Pissed off

Pissed off

By afternoon, I found myself pacing back and forth in the empty kitchen. The door was locked. Estella was gone to get groceries and there was no one else in the house. Though, I saw someone outside, near the gate and I didn’t think much of it. There was no one in there and that was the best part.

My mind ran wild, wilder than I could have imagined.

I bit the inside of my cheek over and over again while my hand rested on the small refrigerator. I didn’t want to do with my thoughts, but I couldn’t help it. Every time I thought of Lucien, I felt angry, I felt so betrayed. There was a sudden surge of conflicting emotions. A week and it felt like I was in my own hell and my mate held the keys to my freedom.

He didn’t show me a pinch of care, or anything else that fell into that list. He wouldn’t let me see my mother, he wouldn’t let me leave and he wouldn’t give me the answers I sought. I was suffering.

Taking a deep breath, I opened the refrigerator and looked at the blood bags that were lined with one another. They weren’t just a few bags. The longer I stared at them, my heart raced quicker. Unease settled inside me once more. I didn’t know if I was disgusted by it or fascinated.

Without wasting a moment more, I grabbed one and drained it down the sink. It quickly made me feel better. Returning to the fridge, I took another and then more, as many as I could in my hands. I tore each one of them open before draining the blood from the bag. Revenge coursed through my veins. He could’ve given me his blood, he chose not to.

It was a reckless act of defiance, and I enjoyed every minute of it until I emptied the refrigerator and there was nothing inside it but just bags.

As I stood there, staring at the aftermath of what I’d done, I smiled to myself. The taste of revenge was both bitter and sweet and my mate was going to feel that.

Leaving the tap on, I washed the sink of any evidence before closing the refrigerator and leaving the kitchen with no guilt in my mind. If Lucien truly didn’t drink directly from humans or werewolves, then there was no chance he was going to survive the night or the following days that were going to come.

I wanted him to be deprived of blood for five days, just as he let me remain sick.

As I moved across the halls of the house, I heard the doors of the house opening and then footsteps entering the foyer. My heart skipped a beat. I didn’t want it to be Lucien, not so quickly.

Quickly, I rushed near to the entrance of the house and instead of finding my mate, I found Estella with a man next to her who carried the bags of groceries that she had. I held my breath and covered the mischief from my face before meeting with her.

"How was it?"

"It was good," she smiled at me. "How about you? Still feeling better?"

"Yes. A lot better now."

"That is wonderful," I followed her into the kitchen as she headed straight in there. The man who had brought in the bags left before I could even glance at him. "What were you up to while I was gone?" she questioned me.

I placed my hand over the small fridge and used it to lean against it. "Oh, nothing much. Just wandering around." I responded to her with the truth, at least part-truth. I was wandering around the house for most of the time she was gone, but when I thought of Lucien, the plan of draining his precious food formed in my mind.

I couldn’t resist the urge to take revenge on him, to make him suffer.

"That's good." She smiled at me and turned her attention back to the bags.

When I realized she wasn’t going to reach for the blood bags any time soon, I took off and headed back into the bedroom to kill off the time till my mate was here. I wanted to see him infuriated and then desperate. I wanted to see him at the mercy of his own desires, yearning for the blood.

I settled into the room and lay down. The reality didn’t get any better, even when I was going to take my revenge. It was still going to stay the same. I was still going to be here, trapped for I didn’t know how much longer.

As I lay on the bed, I closed my eyes and tried to push away the nagging thoughts gnawing my mind. It was only a few minutes before I drifted into sleep. When I woke up, it was dark outside, and cold.

I quickly got off the bed and rushed outside, to know if Lucien had returned and if he had found out about the blood bags. The house was wrapped around in silence. I didn’t hear a single voice, any sound of him or Estella. Taking a peek into the kitchen, I found it empty and all of the lights switched off.

My heart raced.

What if I put Estella in trouble?

I walked away from the kitchen door and into the expansive living room. My footsteps echoed on the marble floor as I walked further inside, my eyes scanning for my mate. When I found him, I stopped on my steps and retreated. He was standing against the large windows, staring outside until I came in. His eyes met mine, piercing and intense, as if he was expecting me all along.

I swallowed hard and took a few cautious steps backward. There was still plenty of distance between us and I didn’t really do much besides draining his blood bags.

Lucien remained silent for a moment, his gaze locked on mine. "You don’t play with my fucking food, Aurora." He snapped, but his voice was still slow, almost a whisper.

I steadied myself and found no mistake in what I’d done. "And you should’ve thought of that when you put me through all of this," I responded, only fueling his anger.

His eyes flashed, shifting hues. "What am I putting you through? You’re my mate and you’re meant to be here, with me. I keep you alive, I give you food, and shelter and I would surely give protection if something were to happen," he retorted and stepped closer to me with something awakening in his gaze. "What more is it that you want?"

"I was sick—"

"I could not give you my blood, Aurora. You do not understand the consequences that come with it. If I could, I would’ve given you my blood. Why would I have wanted to see my own mate in pain for days?" He stepped closer while I remained where I was. His voice cracked through his tightly clenched jaw. "Do you not know that as your mate I can feel every bit of your pain?"

My breath hitched at his question. Is that how it was? I didn’t know myself. I hadn’t understood the extent of a mate bond yet. I didn’t know it was possible.

A wave of guilt quickly rushed over me and I lowered my gaze.

"I thought—"

"You thought wrong," he cut me off before I could even say anything. "And now we both suffer the consequences."

"What do you mean?"

"If you wanted revenge, Aurora, you’ve certainly achieved it by doing whatever you did with those blood bags. But now, it’s my turn to play and I’m starved so unless you want me to drain you of your blood entirely, you better keep your distance from me." His voice was laced with threats.

I could see the hunger in his eyes, it was there and it was strong. It made my heart run wild, with fear. I took another step back.

"I have done nothing wrong. You took me away and forced me here. My actions are nothing compared to yours so you’ve no grounds to threaten me." I told him while keeping myself in check.

"I took you away from your mother because we made a deal. My blood and in return, you’ll come with me," he reminded me, once more. "You should be thankful to be mated to me rather than someone else. Because if another man had seen you that night, I doubt you’d be alive today."

"Maybe it would’ve been better if it was someone else..."

His expression stiffened and he glared at me, the fiery red in his eyes becoming intense. "What did you just say?" He growled, the words leaving his mouth like a rumble of thunder.

I swallowed hard, steeling myself for what I was about to say next. "I said, maybe it would’ve been better if it was someone else," I repeated, my voice firmer this time. "Maybe then I wouldn’t be stuck here, trapped with you."

His eyes darkened, his jaw tightened, and the way his body tensed—I knew I’d struck a nerve.

"Get out, Aurora," he suddenly warned, his voice a harsh whisper. A grimace spread over his face while his eyes became brighter, completely different. "Leave." He turned away from me.

My lips parted as I contemplated what to do. I heard his breathing, it was heavy and quick. I didn’t mean to.

"Lucien?" I stepped forward, in concern.

"Go, before I do something I’m going to regret." He growled and it was deeper this time. I hadn’t seen him like this before, so dangerously on the edge of something I couldn’t understand.

I took a step back in fear. A shudder rolled down my spine as I saw him walking further away from me. He didn’t look back at me or meet my eyes. My lips remained parted, I wanted to say something but I didn’t think I could. His posture was rigid, he was different, changed.