Chapter 17

Chapter 17
I woke up to the sound of heavy rain. Along with the wind, a tree branch hit my window. A thunder rumbled outside the villa. It echoed inside my room. I didn't realize I had fallen asleep after Markus and I had dinner.

My stomach grumbled, I felt hungry. I remember earlier at our dinner that I didn't eat very well. Markus' wife Sabrina was at the table with us. What made me even more awkward was Sabrina's secretive glances with a sharp gaze at me, as if she wanted to kill me.

So in the end, I only ate a little. I probably only ate about three or four spoons of rice. My stomach rumbled again. I touched my stomach. I wanted to eat, but how? Can I get some food from the fridge? With the size of Markus' villa, I might get lost on the way to the kitchen.

I was about to stand up when I heard footsteps near the large window of my room. I couldn't tell if what I heard was actually footsteps. The thunder was so loud. Maybe my hearing is just playing tricks on me. I stood up slowly. I winced when I felt the scratches on my feet. Next time I won't run away without shoes. Now I feel the pain of my scratches. I really regret my stupid plan.

I looked outside through the large veranda's window. I was thankful for the occasional flash of lightning that lit up the dark side of the villa. All I could see were trees, blown by the strong wind. Was there a storm?

I stood in front of the glass window for a long time. Why do I feel nervous? I held my chest. My heart was beating fast. I decided to turn around and look for the kitchen. But something caught my eye outside the window. It looked like a shadow, like the figure of a person.

I rubbed my eyes to look at it again. But it was gone from my sight. Maybe my eyes were just playing tricks on me. I sighed and started walking. I was almost at the door of my room when someone suddenly covered my mouth.

"Hmp! Hmp!" I couldn't scream. He was holding me so tightly. I was struggling. I felt the back of my nightgown getting wet.

"I didn't know your blood smelled like this, Celestine" said the voice.

My eyes widened. Why did I feel like I knew his voice?

"Hmp!!!"

"Miss me? Hmm? I was forbidden from approaching you after I became a vampire. But I can't stand your blood. This is what it smells like, huh? Very fragrant"

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stand his strength.

"Don't move, Celestine. Just one bite, and I'll be gone," he said, sounding foolish.

I stepped on his foot with all my strength. He was surprised by my sudden move. So he let go of me. I fell to the floor. I saw his face as lightning flashed outside the villa.

Joaquin?!

I trembled with fear. I remembered his attempt to rape me. How did he get here? Why did he look different? His skin was pale, and his eyes were red.

"Can't you believe it?" He laughed. "Even I can't believe I'm a vampire now. Isn't that cool? I can get what I want. And that's you. I want you, Celestine"

"You're a monster, Joaquin..." was all I could say. Tears streamed down my face. I was so scared.

"This monster loves you, Celestine". He looked like he was insane in my eyes.

I held my head. Suddenly, a flashback came to my mind. One night I was walking home from my apartment. I met a man with red eyes. He looked like Joaquin. He seemed crazy and thirsty for blood. What's going on? Is it true that it happened to me?

I screamed when Joaquin grabbed me. Without hesitation, he bit me on the neck. I screamed in pain. It was like a needle piercing my skin. I tried to push Joaquin. He was so strong. But after several attempts to push him, we fell onto the side table. The lampshade that was there broke. It made a loud noise. I hope someone can hear that, even though I know it's impossible because of the loudness of the thunder.

"M-Markus...help..." I whispered. I was already feeling weak. Joaquin was still sucking my blood. Is there no hope? Is this the end of me?

From the noise of the rain and thunder, I heard footsteps. I thought it was just my imagination, but I felt Joaquin also looking at my door.

"H-help!" I forced myself to scream, even though I felt weak.

"Shit! This is not the end, I'll get back to you," Joaquin said. He stopped sucking my blood.

My eyelids were slowly closing. I tried to stop myself from losing consciousness. Maybe the next time I closed my eyes I won't wake up at all.

"Celestine!"

I could see the shape of a person. Until it gradually became clear. I couldn't help but smile.

"M-Markus..." I said softly. I wanted to hug him.

I hope this isn't just my imagination. I hope he's really here next to me. Even though I don't admit it, I'm slowly falling for Markus. I feel like I've loved him for a long time. My heart aches when I see him like this. I wish I could remember everything about why I feel this way towards him. It's like we've known each other for a long time and love each other.

"Celestine! Wake up! Fuck! What happened?" Markus looked around. He gave an order to his men. They searched the entire villa to find who the intruder was.

"M-Markus? Is that really you?" I said, crying. I couldn't help but hug him.

"Fuck! Don't cry! Sshhh... I'm here, damn!" Markus didn't know how to make me stop crying. He picked me up and carried me to the room at the end of the hallway.

I immediately smelled his scent in the room. I was sure it was his. He laid me down on his bed. He carefully wrapped me in his blanket. He was about to leave my side, but I stopped him.

"Please stay here. Don't leave me"

"I'm not leaving. I'll just close the door. I'll be back."

I didn't want to let go of his hand, but he assured me that he would just close the door. Markus came back in less than five seconds. I hugged him again. Still crying.

"Shhh...you're safe. Don't cry anymore" he gently rubbed my back. Calming me down.

"What happened? Who did this to you?" he asked after a while. The anger in his voice was obvious. It was a different kind of anger. It wasn't like the anger I felt when I ran away from the mansion. It's more scarier.

"J-Joaquin! He's back, Markus!" I panicked. I felt like Joaquin was right there next to me. He was going to grab me and suck my blood.

"Joaquin?"

"Joaquin. He's a vampire now! He wants to take me! I don't know how he became a vampire."

"Calm down, please. Take a deep breath. Look at me" he ordered. His voice was soft and calm. Unlike Marko, I knew who was violent. I looked into his eyes. They were still red, so I knew Markus wasn't coming back.

"I'll do anything to find that asshole. Do you trust me?"

I nodded in response. He wiped the tears from my cheeks. Now that we were staring at each other, I could read the different emotions in his eyes. Like an open book. Easy to read, easy to understand.

"Thank you for coming. Otherwise, I might not be here now."

"That won't happen. I promise you that. From now on, you will sleep in my room. No one can hurt you anymore," said Markus.

I felt relieved when I heard that. He held my neck. From the nearby large mirror in his room, I saw that there were no bite marks. There was only dried blood. I was about to touch my neck to check it, but Markus stopped me.

"That fucker. He's going to pay for what he did." His one hand clenched into a fist that was resting on mine. I didn't say anything anymore. I didn't know how to react to this situation. Things happened so fast.

"I'll get you some new clothes. You're soaking wet. Don't worry, my wardrobe is right there next door. You'll get sick if you don't change. You're safe here in my room," he assured me.

I didn't bother to stop him from getting new clothes. When Markus left my side, I felt cold. I looked at my shaking hands. I hugged myself.

What's in my blood? I've heard many times that vampires like it. They told me that it's rare. Even Markus said the same thing. Is there something special in my blood?