Chapter 18

Alina

Erick kept his promise. He hasn’t called or visited since the day he spilled his guts out about everything that had me confused. Even though he didn’t say it out loud, I have a pretty good idea about what exactly happened four years ago. The only question was, why?
In spite of everything he said, I couldn’t help but feel restless. If he were here, I would have felt more at ease. I had no idea how and when this started, though. This feeling I get whenever I was with him was unmistakable one of safety. It was something I had missed for a long time. Even when we were young and he started feeding on me, I had this feeling deep in my heart that none of his death threats were real. I was just too scared to see past the fact that he was a vampire, a predator that could kill me in a blink of an eye.
However, those things weren’t important right now because, at this instant, I was making a decision which went further than giving this marriage a shot. I was accepting Erick as my future.
“Here.” I handed over my resignation to my boss, Mr. Maxwell.
“Are you sure about this, Ms. Deluca? We have a no reinstatement policy for our employees,” he said upon receiving my letter.
“I know, and I stand firm on my decision.” I was not taking an instantaneous decision on leaving my job. I carefully thought things through before coming to my decision.
Marrying Erick wouldn’t be a simple task. I would be marrying the prince of all vampires, and to perform my duties as a princess and be worthy of being by his side, I would have to get accustomed to their culture. For that, I would need to undergo vigorous training. I didn’t think I could balance work with all that. It was about time I accepted my role in a new world.
“Very well then,” said Mr. Maxwell with a sigh. “It was a pleasure working with you. You’ve edited some fine articles. I hope you do well wherever you’re going next.”
“Thank you, Mr. Maxwell.” I shook his hand before leaving his office.
“So, it’s true then?”
“Dear God, Ryan!” I placed a hand over my pounding heart. “You nearly gave me a heart attack!” Why did everyone think it was okay to sneak up on me?
“Sorry,” he said but didn’t look apologetic at all as he stood in his white trousers and a navy blue shirt. “I saw you come in, but you didn’t go to your cabin. That’s when I saw you enter the boss’s office.”
“Yeah, I just handed him my resignation letter.” I awkwardly scratched my nape.
“How about I treat you to lunch today? Please,” he asked politely. It was a little too courteous for my liking. It probably meant that he had a lot of things to say to me.
“Sure.”
Since it was almost lunchtime, we decided to go to an Indian deli near the office.
“Butter chicken and garlic naan?” Ryan asked me, already knowing my favourites due to the humongous amount of times we’ve visited this place.
We took our seat at the back of the deli so that no one could overhear our conversation. We ordered our food and waited in awkward silence for our food to arrive.
“Okay, spill!” I told him exasperatedly as he kept avoiding eye contact with me.
“Are you marrying him because he’s rich?”
There you had it, the first thing that a jealous man could think about when it comes to a person he likes but knows he cannot have. Ryan’s feelings for me were crystal clear the day Erick told him about our engagement. Although I expected him to retaliate somehow, I didn’t expect this. Ryan wasn’t done yet.
“If it’s about your father’s treatment, I’m more than capable of supporting you. Why did you have to choose Erick Stayton? You know what the media says about him, right? He’s a billionaire playboy. He’s just using you.”
“And for what reason would he be using me for, Ryan?” I countered. “You’ve read the tabloids, and we have covered news about him. Do you think he lacks something that he can gain by using me?”
“So you’re saying that his feelings for you are genuine? How long have you even known him? One week? Two?” he said through gritted teeth.
I finally found the root of his anger. “Wait, do you think he asked me to marry him after we met at the Italian restaurant?” I halted while our food was being served. “Ryan, Erick and I grew up together. We’ve been engaged since right after I was born.”
Ryan sat unnaturally still. I imagined it would be quite a shock to know the truth about Erick and me, so I tried to handle the situation delicately.
“Ryan,” I started, placing my hand over his, “I know you have feelings for me, and I’m happy that you care for me this deeply, but I’m sorry I can’t return your feelings. It’s not just because I’m betrothed to Erick. It’s because he needs me by his side more than you do. I’m sure you’ll find someone much better than me waiting for you.”
Finally, Ryan smiled. “You love him.”
The word ‘love’ made me stiffen. Love? Can I really love Erick? All of a sudden, the moments I spent with Erick flashed before my eyes; the times in our childhood when I would observe him from afar, that incident when he first drank from me, the times we’ve kissed when he reappeared in my life four years later, and when he saved me from Emiel on that cliff.
“I care about him deeply,” I answered his unspoken question.
“I see.” Ryan placed his free hand over mine and gave it a light squeeze. “Well then, let’s enjoy our last meal together in peace. The food is getting cold,” he said before digging in.
“Why last?” I asked, tearing a piece of my naan and dunking it into the buttery gravy.
“Boss didn’t tell you? I’m moving to New York.”
I stopped mid-chew. “New York?” I asked, my voice coming out inaudible. I swallowed before asking again.
“Yeah, I kinda got a job offer as a senior journalist at KYN. The pay’s pretty good, so I’m thinking about relocating.”
“Ryan!” I slapped his arm. “Why didn’t you tell me before?”
“I was about to, but you were on leave, and I didn’t get a chance to,” he explained. “By the way, I will leave tomorrow. That’s why I said it’s our last meal.”
“So soon?” I asked, a little sad that I wouldn’t be able to see him anytime soon.
“Yeah, I wanted to tell you sooner, but you have been busy so...” Ryan scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.
“You wanted me to come with you?” I guessed.
Ryan sighed. “Yes, but that was before I knew about your engagement. I swear.”
“I know,” I answered sincerely. “Thanks for being there for me when I needed support. You are a great friend.”
“I know.”
We talked some more while we finished our lunch. Ryan paid the bill after much complaint from me. Then we said our goodbyes, promising to meet again when he’s back on vacations or when I visit New York. Once he had left, I called the waiter again.
“Yes, ma’am? Would you like to order something else?”
“Yes. Two lassis with rose water, one for me and another for the lady sitting behind me.”
The waiter gave me a weird look before nodding and going on his way.
The lady in question, however, turned around in her seat to gape at me.
“Hi, Kenna.” I smiled at her sweetly.
I noticed her entering the deli right after me. At first, I thought I was mistaken. After all, why would the queen of all vampires suddenly stalk me? But there was no mistaking Kenna, especially when the entire restaurant seemed to forget their duty and focus only on her. Maybe she wasn’t following me on purpose. She might have actually just happened to see me on the road entering a deli with a strange, attractive man and just followed behind me. It did hurt a bit to know that she didn’t trust me.
“I’m sorry.” She held up her hands in surrender. “I was just passing by when I saw you with that young man. At first, I didn’t want to make a big fuss about it, but then I got curious.”
“I guessed that much,” I told her as she moved seats and took the spot right next to me. “You could’ve just asked. Now, I guess I don’t have to explain anything since you eavesdropped on the entire conversation.”
“I guess.” She gave me a sheepish smile. Today, she wore a red and white floral dress that reached her knees, red heels, and a white hat with a red ribbon. As usual, she looked stunning. Sometimes, I wanted to become a vampire just so I could look so flawless even on a bad hair day.
“So, what are you doing out here all by yourself?”
“Do you want complete honesty, or do you want me to make up a pretty lie?” she asked with a smile.
“Honesty would be great,” I told her.
“Well, you see,” she started and leaned forward as if to tell me some deep, dark secret, her blue eyes holding a touch of mischief that I often saw in Erick’s, “I was lonely.”
My eyebrows disappeared into my hairline. “You were lonely? As in the queen of all vampires, the almighty Queen Kenna Stayton, was lonely?”
“As surprising as that sounds, it’s true.” She smiled once more. “Which was why I thought I could spend some quality time with my daughter-in-law to be. You don’t mind, do you?”
“No.” As surprised as I was at her confession, I didn’t mind her being here at all. “In fact, I was feeling quite lonely myself, especially since I don’t have any work to do rightnow, and the wedding preparations are all being taken care of,” I admitted.
“You resigned?” she asked, her surprise palpable.
“Yes, just now. Why is that so surprising?”
“It’s just that, I thought you’d still want some part of your old life even though it will prove to be troublesome soon enough,” she explained.
“Kenna.” I placed my hand on top of hers. “When I agreed to marry Erick, I accepted all the duties that came with it. I’m not going to be stubborn and nagging. I’m pretty sure my mom would be angry of I did. I want to accept my role wholeheartedly.”
Kenna gave me a relieved smile. “Your mom would be really proud of you today.”
“Yeah? I’m glad.”
The waiter came over to place our orders and then left us alone to chat but not before giving us confused looks. Kenna and I talked about the wedding preparations for a long time, then she offered to drop me home.
“You don’t have any guards with you?” I asked as I got into the passenger's seat of her Ferrari.
“I’m a four hundred-year-old vampire, Alina. I can take care of myself,” was her smug answer.
“Yeah, but what if Em—” I stopped mid-word when I realized what I just said. “He won’t attack you, would he? Even after everything that has happened to him, he’s still your son.”
Kenna’s grip tightened on the steering wheel, but she managed to drive smoothly. “I don’t know why, but Emiel has avoided me and his father so far. All his anger seems to be directed only at Erick. It’s strange. The last time twins were born in our family, the forsaken twin went after his parents as soon as he was old enough to kill, but Emiel never did.”
“I’m sorry, Kenna,” I told her after a long moment of silence. “I’m sorry that you had to lose your son to some stupid prophecy.”
Kenna laughed without humour. “Yes, stupid is right. Assuming that every twin will be out for the other’s blood just because one did is ridiculous. Then again, that’s how our world operates. The Royal Family must set an example for the common population. If our members can kill each other for the throne, then how can we expect others to not commit murder in the name of property, money, and law? It’s a cruel world out there, and you are now going to be a part of it,” Kenna stated, parking in front of my apartment.
“I’m not afraid, Kenna, just disappointed. You’re supposed to be better than us. Can’t you do anything to change the law?” I asked, not only because the law was unethical, but because no child should ever be ripped away from its mother’s arms in any circumstances.
“We were born into these laws, Alina.” She turned towards me and placed one hand on my cheek. “But maybe someone with a human heart can make us see differently.”
At that moment, she bestowed me with a responsibility to reunite an entire family and to bring someone back from the edge.