His torment
A hand cradled my face as I woke up. My eyes fluttered open to find Lucien, asleep. He was on his back and I was resting on his chest. The sound of his heart beating awakened me. It was loud. He did have a heart after all.
He looked innocent in his sleep, not the powerful, bloodthirsty hybrid I knew him to be. I traced a finger over his brow, my heart heavy.
It was still night, nearing morning.
My insides were aching, sore, but it wasn’t the bad kind of pain. It was somewhat good. His lips, now soft and relaxed, were parted slightly as he breathed. I remembered them against mine, the feel of them between my legs, his tongue at my nub—
I stopped my mind from running wild.
It had been passionate, good, but now it was over. He was still who he was and I was still who I was. Nothing about that was going to change. One night wasn’t going to make him better or take away the fact that he didn’t feel any remorse or sympathy for anyone. Not even me.
He was still cold, just like he was meant to be.
I slid off the bed, my legs wobbling a little as my body adjusted to the after-effect of taking his cock. I moved softly across the room, wincing as a small wave of pain shot through my lower body. I clenched my teeth and pressed on.
When I looked back, I still found Lucien sleeping after all my movements. He was deeply asleep. This was my only chance. One I wasn’t going to get ever again. I didn’t want to be trapped here for eternity, not like this.
I had to take the chance.
I couldn’t forget what he had said about my mother. I had to know how she was doing, whether she was even alive after Lucien gave his blood. I didn’t trust him. I had to know myself.
My eyes stayed glued on him as I reached down, under the bed. My fingers fumbled around until they found the piece of wood I had kept earlier. I took it into my hand and dragged it out from under the bed before standing back up straight.
He was still unhinged, asleep.
As I stood there, stake in hand, a surge of emotions washed over me. The man lying on the bed seemed so different from the monster I wanted to run from. The vulnerability in his sleep tugged at my heart, planting seeds of doubt.
He seemed harmless, his chest rising and falling with each breath he took. His face was softened in sleep, the sharp cheekbones less intimidating, less monstrous.
But I knew better. I knew what he was capable of. What he was.
I gripped the stake tighter, my knuckles turning white. I wasn’t killing him. I wasn’t. I told myself that but it was so far from reality. I was taking his life, only for a moment.
Estella was going to be awake by morning and she’d give him blood, she would bring him back to life, and in the meantime, I’d be gone, far away from him. He could haunt me all he wanted to, but I wouldn’t come back. I wouldn’t return here.
But what if it didn’t work? I stared at the stake and wondered. What if he didn’t go into hibernation? What if he woke up? I’d be doomed then.
I released the breath I had been holding before going onto the bed. The bed creaked a little as I neared him and pointed the sharp end of the stake to his chest. My hands trembled. I looked like a monster.
What if he fought back?
What if this killed him for good?
I didn’t want to kill him. He was my mate and it wasn’t in me to kill anyone.
He was immortal, he’d survive. I knew he would. He couldn’t die with a stake, he was a creature of two kinds. He couldn’t be easily killed.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to ease the storm brewing inside me. I needed to be calm. I needed to do this right.
With a final breath, I plunged the stake into his chest. The action was swift, sure. It took all of my strength to actually pierce through his thick flesh. I aimed for where his heart should be and when it was inches deep, I scrambled away as quickly as I could, not knowing what was going to happen.
It happened quickly. His skin began to dry up like a flower withering in the cold. His veins darkened, creeping out from under his skin like crawling branches.
My chest rose and dropped. I moved further back on the bed while still on my knees. What had I done?
I forced myself to look away, knowing I couldn’t handle seeing my own mate desiccating. I had done what I had to do, to escape. He was a monster, I reminded myself, a monster who had claimed me, possessed me. There was no kind of future I could have with a monster no matter how hard I hoped to.
I may have given a part of myself, and I didn’t regret that, but there was nothing more I could give to him.
The room felt smaller as I stood on my feet. My heart hammered in my chest as I reached for the doorknob. Turning it, I stepped into the hallway without looking back. I couldn’t. I hated what I had done, but it had to be done. He wasn’t going to let me leave while he was alive.
The house was as still as a tomb. There was an eerie calm, quietness that told me I had little time before the storm awakened. I had to escape, now.
Swiftly, I rushed down the hallway, my bare feet making no sound on the cold, wooden flooring. My heart pumped furiously in my chest as I moved. My head clouded with different thoughts and questions and it took me out of focus.
Focus, Aurora.
I told myself while reaching the foyer. Estella was asleep, Lucien was gone and there was no one else here to stop me from leaving. No one.
My fingers trembled as I reached for one of the large drawers in the foyer. Inside, I looked for anything that could help me out of here. When I didn’t find anything, I looked at the top of the drawers and found a basket of keys. I grabbed one of them and tried it on the main door.
It formed a click sound as it unlocked.
A sigh of relief left my lips as I opened the large door.
It was heavy and reached high up to the ceiling of the ground floor. I left the door open before rushing back to where the drawers were. Tipping on my toes, I looked into the bundle of keys and grabbed a car key that was resting between the others.
He did have a car and yet made me run in the ice cold with a group of male wolves.
That was only the beginning of his torment.
I should’ve never left with him, I should’ve stayed with my mother than coming here.
I reached back into the drawers and found a bundle of cash just sitting there. Grabbing some of it, I quickly rushed out before wasting any more time.
Just as I was out of the house, cold air hit me and I froze. It was too cold. And most of my body was bare. I was only wearing a T-shirt that barely covered anything.
Shit.
I ran back into the house with my heart thudding in my throat. My eyes scanned the dimly lit foyer and I found the coat hanger positioned behind the grand staircase. I darted towards it, snatching up the first one I reached. It was a heavy leather coat, the material worn and soft to the touch.
And it smelled like my mate.
The scent washed over me and I took a deep breath. No return. I told myself as the coat swallowed me up, falling past my knees and the sleeves covering my hands. I ignored the ache in my heart and headed back towards the door while holding the cash and key in my hand.
Before I left, I glanced over my shoulder one last time.
The hideous dark mansion stood silent under the moonlight with no one inside but the monster who lived in it. I wrapped the coat tighter around myself and turned away.
I looked for the car around the area and found it parked a short distance away, with several others. Beeping on the button on the key, I stepped closer to the one which responded to the signal.
It was a sleek, mahogany-colored car. I tugged on the handle, holding my breath. It swung open, silent, and smooth until I started the engine.
I flinched at the sound of the engine roaring in the middle of the night. It surely was loud enough to wake up anyone in the distance. Anyone.
Before anyone could catch me, I pressed down on the accelerator, and the car thrust forward but didn’t move. I put it in reverse and it quickly lurched back before slamming into a small tree.
"Shit," I cursed before shifting the gears again and driving forward. "Get a grip." I told myself while moving down the dirt road that led straight out.