her father; observing with a lingering sense of intelligence that a regular newborn would not hold.
"How's. . .Maddie?" I ask, watching his facial expression.
A grimace slips across his face, "She's doing okay, Adrian has been by her side for the past few days tending to her needs." Abel looks towards me, "She is going to be okay." he says for my benefit.
I could only nod, each passing day Maddie seemed to grow weaker, the illness overtaking her cells and bringing her closer to the death I and Adrian seemed to fear; though Adrian didn't show it, he was more afraid than I was and that was saying something. There was nothing to help her, being in a dimension where creatures aren't prone to catching diseases, this world didn't have anything to stop or help with the process.
"Are you sure there's nothing else besides. ." I pause when he solemnly shakes his head.
"Other than drinking Adrian's blood— which she keeps refusing, there is nothing else we can do."
A familiar burning builds behind my eyes as I blink and look down at the bed cover before I look towards the twins who were already gazing at me with curious eyes, I sniffle and quickly direct my eyes someplace else so they wouldn't see the tears that took place within my eyes.
"Kaitlyn," I look up at Abel, "you know how strong-willed Maddie is, I have no doubt that she will win the battle against her disease. Have faith."
I continue to look at him, taking his words to heart before blinking. I nod. "You're right, you are right." I smile, "Thank you."
•••
Abel stayed for a little while longer, keeping me company as he played and interacted with Cassius and Adelia, they both seemed to warm up to him— due to his constant funny faces— enough for him to touch them both. Eileesha stopped by the room to come get Abel saying they were both needed for something, with a small kiss to my forehead, Abel left my presence and I was soon left alone with two sleeping babies, I moved back to curling around them as they slept at my side and I too tried to get some shut eye. Not even fifteen minutes later, a knock on the door caused me to groan in irritation.
"Whoever it is, please come back again later," I call out in the direction of the door, not bothering to open my eyes.
When I heard nothing in response, I relax and succumb to sleep that pulled at my conscious that stilled gripped at reality, the sound of the door opening made my eyes snap wide. Delano walks through the threshold, his eyes immediately sought us out, never straying from mine when we connect as he shuts the door behind him. A few moments of silence was all I needed to get over the slight shock before I spoke.
"What are you doing here?"
His gaze slid toward the twins, the intensity in his eyes dulling to a soft glow, and at that moment Queen Elizabeth's words decide to play in my head.
He ignores my question, though, and ventures further into the room, taking a look around as if it was his first time in this part— which, technically, it was. "How was the visit from my mother?" he asks.
I lay my head on my arm, using it to prop it up to gaze at him better, "It was good," I say, my fingers playing with my hair. "She told me a few things."
His fingers stop their trail on top of the dresser, those blue eyes glowing in the dark as they look at me, "What things?" he questions, failing at keeping his curiosity at bay.
He was like a child trying to peep on their parents as they spoke about him behind his back, wondering what they said and if their words would affect him.
"You know, this and that, and a little bit of this." I twirl my wrist that was laying on my hip, stroking Adelia's leg.
I felt him inch closer, my gaze locked on my finger that ran up and down Adelia's leg.
"Oh! And a bit of information about beloveds." I added as if I forgot, my hand moving to rub Adelia's back as she stirred.
His presence inched closer until he was hovering at the end of the bed, I flicked my gaze toward him, his eyes having afar away look in them, his face contorted into a small grimace.
"What did she tell you?" he questions, the fog clearing from his eyes as he gazes at me.
I run my eyes over his face, "Well, aren't you curious."
He glowers at me. "Kaitlyn. ."
My heart skipped at the way my name left his lips in a small growl, those blue eyes darkening as he blurred to my side, everything still in place even from the lightning-fast movement. Taunting him with information he didn't have made me feel a bit powerful as a smile slips across my lips.
I shrug, "What? You have nothing to worry about, it's not like she told me about me being your beloved."
Everything froze, his breathing stopped and his heart seemed to slow down to two beats every minute the tension rolling off him in thick waves; almost like a tsunami. I widen my eyes to fake surprise as I covered my mouth with my hand.
"Oh my god, did I say that? Damn, I didn't mean for that to slip," I shake my head, tilting my head to watch his expression.
He was quiet for a moment, staring deeply at me and I stared right back, daring him with my eyes to say something stupid. He sighs, shutting his eyes. "I don't know where to begin."
I raise my brows, "Let's start with why you didn't come out and tell me in the first place," I say, trying not to raise my voice. "What was so hard, Delano? This back and forth is pissing me off so much."
"Look," his accents thickens, something I notice happens when he's upset or stressed, "I didn't know, it's very rare that a human will be a vampire's. . beloved being of my status, I come from a bloodline where my ancestors have had beloveds of the same species."
He lowers himself to sit at the gap behind my bended knees, sighing again, "I guess if I did come to the conclusion that you were my beloved, I wouldn't have told you."
"Why? Do you not want me?"
His eyes snap away from looking at the floor, "I never said that." he lets his words hang, my heart quickening as I look away, "There are people out to get me for simply being who I am. You heard what Adam said, those people are just the beginning."
Delano bites down on his lip, turning it red before releasing his lip.
"I want to keep you safe, I want to keep you all safe. . ." his hand reaches over me and caresses the side of his daughter's face, the muscles in her face further relaxing, "I don't want you standing in the eye of danger by being with me if you decide to."
He pulls his hand away and smoothly places his palm over mine, the warmth of it seeping down to engulf mine, "These past few months, I couldn't disperse the feelings that would consume me whenever I was near you. Realizing that I care for you makes it harder to come to the mindset that I need to let you go in order for you not to get hurt."
"Ma non posso, mia amata."
My lungs fail to work, refusing entry to any air that desires to come in, he stares at me as if he didn't somewhat confess to me the way his feels, he maneuvers my hand facing up as he interlaces our fingers; my heart beats a steadily, increasing at a dangerous pace. My cheeks thrive with blood that rushes through my veins. The contact between our hands opens something deeper than our eyes would ever do.
"Delano I. . ."
My lips were sealed, though my heart and soul screamed and called out its answer to his words, my lips stayed parted and tongue stuck at the top of my mouth; those light blue eyes stealing my heart from the cage in my chest. At that given moment, all hell broke loose and screams filled the hallway not too far from the room, Delano was to his feet in an instant as I quickly sat up, the soft moment evaporated as he stood the side of me with his arm held out as if to stop my advancements.
"Stay here."
"Delano!"
"Please, Kaitlyn," he looks over at me.
I press my lips together and watch him go, just before the door slams behind him, he throws me another look before he was gone.
•••
[ unedited ]
I'm so sorry it has taken me this long to update!! The past two weeks have been me trying to get my grades straight and in order, I've been multitasking a lot and it's finally the weekend yet I still have an essay to do 💀
I hoped you guys enjoyed this chapter, the book is coming to an end soon (???) and that means a lot of editing for me to do and I need some extra help, also meaning that I need someone that has a google docs account, knows correct grammar, knows past and present tenses, etc.
By the way, if you guys don't know, my name is Jariah, if you want to know how to say it, it sounds like Mariah but it's with a 'J'. Numerous people have been asking me this😂❤ again, hope you all enjoyed this chapter and please leave feedback
p.s- if you all were wondering how I pulled up the map to see where all my readers were, you need a pc for this.
The circled spot is where you need to click for the selected book
After this, it's pretty straightforward. Just follow where the circled items lead