Chapter thirty two

Chapter thirty two
The next time I woke up, I could fully remember what happened when I fainted.

I could still see the blood on Marianne's lips, teeth red and eyes red.

My heart was still beating loudly when I opened my eyes. I was hoping I would not see the man and that they had cleaned up.

The man was still there, this time, not breathing. His eyes were open, lifeless. Blood was pooled under his chair, and neck bloody. The door was still open.

I didn't register that Marianne was still in the room until I heard her shuffle. My head snapped to her.

She still had that awful trench coat. Her face was clean, no sign that she sucked the blood out of that man.

"I see you have accepted that I'm a vampire and there's no need for me to feed in front of you again. Good, I hate the taste of beaten up men. They taste bitter."

I didn't know what she wanted me to do with the information. Like I'll ever know what blood of humans tastes like.

She laughed, wiping fake tears under her eyes. "You amuse me, Leon. But darling, since you're convinced now, I think it's only best that we move on to other matters."

I tried to let a sound out, but when I spoke, my voice wouldn't come out. I tried again, to say, "You're evil." but nothing would come out.

What was wrong with me?

"Darling, it's called trauma. But I can hear your thoughts just fine. So go ahead and curse me in that pretty head of yours."

I tried many times to let words out, but I had turned mute. What was happening to me? Is she going to kill me too?

"No, I'm not going to kill you, Leon. You are not food, contrary to my Beloved's belief. I wanted you to believe I'm a vampire and that Drew is too. You are his Beloved. A Beloved is a soulmate of a vampire. You are bound for life. For a vampire, that is it's soul purpose. But for the Harimot family, that is an opportunity to strengthen their Coven."

Is that why Drew calls me his Beloved? Was it not just a term of endearment?

"The Harimot bloodline sacrifices their true Beloveds, then chooses ones of their liking. This is what will happen to you. Drew is going to kill you to strengthen his Coven, especially now that it has been passed down to him."

Drew would never kill me. He loves me too much.

"He does love you too much because you are his Beloved. He loves you too much, that's why he's going to sacrifice you."

I couldn't get any scared than I was. At this point, I was applying for a heart attack.

Marianne explained, "Five hundred years ago, Alfred Harimot was handed the Coven by his father. He ran it with an iron fist for the first ten years, but his Coven was tired of his ruling. They rebelled, and almost succeeded. Alfred sought out a way to strengthen his Coven so that they could follow his lead, no matter what it was."

Marianne caught her breath, making sure I was listening by touching my chin. I pulled my head away from her touch.

She continued, "He found someone who told him about the ritual to strengthen the Coven. They told him to sacrifice his Beloved. He didn't care, and actually sought out his Beloved just to sacrifice her. He was the first Harimot to sacrifice his Beloved, then it was passed down from generation to generation."

How cruel of him. How could anyone sacrifice their soulmate?

"A very cruel man. The Harimot men are neck deep in their Beloved's blood. I have a bone to pick with your father in law. Drew's father also sacrificed his Beloved, then chose his Beloved, Mavis. The person he killed was my sister, Isabel. She knew of their devilish sacrifices, but she was so convinced that Pariys loved her enough to not sacrifice her. Pariys gave her everything, and even told her that he wouldn't sacrice her for anythjng. I tried to convince her to leave her Beloved, but she believed she could change him. How foolish she was!

She spent time with Pariys and she was so deep in love. We didn't find out she was killed until five months after her death. No one told us anything. It was a tough time for the family."

I wiped my eyes, trying to not break down. Marianne's eyes were filled with anger and resentment.

"Then he chose the Beloved of his own. He chose Mavis. They married and had Drew, then Isabella. Mavis is also a cruel woman. How do you marry a man who killed his soulmate? How do you live with yourself knowing you're only there because your husband killed his one true love?

"That's why I want to protect you, Leon. I don't wsnt the same fate that had befallen my sister to also befall you. I don't want another life lost because I didn't take a stand."

I nodded, understanding why she was very eager to save me. But Drew loved me very much. He wouldn't do that to me, right?

"You're still in denial after I told you what my Isabel went through? You want Drew to kill you? Believe me, he will kill you in cold blood. Yes, he might feel remorse and all, but in no time, he will find a replacement and you will just be a number that just strengthened their Coven. Keep believing he loves you enough not to kill you, darling."

How was I supposed to believe a stranger over my own husband of many years? Yes, it was a tragic end for her sister, but how do I even start to believe if it's s true? She might have strung up a story for me to believe her.

She snorted, folding her arms over her chest. "So you're not actually scared enough to believe me? You know how they sacrifice their Beloveds? They convince you that they won't kill you. They make you devotedly in love. When you are, you'll be their puppet. For the sacrifice to work, you have to agree to be killed by your mate. An act of love, call it that if you like. Then they kill you, just like that. They bleed you dry, drinking all your blood, leaving just a few for the Coven to feast on you. Imagine your Beloved giving your blood to their Coven. That is the greatest betrayal a Beloved could ever do. Your blood is only theirs and vice versa.

"You think you're strong enough to withstand Drew's influence, but you're dead wrong. If you confront Drew, he won't deny anything. But best believe, he will convince you he won't sacrifice you. Then he'll make you accept his vampire self, and when you're in deep, you'll be sacrificed. You might even beg for him to kill you, all because you love him. Or maybe he might convince you to kill yourself in an act of love. You never know, Romeo and Juliet style. Only this time, he won't Romeo himself. Scared enough now?"

I was scared enough.

"Good. Get some rest. Hopefully tomorrow you'll have your voice back, darling."

I fell asleep just like that. I was sure she used her vampire abilities to make me sleep.