Under your spell {A Vampire Romance} [#8]

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Original Publish Date: 2/22/2009



 As I stepped up to the door of Lucian’s room, it swung open. His eyes glared fiercely down at me and I glared right back. “Something’s going on. There’s a woman screaming.” I managed to utter through clenched teeth.

 “I can hear that.” Lucian spat out, then pushed passed me rather rudely to stride down the hall in a rather furious pace. He put his hand on the doorknob then looked back at me, hesitating. “Stay there.” His tone was dark and rather mad. I didn’t say anything, didn’t even move or nod. Lucian turned his gaze back to the door then disappeared.

 I sighed in frustration. Neither of us wanted to talk to the other, and this was probably how it was going to be between the two of us for a while. I leaned against the wall next to his door and waited, absolutely itching with curiosity as to what had happened. I had a feeling it hadn’t been anywhere near close to good, but the fact that it might have been bloody or dangerous just spiked my curiosity more. I sighed again and clenched my hands into tight fists. Damn-it, I was walking in there no matter what anyone said.

 But just as I was walking, someone called to me. “Noelle, get in here, now!” Lucian yelled and I jumped up and ran down the hall. I rounded the corner into the door and froze. Ariella was laying on the floor, her shoulder gaping open horridly, and her breathing ragged. Hunter was leaning over her, panicking and telling her everything was alright. Lucian stood above them, looming over the wounded vampire and her mate, and swearing beneath his breath. Not too far from the group was a dead vampire, one I recognized as Andre from when the vampires picked me up.

 The back of my hand went to my mouth to keep a sob from coming out and I ran to kneel next to Ariella. “I’m so sorry. What happened?” I asked, my voice so shaky it surprised me. I stroked her hair and ignored the desperate commands of Hunter. I felt Lucian put his hand on my shoulder and, despite everything that was going on between us, I felt comforted.

 Suddenly I heard Seilauna outside the broken window at the back of the room and looked just in time to see her leap through as gracefully as if it were nothing. She had a katana in her right hand, and a powerful looking magnum in her left.

 “I tried to chase them down, but they were to fast. There’s something wrong about the whole thing though, because I smelled vampire on their trails. Wasn’t one of ours either. Lucian, do you think one of our own would turn against us?” Her voice held pure power and authority. I looked back down at Ariella, feeling guilty that I felt insignificant in Seilauna’s presence.

 “Stands to reasoning that one would, because that explains how they were able to develop the disease; they have vampires working for them or they have them captive. Though, if we just had one attack us, then I don’t think that one is kept against their will.” Lucian replied, and I shivered. How could they turn against their own kind?

 “Right. Well, this means we’re going to have to move. We aren’t safe here. At least our group and the upper ranking vampires that live with us. I don’t think we could manage to move the whole coven. Those who wish can stay, but we need to move so we don’t end up dead. Lucian, get Ariella to Ricoh, he’ll help with the healing process. We can carry out when she’s better. I’ll find us a place and talk to the vamps that need to come with us.” She commanded and began to walk across the room, then stopped. “Noelle, I need to talk to you for a moment.”

 I looked up at her, startled. I’d never even had a real conversation with Seilauna, and I didn’t know what she could want to talk to me about. I nodded, slightly uncertain, and as I rose to my feet I noticed that Lucian and Hunter were also surprised she had said it. I waved it off and followed Seilauna out of the room. She smiled at me then lead me down the hall a few doors until we stopped and entered one with an intricate carving of a tree in the middle of it.

 Seilauna gestured for me to sit down on one of the three couches in the room, and then sat next to me. We were in yet another one of those stupid meeting rooms, and I wondered how many they really actually needed; surely they didn’t hold that many meetings.

 My gaze flickered up and caught hers and I saw sadness there, a longing for something foreign to me. I could tell she was stumbling with the right words to say so I waited patiently, but was surprised yet again when she reached out and took my hands in hers. “Listen, I hear that you are Lucian’s mate.” Her voice was even, testing to see how touchy the subject was with me. In fact, it was very touchy.

 “Oh, not this again! Look, I hate Lucian with every fiber of my being, and he’s the last man er – vampire – I would ever be with. I can’t stand him, and right now I really don’t feel like talking to him or about him, so just save your breath ok?” I couldn’t believe how rude I was being, especially to someone as lethal as her, but I couldn’t help it.

 “I just want to-.” She began, but I cut her off, my temper flaring.

 “No, don’t even start. I already went through this with Ariella and I don’t need it again.” I glared at her. Unfortunately, that was a really, really bad idea.

 Seilauna was suddenly leaning into me, a small knife at my neck and a gun at my temple. My eyes widened in fear and my heart raced a hundred miles per minute. “God, it’s true what they say about redheads. Look Noelle, I tried to be patient but you weren’t listening, so this is how it’s got to be. You are his mate. Think about that for a few minutes. Let it soak in and really think hard about what that means. He needs you whether he acknowledges that fact or not, and the same about you. Unfortunately you have to be the patient one and work with him, because that’s how men are, but it’s worth it in the end. At least you have a healthy mate dangled in front of you. I am awake every second I’m possibly able, trying to find a cure for my mate so that we both don’t end up dying. Without him, I have nothing, and I’m not going to give up. He’s dying, right in front of my eyes and I’m helpless. Do you even know how that feels? My life is at risk as much as his is right now. Do you get that? You are the only thing he has because if his brother goes insane he has to kill him, and you are the only one who can comfort him right now, even if he denies he needs it. You think I wanted Sebastian? You think I wanted to be a vampire? I didn’t want any of this! But now that I have it, I never want to be without it. I hated Sebastian from the very first day I met him, but now I could never be more in love with anyone. It’s your job to love Lucian, so do it.” She enforced her words by putting pressure on the knife at my neck and wiggling the trigger.

 I glared at her and used my powers to remove the six rounds from her gun and I flung the knife into the wall across the room. She instantly swung the katana from her side and put it at my neck, holding it with both hands. “I dare you to try and move it.” She challenged. Of course, I accepted that challenge and tried, but my head instantly split. It felt like a million shards of glass were piercing the walls of my mind. I let out a scream at the pain. She must have had strong psychic power.

 Lucian burst into the room and threw Seilauna against the wall by her neck. She took a slice at his arm and he growled at her. They sat there glaring at each other for a while, but eventually nodded at the same time and stepped away.

 “Are you okay?” Lucian asked as he walked slowly over to me. I looked up at Seilauna, who was giving me a firm look as if she expected me to do something heartfelt.

 “I’m sorry, I just can’t; I can’t do it.” I said to her, my heart in my throat and I got up to leave. Despite the fact that she had threatened me in the worst way, I didn’t blame Seilauna. She was desperate because any moment not only could her mate die, but so could she. She was a woman on the verge. I figured she was probably only trying to help a friend too, being that Lucian was her brother-in-law now. And Lucian… I just didn’t know what to think. I couldn’t love him, there was no way. I didn’t want to be a vampire, and I didn’t want to depend on some guys love. I’d lived alone for the longest time and been happy, I liked my job and my house, and I liked my boss and my only friend. Now though, everything was different. Lucian was there and no matter how much I denied it, I cared about him.

 I didn’t realize I was running until I jumped face first into my bed and just laid there. I didn’t cry. I wasn’t that desperate. My hands moved of their own accord and found the necklace Lucian had given me for Valentine’s Day, under my pillow where I had left it. My thumb began stroking over the emerald hearts inlaid in the gold one like it always did and I finally felt a tear roll down my face.

 What was I supposed to do? It might seem like an overreaction, but everyone was trying to force me to love him when I just simply couldn’t. I didn’t want to. Wasn’t putting a gun to my head and a knife to my neck twice an overreaction? He was everywhere I looked, everywhere I went. Anytime I talked to someone his name always seemed to come up, he was almost always in the same room as me and always watching me. We never end a conversation civilly. I’d only been here for a few days, but it was already too much for me.

 “Noelle? It’s time to leave.” Lucian’s voice came from the doorway. I sat up in the middle of my bed, hugging a pillow to me in my lap and secretly playing with his necklace that I held in my fingers.

 “I just want to go home.” I whispered, my heart in my voice. I heard Lucian’s breath hitch in his throat, but then he exhaled slowly, cursing as he did so.

 “I know, but it’s not safe.” He whispered back, stepping cautiously towards the bed.

 “Like it’s any safer around here. I don’t want to be around you anymore. I’m sorry Lucian, but I just can’t love you.” I shook my head and spoke in a regular tone. I could sense when he began getting mad, and I knew it wasn’t good, but I wasn’t afraid of him.

 “No. It’s not that you can’t, it’s that you won’t. You don’t want to. Why? Because you think it’s going to take something from you? That you’ll be a slave?” He hissed.

 “I don’t have to talk to you about this. Just get out. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

 “I’m not leaving.” He said quietly.

 “Annoying me isn’t going to get you anywhere.” I stated simply and walked towards the door to open it for him. As soon as I walked by him he grabbed my wrist like a vise and pulled me back to him, wrapping me tightly to him with his arms. His silvery hair slid over my shoulders and my neck, catching my skin on fire from its softness. Before I could look up at him, his mouth was on mine, igniting the flame that refused to die.

 I practically melted into Lucian, my arms snaking around his neck to hold onto him as tightly as he held me. It seemed like hours, maybe days that we just stood there in each others arms kissing. My reasoning came flooding back to me though, and I began to struggle against him.

 Eventually, he released me and took a step back, as out of breath as I’ve ever seen a vampire. “You shouldn’t have done that.” I whispered, more to myself than to Lucian.

 “Come on, you don’t have to grab anything, there are vampires who are picking everyone’s things up and moving them for us.” He grabbed my forearm and began to drag me behind him out the door and down the hall. Lucian was obviously avoiding talking about it, so I left it alone.

 What was I going to do though? If there are vampires working for the hunters, then surely whatever battle was coming wouldn’t be a peaceful one and it sure as hell wouldn’t be any easier. In fact, it would be a lot harder. My problems with Lucian weren’t getting any better either, and with things like this between us I wasn’t exactly sure how we were supposed to live together.

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