“Do you want to go home?” he repeated
“I don’t have a home” I said grim
“What about your parents?”
“What about them...”
“Surely they’re worried” he propped himself up on his elbow
“No they aren’t”
“How can you be certain of that?” he questioned, tilting my chin upward so I would look at him
“They left me in London that night” he seemed taken aback by that statement for he said nothing, his gaze remained fixed on mine but as I glanced down at his hands I noted that they were once more curled into tight fists
“Your parents just… left you” he snarled through gritted teeth “What if I had killed you that night?” I cringed but I don’t think he really noticed, the question was not aimed at me but more rhetorical… but he was right… what if I had been killed in London? Would they have really cared?
“I don’t know…” I finally said “I really don’t…”
“I might just go pay them a visit” I automatically reached out and grabbed his hand, I ignored the fire that burned my cheeks from the hand to hand contact but made myself stare at him, determined to change his mind… but I could muster the words… I could not think of a reason why he shouldn’t… which truly scared me.
“Don’t”
“Why?” finally noticing the hand on his, his nostrils began to flare… was he nervous?
“I don’t want you to hurt them…” I removed my hand from his and rolled onto my back, staring absentmindedly at the plain white ceiling above
He rolled over the top of me “I wouldn’t do that” he stated as he lowered himself down
“Why?”
“Because it would hurt you” my cheeks gushed scarlet, I tried to wriggle free but he lowered more of his weight on me, not hurting me but enough to pin me down “Vicki… I…” He was cut short by a loud bang outside, it sounded like it was coming from down the hall but fast approaching, and he rolled off me and sat up on the bed, settling one arm over me in what I believed to be a protective manner.
“Where is she!” a woman screeched, I rolled over to Dante, buried my head in his chest, tucked my feet up and clung to him tightly, he in return wrapped his arms around me and whispered soft soothing sounds… it didn’t exactly work…I felt genuinely terrified at the moment… needed to be out of there… needed to feel safe.
The door to my room flew open and I heard a scream that rippled through my bones, it was obviously Candice, hell bent on a revenge that had no meaning or purpose… why is it everyone I knew except this family and Seth hated me to my very core… wanted to see my punished… wanted me to be hurt.. Wanted to feel mind shattering pain. I knew she had lunged at me because I had flown off the bed and landed with a crack on the floor, I winced in pain but as I looked up I gasped in shock as I saw Candice’s face still covered in dried blood, being pushed down into the bed as her body was restrained by Dante
“Get off me!” she screamed “You should have killed her… she should be dead!” I scrambled even further back from them both until my head came into contact with one of the wardrobes… I clung to it and closed my eyes, trying to regulate my breathing but it was a futile effort… I was close to a panic attack at that moment
“Candice…” he moaned as he struggled to restrain her “What’s gotten into you!?”
“She… should… be… dead” she growled, I opened my eyes at that point
“No she shouldn’t… so why are you being like this!”
“Because she stole that which should be mine!”
“Stole what!? She has nothing that belongs to you!” he pushed her head further into the mattress, probably hoping that it would shut her up. Instead of being silenced, she screamed into the covers and scrammed behind her head, once or twice she broke skin but he did not wince… nor did he flinch, not once… not that it mattered because in a matter of seconds the skin began to stitch itself together again leaving nothing more than a faint white scar.
“She stole you!” I stared directly at him, our eyes locking in an embrace that spoke a thousand words and shut a thousand more away… how could I steal him? We were nothing more than acquaintances that seemed to be on the verge of friends?
“What… What do you mean?” I whimpered at her, he allowed her head to snap up and glare but kept her pinned down
“You know very well what you little bitch!” I cringed and bowed my head, deciding that looking to the floor would be so much better “That’s it, cower away you pathetic piece of meat!”
“I don’t know what I have done to you but...” I began but she abruptly cut me off with a shriek of laughter
“You really don’t know!?”
“No...” I breathed
“You’ve stolen his heart!” my eyes widened, I didn’t want to hear anymore… I got up and ran… ran away from them… ran away from everything… ran through the corridors, down the stairs and out the door… she could have him… this wasn’t right… this wasn’t meant to happen.
The wind smashed into my face that felt sharp as ice, it cut into me and made my eyes water… whether that was actually from the wind or they were my own tears I do not know, I just knew that it was better to be alone at this point. The air filled and squeezed my lungs til I felt short of breathe, I stopped for a moment to glance around me, I was not far from the gates so why couldn’t I make myself move anymore? Why was I still torn to stay? Especially when I knew that this did no good for anyone. I began to pace back and forth, thinking on what I could have done to make Dante have any form of feelings for me, I had done my best to distance myself from anyone… but wasn’t it obvious? I wandered over to large iron gates and grasped them tightly, it shouldn’t be this hard to leave I mean… they were a family of killers, they drained humans for a living… yet I found them to be more of a family and safer than anyone I had ever known. Letting my head fall against the cool metal I closed my eyes
“Why don’t you just go?” Dante’s voice asked, making me jump
“I don’t know I feel safe here when I know I shouldn’t. It’s wrong to think of you all more of a family than my own, and to know that I may have mislead you” I turned to face him, there were more fresh scars along his face… she had really had a go at him
“Have you mislead me” he tried to smirk but it faltered once his eyes met mine
“Candice said back there that you have feelings for me”
“Yes” he sighed “It’s true, I won’t bother to deny it”
“But why? How?” I pleaded to him
“Because… Because you don’t want me, you don’t care that I am the son of a lord, you don’t ask for anything” he crossed his arms and closed his eyes “ When you told me about your past, it wretched and tugged at my heart, to know that you’ve been through so much and yet you choose to stand alone… go through all of that alone” Leaning back on the gate I bit my lip and thought carefully before giving my answer
“You’re right, I don’t care about your damn wealth, I couldn’t give a shit that you’re the son of a lord but you’re wrong about one thing” he opened his eyes and stared at me, eyes pleading to know what I was about to say “I care about YOU” I walked towards him, untangled his crossed arms and grabbed both of his hands, blushing in the process “But I think you deserve so much better”
“Why?” he breathed
“Because I’m messed up, I have so many enemies and no recollection why and I’m human”
“You’re not messed up, being the walking dead is messed up” we both laughed “I won’t let anyone harm you anymore, and as for being human? Well we can change that in time”
“Blood makes me gag” I gushed
“You won’t feel that way if you ever turned, but even if you don’t I will stay with you” his lips quivered and his eyes glistened
“Dante, what exactly do you feel for me?”
“I love you” my heart began to do somersaults, dancing and bouncing against my chest, my cheeks began to burn and a smile curled it’s way on my lips “I’m glad I have this effect on” he smirked
“How can you love me though? What about Candice?”
“I don’t care about her” he scowled “she means nothing to me” I let go of his hands and stepped back
“You’ve cared about her til now”
“No I haven’t”
“Don’t lie to me” I brushed past him and made my way for the house, but he grabbed my hand and made me face him, pulling me close to him until we were chest to chest “I will not become one of your whores… I won’t be brushed away once you’re bored” I pulled away from him
“Vicki” he breathed “You don’t understand how the dark beings feel do you?”
“Your mother explained to me… but only briefly”
“Then you should understand that I see you as my mate” he looked down at the floor “So I cannot lose you”
For hours after we paced the grounds, discussing our feelings and what we actually and truthfully thought of each other when we first laid eyes upon one another, and what we thought of each other now. A I looked up at a few of the windows that faced the grounds, I noticed Anna staring down at us with a wide and approving smile, this woman had known from the start, that’s why she gave me that little talk.
“Dante?”
“Yes?”
“How long have you felt this way?”
“Well, I felt something when I first met you… I wasn’t sure what it was but it left me feeling a little more than panicked, once here I tried to hate you and make you some sort of prisoner but as you know… that didn’t turn out so well, instead the whole family and my best friend ended up liking you, much to my chagrin but then… I too began to like you” We stopped walking and sat down by the fountain I was drawn to earlier, as I looked up at it Dante grabbed my hand, followed my gaze and smiled “It’s a statue of what is meant to represent our Queen” I blushed
“Oh, I just thought it was another piece of obscene art”
“Don’t let her hear you say that” he nudged my arm playfully before sitting up and yanking me along to follow him “Now I’m going to ask you something and I really want you to think on it, ok?”
“Sure”
“Do you want to go home and see your family?” I thought about it as we walked once more in silence, hand in hand til I had an idea… I knew how to remain safe if I went there
“Yes, but on one condition”
“Shoot”
“That you go with me”