Amanda and Charles followed me.

Of course. They were my guards.

It took all of my efforts not to turn around and lunge at Charles. The suppressed anger wanted out. My magic felt emboldened by it, drunk off the fire boiling my blood. It wanted to ravage and tear the vampire's throat out for daring to hurt me with his words.

It would be so easy. All it would take was a drop of blue fire and he would-

I froze.

"Elle?"

Amanda's voice reached me as if I was underwater. Blood rushed to my ears. There was a moment where the world was painted in shades of crimson before everything turned to normal again.

I fisted my hands to keep them from shaking and resumed my steps, not knowing where I was going.

What was happening to me? Was I really considering attacking Charles with my magic?

My surroundings slowly returned to me. I looked around. We were still in the gardens. This spot was slightly crowded, though. Everyone around looked at me with various degrees of fear and disgust. The human veneer had dropped and my true colors were on full display.

I guess Santos was right. Knowing what I was and seeing it were two different things.

I found a bench shaded by a tree and sat down, one of the castle doors in sight. Charles stood guard behind me. Amanda joined me on the bench.

She must have felt I wasn't in the mood for talking because she kept her silence. I focused on my breathing and ignored the people trapping me with their gaze.

It'll be okay. Everything will be fine. It hasn't even been a day since the spell was broken. Give yourself some time to get used to this and everything will be just peachy.

Right.

Before panic could settle, Burak emerged from the castle. Hilda trailed him. He saw, grinned and headed my way.

I sighed. I really was not in the mood for him.

"Sweet Elle, how are you this fine morning?" he said as soon as he approached, his voice carrying over to the rest of the world.

"Peachy."

"Oh, do smile, my dear. We have an audience," he said in a lower pitch, "you wouldn't want them to think you're losing it, already, would you?"

I stiffened. Burak raised his brows, his gaze invasive. I forced my shoulders to relax and beamed.

"Ah, much better," he clasped his hands behind his back, "yesterday was quite a show. If not for your pet birds, you would've been dead. Casting a sealing spell can leave a person on the edge of eternal rest. Breaking it is no better."

I sucked in a breath and stared at him. What did he just say?

"Lord Burak," Amanda said, "to what do we owe the honor of having your company all to ourselves?"

"Amanda, my dear. You look as radiant as ever," Burak said, "Harvey really shouldn't leave you alone. Someone might become smitten and decide to steal you away."

"I have my own claws, my lord," she replied sweetly. Burak laughed. I watched their conversation, numb, the implication of Burak's words a heavy blow to my chest. My mother, weak from the fight and exhausted by childbirth, had still cast the sealing spell on me.

The spell had drained her dry. And she died.

The bond thrummed. Arthur emerged from the castle, a dark cloud hovering over him and pushing everyone out of his way. He was in a mood.

The realization that the spell was probably the reason for my mother's death, that I was the reason for my mother's death, was still on the forefront of my mind.

I hoped Arthur did not pick up on my crappy state through the bond. He stopped next to Burak. He looked at Amanda, then at Charles, before boring his gaze into me.

"Arthur, did the council finally decide to let you go?" Burak asked, "you should watch your back, some of those assholes want to see us gone. They'll be delighted to make you the first."

"They can try." Arthur waved him off. He looked at me.

"Did you speak to Orion?"

"I left a word with Amelia," I replied. My voice sounded flat to my own ears.

"Let's go then."

I was left to my own thoughts the entire ride back to Arthur's place. The car eased to a stop in front of the place and we got out.

"Elle, come take a walk with me," Arthur said.

I wanted to be alone. But a walk in the woods seemed like heaven. I longed for the isolation of the forest and its peacefulness. But that would be an illusion. There was no going back to my tranquil old life.

The sun was in the heart of the sky, that time when your shadow is a puddle at your feet. My skin felt hot against the slight breeze ruffling the plants.

Arthur offered no words for the longest time. And as we delved deeper into the woods, my burdensome thoughts weighed me down until my feet felt anchored to the ground.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Arthur asked.

"Just a penny? For someone who owns their private jet, you're surprisingly cheap."

The words should have felt lighthearted, but my voice killed the joke.

"You promised," Arthur said.

"What?"

"That you would tell me if something is off."

I sighed and stopped walking.

"People will now find a justification for targeting Arthur! If anything happens to him-"

"Casting a sealing spell can leave a person on the edge of eternal rest."

I remembered uncle Robert and my mother, then looked at Arthur. A fist reached inside my ribcage and squeezed my heart.

People who tried to protect me died.

It was a silly thought. I didn't cause their deaths. At least, not directly. But feelings very rarely bowed down to reason. The guilt was maddening. And the fear that the past might repeat itself was suffocating. If anything happened to Arthur...

"I just need a nap," I said, coward that I was, "and some food. I'll be fine."

"Elle..." he said, his tone warning.

I crossed my arms. Telling him that I felt guilty about my mother's death, or that I was afraid something would happen to him, was out of the question.

Still, there was something else that I had to tell him. That feeling I had when Charles pissed me off. That was not normal. It could be a side effect of the spell breaking. He had to know.

Just not now. I didn't want to deal with any more issues at the moment. I needed a clear head.

"I'll take a nap, and then we'll talk," I told him.

He growled out a breath, "alright. But we will talk, Elle."

"We will. That's a promise." 

He took my hand and basically dragged me with him. "What are you doing?"

"Let's get some food into you, then you'll take a nap, then we'll talk."

"I can do that on my own."

"Oh, I know," he said, "but I'm not letting you out of my sight again until we sort through whatever has you tied up in knots."

I huffed, but kept my hand in his. It was useless to argue sometimes. I also liked the feeling of his hand wrapped around mine.

Arthur led the way to a study near my room. The room was very muted compared to the rest of the house. Instead of gilded walls and glittering chandeliers, the room had pale blue wallpaper, dark wood flooring and a small fireplace. There was a desk in front of a shelved wall, a counter in one corner of the room with a tiny fridge and a coffee station. Near the fireplace was a sitting area with two armchairs and a small round table set up with food.

My stomach growled at the sight. I sat down and piled a plate with sausages, grilled cheese sandwiches and mini pizzas. I dug in, not even caring that I was making a fool of myself. It was like I hadn't eaten for days. There was a hole in my stomach that just wouldn't fill up.

Arthur watched while I stuffed my face until he was satisfied. He went to the mini fridge in the corner and pulled out a small glass bottle. It held a thick, dark red liquid.

"Is that-"

"Blood? Yes." He opened it and took a sip. I followed the movement of his throat. Suddenly, I was hit by a thought. What would it feel like to have Arthur drink from me?

My face burned and I turned my attention to the food, fiercely demolishing it.

Giving blood was what you made it to be. Giving uncle Robert my blood was an act of familial bonding. I knew it would be extremely different with Arthur.

I finished my food in time to see Arthur putting the half finished bottle of blood in the fridge. It was stacked with similar bottles.

I jumped to my feet. "I'm off to bed, then."

He got in my way. We stood toe to toe. "So soon? I thought we could spend more time together."

His tone made me narrow my eyes at him. He enjoyed teasing me way too much.

"Or maybe I should join you?" he smiled, slowly, "I'm sure the nap would be more enjoyable that way."

I punched him in the gut.

He simply laughed and wrapped an arm around my neck, tugging me closer. Heat was slowly climbing up my neck to my face.

Kissing my head, he put his chin on top of it and took a deep breath. He was warm and smelled like the woods after a storm. I could stay like this forever.

The anger inside me simmered down.

Arthur delivered me to the safe embrace of my bed and, despite his teasing, left. It took a long while for my heart to calm down enough to fall asleep. But when I did, I fell deeply.

There were dreams. Of uncle Robert and my mother. Of Orion and Amelia. Of Charles and Santos. Of Arthur.

Of blood.

**** ***** ****

Sticky and cold. I flexed my fingers, but the sensation did not disappear. I opened my eyes to a pitch dark room. The blinds were drawn, but I could tell that night had fallen. The cherubs painted on the ceiling looked adorable. They also looked very clear to my eyes despite the darkness.

I sucked in a breath. The metallic scent of blood permeated my nose.

I shot up, strands of my hair flying over my eyes. Still, the dark substance on my hands was unmistakable.

I threw aside the covers, leaving dark marks on the fabric, and rushed to the adjoined bathroom. Lights on, I stared at my hands in shock. When I looked at the mirror, my gorge rose.

I made it to the toilet before my stomach's contents travelled upward. Everything burned coming out, including the blood.

My heart raced as I went up to the sink. My reflection stared back at me, unrecognizable.

Blood coated my lips and dripped down my chin. My palms were covered, too. I opened the water and scrubbed furiously in an attempt to get it out. My lungs struggled for breath and my vision narrowed.

No matter how much I gargled, the taste was still on my tongue.

My reflection in the mirror looked only marginally better. The skin around my lips was pink, my wild hair covered half of my face, and tears streamed down my cheeks.

I looked crazy.

No. I was going crazy.

_________________

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