What an absolute bastard he was.
Talking to me like that.
I was enraged. He was as understandable as man trying to overcome a terrible stammer. My blood was at a simmer, but was gradually rising to boiling point. It was evident there was not a sense of reasoning when it came to him. Obviously I wasn't affected by his words, in fact, I didn't care at all.
But if I didn't care, then why did I feel this way?
As if I was unwanted, as if I was purposeless...
Yet if he didn't care then why did he save me from getting kidnapped by those rogues. Or why must I stay tucked behind these stupid hinged doors while the vampires were here? Was it that they were bad to be around, or did he just want to selfishly keep me to himself without them knowing he had a mate. I mean, werewolves tended to be very territorial around other species, especially when it came to their mates as far as I know.
A part of me felt certain that Ares didn't care about me, but my brain and mind was working against me, trying to convince myself that he did in fact felt a slither of concern, however the more I thought about it, the more I felt as if I was deluding myself, hoping for something that would never be.
I was incognizant of the fork that I was holding in my hand until it fell on the quartz counter top of the kitchen island I was sitting around, slapping me back to reality. The pancakes were untouched, and warmth had left their surface, taking my appetite along with it. They say that food could solve anything, but as I was looking at the pancakes, an image of his refined, sharp features popped up in my brain and that alone did it for whatever idea I had about eating.
"Stupid pancakes" I murmured irritated while eyeing them dissatisfied.
I was conflicted with the intensity of the strange hunger expanding slowly within me, but I was definitely not craving food. I desired something else, or rather, someone else. And it was like the more I was denied of him, the greater this insatiable hunger grew, leaving me starved and bitter.
If this was what indirect rejection felt like, then it was a real pain in the ass.
Slowly but surely, inch by inch, Ares was crawling his way underneath my skin making me itch with strange emotions that I have never experienced throughout in my lifetime. The thread that binds us together was strengthening, thickening and even if it was barely amorously I couldn't act blind on what I was feeling. However, like water being washed up on the shore, taking away the pebbles of my wrath, it simultaneously left behind residues of sadness at my crushing reality.
Because let's face it, Ares would never be with me, our relationship would be a misfit in this morbidly inhumane society.
My brain was hurting from thinking too much and my eyes were burning from the lack of sleep. I could feel my head bobbing as drowsiness crept over me; I guess I was finally going through the effects of not sleeping in the last 24 hours.
I was about to rest my head on the counter when the doorbell buzzed unexpectedly. I snapped my head in the direction of the entrance, any amount of tiredness fleeing from my body and the first person that came to my mind was Ares.
'Did he leave something?' A sudden thought crossed my mind and I got up from the chair I was sitting on and headed for the door with a fluttering heart and a tickling sensation in my stomach. I tried to control my breathing but that was apparently a laborious task, instead I fought to let my thoughts and expression become impassive. Because I swear if he uttered a single word to me I wouldn't hesitate to give him a piece of my mind.
I was blinded by the prospect of being near him again that I neglected the logical thoughts that were screaming at me inside my head. The closer I got, the harder my heart pumped, and almost like in slow motion, I saw when my left hand that was about to clasp around the knob of the door froze mid air.
My body went unnaturally still, and my eyes widened with such an alarm, that I was surprised they hadn't jumped out of their socket. It was as if a cold bucket of water was suddenly emptied over my head.
Hold on!
Ares would never ring the bell to his own house. Whenever he came home I wouldn't even hear the front door open and he always found ways to make his presence known, even if it was sneaking up behind me or appearing out of thin air. And it wasn't Cyrus either, his loud mouth and dramatic entrance would alert me if he was here instantly. So who was it that was on the other side of this door?
There wasn't a peephole in the door, and I guess this was because Ares didn't think it was necessary to have one, I mean, he was Ares after all. My hands retracted from the door, waiting to see if The person would ring again, but this time, instead of hearing a buzz, three loud knocks bounced off the walls and resonated throughout the house, almost as if the person knew I was standing couple inches in front of the door.
Finally with a hard gulp I mustered up the courage to open the door. Maybe Ares sent someone for something, I reassured. Slowly the door creaked open and I was instantly hit with her presence.
The flowing black, silk dress caressed her body like a second skin and the deep V-cut exposed a large amount of cleavage and skin that looked like it was lacking hemoglobin. I couldn't see her face fully due to it being hidden by an equally dark, frilled umbrella, but I could tell she was beautiful under the protection.
I could see hints of thick auburn hair pooling around her shoulders that continued its journey down her back, reminding me of the sun on a late afternoon. She was the very epitome of beauty and elegance. However she just stood there, I don't think I even saw her chest moved to indicate signs of life or that she was breathing. And that scared me a bit.
But did vampires even needed to breathe? I mean, weren't they already dead?
After staring at her for a good minute or two, shock-filled, I finally found my voice.
"Hello- uhm, can I help you" I asked politely in an intrepid tone. There was a sudden digestive pause and I had to do an internal double take at her bizarre unresponsive attitude. Did she not talk or was it because I was a peasant?
"Madam-" I began again , and I was surprised when the umbrella shifted revealing a stunning smile plastered on her face. She flicked her wrist in a clockwise direction, removing the umbrella from her over her head, closing it in the process.
Our eyes connected and my heart ramped up in my chest. They were like laser beams shooting through my soul and I wasn't liking idea of being in her presence for too long. Her stare carried the feeling that I was standing on pins and needles, it was uncomfortable, and for some reason I felt as if she was analyzing me.
"I will be referred to as Madam or Lady Octavia at all times, now, will you move and let me enter or do you require a particular form of coercion?" She asked in a honeyed peremptory voice. The way she spoke was a bit difficult to understand at first but after a second her words registered in my head. I realized that her tongue rolled, delivering an extra syllable for each word.
My eyebrows lifted in a surprised yet challenging manner at her harsh statement. If I thought she was beautiful a while ago, then I completely take it back, not with that rude attitude. But why was I surprised, these paranormal beings always treated us like the dirt and ground they walked on, unworthy of respect. It was tattooed in our brain from birth that they were better, and it was something that I would dread for the rest of my life.
"No-"I said dryly, matching her daring gaze. "I wasn't made aware that anyone would be visiting nor was I commanded to let anyone inside, but when he returns I'll be sure to tell him that you dropped by" An inexplicable emotion swelled in my chest at the idea of her stepping foot into this house and it pissed me off, surprising myself for a second.
She looked taken back by my response, and if looks could gobble me up, I'd be picked clean. Her eyes drew from my feet straight up to my head with a filthy glare.
"Well, isn't that unfortunate". One minute she was standing in front of me and in the next second she was behind me walking off to the kitchen with an unearthly grace, where I previously was. I stood staring at the spot she was just standing with my lips slightly parted.
As she sped pass me, I was hit with this ghoulish aura and a wave of nausea pounded against my stomach. It felt like death and decay and I was bewildered she radiated that kind of atmosphere and bad energy. A terrible feeling of uneasiness came over me like a storm cloud and the tiny hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. My ears picked up on the soft clicks of her heels walking about somewhere in the house and for a brief moment I was imagined myself tearing down the hill and leaving her here.
But I thought better of it, besides, I was here first and while Ares was out, I was in charge of this house. I, me, Skyler. I spun on my heels and marched my way to where she was. I watched as she took dainty steps from here to there and occasionally touching antique vase or adjusting a painting on the wall to her satisfaction.
'Why did that annoy me?'
"Ares is not here" I said in an obvious voice. Her back was facing me, but at the sound of my voice she turned and faced me with an elegant but fake smile on her face. Her crimson eyes bore into my skull in such a manner that it would appear she was trying to gauge the size of brain I had. I bet it irritated her that a slave was speaking to her and not the other way around.
"Hmm, well aren't you strange" she said tilting her head to the right. "So you're on first name basis with him huh, I wonder why" My face dropped at her exposition. I didn't even realized that I had done it, even when Ares and I were together but hearing her pointing it out just made it seem so awkward even though it felt natural before, however the slight resentment in her tone could not be missed.
"Anyways!" she chirped, clapping her hands happily and an excited smile. "I already knew Ares wasn't going to be here, but I couldn't help myself, I had to come and explore the house I will be living in, in the next few weeks"
What
I tried to internalize what she just said but I was in disbelief. She was going to live here? No way, she must be lying. But why would she lie about something like that? My heart and breathing stopped altogether.
"Bu- but I, but he..." I struggled to form words and my emotions turning sour.
"Why do you look so sad? This pack is finally going to have a Luna after 22 years; I was expecting a better reaction. Or did he fail to mention that too?" She said feigning hurt but then her face relaxed and transitioned in a supercilious smirk. Her words were like an arrow with my heart being the target, and she didn't miss.
My eyebrows drew together and my gaze dropped from her face to the ground. A lump was forming in my throat and the back of my eyes were burning, threatening the tears to fall through. I knew my faltering expression gave her strength when I felt the pressure of her gaze weighing me down but I wasn't going to give her that gratification. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath looking back up to her.
She and Ares could go screw themselves for all I care.
"But if you knew Ares wasn't going to be here, then why did you bother to come?" I asked fiercely. An unexpected cruel crept across her face and she narrowed her eyes at me.
"I came here knowing that someone was going to be here. You see, a little birdie told me something couple weeks back and I didn't want to believe at first, until I started hearing the same thing from my other sources and I just had to come and see for myself-"
"Are you sure I'm the strange one, I mean, you're the one talking to birds" I scoffed.
"Don't interrupt me girl, I'll make you eat your own words" she threatened now standing just millimeter in front of me fuming. Her eyes took on a deeper shade of red making her appear even scarier. Fear generated itself in my every cell quite spontaneously, it was very infectious but there was nothing I could do about it.
I felt a foreboding in the back of my mind as if it was trying to warn or remind me of something, but her presence was too intense making it hard to breathe and think. I flinched when I saw her hand came up and to tame a strand of my hair, trailing the back her cold hand from my face to my neck.
"Why does his scent linger on you, it's not strong enough for me to tell if he's messing around with you, but its faint enough for me to assume that he's been close to you?" she pointed out in a hard voice, I also felt when her hand that was on me was slowly slithering close to my neck.
"Listen lady, I don't know what the heck you're talking about, but when and if I do-" I slapped her hand away and walked around her to the kitchen, trying to put some distance between. "-you'll be the first to know" I continued.
She smelt like bad news and her incalculable temper made being around her even worst. I was shaking in my boots but I didn't want to make it obvious, because these monsters were all the same, once you faltered you're done for.
I walked around the counter, where I knew if something was to go down I'd be near to something I could use as a weapon. Trying to come seem unfazed I opened the fridge while shouting over my shoulder.
"Would you like something to drink?" I turned and look over to where she was to see her hands balled in a fist and her shoulders moving up and down. Her head robotically twist on her neck in my direction and breath lodged in my throat at the weird sight of her fangs elongating.
"How about-you"
As if hit with a brick the witch's words appeared in my head- 'A bite of death..." Oh my God! Why hadn't I put two and two together sooner, and more importantly, why I hadn't I listen to her words? She was going to kill my right here right now and no one was here to save me. The pulse my neck roared as I thought of the worst
I didn't want to be the girl who stood and watched as the cruel hands of fate drag her away. She took a step forward and my hands reached out to the closest thing to me. Same time I saw when she halted in her tracks and seemed to be listening to something.
After two seconds, I heard a loud crash from the entrance, like door being kicked off its hinges followed by heavy steps.
"If you don't get the fuck out in T-2 seconds, I'm going to do something I won't regret". Cyrus came around the corner with a murderous expression. I looked to where Octavia was previously standing, to see that she was now elegantly sitting around the kitchen island as if she wasn't about to bite me a while ago.
"Hi Cyrus!" she beamed with a graceful smile. "This servant was just about to-"she paused and looked at me then at the object in my hand then finally back at me with a sly smirk"-serve me some milk"
I slowly looked down to my hands to see that a glass was indeed in my hands. I looked at Cyrus to see his fiery gaze was still trained on Octavia, and it was quite surprising because Cyrus always seemed so calm.
"But it's been so long since I've seen you and seeing you now, I'm tempted to give you a hug" she stood up and began to walk over to him before he said.
"Touch me and the coagulated blood in your veins will be the new paint I use for my living room" he sneered. Wow he really seemed to despise her. She stopped and shook her head before turning and walking away, the same fake and innocent smile never leaving her face.
"You know, after being in this pack more than once in the last 22 years, I was really expecting some hospitality" she said with a grin, spinning around to face him again and Cyrus was standing right there when she did.
"Parasites don't deserve my hospitality" he said with venom dripping in his voice. Their interaction would almost be comical if she hadn't try to kill me and I had to thank my lucky stars Cyrus came when he did.
"Or maybe you need a firmer grip upon your leash so you know where to give respect when it is deemed worthy. Oh Cyrus, for a Beta this is surely a bad look" she taunted and I saw when his face morphed into a scowl. She brushed past him walking over to the living room before Cyrus found his stance again.
"Why are you here?" he asked clearly annoyed.
"Why is she here?" she shouted pointing at me with disgust and I jumped. Their attention was now on me and I was starting to feel uncomfortable. "I can tell she is more than just a slave and you and I both know that Ares isn't suppose to keep anything that's personal"
I looked at Cyrus to already see him staring at me and I knew he picked up the questionable look my face held. What was she going on about?
"If you have a problem with her then you are free to leave"
"Seeing that you are avoiding my question, then I'm assuming that this girl is his mate. I'll also assume that the Werewolf Court doesn't know about this either" she taunted and Cyrus snapped his head in her direction with an alarmed look on his face.
"There is nothing for them to know so I'll leave you to your assumptions-"
"Well great, because seeing as though I will be Luna soon, I had to make sure I didn't have any...competition" she explained eyeing me filthily but Cyrus scoffed.
"The day Ares lets you be Luna or even let you close to him will be the day hell freeze over and baby unicorns start flying out my ass". He said with distaste. Just the image of her being with Ares made my heart ache with hurt and my limbs were twitching to grab her and do something that would probably get me kilt in less than a millisecond.
Why was I so weak?
I hated the feeling of being the damsel in distress however I was positive this feeling wasn't going to go away soon.
"Well he should have thought of that before he murdered my grandfather. And its tradition, you kill the head and take his offspring as a partner so being his granddaughter, I happened to fit the description. So even if Ares killed Alucard under a different setting than the customary way, the rules still applied, therefore before you continue spewing verbal diarrhea, think about how big of a thing it is to follow traditions in this society and the uproar that would take place if they are not carried out. And I doubt Ares would risk breaking them, unless he wants the whole Werewolf Court coming down on him...again"
"Now please, do me a favor, have a nice day" before we knew it she was walking away with her head held high and a gleeful smirk on her face.
To be continued...