Chapter 19 Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Nineteen
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Mirah
A slender beauty flashed through my mind, and increased the pain. So, the woman I saw in his room was actually his fiancèe?
Pathetic. Foolish. Idiot.
While I was here envisioning a future for the both of us, he had other plans. I was merely a toy being used by him.
‘No one can touch you. Only I can.’ Those had been lies. And I'd desperately swallowed them up.
Maybe I was fated to be used by men.
My father. Zeke.
“Why are you telling me all these?” I asked the vampire prince who was still watching me.
“I want to help you.” He simply replied.
“And I believe you're doing these out of the kindness of your heart?” I asked sarcastically.
His grin broadened. “Smart. It's such a pity you're a human, you'd have become my toy.”
He didn't give me time to dwell on the meaning of his words, before he continued.
“I stand to gain something of course. But are we going to stay here all night debating on it?” He asked with a perfectly arched brow. I heaved a sigh, and my hand went to the necklace hanging on my neck. Zeke had given it to me the night he saved me from my father.
“It looks pretty on you.” He'd said.
All lies.
I pulled it off and threw it to the floor. And to Alex, “Let's go.”
His smile broadened to the point of inducing blindness. “I always knew you were smart.” With one swoop, he pulled me into his arms and jumped out into the open. The air whooshed past and I lost track of time.
The familiar border between the human and vampire world soon came into view. This was the part where Zeke had driven through that night.
Alex landed on the ground, and lowered me to my feet.
“We're here.” He gestured towards the archway, and I hesitated. My legs didn't move.
“Having a change of heart?” He sneered. Zeke's voice echoed in my mind. ‘We come from different worlds, Mirah.’
I gritted my teeth. “Never.”
As I walked through the archway, I didn't take one more glance behind me. I flagged down a cab, as I stopped at the roadside. “Tristan Estate, please.” I said to the driver, and whipped out my phone.
An overly excited voice filled my ears, and I moved my phone away a bit.
“Nice to hear from you too, Nessa.” I didn't wait for her to respond, as I leaned back on my passenger seat. I looked out through the window. “I'm coming back to our condominium.”
An hour later, a body crushed into me as I stepped into the brightly lit living room.
“Mirah! Where have you been? The news has been filled with you and Jayden's flopped wedding. Where-” She twirled me around, looking closely.
“-have you been?” She finished off.
I let out a weak laugh, disengaged from her hold, and walked over to a two-seater couch. The condominium was where I and Nessa lived, after I moved out of my father's house two years ago. My father hadn't been in support of it, of course. But I had insisted.
From the earnings I made from bartending, and the one Nessa made, we rented a comfy and within-budget condominium.
But after the wedding plans, Zeke's saga, and everything kicked off, I haven't gone to my workplace.
Nessa was still standing at the same spot when I looked up again.
“Won't you sit?” I asked her.
She sighed, and plopped into a chair close to mine. “Your father came here. Jayden too.” She said after a while.
Well, that should have been expected. “Did they threaten you?” I asked softly.
“Nope. We should be careful, though. Now, back to my question.” She leaned in close to me. “Where have you been?”
I stared up at the ceiling, comparing how low it was to the one back at my room in the vampire kingdom.
“Someplace I don't ever want to go back to.”
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Zeke
Dark ornate vases lined the corridor, as I walked alongside Master Ragnarok to his study. Like every other room in his castle, I hated the smell of old wood, and the out-of-date portraits hanging on the wall.
He continued talking as we walked. “...as befitting the king-to-be. The marriage has to be the best that ever was.” He flashed me a broad smile, which I reciprocated with a tight one of my own.
Days ago, Master Ragnarok had asked to see me. It turned out Darcel had told him about the incident at the bar.
A completely twisted version.
Expecting to see him flare up, I'd gotten wary when he beamed me a warm smile, and shook my hand. “Great to see you taking the much-awaited step forward.” He'd said, leaving me bewildered.
As he continued in his excitement, I finally realized what was going on. She'd told him I wanted to tie the knot officially. I'd never been helpless as I was at that moment. Saying no, would be going back on the engagement. And acquiescing meant I was getting married in a month's time.
Darcel had sat close to her father, with a mocking smile, eyes twinkling with an I-told-you-so expression. Against my wish, I'd found myself saying yes.
At the present, Master Ragnarok led me into a secret library in his study.
“You are about to officially become my son-in-law, so there's no need for secrets.” He beamed, turning a book over.
“This library was built by my grandfather, and even Darcel doesn't know about its existence. Down there,” He gestured at a book stand, and turned to me. “Is the entrance to a fortress. Believed to be impenetrable, it can serve as a refuge during times of war.” He narrated.
I perked up, and went over to where he'd gestured at. The walls were sturdy, without a hint of an invisible door. “Why are you telling me this, Master Ragnarok?” I asked slowly.
“A display of my loyalty to you, Prince Zeke.” He replied.
“Haven't you always been loyal? What do you want?” I probed.
“An alliance. Deeper than what this marriage has to offer. You know what I mean.” He added.