Bleeding Love

by Ashley Andrews

  Even if it was fun to dance and act like a somewhat normal teenager during his Welcome Back party, nothing would compare to what he had experienced living in America. The vampires here in Europe seemed freer than those in America, but their energy was nothing compared to the youthful spirit and vigor of normal human beings.

  “So are you staying here for good?” one of them asked, slowly advancing towards Xavier. “Or is this just a visit?”

  He looked at her and then answered, “I'd say a visit with a purpose.”

  “And what may that purpose be?” another one questioned.

  The whole dancing circle was looking at him now, and every female gave her full attention to him. Amidst the crowd and the soft music coming from the speakers, he could only think about two specific things, the first one being his parents and the second, Adrienne. At the thought of her, he shook his head and ran his finders through his hair. He really couldn't stop thinking about her even if he was surrounded by a mass of attractive female vampires. He knew he loved her, since day one, but he had no idea that his feelings for her were so deep. This was bad. He had no idea if she felt the same way, and no time to help her come to the realization that they should be together.

  “My parents want me back home,” he answered and discontinued his dancing.

  “But what's stopping you?”

  He knew the answer to that, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to let the other vampires know about Adrienne. He didn't know if anyone knew about his engagement, or if his parents wanted the entire kingdom to know that he already had a fiancé. The way these women danced and talked seductively to him, they must have thought that he was still single and totally available.

  “I think it's a matter of who is stopping you, right Xavier?”

  He whipped his head around and couldn't believe who stood in front of him. That voice and that face were totally familiar to him, and he had never imagined seeing her, little own having her speak something like those words to him in a soft, seemingly accepting manner. Even more surprisingly, he couldn't picture her flying out to Austria, leaving America behind. He'd never believe that she could just give up the United States and her memories in that country. He knew that he wouldn’t, unless he was really needed by his kingdom. He couldn't help but smile. It was nice to have a friend in this distant land.

  “What brings you here, Yvonne?” He could hear the European vampires scoff at the name. They had added competition now. “Was the U.S. getting boring for you?”

  She smirked in return.

  “Never.” Gone was the placid tone of her voice. The haughtiness returned. “I just realized that without you there, I didn’t have many reasons to stay in America.”

  “Who is she?” a number of voices rose and asked.

  “Just a friend.”

  Yvonne heard relieved sighs. “What's with the sighs? Don't you people know that he already has a fiancé?”

  Heads turned sharply and coldly to face the blonde vampire whose mischievous smile unnerved even Xavier. She stood at the center of the dance floor. Her thin, toned arms were crossed over her chest and she began to tap her foot on the marble floor. Xavier had a feeling that instead of being thankful for his friend's presence, he was going to regret having Yvonne here.

  “So you all didn't know?”

  Before anyone could answer, a guard approached the young, free–spirited crowd and said that the King and Queen wanted to talk to their son and Yvonne. Nodding in acknowledgment, Xavier bid farewell to the females he'd been dancing with before he threaded his way through the crowd with Yvonne following close behind. When they stood before the European rulers, they knelt and bowed their heads.

  “So who's this friend of yours?” Frederick Kristofferson asked, placing a large yet frail hand on his boy's shoulder. “I'm assuming this isn't her. If I read your mind correctly, your name is Yvonne, am I right?”

  “Yes, your Royal Highness.”

  “So what brings you here to Austria?”

  Before Yvonne could get a word out, Xavier beat her to it, answering, “She's here to bring me home.”

  “Do you really want to go back?”

  His father's voice was beginning to crack, and it was obvious he needed to rest. Worse though, was that it was evident his father was deathly ill.

  But Xavier still couldn't accept that fact. If he did then that would mean he'd really have to stay here in Europe, train and start ruling a Kingdom he hadn’t lived in for the past eighteen years. He had so much to live for, but his responsibilities needed to come before his dreams.

  “I want to stay with you and Mom.”

  “I thought you wanted to go back?”

  That was Yvonne, and Xavier turned to face her.

  “You don't know what I want,” he answered immaturely.

  “Wrong.” A few eyebrows rose up questioningly, particularly those of Xavier and his parents. “I know that you want Adrienne.”

  “Of course,” interjected Henrietta, who was smiling at her son. She couldn't believe how in love her son was. She hadn't even been sure if Xavier had the capacity to like someone in a romantic way since he'd always been so closed when it came to his emotions. “I could read it in his mind.”

  “She wants you too, Xavier,” said Yvonne, and this caught him off guard.

  “How would you know, Ivy?” As much as he wanted those words to be true, he couldn't figure out how Yvonne would know. She and Adrienne had never been on good terms with each other. To hear Yvonne talk somewhat nicely about Adrienne seemed like a complete dream. It was like reaching for the moon with your hands. It was that improbable.

  “Trust me.”

  “I do, just not when it comes to matters about Adrienne,” his voice was starting to tremble. He decided it was because he kept thinking about his fiancé. He couldn't help but feel like a pussy whenever he thought about her. She was making him lose his masculinity. “You two aren't even friends.”

  “Yeah, well, we came to a truce right after you left.”

  “Teenagers.”

  Xavier and Yvonne heard his father mutter.

  “I'm not going to pine after you, not anymore.” Apparently, this caught Xavier's parents by surprise. They hadn't realized the appeal their son had with females until tonight when they saw the number of girls throwing themselves at him. “I said I wanted to live in Europe because of you. That's partly true, but I'm also going to try to move on, away from you.”

  Xavier exhaled deeply. He couldn't believe Yvonne was really saying those things. Had she finally given up her petty feud with Adrienne? Was she finally going to stop bothering him?

  “You don't know how relieved I am. Are you really going stop?”

  “My advances, yes, but being friends?”

  “Never,” Xavier finished.

  Smiling, she opened her arms wide open and began to walk closer to him. Returning the offer, he, too, extended his arms and took her in for a bone–crushing hug. The embrace lasted for a few seconds, and after that, they pulled away, grinning at the fact that things were starting to get better. Xavier shook his head at the realization. He couldn't hate her after what she said, and he was glad she’d come to this party.

  “So now that you two made a truce, does that mean you are friends?”

  She swatted his arm and started smirking. “I wouldn't go that far. No, we aren't friends.”

  He shrugged his shoulders and returned her smirk with a grin. “Are you really planning to live here in Austria, in the country? I always thought you would move to a more urban setting.”

  “I'm going to live in France after we graduate,” she cut him off. “You know how much I can't stand rural settings.”

  “That's why I was surprised when I saw you a while ago. You're one of the people I least expected to see here.”

  “Who would the least be? Adrienne?”

  He nodded his head.

  “Come with me, first,” she said, and before he knew it, she pulled him out of his own party and in
to one of the more private rooms of the castle.

  The lights were off, so the only source of illumination was the moon beam seeping through the large windows. From a distance, he could see a tall, dark figure that appeared to be looking right at him. He couldn't help but smirk. More surprises were in store for him. “Who would this be?” Xavier asked, and as the person stepped closer, he could make out a mop of medium brown hair and emerald green eyes. He was definitely someone he'd never expected to see in Austria, or with Yvonne for that matter. “Tristan?” Xavier was very confused.

  “The one and only.”

  “You two came here, together?”

  “I dragged her.”

  “I thought you wanted to live in Europe?” Xavier asked the blonde.

  “I made that decision during the plane ride.” She pursed her lips. “Only about an hour ago. I told your mother we were coming, and she gave us this room to rest in. She didn't want Tristan to go down to the party.” Her eyes sent him a message—Henrietta didn't want a human being to be in a room full of vampires. “She knew that he wouldn't like all those old people.”

  “Your mom got that right, so I just chilled here while waiting for Yvonne to come and get you. I just have to say though; I had no idea you were this loaded.”

  “So do you two have a purpose for coming?” Xavier cocked an eyebrow up. “Are you two—you know—together?”

  “Yes to both questions,” Tristan answered, and to confirm Xavier's thoughts, he walked closer to Yvonne and wrapped an arm around her waist.

  “When did this happen?” Xavier began to chuckle. He couldn't help it. Tristan had no idea what he was getting himself into, and to add to that, he'd never expect Yvonne to consider dating a human. “Has the world done a one-eighty?”

  “Even if it has been only a week, a lot has happened since you left,” Tristan answered.

  “That doesn't really answer my question.”

  “Just pack your bags, Xavier.” Tristan had never really been close to Xavier, but he wanted to help. He knew that Xavier would be able to make his best friend happy, and he wanted that for Adrienne. He kind of felt bad for leaving her now to hang out with Yvonne. He didn't want to betray her, but at the same time, he enjoyed Yvonne's company so much that he couldn't leave her. This was the only solution he could think of—to bring back Xavier, so the two could finally get together and live happily ever after.

  “Seriously?”

  “Yes, seriously,” answered Yvonne with an all–knowing smirk. “We asked your parents already. They just want you to come back and visit them soon.”

  “I told them I was going to stay.” Xavier couldn't help the smile that was slowly appearing on his face. “I just left someone back home that I need to set things right with.”

  Chapter 15: Being Single Ain't So Sweet

  Adrienne let out a soft yet audible sneer at the realization of how her day would go. There were no parties tonight, which was extremely bizarre considering it was a Saturday. If there was a party, she hadn't been informed about it. This possibility was highly unlikely since she was always invited to the parties her neighbors and other townspeople held.

  For the past few weeks, she had been dying to have a break and a day off from studying, playing tennis, and all her other activities. Now that she got exactly what she’d asked for, she wanted to just get out of her house. Its sickening silence was getting to her. With Xavier gone, it seemed like there was nothing to do in the mansion anymore, which was ridiculous since this place had a pool, a game room, a video room, and other top-of-the-line entertainment facilities. She shook her head at how desperate she sounded.

  “I need to get a life,” she muttered to herself before walking over to her bedside table and picking up the cordless phone.

  She dialed Brianna's number, held the handset against her ear, and waited for someone to answer on the other line. After a ring or two, someone finally picked up, and she could hear the soft, chuckling tone of Brianna.

  “Hey Bree, lemme guess,” The laughter in Brianna's background didn't die down. “Aidan's there?”

  The line went silent before Adrienne heard a guilty laugh emanate from her friend. After a few shuffling sounds here and there, a masculine voice replaced the feminine tone she had been talking to a while ago.

  “Hey Adie, what's up?” Aidan asked, his voice light and casual. “Brianna just left the room to get some more food.”

  “Hey there.” Adrienne shuffled her entire weight from her left leg to her right. “I was planning on asking Brianna if she wanted to hang out, but I see you got to her first.”

  They both shared a sheepish laugh, and she could imagine Aidan scratching his head at the moment, thinking of what he could possibly say back to her. She walked around her room, fixed a few things here and there, and listened to her best friend's boyfriend.

  “I know it's not in my place to ask, but why don't you come over here to Bree's place?” his voice sounded sympathetic before it swiftly switched to a teasing one. “I'm getting tired of having to spend every waking hour with Brianna, just to let you know.”

  Before Adrienne could reply to that, Aidan muttered a string of profanities. She concluded that Bree had heard everything her boyfriend said and was now playfully punishing him.

  “Oh so it's like that now, huh?”

  Adrienne listened to the adorable couple bickering through the phone.

  “How about I kick you out of my house?”

  “I was sucking up to your best friend, you know,” Aidan said, his tone of voice still sarcastic. “Aren't guys supposed to do that? Suck up to their girlfriends' friends to get a few brownie points?”

  “Oh Aidan!” Adrienne was chuckled softly. “You have my blessing a hundred and one percent.”

  “Don't push him further, Adie!” That was Brianna's pitiful sounding voice.

  “You're such a killjoy Bree, seriously.”

  Adrienne heard her friend punch Aiden one more time.

  “Oh, and the vampire's talking like he's the master of, fun. Kill me now.”

  “I'm just like Aidan, Bree!” Adrienne then feigned a threatening tone. “And did you just insult us?”

  “Yes.”

  She heard Aidan let out a long, resounding 'ooh' before he howled in pretend pain. Adie, on the other hand, decided to trek a different road and said, “Die bitch die.” Of course, she was only teasing. She'd never wish the death of any of her friends. Life, or even high school, without Brianna would probably seem like spring-break without Cabo, and that was saying something.

  “How about you come here before I kill my boyfriend,” Bree said, her voice commanding. “We've probably watched Twilight about a million times now.”

  “It's not my fault I can't help what I feel.” Adrienne heard Aidan interject. “Seriously, each vampire has his own special power? That's bullshit. The movie's mostly a lie.”

  Brianna chuckled, and the female vampire followed suit.

  “It's what you call, jealousy,” was Bree's fast quip.

  “I can suck the blood out of that Robert Pattinson right here, right now, you know. Don't pull my strings, Brianna.”

  “You forget he's British, Aidan. He's probably back in England now.”

  “And you completely overlooked the part where I can run really fast. That impersonator probably used some computer–aided design.”

  Adrienne just had to say something at this point.

  “Aidan, I'd say you're envious, and Bree,” she started, pausing to regain her breathing. “I'll be there in a few. I can't handle listening to you two bicker over the phone and over something so trivial.”

  “Be quick, Adie.” Brianna's voice was playful. “Save me now.”

  With that, she murmured a small 'yeah' before she grabbed her car keys and ran down the stairs. Of course in her faster-than-lightning speed she didn't cross paths with any of the caretakers for the house, or even her father. Twirling her keys around her index finger, she opened the door of her car, got
in, and drove off at an alarming speed. She arrived at Brianna's humble abode in no less than five minutes, and hurriedly ran up the steps.

  She let herself in, knowing that Mr. and Mrs. Kim wouldn't mind at all since she was so close with their daughter. They spent more time together than sisters. She crossed the hallway, reached the end, and opened the door to her left. She then saw Aidan busying himself with the computer while Brianna was nowhere in sight. Before she could ask where her best friend was, Aidan gave her the answer.

  “She's dressing up right now since apparently,” Aidan began, his eyes twinkling in mischief. “We're going to the mall.”

  Adrienne groaned at this before saying,” And I'll be the third wheel again? Nuh-uh, no thanks.” For the past week or two, she'd been hanging out with the human–vampire couple, but even if they were great company, she still couldn't help but feel like she was dead weight.

  Brianna and Aidan acted different when she was there. They had to at least pretend to care what she was saying or doing. She really didn't want to be treated like a pity case. But they were the only ones she could hang out with without involving herself in some scandal or trouble. Ethan and his every night partying ways weren't really her thing. Max and Sabrina had other more important things to do, and Tristan had decided that it would be great to fly out of the country with Yvonne. Ugh.

  He was missing a week of school with the devil's mistress. She shrugged. Who could blame him? With the amount of money his family had, Tristan could just absent himself for the rest of the year and pay the school to give him a diploma. What Adrienne couldn't comprehend was how her best guy friend could stand being with the blonde ostentatious vampire. She shivered at the thought of Yvonne before she thinned her lips.

  “At least you have company,” Aidan shrugged his shoulder. “Some company's better than none.”

  “Kudos,” said Brianna, exiting her bathroom whilst in the process of tying her hair up into a ponytail.