Chapter 12

Alina

“Alina?”
“Alina, say something.”
“Alina!”
“Huh?” I was startled back into reality as Erick’s face faded away and Ryan’s face appeared in front of me.
“What’s wrong? You’ve been spaced out this whole morning,” Ryan asked as he sat himself down on one of the chairs in front of my desk.
“Nothing. I’m just stressed, I guess,” I answered, putting my pen down on top of a bundle of papers and running my hands down my face
The article that we worked on in the restaurant was going to go on air today, and I had to write the speech that our Editor-in-Chief will be broadcasting since I was the one who took down the notes. Ryan had, thankfully, kept all the equipment on my desk yesterday and covered for me when our boss noticed my absence. All that hard work would be for nothing if I wouldn’t be able to write the speech down before the two p.m. news bulletin goes on air.
“I can see that. You look like you’ve been through hell,” he told me.
“You have no idea...” I trailed off, thinking about yesterday’s events.

******

“You did what?” I stood up while gaping at him and his audacity.
I’ve had my doubts right from the start. After all, who gives a malnourished patient hot chocolate instead of soup? Plus, he was trying so hard to please me the next morning! I mean, the Vampire Prince making breakfast for a mere mortal? That should’ve counted as blasphemy in his books.
“Look, your condition wasn’t all that good, and the doctor even suggested hospitalising you. It was the only option I had!”
“Then you should’ve just hospitalized me, period!”
“Why the hell are you so opposed to the idea of me giving you my blood to save your own damn life?”

******

I wasn’t able to answer him then, so I just walked out of the boutique and went straight home after hiring a cab. Thinking back, maybe it was the answer I have been trying to avoid all this time. I didn’t want to see him as anything other than a monster.
“Earth to Alina! There you go again, off to lala land.” Ryan managed a very awkward version of a pout that had me bursting out laughing.
“Sorry, I guess I’m really out of it today.” I looked across at Ryan apologetically. Today, he wore a steel grey pants and a light blue shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His missing jacket was probably thrown over the back of his chair. Ryan was one of the hottest guys at our office, and every girl would kill to have him pay a teensy-weensy bit of attention towards them. Too bad Ryan was the workaholic type who considered his office his second wife, the first, being his camera.
“How’s the editing coming along?” he asked. “We have till this afternoon to show the boss our progress. Can you manage?”
“It’s almost done. I’ve only got the quotations left to fill in.” They were passages from the interview where I ditched Ryan completely. “I’m really sorry for leaving you alone like that. Thanks for recording the rest of the conversation for me.”
“No problem. You could’ve just told me you weren’t feeling well. I wouldn’t have forced you to come.” Ryan reassured me.
“I’m sorry. I thought I could handle it. I guess I was sicker than I thought.” I shrugged.
“In the end, you left me alone to deal with two very boring businessmen who just kept on bragging about their restaurants and a girl who was more interested in her fingernails than the company she’d one day own.” Ryan smiled. “Who was that guy again? The one who took you home? He said he knew where you live. Come to think of it, why did I leave you alone with that stranger, anyway? He could’ve been a serial killer, for all I knew!”
Crap. This could end very badly if I didn’t tread carefully.
Vampire compulsion could be a bitch sometimes, and I knew without a doubt that Erick used it on Ryan. “Don’t worry about it. I know him.”
“Really? You didn’t say anything about it during dinner that night.” Ryan mused. “He was staring at you quite often, though. Is he your brother?”
“Um...well—”
“Fiancé, actually.”
I jumped up at his voice but soon found myself sitting in my chair again, unable to move and trapped in. Darn vampire had a vice grip on the back of my chair!
“What? Fiancé!” Ryan’s disappointment was obvious in his voice. One can even sense a hint of betrayal. “Alina, why didn’t you tell me you’re getting married?” The accusation wasn’t lost on Erick.
“Oh? I didn’t know she had to ask your permission to get engaged.” My breath caught as I heard the menace in Erick’s voice.
“Ry—”
“What’s your problem, dude! I’m not even talking to you!” Damn it, Ryan! Did he have a death wish?
“Actually, you shouldn’t be talking at all.” I snapped my head to look at Erick as I heard his voice change once more, just in time to watch the blue of his eyes lit up from within. He was compelling Ryan again! “She’s engaged to me, and you will have nothing to say about it. Now get out of here and leave me alone with my fiancée. Oh, and don’t forget to shut the door on your way out.”
Ryan’s eyes were dull, and his mouth was shut. He moved out of the room like a zombie and closed the door after him. Thankfully, all the other cabin doors were closed too, so there was no one around to witness what Erick just did. I didn’t know which feeling was stronger: my anger at Erick for compelling Ryan, or my relief that Ryan finally knew and would stop flirting with me.
“What the hell!” I snapped at him and tried to stand up, but was startled into a sitting position when my chair was pulled backwards. Erick suddenly sat down on the table in front of me and pulled the chair back towards him so that I was sitting between his spread legs.
Then just as dramatically, he grabbed my left hand, took out something from his pant pocket, and placed it on my ring finger.
An engagement ring! I saw it after he removed his hands. It was a big, fat, diamond-studded engagement ring! It looked a bit worn out but beautiful nonetheless and a rare vintage piece. It had a big diamond in the centre and vines and flowers on the sides with tiny diamonds embedded in them.
“That belonged to my maternal grandmother. She had it in their family for generations. Mom told me to give it to you, so I came here to get it over with,” he said matter-of-factly.
“How romantic.” I glared.
“Please don’t tell me you expected me to kneel in front of you.” He looked disgusted at the idea as he folded his arms across his chest.
“Of course, Your Highness. Why would a great, strong vampire like you want to kneel before little old human me?” I added sourly.
“You know, I’m kind of hungry,” he said as he leaned in closer to me. “How about I eat up one of your colleagues? Ryan is a male and completely unappetising, but I saw this lovely redhead in the room beside yours. Do you think she’ll like the neck, or should I go lower?”
“What’s wrong with you?” I pushed back with all my strength and stood up. The chair hit the wall behind me with a bang. “How can you talk about feeding from someone so casually? If you’re so hungry, go grab a blood bag!”
Suddenly, my back was against his hard, muscular chest, and both of my hands were bound behind my back.
“Getting a little too feisty, aren’t you? You’ve got some guts trying to talk back to me.” He moved his hand down my arm and then back up to my shoulder. Thank God I didn’t wear that thin strapped dress I wanted to put on this morning. Instead, I wore a blue floral printed dress that grazed just above my knees and had sleeves that reached my elbows. It helped hide the goose bumps that rose when he touched my skin. “Why don’t I give you something to fear? It’s punishment for snapping at me yesterday and walking out on me.” Both of them were actions I didn’t regret.
The worstthing was, his voice wasn’t threatening at all. It was like the most sensual of caresses against the skin of my neck, and my body hungered for more. He was enjoying this sick game of his and somehow, I didn’t want to resist either. “Go ahead. There’s nothing you can do that you haven’t already done before.” I was proud that my voice didn’t tremble.
“Hmm...” I involuntarily shuddered as he removed my hair from one shoulder and hooked his fingers on the neckline of my dress, pulling it down on one arm to expose my shoulder. “Maybe, but I’m sure I’ve never tried this before.”
I felt his lips touch my shoulder and tightly snapped my eyes shut. My heart raced like the wings of a hummingbird, and I was pretty sure Erick already knew that all my bravery was just a facade.
I felt his lips trace the veins in my neck and lick a hot, wet line across it. Then, without warning, his fangs pierced the junction of my neck and shoulder. A gasp left my mouth, and I expected the incoming agony. What I felt, however, was far from pain. Instead, it felt good.
The rush of blood to the surface of my skin intensified with each gulp he drew, awakening sensations in me that I shouldn’t be feeling. It felt good, so good that I felt my head fall back onto his shoulders and a moan escaped my mouth.
Then it stopped.
I gasped again as I felt him retract his fangs from my skin and blinked my eyes open as he licked the wound shut with his saliva. Vampire saliva could heal minor wounds. I knew this because I have seen him do it a number of times before to seal my wounds after he drank from me. Then he released me and stepped back.
When I turned around to face Erick, he was breathing heavily with his eyes closed, and a smudge of blood was on his lower lips.
I raised my hand to his lips without thinking, and his eyes snapped open as soon as my fingers touched them. His hand came up to catch my wrist, the blue of his iris still illuminated with that strange glow they had whenever his vampire nature was close to the surface.
“Finish whatever you have to do by lunch. We need to go somewhere. I’ll come to pick you up at two in the afternoon.” With that, he was gone in a blink of an eye, the door slamming shut after him.
I collapsed back onto my chair. I felt lightheaded, thirsty, and empty. It felt just like before when he fed from me as kids. Somehow, I came to anticipate his visits, especially since for that short amount of time I became his centre of attention before he turned cold and distant the next day. But I hadn’t seen him since the day my mother died. He didn’t even attend her funeral. He used to be a complete jerk back then, but ever since he came back, there was no denying the connection we had. I didn’t know what syndrome this was, but I just couldn’t deny the fact that I felt empty without him. It was like something important was missing from my heart.
Was it just me or has he really changed? He didn’t even try to oppose me yesterday when I confronted him about what he did. Knowing Erick, he could’ve easily avoided the subject. I knew that he did it with good intentions. Vampire blood cured severe wounds. At least that was what my mother had told me.
The light caught on the diamonds in my ring, making them sparkle and bringing my attention to them. It was beautiful. Erick came to give it to me as soon as Kenna handed it to him, which was thoughtful of him.
I sighed. I was confused. Was he behaving like this so that I would marry him without any fuss? Was it to sway me over with his fortune?
I really didn’t know anymore. What I did know was that Erick would be here in two hours to take me somewhere, and I had a pile of work to finish. I just hoped it doesn’t turn out to be a disaster.