Chapter 46

The Unwanted Bride Of Atticus Fawn Chapter 46 ~ATTICUS~

Ah, f**k, what had I done?

Autumn and her spells were becoming dangerous. I never wanted to sleep with her until I’d gotten her complete forgiveness. She hadn’t forgiven me yet; I knew she hadn’t. I would know when she’d forgiven me when she looked at me the way she’d done so freely in the past. Only then would I know that Autumn had forgiven me for everything I’d done to her.

I knew I still had plenty of work to put in, and I wanted to do them all before what happened last night.

I wanted to be worthy of her before I took such a sacred part of her. I knew Autumn wanted it but f**k me, even though I wanted it too, I wanted it to happen at the right time.

Was that so wrong? But I also didn’t want her to think that I didn’t desire her or that I didn’t want to touch her because of the promises I had made to Anya.

She was all that I cared about. Her feelings were all that mattered to me. I didn’t want to disappoint her or hurt her anymore.

There were so many things that I had planned for us. So many things that I wanted to do for her; to make her smile. To make her trust me and to remind her that I was the same person she fell in love with. I wanted to show her that I would never disappoint her again as I’d done in the past.

She’s still tucked in my arms. Last night was f*****g amazing. Spell or not, I wanted her like crazy. If it didn’t happen last night, it was bound to happen some other time. I couldn’t have kept holding back myself and yesterday was enough proof of that.

I gently moved her hair out of her face and gave her forehead a soft kiss, she stirred in my arms, and when she finally opened her eyes, she got all shy and covered her face against my chest. I chuckle. She was adorable.

“How are you feeling?” I whisper.

I knew that she would be sore. Last night I almost took her more than once but thankfully, the spell had disappeared by then. I was still ready for her now, but I was forcing myself to be good. I had prepared breakfast and a warm bath for her already. I’d made sure to wake up early to get everything done. She deserved to finally be treated the right way.

“I’m okay. I’m still tingling down there.” She whispers with a blush.

f**k.

My dirty mind wanted to go down on her some more. To help with the tingling, maybe add some more. But I won’t do it. Last night I’d gotten more than I deserved from her. I had more to do before I ever got more of her.

“I prepared a bath for you,” I tell her. We were late for the academy, and it wouldn’t be long before my parents reminded us of that.

She nods and flies out of bed, giving me a nice view of her naked ass. My d**k stirs under the sheets, and I stifle a groan. I wanted her again. Now that I knew what it was like to be inside Autumn, things had taken a more dangerous turn. I wanted her more than ever, and it would be harder to resist her now, especially when she walked around my room with nothing on.

I had to get out of there and clear my head before I walked into the bathroom and f****d her under the shower and against the bathroom tiles.

I shook that thought out of my head. Get a hold of yourself, Atticus. Autumn deserves more. Give her more before you take more from her.

I had other plans for tonight. So many plans. I was taking her for a private dinner, but it wouldn’t be near our home. I was using our private jet for this one. I couldn’t wait to surprise her. Clarissa had helped set everything up; now, all we had to do was keep the secret from her.

. . . . . . . .

It was the end of classes, and I was prepared to get everything done for Autumn. The surprise was already going according to plan. She still wasn’t aware that we were going on a date tonight. I had done an excellent job hiding it from her, and so had Clarissa.

I spot Anya on the way to the jeep, and I can already tell she’s up to no good. After everything I’d said to her, had she not learned her lesson? She wasn’t in the academy yesterday, but she was here today. I hadn’t seen her in any of our classes, however. So it was a surprise to see her in front of us now. What was she doing here? I had to protect Autumn from her. We were finally getting on better terms, and whenever Anya came around, she made things worse between us. I wouldn’t let that happen today.

“Wait for me by the jeep,” I tell Autumn. “I’ll deal with Anya.”

She nods, and I can see the hesitation and worry on her face. I hate that I did that to her. She doesn’t trust me around Anya at all. I couldn’t blame her. I had caused this.

“What do you want, Anya?” I demand. “I thought I clarified how I felt about you?”

She sighs, “I came to apologize.”

“To apologize?” I ask.

She nods.

“Do you mean one of those fake apologies that you love to do so much?” I demand.

Her cheeks are red as she stares at me, “of course not. I should have never said those things about Autumn to you. I crossed the line; I know I was wrong, and I wasn’t thinking. Please forgive me. I don’t want things to be weird between us. We’re all eventually going to have to live together. We need to have a better relationship with each other.”

I didn’t know whether or not I could trust Anya. She was good at hiding how she truly felt about something. This could be another one of her tricks to make me trust her. She would use it against me in the future. I made this mistake in the past. I didn’t want to make the same mistake again.

“Did you apologize to Autumn?” I ask. “I’m not the one that deserves your apology. It’s her. If you apologize to her and she chooses to forgive you, then we can move forward from there.”

She says something to me next, but I don’t notice it. I feel a cold, dangerous shiver run up my spine.

Autumn. I can feel that she’s in danger. But she’s not supposed to be; the academy was supposed to be safe for all students. It was protected. The administration was strict on keeping the compound strictly safe. But I couldn’t deny the horrible way that I felt right now. It almost crippled me on the spot. This was what real fear felt like—the kind of fear that left you completely motionless.

“Atticus, are you hearing me?” Anya asks as she steps into my vision.

I can’t f*****g breathe. I’m fighting for air. What the f**k was going on? Anya is calling my name, but I can’t hear her anymore. I can see her mouth moving, but I’ve gone deaf.

I blink once, then twice, and my head hurts badly. I had a sickening feeling in my chest, which kept me from having a clear mind.

I felt dizzy; Autumn was connected to me, and I could feel when she was physically hurt.

I suck up the pain to look for her. I needed to find her.

My eyes are searching the crowd, and even though Anya is trying to get my attention, it’s not on her.

Where the f**k was she? I was becoming hysterical and desperate. She has to be around here somewhere.

And then my eyes land on her. My blood ran cold at what I saw. Her body was lifeless, and she was just thrown into a van.

Panic rushes into my body, and it takes a few seconds before I can move into action.

“AUTUMN!” I shouted as I pushed Anya out of the way and started to run after her. I don’t get there quickly enough. The vehicle is already speeding away with her in the back seat. Did they drug her? Was that why I felt so lightheaded?

I ran back to my jeep and pulled out of the parking lot, the fastest I’d ever done.

I’m racing behind the vehicle; the jeep roars as I accelerate as fast as it would let me go. I never knew I could be this terrified of losing someone. I had no idea who these men were or what they wanted with Autumn, but I couldn’t let them escape with her. I didn’t care what I had to do; I was getting her back this instant.

“Call Damon,” I order. I could barely get a single word out of my mouth of the fear inside me. It was messing with my ability to think and act right. I had to get control back over my body before it was too late.

The phone rings once, then twice.

“What’s up?” Damon asks as he finally picks up.

“Block the f*****g roads.” I roar. “Call everyone we know and have them block all the exits. I don’t want a single car to get out of here!”

“Hold up. What the hell are you talking about?” He demands.

“Autumn was just kidnapped from the school’s compound,” I shout. “I’m chasing the vehicle now.”

I gave him all the details about the vehicle so he could give out instructions to everyone he called.

Damn it. How could this have f*****g happened? Security was supposed to be tight at the academy. How did these people get in so quickly? Was it an inside job? Whoever was responsible for this would f*****g die. I wasn’t about to let them get away with my wife.

My eyes widen as a woman jumps in front of the jeep.

“f**k!” I roar as I pull away from her so quickly that the jeep flips over. I held onto the steering wheel as it continued to flip. My head slams against the dashboard as the impact from the next flip sends my body crashing in all directions.

I have to save her. I have to keep my mate. I have to tell her I love her. I can’t let it end like this.

Autumn is the last person on my mind when it goes completely blank.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

~ANYA~

“What did you do?” I scream at my mother. “Why did you hurt Atticus? You were only supposed to take Autumn away. You were never supposed to hurt him!”

“Relax.” She says. “I couldn’t tell you this part of the plan because I knew you would have freaked out and spoiled the entire thing.”

“How is this part of your plan?” I demand. “Why did you cause that accident? I know it was you mother! Why did you cause it?

You promised me you wouldn’t hurt him, and you did the exact opposite of that. You’re supposed to care about my feelings! What kind of mother are you?”

“You will realize soon enough what I meant to accomplish by causing the accident. Atticus was hit in the head pretty badly from the accident. That will work in your favor in the near future. I stepped in front of his jeep and was able to see everything happen right in front of me. You should have been there.”

What the hell was she getting at?

“Why are you even here?” She demands. “You should be in the hospital with Atticus. You need to make his family love you this time. You’re getting a second chance with him; I suggest you take it. Don’t make the same mistake that you made in the past.”

Why did she think that Atticus would want anything to do with me now that Autumn had been kidnapped?

I’m about to respond when there is a knock on the door. Two vampires enter when my mother opens it for them.

“Where is the girl?” My mother demands.

“The girl?” One of them asks. “We thought that you hired someone else to get her.”

What the hell? Why would they ask such a question? Were they not the ones that had taken her today?

“What are you talking about?” My mother, demands as she looks between them. “Why would I hire someone else?”

“We were waiting for her, ready to do the job you hired us to do, when four men grabbed her and drugged her. We weren’t the ones that took her.”

“What?” I shout.

If they didn’t take her, then who were those men that had kidnapped her?

“Are you sure that’s what you saw happen?” My mother asks. “Are you trying to get more money out of me? Is that what this is?

If that’s your aim, you can just keep her with you. I have no desire to give to any more money.”

They pull out their phones and show us their video footage of the incident. “We got a video of the entire thing. She was kidnapped but not by us. We don’t know who those men were. But they had tattoos on the back of their necks.”

Tattoos on the back of their necks? Who were these people, and what did they want with Autumn? Did she have more enemies that I didn’t know about? I wish I could give those people a hug for making my life so much more easier now that she was out of it.

“Maybe this is a good thing.” My mother says. “She’s out of our hands, which means that she’s not our trouble anymore. You can focus on getting closer to Atticus now that she’s out of the picture. You also need to get closer to his family. They play an important role in all of this, and you know that by now.”

But was Autumn truly out of the picture? What would happen if she randomly showed up?

Whoever kidnapped her was no ordinary person. No one would risk entering the academy and seizing one of the wealthiest and most popular students.

Autumn’s parents were important people, and so were her in-laws. She wasn’t any average person. We took a risk to hire men to kidnap her, but who else would want revenge so badly that they would also try and take her?

Did the Fawns have more enemies, or was this an enemy of Autumn’s family?

“Who do you think is responsible for her disappearance?” I ask my mother. She would have a better idea than I did.

“I’m not sure, but I think the tattoo on their neck can help us figure it out.” She says. “They all have the same tattoo, which meant they were involved with the same people.”

I’m about to ask her another question when she stops me.

“Get to the hospital now.” She commands. “You need to show the Fawns how much you care about Atticus. Now that Autumn is gone, they will need someone else to marry their son. What better option than you?”

She was right. I didn’t have any time to waste. Atticus needed me now that Autumn was out of the picture. We would have a beautiful future together without her in it. That is until my mother stepped in and destroyed his family for good.

I called Dante and asked him to pick me up. I made my way back to the fake house and waited for him. He doesn’t take long to reach.

I can see how troubled he looks. Atticus was his brother, after all. And their relationship hadn’t been the best because of me.

Either way, he would be in pain just like me now that Atticus was in the hospital. This time was a lot worse than the last time.

Atticus’s injury was able to heal within hours the last time. He wasn’t going to be so lucky this time. He had a lot of broken bones and ribs. There was also a nasty injury on his head.

His body was filled with cuts from windows smashed by the crash. I saw the image of the crash all over my phone, and it wasn’t a pretty sight. I knew Atticus was a good driver and wouldn’t have crashed like that unless someone was responsible for it.

That’s how I knew my mother had been behind the accident. It still bothered me that she hadn’t listened to me. He was the one person I begged her not to hurt. She had agreed, until now. Until Autumn. This was all Autumn’s fault. If she had stayed out of his life, none of this would have ever happened. Ever since she became his wife, Atticus has constantly been in danger. Now that she was gone, he would be safe once more. I would do a better job at protecting him than she had done. He would realize soon enough that he would be happier with me.

Dante holds my hand, “he’s going to be okay, Anya. My brother is going to be okay.”

When we arrive at the hospital, the scene outside is not the best. My mother would have been happy to witness it. This was what she wanted. For the Fawns to be this unhappy.

They were all crying and praying that he would come out okay. Nothing was promised yet, even though my mother seemed convinced he would be okay.

I looked around me.

Autumn’s parents are also here, frantic for their daughter. They were busy making calls and trying not to panic, but they weren’t doing a good job at that.

“How does a child get taken away from an academy so easily?” Her mother screams. “Who took my baby?”

Her father is trying to console her, but he looks like he knows more than he’s saying. They both do.

Calls are being made. They’re sending out searches everywhere for her. I’ve never seen anything like this before. Everyone was getting involved for her. News of her disappearance has spread like crazy. There were hundreds of articles already published.

There were also hundreds written about Atticus and the accident that was caused while he was trying to save her.

. . . .

A day passes, then another. And another. Atticus hadn’t awakened yet. His body was still healing from all of the trauma it had suffered. I hadn’t left the hospital like my mother had asked me to. I was trying my best to make his family like me. I knew how much they weren’t fond of me, but I might try to do better. This was for my mother. I had to do it for her. And I also wanted to do better for Atticus. Maybe then he would see me as the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

There was also no news about Autumn, and I was beginning to hope for the best. Maybe they had killed her and gotten rid of her.

Then she would be out of our lives for good, and everything could go back to the way that it was before she got married to Atticus and destroyed everything that I had worked hard for.

“He’s awake!” Clarissa shouts. “Atticus is awake!”

Everyone jumps up from the waiting room with tears of joy. We don’t waste any time as we rush into the room.

She was right. He was awake and aware of everything that was happening around him.

I was scared, scared of how he would react when he realized that Autumn was no longer here. He’s searching the room, looking at everyone. His mother rushes forward and hugs him, “I’m so happy you’re awake, son. It’s so good to have you back with us.”

His father does the same, showing him how much he loves him. The rest of his family does the same. I let them have their moment; this was what my mother taught me. I had to act more like Autumn if I wanted them to like me.

Atticus doesn’t stop searching the room, and I know that he’s looking for Autumn. I’m surprised, however, when his eyes light up when he sees me.

“Anya.” He says with a smile. “Come here.”

We’re all in shock.

I walk forward, and I’m even more surprised when he wraps his arms around me, “it’s so good to have you next to me again.”

I watch the blood drain from everyone’s face.

I understood what my mother meant now when she said that she was giving me another chance. She was confident I would have Atticus again because she knew this would happen.

It felt good to have his arms around me again, to feel his love for me. It felt like the past when he wasn’t in love with Autumn.

I hugged him back tightly; I wasn’t about to let this opportunity escape me.

When Atticus falls asleep, we all exit the room to talk to the doctor.

“What’s going on?” His mother demands. “Why does my son still think he’s in love with Anya? He doesn’t look like he even remembers that Autumn is his wife or that she was kidnapped.”

The doctor sighs, “We were afraid of this happening. Atticus got hit more in his head than in any other part of his body. The damage was so bad that even his body’s ability to heal quickly couldn’t do a good job at it. He has temporary memory loss. It may even be permanent. Only time can tell if Atticus will remember his time with Autumn or not. But for his safety, I urge you not to remind him of her. The trauma may be too much for him. Give him time to heal before you tell him about his wife.”

This was even better news for me. Now Atticus would know nothing about his marriage to Autumn. I had him back right where I wanted him to be.

Could this day get any better for me?

“We’re going to have to remove all of the pictures of Autumn from the house and anything that would remind Atticus of her.” His mother cried. “We have to protect him. That means all those articles about them must come down. I don’t care what we have to do to make this happen, but I want it done by the time Atticus gets his phone back. Inform everyone at the academy what’s happening. Let them know if anyone mentions his marriage to Autumn that we will do everything in our power to make their lives miserable.”

“Atticus would want to remember her!” Clarissa screams suddenly. Her words echoed throughout the quiet hospital. “We can’t keep this from him. We can’t let him believe that he’s still in love with Anya. He’s married. Autumn is missing. We can’t put up an act now; we need him to remember her! If he had a say in any of this, he would want us to tell him the truth.”

“Clarissa!” Mr. Fawn scolded her. “This is a hospital; you can’t be shouting. I don’t want Atticus to hear you; you need to be quiet.”

“How can you be so normal about this?” She demands. “When he remembers Autumn, he will never forgive you for not telling him about her. He got into that accident trying to save her; he would expect the same from his family!”

“No one said we are going to stop searching for Autumn!” He exclaimed. “The search will continue, but we must keep Atticus out of danger. We must ensure that his body doesn’t go into shock if anything triggers his memory of her. You also need to do the same as the rest of us. If you care about him, you will keep him from finding out about her. Just until we are sure that he has fully recovered.”

Clarissa looks distraught, and seeing her like this makes me happy. How much worse would she feel if she knew what I did? The men that kidnapped Autumn weren’t amateurs. She was most likely dead by now.

And I couldn’t be any more happier than I felt right now.