Chapter 20

Alina

“What do you mean you can’t come to the wedding?”
“Honey, you know I can’t. There are certain rules for survival in the mortal world, and I have no wish of becoming their dinner,” Papa joked.
“And yet you’d let me take your place?” I told him incredulously, putting on a serious face, but even Papa could tell I was joking.
“Honey, I doubt Erick finds me that appealing,” he said with an affectionate pat on my head.
I felt my eyes burn with tears. This was all happening too soon. I just wanted everything to slow down and to give me time to breathe. Every girl dreams of their wedding day, especially the time when her father would hand her over to her husband. I was no different. I had always wanted my wedding to be the same, a big church wedding with all my friends and family with Mom gushing about my dress and makeup and Dad walking me down the aisle to my happily ever after. However, it was no longer possible for me. My dreams died the day I lost my mother who was my biggest role model. Without her, Dad was never the same again, and in so many ways, neither was I.
“Hey.” Papa lifted up my chin with trembling fingers. “I miss her too, but don’t let the past get in the way of your happiness. Life goes on. You have to promise me that you’ll only move forward. Let go of everything that had been, live in what’s happening, and always have high hopes for what’s to come.”
A smile formed on my lips despite the tears that spilled down my cheeks. “That was what Mom used to say!”
“Exactly!” I had the pleasure of seeing my father smile for the first time in ages.
“How do you do it?” I asked. “How can you always remain so calm even in the worst of situations?” He was that way even on the day my mom died. He appeared so strong in front of me and comforted me even when he received the news of his cancer. The only time I saw him break down was when they took my mom’s body to the morgue to be cremated.
“It’s easy.” He smiled. “I knew I had to be strong for you.”
I nodded. He was right. It was now my time to be strong for him, and I wouldn’t ever disappoint him. “I need to get back now. It’s getting late.” Erick and I had decided not to tell him about Emiel. We didn’t want his health to deteriorate by worrying about me. I stood up to give him a kiss on the cheek, but he stopped me by holding onto my hands.
“Remember what I said, child, have the courage to let go of the past. If you do, then you’ll have a bright future ahead of you. Don’t let past mistakes seal your future.” I was stunned into silence by his words, but he wasn’t done yet. “Erick might not be the most blathering of people, but he carries a great deal on his shoulders. They are burdens no man of his age should carry. Speak to him and talk things out. There are several misunderstandings that need to be cleared out between you two.”
“I...” Somehow it felt like he knew. He knew the whole truth, and he was right. I should give Erick a chance to explain because he would never confess unless he knew I was ready to hear him out. “I’ll talk to him. Goodnight, Papa.”
I kissed him on the cheeks and left his room to a quiet ‘goodnight’. I didn’t go far, though. As soon as I closed the door behind me, I leaned my back against the door and just stood there, inhaling deeply.
“So, are you going to?”
I just about suppressed a scream as a shadow appeared in front of me at lightning speed.
“Dear God! You guys really need to stop doing that!” I looked down the hallway to make sure no one had noticed his sudden entry. “You know there are surveillance cameras all around us, right?”
He simply shrugged his shoulders, tilting his head to one side as his brown hair spilled onto his forehead. “The guards are too busy munching burgers. It’s dinner time, and that is why I’m here to drop you off at your apartment. You shouldn’t be out so late.”
“What are you, Erick’s bellboy now? I can hire a cab, Jordan.”
“Well, since I’m already here,” he said, pointing towards the exit, “shall we?”
I sighed, shaking my head as I took the lead. Jordan fell into step beside me. “What did you mean earlier? What was I going to do?”
“Well, talk to Erick of course!”
I stopped dead in my tracks. Did he know as well?
“Relax. I only overheard what your dad told you. It sounded pretty deep.” He held up his hands in surrender. “Besides, Erick seemed pretty stressed this week. I was wondering if it had anything to do with what your father was telling you to talk to him about.”
I exhaled slowly, relief making my knees tremble. My father knowing was devastating enough. If anyone else knew about it, then I might never be able to face the world again. We resumed walking. That was when a question struck me out of the blue.
“Hey, Jordan?” I asked. “Why don’t I see Nile, Justin, or any of Erick’s former friends anymore?” We crossed the nursery where a series of shrieks disrupted my voice, but I repeated my question once we were out of earshot.
It was Jordan’s time to freeze up. “You don’t know?”
“Know what?” I asked, worried. We both came to a stop in front of Jordan’s car, the nearly empty parking lot creating an eerie backdrop for our topic of discussion.
“They’re all dead.”
“What?”
Nile was the worst of my bullies. He crossed lines even Erick wouldn’t cross, but hearing that they were all dead? Yeah, I wasn’t a big fan of them, but I couldn’t say I was ecstatic to hear the news.
“Yeah.” Jordan continued as he opened the passenger’s side door for me. “Erick was the one who killed them. I think it’ll be better if you heard the rest from him.” Now, I really felt like I needed to have a chat with Erick.
Coming over to the driver’s side, he got into the car as I buckled my seatbelt. “So, do we go straight home, or do you wanna have dinner at my place? If I were you, I would definitely pick the later because my wife makes the most delicious tuna casseroles of all times.”
“No, thanks for the offer but I’ve already cooked din— Wait, you’re married?” I asked, surprised. It was true this was only the second time I met Jordan, but Erick never told me about his marital status.
“Yeah, for over fifteen months. Erick didn’t tell you?” When I shook my head, Jordan just smiled. “You think he’d let me get close to you if I was single? Erick can be like a territorial caveman sometimes, you gotta beware of him,” he joked.
“That’s sound advice. I’ll inform Erick of it. When are you going to introduce me to your lovely wife?” There were very few people I considered as my friends nowadays, and Jordan has almost made it to that category just at our second meeting. He was really comfortable to be around and had a nice vibe to him. It felt good talking to him.
“Trust me, she’s a hellion!” he said, but there was affection in his voice. “You’ll meet her at the wedding. She’s one of your ladies-in-waiting.” He turned on the ignition and pulled out of the parking lot.
We sat in comfortable silence for the most of our ride. I took the time to absorb the events of the day as well as the news I’ve heard and tried to process it all. Erick and his friends were a tight group. Something must have gone really wrong for Erick to take such a drastic step. I was so calling him the instant I reached home.
We stopped at a red light, and that was when Jordan pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to me. “Before I forget, Erick asked me to deliver that.”
“Oh, so now you’re Erick’s delivery boy?” I joked. “What is this thing?” I held up the little vial for closer inspection. There seemed to be some kind of a dark, blackish liquid inside.
“That’s Erick’s blood. He asks you to drink it twenty-four hours before the wedding. It’s about ten millilitres and enough to last three days. It’s so you won’t be alone during the wedding preparations. He can help explain anything you want to know but find uncomfortable to ask anyone else.”
“Is vampire blood black?” I asked since the blood inside the vial looked black.
“No, it’s deoxygenated,” he answered as the signal turned green. I placed the vial into my purse, and we continued off towards my house.

****

Erick
I entered the throne room of the vampire stronghold where my father was having a meeting.
All conversation stopped at once, and everyone in the room bowed deeply as I made my way to my father who stood at the centre of the room with my mother by his side. They were talking to the nobles, blood goblets in hand.
“Welcome, my son!” My father’s voice echoed through the room as everyone rose to their feet.
“Thank you for having me, Father.” I bowed in front of him and rose when he motioned for me to.
“Tonight’s feast is in honour of your upcoming wedding. The kingdom awaits the holy nuptials and for the next heir to rise to the throne,” Father told me.
My father, Valroy Stayton, was the king of all vampires in this realm. He was over four hundred years old, but due to the fact that vampires age extremely slow, he looked hardly ten years older. True immortality was never a faculty of vampires, but our age slowed down after we reached full maturity. It varied from vampire to vampire when that maturity period arrived. For me, it was twenty-one, the year I defeated Emiel to become the crown prince. My father had matured much later, which was why he appeared older than me. It was no doubt that he was a great king. Our kingdom has prospered much under his reign. Soon, it would be my turn.
The feast continued late into the night. It was eleven pm, and the party was still going strong with no signs of stopping. I had to greet several guests and talk about the ongoing political situation in the country. I had no idea how many times I had to make the same statement or turn down offers from women. By the time it was eleven-thirty; all I wanted to do was go home and get a good night’s sleep. Hopefully, Alina would still be awake, and I could call and check up on her. There was this feeling in my stomach that just wouldn’t settle until I heard her voice.
“Enjoying the party?” My mother came to stand beside me in a secluded corner well away from the crowd.
“It’s nice, but I would rather go home and get some sleep. Who knew being the king would be so hard? And I’m not even the king yet.”
“You’ll get used it.” Mom rubbed my arm reassuringly. “After some time, you’ll know that these parties are necessary for our race to intermingle and enlarge their boundaries. Once you become king, you’ll be holding parties regularly.”
“Yeah, tell that to Alina.” I snorted. “Which reminds me, I really need to go check up on her.”
“Worrying about Emiel?” she asked sadly.
“Yes,” I told her truthfully. Emiel might be her biological son, but she had never seen his face. Although we looked the same, that fact actually helped my mother deal with the loss of one child. “You know what? I’m going to head off. Can you handle the rest of the party?”
“Been doing so for a year, son,” she said a little smugly. “Now go. Oh! I almost forgot. We’re having some very special guests for the wedding.”
“Really? They accepted?” My night just got a lot better.
“Yes.” My mother laughed, her green ball gown shining in the candlelight. “Now go!”
“Bye.”
ERICK!
I have hardly taken two steps out the door when a telepathic scream sent to my knees. My blood chilled as I recognized the voice after the initial shock had faded.
It was Alina.