by Anna Santos
I moved closer to her and decided to talk before convincing her in coming with me. “What’s your name?”
“I’m Aria,” she answered, sniffling.
“I’m Cedric,” I said, showing her my best smile but only managing to make her recoil in fear. “Sorry. I’m harmless, though. You don’t need to be afraid of me.”
Her hands brushed her wet hair as she nodded and pouted. “Am I dead?”
“No. I saved you.”
Aria looked around, and I noticed her shivering.
“Do you want to tell me what happened to you?”
She bit her lower lip before answering, “I had to run from the vampires because they wanted to hurt me.”
“Did they throw you in the river?” I wanted to better understand how she ended up there.
“They were trying to rape me,” she explained, fear making her voice tremble. “I jumped.”
“You are a brave girl,” I said, patting her head as if she was a small child. I was glad that she had jumped, instead of facing that awful fate. What kind of demon would let his soul mate get raped? Or was the vampire who rejected her attempting it? Either way, I would have his head impaled on a stick.
She pushed my hand away and grumbled, “I'm a stupid girl not a brave one. I can't swim!”
“That makes you even braver,” I declared, taking pride in her actions.
“And the other girls?” she asked breathlessly with innocent eyes and a trembling lower lip as if she was about to burst into tears once again.
I took her hand in mine, and she let me, apparently feeling less intimidated by my appearance. “Tell me what you saw.”
“I was on a boat, and we went to the cargo hold. I saw them there. They seemed to be in some sort of a...trance. I was too. A man took me there and kept babbling on about some nonsense of me being his soul-mate and needing to reject me. Reject me? Was he out of his mind? As if I wanted to be stuck with that weirdo who sucks blood and...” She stopped talking and glanced at me. “Aren't you going to help the other girls?”
“I've sent help. Don't worry, we will find them and stop the vampires.”
“Good.” She sighed and stared at our hands.
“What's wrong?”
“I'm feeling extremely tired.”
“That's normal. You had a rough night and we should leave and find you some dry clothes.”
Grabbing onto her dress, she requested, “Can you take me home if I tell you where my uncle lives?”
I got up and spread my wings.
“Can’t we take a cab instead?” she asked as she widened her eyes.
“I'm sorry, Aria, but you can’t go back to your home,” I informed her as I leaned down and picked her up from the ground, bridal style. “You are mine now.”
With her in my arms, I jumped and soared into the sky taking her to my home. The next thing I heard was Aria screaming in fear as she wrapped her arms tightly around my neck.
CHAPTER SIX
ARIA
It made no sense at all. It was completely unbelievable and illogical. But, there I was, walking behind that unknown French man, feeling his hands send unwanted tingles to my whole body, and making me feel flustered and powerless. How was he doing that? I tried to fight back against the pull—the submission state he had put me in—but it was useless. My body was a puppet to his will and my mind was trapped inside. I was unable to use my voice to scream and call the attention of the people, who kept dancing and laughing, completely oblivious to what was going on with me.
We went to the back of the boat, where the servants were coming out with the drinks and the food for the guests. Then, we went downstairs to a dark and smelly place. Creepy shadows crawled on the walls and mumbling, breathless voices whimpered in the background. The light was dim, and I was feeling the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. I was sure that something really bad was going to happen to me, but I had no idea why he had chosen me. Why me? I was a nobody. No one ever noticed me. Why did he notice? What did he want from me?
A nauseating smell hit me, and I saw them out of the corner of my eye—other men with women having some sort of orgy. Lustful and guttural moans came out of the men’s throats.
Bile came to my mouth. It was promiscuous and perverted. Those people were having sex without any kind of shame. Until I realized that the women were in some sort of a trance. Their eyes were blank and their necks had blood and puncture marks. The men had black eyes and fangs, they looked scary and evil. They were abusing those women. The women were like me, they couldn’t move or speak. I wanted to close my eyes, to cry and scream, but I wasn’t able to.
Next thing I know, I was dragged into a room and the door shut behind me. The vampire pushed me against the wall, and I fell onto a stack of cushions that absorbed my fall.
He kneeled in front of me, as he shouted, “Look at me!”
I obeyed, my eyes moving up to meet his. I mentally screamed and fought to make my limbs move, to push him back and run away from there. But nothing happened. I just stood there, staring at his black, lifeless eyes. He was a monster, and he was going to hurt me.
His hands hurt my face, squeezing it between his fingers. “You are pathetic. You are nothing! Nothing but a stupid, spoiled girl who never had to fight for anything in her pitiful life. Who do the gods think they are to match me with you? Is this a joke? You wouldn’t last a day in my world! I can’t afford to worry about you and attend to all your human needs. I don’t need this crap. I don’t need love. I’m perfectly happy being alone. I’ve been alone for the past two hundred years. Where the fuck were you for all that time?”
He was infuriated with me. I had no clue why. He wasn’t making any sense. All I wanted to do was cry and beg him to let me go. I was terrified.
He breathed deep and leaned back. His eyes were still black when he got up and stepped back as he combed his hair. Growling like a wild animal, he grabbed a chair and smashed it against the wall opposite to me.
I was unable to sob, but my body trembled with fear. I wasn’t going to survive. Something deep inside of me knew that.
He leaned his forehead against the wall and stood there quietly with his back to me.
His mumbled words arrived at my ears. “You wouldn’t last a day in my world. I’m doing you a favor. It’s not like we could have a family…a life. Let’s face it,” he stated, turning around to face me and resting his back against the wall. “Vampires can’t breed. They can’t walk in the sun and… We are only good at killing. We are predators. Do you know how many lives I have taken, Aria?” he asked with a deceiving, sweet voice as he stared at me with gloomy brown eyes.
I didn’t know if I was able to speak or not, so I continued to remain silent. Yet, my eyes were glued to him. He was a rather pleasant psychopath to look at when he wasn’t morphed into a vampire. Fear was being replaced by sorrow I was actually feeling sorry for the crazy guy who had taken me against my will to a private room to be raped, sucked dry, or worse, killed. Not even in my worst nightmares could I have foreseen this end for me. But feeling sorry was not what I should feel for him.
He shortened the distance between us and fell on his knees in front of me. “Of course, you have no idea. You are…innocent. I was once innocent like you,” he mumbled, caressing a strand of my hair. “Until my mother, the whore, turned me into an escort for men and women who liked young boys. So, I wasn’t innocent for long.”
He laughed like a mad person. I had no clue why he was telling me all those things, but having a vague idea of all the horrors he had lived through, made me feel even sorrier for him. I wanted to reach out and hug him. It also made me cry and my tears made him stop laughing and stare at me.
He didn’t seem pleased as he muttered, “Stupid child. I don’t want your pity. Save your tears for someone who gives a fuck. I’ve survived. I’ve built an empire. It isn’t going to be you who destroys everything I’ve fought for! Fuck love! Fuck you! I reject you. I, Philippe Benoîte Duchamps, reject you Aria.
I unbind my soul from yours in this life and for the next ones. You are not worthy of me, and I don’t want anything to do with you.”
Every single word he said hurt as if a knife was carving ornaments in my skin. I gasped, leaning forward to grab my chest. Why was it hurting? What did those words mean? Was he crazy besides being a monster? Why would he think that we were soul-mates? It was a completely absurd concept made up by romantic people. I wasn’t a spiritual person. I was a science person. I believed in what I could see and prove. But I never thought I could see vampires, that they were real, even if their existence could have a logical explanation. But the existence of a soul-mate could be refuted by a lot of theories that explained love and the reasons why certain people fell in love with others. It was all hormonal and physical. It had nothing to do with the soul. There was no proof of the existence of a soul. That man, or vampire, or monster was simply crazy. He probably had some deep mental disease.
Despite all my logical thoughts, nothing explained why my body was shaking. My heart had an excruciating ache, and I was feeling as if a piece of me was torn apart, leaving behind a vast emptiness inside my chest. I’ve never felt so lonely in my life. When I was scared and had nightmares, I would scream for my Mom and Dad. In that moment, it seemed that no matter how hard I screamed and who came to hold me and save me from that nightmare, nothing and no one could chase that pain away.
Suddenly, I’m being dragged outside the room, following the vampire while stumbling on my feet. Once he stopped, I crumbled to the floor. Two men were in front of us. The vampire seemed to be asking them something in French, and they were complaining. He used a more menacing tone as he threw me against one of the vampires. His eyes were black as he stepped back and let me fall.
I had no idea what was going to happen to me. Philippe leaned down. “Follow them,” he ordered me as he helped me stand up. “Obey them.”
I stared at him, feeling a deep and unfamiliar emptiness in my chest. I wanted to cry and hold on to him.
“Hurry up, the boat is arriving at its next stop,” he snarled at his men. Then he turned his back and left.
I stood there, seeing him leave and fisting my hands with fear and mixed emotions. I didn’t want him to leave me. Somehow, I felt safer next to him. It made no sense at all. Then, I realized I could move. I was no longer under the spell. I could move my hands and clench them harder with rage and hurt. I could swallow hard and listen to my heart pounding fast. But all was useless because one of the vampires grabbed me and forced me to follow him.
I woke up screaming, thinking I was still underwater, breathless. But I wasn’t. I calmed down and registered my surroundings as my eyes adjusted to the light and my body relaxed under the covers.
I was somewhere beautiful and peaceful. I sat up carefully and touched myself to see if I was real and if this place was also real. How did I survive? Where was I? I didn’t recognize this bedroom with a vaulted ceiling and beautiful golden curtains falling over a terrace door. Nor did I recognize the larger four poster bed I laid on with a thick goose down golden blanket and delicate white curtains.
Did I die and this is what heaven looks like?
I looked around before staring down at myself. I was wearing a white vintage nightgown. Everything looked new but somehow old-fashioned, taken from a historical movie. The bedroom looked like it belonged to a palace or a really expensive hotel. It was gorgeous. Even in my wildest dreams, I couldn’t imagine a bedroom that beautiful and extravagant.
It was day outside. The rays of sun peered through the curtains. I put my feet on the white marble floor. It was cold, and I didn’t have any slippers to protect my feet from it. But I was determined to know where I was. There was a door to my right and French doors that gave way to a balcony in front of me. Either one of these doors could give me more information about where I was and who had brought me here. I fell to the floor, losing my strength. I was tired. My legs hurt as if it was the first time I used them. I felt clumsy like the Little Mermaid when she tried to use her new limbs for the first time. I forced myself to get up with the help of the bed and moved forward, with tiny steps, sending the sting of sharp needles down my legs with each movement.
I gave up and let my body rest on the floor, swallowing my tears and my pain. I placed my head on the blanket as I tried to recall what had happened. I woke up with a nightmare. Not a nightmare, it was real. I had almost died until I was saved by a mythical creature who took me in his arms and flew away. I had screamed and begged him to put me down. Until, I probably lost my senses because I was nauseated and dizzy when I looked down and saw Paris filled with lights. The last thought I remember having was that I was so wrong to envy Lois Lane and her walks in the clouds with Superman. Flying was overrated. It was scary and the temperature would drop to extremes. I hated flying!
I was distressed. I wanted to climb back in bed but couldn’t. I didn’t have any strength left. I wanted my mom and my dad, wherever they were. They must be worried about me. I didn’t go back to my uncle’s place. And I was having weird hallucinations with imaginary places and beings. Maybe I was still hallucinating and I was, in fact, in a hospital room and there were nurses there to help me.
“Please help. Please help me! I don’t know where I am,” I pleaded, first low and then louder.
I needed help. I started to cry, gripping the blanket and trying to move up to the bed. I needed the security of the blankets and the pillows to make all the hurt go away. I needed to sleep again. I was so tired! Everything was spinning.
“Please help me.”
Someone must have heard me because I felt strong arms, picking me up from the floor and placing me into the bed. I was so thirsty! I tried to open my eyes but it was pointless. The blanket covered me, giving me a sense of security.
“I’m thirsty. Please, I need water,” I mumbled, hoping that the person next to me was kind enough to assist me.
I felt a hand on my back, pulling me up, and a glass touched my lips. I grabbed the glass with my own two hands and drank from it, almost losing my breath in the process.
When I finished, I opened my eyes and saw him.
I blinked, one, two times.
He took the glass out of my hands and sat next to me. I felt myself blush. Heaven sure had beautiful angels! Or he was a hot doctor. I thought that hot doctors only existed on TV. Guess I was wrong. But he wasn’t wearing a white coat or even green or blue scrubs like the nurses. He wore a white cotton sweatshirt and a pair of blue jeans. He had blond, ruffled hair and stunning blue eyes. He was muscular and tall. His eyes were on me, making me feel shy, and I had no idea why he was helping me.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
I wanted to say something else but my eyes were heavy. I closed them and felt his hand holding mine. It was nice and warm. It made me smile just before I gave in to sleep, again.
CHAPTER SEVEN
PHILIPPE
Aria’s distressed scream reached me, alerting me and waking up my anger. Despite rejecting her, I still worried about her well-being. The beast inside of me took control. I pushed away from the woman I was feeding off as Aria screamed again. When I noticed what I was doing, I was running to her. Arriving at the deck, I saw her terrified face. Before I understood what was happening, I heard the splashing sound of a body falling into the water. Aria threw herself overboard as two of my men tried to reach her.
In a boat next to ours, the tourists were taking pictures and pointing at my men. The vampires pushed at each other, blaming one another for what happened. I rushed to the railing and stared at the water, but I couldn’t find Aria anywhere. My heart seemed like it was going to come out of my mouth. Why was I feeling like this? Why was I worried about her? Did she really fall or were my eyes deceiving me? The thought of her dying made me hold my chest in pain.
I rejected her! My master said it would stop the yearning and the lust. It stopped. I couldn’t care less about her until she screamed and I realized she was scared.
“Where is she?” I asked, enraged as I marched to one of the men and grabbed him by his shirt.
“It was his fault,” he babbled, looking at his companion.
“What was his fault?”
“He wan-ted to abu-se her,” he stuttered, panic in his face.
“You also agreed to that. I didn’t know she was no longer compelled,” the bigger one protested as I glared at him.
Anger made me blind. “Where is she?”
“She fell,” the guy answered with widened eyes as he pointed at the river. “She jumped…”
I clenched my jaw, listening to the whispers from the boat where the tourists were talking about the girl who fell into the river. Some were calling the police while others were asking to stop the boat.
“I’ll deal with you two later,” I muttered, pushing him aside and turning around to look at the river for her.
Despite my keen vision, I couldn’t find her. My vision blurred as pain clenched at my heart. My body reacted, and I was about to jump in when someone stopped me.
“Sir, what are you doing?”
It was Gerard. He pushed me back.
I released myself from his hold. “Let me go. I need to save her.”
“She’s gone.” He put himself in front of me. “Probably dead. It’s useless. We need to calm our guests and take precautions about what happened.”
“I want them dead,” I declared as I pushed him aside and locked my eyes on the surface of the river.
Aria couldn’t be that far. It wasn’t cold. She could still swim to the shore, unless she was caught under the boat and got shredded to pieces.
“It’s better if she’s dead,” Gerard spoke next to my ear as he pulled me back, again. “She was a liability.”
I released myself from him. “I told you to send her home and erase her memory. Why did you let these idiots touch her?”
Gerard bowed his head. “I’ll take care of them. They’ll be punished for disobeying.”
