A/N

Hola amigos ~ HUEHUEHUE I wonder how did my B. Immortals feel after the previous chapter? You must have anticipated something that includes blood and more of Artemis' romantic relations? After Artemis' love life continuously complicates itself, we now focus on the adventure of her and the gang! 

This chapter is the beginning of her continuing the journey and the next chapter will be focusing 100% on it... 

Or not ;) x

Dedication to @dragonlover21 for reading and voting my chapters! Thanks, B. Immortal! <3

P.S: Please listen to the music video I linked above when you are finished reading the chapter, it gives better feels that way!

~~~

Dear heart please stop breaking
please forget the one who caused this aching
I know I am the one who placed her there
But she was not true and I cannot share
When I gave her my heart she promised the world
But that promise she shared with more than one man
Dear heart do you think that you will ever heal
and piece back together what I allowed her to steal
How will I ever fall in love again
Dear heart will you ever let anyone else in

~Barbara Bailey

[Edited Version]

   Margaret and Gwendoline stood behind me with lowered heads as soon as Lincoln left all too quickly. My fingers flew to the place where he had touched; the icy spikes of his lips already began to disappear without a single trace. Before I could get too lost in my own thoughts, Margaret spoke up, her voice almost inaudible.

   "Please make an exit, princess, you would not want to be the center of the attention for too long..."

   Her words rang a bell inside my head. I looked up and saw the horde of well-dressed vampires boring holes into me as if they could see beyond the clothes and catch my true nature. What is your true nature? A voice from the back of my mind questioned but I pushed it away. After taking a deep breath, I lifted my chin and escaped from the bloodthirsty creatures. No matter how perfect their disguises were, the one true fact did not change at all.

   They were monsters that crave blood.

   It felt like a ton of weight was lifted off my chest when the cold wind bit every exposed part of my skin, making me feel alive. Maybe this is what it will feel like when Lincoln nibbles on your naked skin... A random thought popped up in my mind - which I brushed away with haste. Training my eyes on the evergreen sight laid before me, I bathed under the moonlight's glow while walking towards the location where I first met a green scaled beast.

   My feet ached and throbbed with every step I took, begging me to release them from the scarlet prison so I complied. The nearby bush rustled when I threw my pair of high heels in it, earning a soft grunt of disapproval from behind. No doubt it belonged to Margaret's. I curled my toes with appreciation - glad that I no longer need to squeeze my feet into those beautiful cages - and felt the soft dews on the grass heal my bruises. A few minutes passed by before I decided to continue my stroll.

   Strange how the forest looked more sinister when the night fell but the stranger thing was, a sense of peace or security nestled in my chest as soon as the everything became dark. Maybe I just want to be shielded from stalkers, I answered myself. Speaking of stalkers, it does feel like someone is following us... Swerving around to scan the surroundings, my lips turned into a thin line before looking away. The lack of lighting must be doing tricks to me. But you're a vampire - you have night vision! A disembodied voice from the back of my mind argued but I ignored it. Although Margaret and Gwendoline warned me to not spoil the gown with splashes of puddle or dirt, I could not care less and kept walking barefoot in a carefree way.

   "Princess, please..." Margaret pleaded, emphasizing the word "please."

   Gwendoline backed her up. "Your gown is too beautiful to be ruined, princess!"

   Just before I could open my mouth to respond, a humanoid shadow appeared out of the corner of my eye. I bared my fangs as the vampiric instincts kicked in and hissed,"Who's there!?"

    A glint of razor-sharp tooth shone in the darkness. 

   "Artemis, you look so different compared to earlier," he commented, his voice heavily laced with humor. "I like you better when you're gentle and feminine."

   The figure stepped out of the darkness, his crimson eyes danced with mild amusement. My cheeks reddened at the mere sight of Lincoln in his full glory and the memories came rushing back to me. How the shape of our lips matched like we were made for each other, the way his tongue explored my intimate parts while one of his hands caressed my curves in the lower region, and a clear display of how his usual iceberg facade melted a little the moment the kiss was broken.  

   "W-what are you doing here?" My voice came out softer than I thought.

   "I could ask the same about you too."

   Trying my best to control a heart that was on the verge of bursting, I looked away in hopes that he would not notice my blushing face and mumbled,"Just wondering where you've been..."

   Get a grip, Artemis! I said in my mind but that did not work too well.

   "You know, about the kiss..." Lincoln trailed off, looking at a faraway distance with an unreadable expression. "It didn't mean anything."

   His words struck like a thunderbolt to my heart. "What do you mean by that?"

   "I did it to save your first impression. It's not very ladylike for a princess to gawk at someone."

   A single drop of tear rolled down my cheek but I could not help it. Not very ladylike... The words echoed in my mind; tormenting me every time it repeats like a broken record. I allowed him to tear down my walls one by one when Desmond left my side and this was what I received in the end. Betrayal. Was he only after my body? Does it feel good to steal my heart only to throw it away? Endless rows of questions ran through my mind. A lump of mixed emotions began to form itself in my throat, stealing my ability to speak but I refused to give in. No, I would not cry like a baby!  With balled up fists and hardly concealed anger, I snapped back at the man who exploited my body. "You used me! I... I hate you!"

   Perhaps my blurred vision - thanks to the tears brimming at the edge of my eyes - failed to see properly but I think Lincoln seemed hurt for a mere second. He could not even look at me. Another rush of rage flowed through me, fueling me with long lines of insults that probably ended up being too personal. 

   "You should thank me instead." Was all he said after all the words I spewed at him.

   "Thank you!?" I roared, grabbing his arm when he tried to leave. "Who do you think you are, Lincoln? Some freaking god!?"

   He swerved around with super speed and caught me off guard. "I'm not a god, Artemis, but I'm trying my best to protect the people I need to protect."

   People I need to protect... Those words that carelessly rolled off his tongue exchanged places with the insult he gave me earlier. An image of Liliane popped up in my mind. At this point, I did not even know if it was anger or jealousy anymore. Not that I care, A voice very much like mine whispered at the back of my mind. I continued to shot the little bastard down. "Protect? You don't mean to protect me, you only want to protect Lilia-"

   The next thing I knew, his body crashed against mine. He grabbed both of my arms and pinned me against one of the surrounding trees. With a quick, panicked glance at the maids who swore to serve me, I only found them cowering in fear and uncertainty. I could not bring myself to blame them - after all, this man was infamous for killing its own kind. If he dared to end his own comrades' lives, I bet he did way worse with other races such as ghouls. 

   My back scraped on the tree trunk; threads of the gown started unraveling themselves as the pressure and friction increased. A pair of once crimson eyes framed by dark, thick lashes transformed to a brighter hue of red - scarlet. Those deep pools of the usual murky color of blood seemed to be in a tsunami. Only instead of cool water, there was unadulterated temper and something I could not point out. Hurt? The voice in the back of my mind suggested. I pushed it away. Our faces were only inches away but he did not blink at all. 

   In that one second of tranquil silence, we stared at each other with jumbled up feelings.

   I could feel Lincoln's well-built body all too well when my struggle to get free of his constraint only made his abs dig into my soft mounds of flesh. This is not the right time to be thinking about that, Artemis! I reprimanded myself, aiming for another kick at the male twin's crotch. A grunt emerged from the back of his throat when my hit landed but he hardly seemed fazed. The sense of victory was robbed from me when he squeezed my legs with his, securing all of my limbs. Our lips grazed one another as he breathed out the next words in a deadpan voice.

   "I meant it when I said I will lend a shoulder for you to cry on."

   Another fresh wave of tears pricked my eyes when I remembered how he treated me in his private jet. Sweet promises he said to me after Desmond died. How he assured Margaret and Gwendoline that he will do his best to gain my trust. Well, he did and he crushed it, A voice in the deepest depths of my mind whispered. "Why are you doing this to me?"

   "I..." 

   The next thing I knew, something big threw us across the field like rag dolls. Oxygen rushed out of my lungs when the impact of the ground arrived, accompanied by the sounds of several bones cracking. With growing black spots on my vision, I attempted to scream but no voice would come out. Each breath I took earned a jolt of sheer pain; leading me to believe that my ribcage has collapsed. Golden eyes darting everywhere due to hysteria, a realization dawned on me. 

   Lincoln left my side.

   I thought my pounding heartbeat became so loud until it was the only thing I hear but the sound of rushed footsteps coming closer to me returned some of my sanity. Animalistic screams that bore a very close resemblance to an enraged werewolf filled the night the moment someone carried me. It took me a while to figure out that those outcries were mine. Fear mixed with confusion brought my senses to its highest peak as I vomited blood onto the ruined gown. The sensation of molten iron being inserted into every available space in my lungs only intensified along with each bloody retch that spiraled out of control. 

   Somebody, please help me! Was the only coherent line of thought I could form.

   But my worry for Lincoln's wellbeing overpowered the suffering I was going through - even if it lasted only a brief moment. Forcing myself to ignore the broken bones and gory mess, I searched for a tuxedo-clad figure and I saw him with his sword in hand - facing the winged beast I stumbled across the other night. Margaret and Gwendoline flanked his sides; ready to defend the male twin.

   Wait, then who is carrying me? I wondered then looked up.

    Raven black hair fell just above his forehead; on the verge of covering a pair of slanted, brown eyes which stared back. The word "Surprise" could not even begin to describe the emotional rollercoaster I experienced. A gasp escaped from my battered lips followed by words that sounded like it originated from a frog's, resulting one of the ribcage's bones to poke my lungs.

   "D-Don, what are you doing here?"

   "Let's get out of this place first," he said, his glasses sliding down as he looks at me. That was when I realized he wore the same clothes as the man who beckoned me to follow him back at the ballroom. "I'll tell you all about it later, OK?"

   "Are you the one who followed me?" I pressed on, beads of sweat trickling down my forehead when the pain reached new heights. "Answer me!" A fit of coughing consumed the meager control I started to gain, spewing fresh buckets of blood everywhere.

   Panic became apparent in his Asian eyes. "Yes, I was the one who followed you! Please, don't push your limits..."

   The instant he turned around to walk away, I knew I had to make a choice. My life would be out of danger if I allow Donovan to carry me to safety. Maybe I could even return to the human life I once lost - I just need to wear contact lenses every day and hide it from them. Then someday I would reveal the fact that I'm a vampire to Donovan and we might get married, blessed with kids. Or I risk my life for someone who kissed me and betrayed my feelings. Someone who I could never even begin to understand. How many mysteries behind those deep pools of blood red, covered with a thin slice of ice. I knew the latter was the ridiculous, cliche option but I had always been a curious person. I needed to know why would he do those things he did to me.

   I needed to know why would he stay back and fight the gigantic monster even though he could have just draught away, leaving me behind.

   "Turn back, Don."

   He stopped dead in his tracks, his heartbroken expression was too obvious to be a mistake or a lighting trick. "Why? I will love you better than he can -"

   "Please." I had to choke out the word with brimming tears, fully aware the pain it causes him. 

   The sound of damp grass smothering underneath the soles of his shoes were deafening to me. I could not bear to look at him in the eye anymore; his quiet sniffles were more than enough for me to realize the consequences. After what seemed like decades, we arrived at the same place I was flung to the brink of death. 

   Nothing could shake my resolution at that point. Not even when the winged creature spew flames that threatened to swallow the forest whole. My two maids hid behind Lincoln as he lifted his sword high up in the air, deflecting the fire. Their tiny, black figures gave me the strength I needed to brace what was about to happen but Donovan must not come with me. His human body would not be able to take injuries made by a mythical beast.

   As if reading my mind, the Asian school nerd said,"No, I'm coming with you."

~~~

The lyrics for the music video provided above.

"Treat You Better"

I won't lie to you
I know he's just not right for you
And you can tell me if I'm off
But I see it on your face
When you say that he's the one that you want
And you're spending all your time
In this wrong situation
And anytime you want it to stop

I know I can treat you better than he can
And any girl like you deserves a gentleman
Tell me why are we wasting time
On all your wasted crying
When you should be with me instead
I know I can treat you better
Better than he can

I'll stop time for you
The second you say you'd like me too
I just wanna give you the loving that you're missing
Baby, just to wake up with you
Would be everything I need and this could be so different
Tell me what you want to do

'Cause I know I can treat you better than he can
And any girl like you deserves a gentleman
Tell me why are we wasting time
On all your wasted crying
When you should be with me instead
I know I can treat you better
Better than he can

Better than he can

Give me a sign
Take my hand, we'll be fine
Promise I won't let you down
Just know that you don't
Have to do this alone
Promise I'll never let you down

'Cause I know I can treat you better than he can
And any girl like you deserves a gentleman
Tell me why are we wasting time
On all your wasted crying
When you should be with me instead
I know I can treat you better
Better than he can

Better than he can
Better than he can

A/N 

Sorry for wrecking your feels :) x I actually cried a little when I was writing this chapter. Oh well! See you in the next chapter <3

Remember to vote and comment, B. Immortals! 

Ciao,

~Jenny