Chapter 29 is up just llike i promised! Yay! I'll try to post soon! It I'm not that busy this weekend I'll try and post then. There will only be about five mroe chapters tops left of this stroy. Its almost done and I want to try and finish it quickly. Well enjoy, vote, comment, and fan.
Chapter 29
Chase’s POV
They came for me again in the middle of the afternoon. The king and Lexine had “visited” earlier. It was my fifth day of staying in that merciless stone structure and I hadn’t even had time to heal, not that I would really be able to with my lack of blood problem…
Lexine walked in first. Proud and confident. It disgusted me. I didn’t have the energy to do anything about it, though if I could I would have slapped that smirk right off her face. If only.
Six guards came in after her and stood near the door. I was sitting on the floor, leaning my back against the wall and feebly glared at all of them. Lexine walked over to me and crouched down. She pulled out a key and unlocked the chains around my ankles and pulled me up. She pushed me and I stumbled into the guard’s grasps. I felt so weak. All my strength had left me. I could barely walk, so the guards had to practically drag me out the door. My throat was dry as parchment and I was so hungry. They smelled so good.
The light was blinding compared to the darkness of the stone building I had stayed in. Lexine came up behind me and quick as lightning put shackles around my ankles. As if I was going to try to run, I knew I wasn’t going to get anywhere before she would catch me. Ha, I would be surprised if I could actually get out the guards grasps. I was that weak, it was just sad. I needed blood. My wounds still weren’t healed and I didn’t know if I could last much longer without blood.
I looked around at my surrounding, there were four other buildings identical to mine situated in a circle. Thick dense forest surrounded us.
We started walking through the trees to what I think was the direction of the castle. We walked for about an hour, or should I say, they walked, I had given up ten minutes into it, decidedly saving my energy, and let the guards drag me in between them. They had bulging muscles, and didn’t seem to be breaking a sweat.
Like before there was a wagon waiting for us and they hauled me in. I sat on the floor and stared unemotionally ahead. There was no bag this time, which was an upside.
We made it to the castle, just as I expected, and we walked through the grand doors. I looked up and the king was standing a couple yards away smiling at me. I glared at him but didn’t say anything.
“Alyssa!” He barked and I heard her dainty feet walking our way. I was nervous. Was she mad at me? Did she actually think I had ran away and hated me now? Her face was completely emotionless as she turned the corner. She caught sight of my battered body and her eyes widened in surprise and then narrowed in anger. Despair washed over me, she did believe the lie.
Alyssa’s POV
“Alyssa!” my father called. I headed towards the front of the castle towards his voice, wondering what he wanted now. I turned the corner and immediately froze. Chase. He had cuts, scars, and bruises covering his body. His skin was ashen and his eyes dull. Five days without blood. What did my father do to him?!? He looked as if he was teetering on the edge of death.
I ran over to Chase and the guards let him go and walked out the room. He fell to his knees and stared at the floor, not meeting my eyes I knelt down in front of him and lifted his face to so I could look at him. I needed him to know that I still loved him. That I didn’t believe a word that the king had said.
“I didn’t run away Alyssa.” He whispered.
“I know Chase. I know. It’s okay, you’re going to be fine.” I said as I pulled him into a hug. I tightly wrapped my arms around his neck and breathed in deeply. Chase was back. I would get him some blood, worry over his wounds, and everything would be back to normal. My heart wouldn’t be breaking in half, he was safe now, I would make sure of it.
I pulled back and looked into his green eyes that I had yearned to see during his absence. They had lost their merry glow. “I love you Chase. I missed you so much. ” I said.
He almost cracked a smile, and whispered the same thing back.
My father cleared his throat. “What a happy reunion,” he said.
I reluctantly pulled my gaze from Chase’s and stood up, standing protectively in front of him. The king had a smile on his face like he knew a secret and couldn’t wait to tell me. I don’t think I wanted to know the secret.
“What did you do to him?!?” I demanded.
His smile broadened. “He is a runaway slave Alyssa. We got a tip from a villager not too far from here that they saw him a day or two ago. I sent men to find if the villager was telling the truth. He was and the slave was quickly apprehended. He fought back though as they were trying to take him in. What else were they suppose to do. He brought it upon himself.” The king said and oh, was he a good liar. Luckily for Chase I knew to believe him over the king.
“Chase didn’t run away. You had him, and made up this story. You tortured him and deprived him of blood. I know what you do, don’t even try to deny it,” I spat.
The king sadly shook his head. “Now Alyssa, we talked about this. You can never trust a vampire. They are lying monsters that will say anything just to save their own hide. I thought it would be obvious to you by now,” he said scornfully and shook his head in exasperation.
I shook my head. “That’s a lie and you know it. You are the real monster who uses people to get what you need. Now release him out of these chains.”
The king sadly shook his head. “You don’t get it do you?”
“Get what?” I demanded from him.
“He’s a runaway. Runaways are put to death.” He said smiling gleefully. The last sentence echoed around my head. Runaways are put to death. Runaways are put to death.
I felt the tears stream mercilessly down my face. That was his plan, and I was too stupid to realize it before. This is all my fault. If I hadn’t let myself care about him, if I hadn’t told him about my sister, none of this would have happened. It is all my fault. “No,” I whispered, “You can’t do that. I won’t let you. Kill me instead, and let him live! Don’t do this.”
“No!” Chase yelled and the black-haired vampire kicked him in the stomach. I gasped and glared at her and she just smiled back.
The king clucked his tongue. “I can and I will, and there’s nothing you can do about it. He’s a runaway and he will die. The slaves have been acting up lately, he will be an example of what happens when they run away, when they don’t listen to their masters.”
I knew then that he was talking about me. He decided that I wasn’t listening to him. My sister wasn’t enough. He thinks that it he kills Chase, it will be an example. To show that no matter what, he has power over me, and he was right I couldn’t do anything about it.
I knelt back down to Chase. “I won’t let him kill you. I’m going to get you out of this somehow, I promise. I love you, I’m not going to lose you.”
Chase gave me a sad smile. I could tell he didn’t believe me, but I was going to find a way to get him out of this. I leaned down and kissed him just as my father called for the guards. I kept my lips on his until they picked him up and pulled him away.
“No!” I screamed. They couldn’t do this. I got up and quickly and efficiently kicked one of the guards where the sun don’t shine. He fell to the ground and the king called for more guards, who quickly ran in before I could do anymore harm. One of the grabbed my arms and pulled them behind my back and started whispering words in my ear that I guess where suppose to be soothing, it didn’t help.
Chase wasn’t fighting back as they pulled him away. He was too weak to. “Alyssa!” he called urgently. I stopped fighting a looked up to meet his eyes, looking at him through blurry tears. “Stop fighting, I’ll be okay.” Then he was dragged away and I couldn’t hear him anymore.
The guard let me go and I fell to the floor. I didn’t have any fight left in me. The king wanted to break me, he succeeded.
I pulled my knees to my chest and rested my head against them and I wept. My whole body was wracking with sobs. I cried for the years of living where the constant threat of my sister getting hurt always hanged over my head. I cried for my sister and the terrible life she has to live in. I cried for my father that I missed and the lost childhood I had without him. Finally I cried for Chase. Because of me he was going to die. I don’t know if I would be sane if he did die. I don’t know if I could handle it. If he died, dying for me would be a mercy. A blessing, because I don’t know how much longer I could live like this. With everyone I loved in constant threat of getting hurt or killed. I cried until I had no tears left and all that came out were hacking sobs. The picture of Chase’s beaten body, my father’s still one with a pool of blood around it, and lastly my sister’s finger that was sent to me with a bow wrapped around it.
I finally stopped crying. I don’t know how long I had sat there. It could have been ten minutes or it could have been hours. I got up and wiped the tears from my face. Chase wasn’t dead yet, and I would do everything I can to make sure he isn’t.
First, I needed to find out where they were keeping him. I’m pretty sure he was in the dungeons, so I headed in that direction.
There was a guard standing in front of the door that led down to the dungeon. He stood board straight and stared at the wall in front of him. He didn’t even glance my way as I walked up to him. He finally looked my way when I planted myself in front of him.
He dipped into a slight bow and asked, “What can I do for you Princess?”
I kept my face blank and said, “Is the prisoner being held down there?”
He nodded with a wary face but didn’t say anything else.
“Well may I see him?” I questioned.
The guard nodded and pulled the keys from his belt and unlocked the door. “Follow me.” He said. I smiled at him and followed him down the stairs.
Chase’s POV
I felt almost my heart break at Alyssa’s expression as they dragged me away. She looked so sad, so defeated, just like the king wanted her to be. Everything was working exactly as he had planned. My last glimpse I had of her was one of the guards holding her arms and she fought ferociously against him. Tears were streaming down her face and I desperately wanted to run over there and comfort her. The only thing that stopped me was the guards hands around my arms as they roughly dragged me away.
They took me to the dungeon and threw me into the farthest cell. I stumbled and fell to the floor. One of the guards came in after me and unlocked the chains around my wrists ankles. Then he walked away and locked the door to me cell behind him. One of the guards stayed and stood guard in front of my thick wooden cell door. I stretched my arms and rubbed my sore wrists. I must not be that much of a threat anymore I thought bitterly.
I dragged myself over to the wall facing the door and leaned against it. I slowly closed my eyes and sat there listening.
******** ******** *******
“Is the prisoner being held down there?” Alyssa’s clear beautiful voice cut through my thoughts and I snapped my eyes open.
I couldn’t hear the guard’s reply and sat there listening for Alyssa to say something else. “Well may I see him?” she demanded making me smile. I heard the guard’s affirmative response which surprised me. I didn’t think the king would let Alyssa see me at all.
I heard their footsteps as they walked down the stairs. They came closer and closer and I sat there waiting expectantly. I was too weak to get up so I sat there glad I could see her face at least one more time before I died. The lock clicked open and Alyssa walked in.
“You have five minutes milady, king’s orders.” A guard said gruffly and then locked the door behind her.
I gave her a weak smile as she ran over and fell to her knees. She started to cry again and I quickly wiped the tears away from her face.
“Don’t cry,” I whispered, “I can’t bear to see you sad.” She stopped and gave me a small smile that didn’t show any happiness. She grabbed my hands in hers and snuggled up to my side.
“I can’t believe he did this to you.” She whispered and she leaned her head against my shoulder. I had a bruise there and it hurt as she did so, but I would rather be in pain and be with her than not at all.
“It looks worse than it is.” I lied, trying to reassure her, I don’t think it was working.
She shook her head and glared at me. “Don’t you dare lie to me Chase, you can barely walk.”
Well so much for being reassuring. “It’s not that bad,” I said once again, but I could tell she didn’t believe me.
“When was the last time you had blood?” she demanded.
I turned away from her and murmured, “The day I disappeared.”
I heard her let out a long breath. “So that’s why you aren’t healing. I should have realized… If only I had tried harder at looking for you, none of this would have happened. You wouldn’t be sentenced to death tomorrow nor would you be starving.”
“Chase--” she began, but I immediately cut her off.
“I am not going to drink your blood Alyssa,” I said sternly knowing exactly where she was heading with that.
“But I’m right here, and you’re in pain, and starving, you are paler than usual, which is saying something cause you usually are already really pale and--”
Once again I cut her off. “No Alyssa. I said no and I mean no,” I snapped.
Hurt flashed across her face before it was replaced with an expressionless mask. I instantly felt guilty. “I’m sorry I snapped like that,” I told her, “I just don’t think doing that would be best right now.”
She gave me a small smile and whispered, “It’s okay.” She left it as that much to my relief. Then we were swept in a moment of silence each of us in our own thoughts.
“I’m going to get you out Chase. I won’t let you die.” She told me breaking the silence.
I shook my head. “You can’t do that Alyssa. I don’t want you to put yourself in danger. I couldn’t bear it if you died trying to save me.” I told her fiercely.
“Nor I you,” she whispered and stared into my eyes. “You aren’t going to die on me Chase. I’m going to get you out of here, you can’t leave me. You are all I have.”
I shook my head and started to protest, but she stopped me in my tracks when she slammed her lips against mine.
It was a rough passionate kiss, one full of need. It proved to me just how much I had missed her over the last week.
She pulled back soon after and looked me in the eyes. “I’m going to get you out of here, you aren’t going to die.”
“One more minute.” The guard’s rough voice called through the door. Tears started to well up in Alyssa’s eyes once again.
“Shhhh,” I said, “It’s okay.” She gave me a weak smile and wiped her tears away.
“I love you, remember that for me.” I told her.
“I love you too.”
“Time’s up,” the guard called and opened the thick wooden door. Alyssa pulled away and stood up straight, squaring her shoulders. She walked tall and proud out the door and gave me one last loving look over her shoulder before she was cut from my view.
The guard walked out after her and shut the door. The key turning in the lock and I was left alone once again. This time though, I had hope. Hope that I would get out of here and see Alyssa’s perfect face and her listen to her beautiful laugh once again.