FOR MY SANITY
FREDA'S POV
“Freda, wait!” Christy shouted. I turned back immediately and spotted Christy running toward me; her face was red, which probably happened because she was running.
“Where are you going?” she asked, panting as she tried to catch her breath.
"Christy, have you seen where Damien went?" I asked, trying to keep the rising panic out of my voice. My eyes darted around the crowd, searching for any sign of him. Just looking at the crowd alone made me more eager to find Damien, I felt like I could killed without Damien by my side. Christy glanced around as well, her brows knitting together in concern.
"No, the last time I did, he was standing beside you," she replied, also looking confused and worried like me. "Maybe he just went to speak with someone."
But that didn’t feel right. Damien had promised he wouldn’t leave my side, especially in a crowd like this. We had agreed to stick together. I swallowed hard, trying to push down the growing anxiety.
"I need to find him," I said, trying my best not to sound sad and disappointed. Christy looked like she wanted to protest, but she nodded.
"Be careful, Freda," she said softly.
I nodded and turned away, pushing through the crowd that was filled with vampires and witches.
After what felt like an eternity, I was at the edge of the road, where it was less quiet and crowded.
The loud music and laughter became low as I turned to the right, entering the corridor where I could hear Damien’s voice coming from. Though I wasn’t sure if he was still there because I couldn’t hear his voice again, I entered the corner still.
I moved closer, suddenly becoming nervous and scared as I recognized the other voices. It was the vampire elders. I peered around the corner, trying to stay hidden, once again eavesdropping.
I immediately recognized Damien; he was standing there, his back turned in my direction while he faced a group of elders. They were speaking in hushed, urgent tones.
"You know it’s the only way," one of the elders whispered, but loud enough for us to hear. "She must be turned."
Turned? My stomach twisted. Were they talking about me?
"Absolutely not," Damien replied, his voice filled with a quiet fury. "The law forbids it; we’ve discussed this. No one should be turned into a vampire, and that includes the queen."
The elder stepped closer to Damien; his shoulders stiffened. "You’re the king. You can change the law. How can we have a human as the queen? It weakens us, Damien; we can easily turn her into a vampire; she doesn’t need to know.”
I felt my blood run cold. They wanted to turn me into a vampire. Without my consent. My mind raced as I processed their words. Damien was fighting them, but why hadn’t he told me about this?
"You know I won’t force this on her," Damien said firmly. "I won’t make her something she's not."
"But it is your duty," another elder interjected. "For the sake of our kind, we already have a half werewolf, and she’s human; imagine we make her a vampire."
Damien suddenly became quiet, and for a moment he looked like he might actually be considering it. I really hope he doesn’t agree to this. I can't become a blood sucker.
"No," Damien finally said, and I released the breath I didn’t notice I was holding. "This discussion is over."
I couldn’t listen anymore. My chest tightened, and I felt tears pricking at the corners of my eyes. I backed away slowly, trying not to make a sound, and then I turned and ran. I needed to get out of there, to think, to breathe.
I ran through the crowd, ignoring the questioning glances as I made my way back to the castle. I needed to find Christy to talk to someone who would understand. But she was nowhere to be found. She was probably enhoying her evening somewhere.
If they can’t let me be their queen, I should be allowed to leave the kingdom. I know fully well that the process of turning someone into a vampire was a scary one; I could either die in the process or end up becoming a ripper. Vampires with an uncontrollable thirst for blood were a threat to everyone around them; they were a very deadly type of vampire.
As I rushed up the stairs, Damien suddenly appeared at the bottom, his eyes locking onto mine. "Freda, wait—"
But I couldn’t. My heart was breaking, and I needed to get away from him, from everything. Tears spilled down my cheeks as I shook my head, backing away
"Freda, please," he called out, his voice breaking slightly, but I couldn’t face him, not now and never. I have to leave this place for my own sanity and to protect my life, who knows what they could do to me next to make me their ideal queen
So I ran without looking back.
