Blood Thirst

Chapter 9

"She doesn't seem normal to me. I mean- she's the first vampire I've seen smile so brightly amongst a crowd of demons instead of slaughtering them all. And she has this aura of regality around her even though she claims to be a part of the general public. The way she holds herself, the way she talks, everything about her- it's no less than how a Royalty should be." Lucian said, lost in thought.
"That's interesting- and what about her powers?" Melantha asked, wrapped in Draven's embrace.
"Oh that's the most bizzare part about her. She doesn't seem to possess any of the vampire faction's elemental powers. But judging by her mannerisms and the way she behaves, she doesn't seem powerless either; I predict quite the contrary honestly. And it's bizarre that she never speaks about her family, she is weirdly mysterious about her friends. From what I know, her parents work in the Galician Royal Palace, that's all. And moreover, we have to find out about the demon she's in contact with."
"What do you mean?" Melantha asked.
"Of course she can't enter Ellesmere all by herself. She must have entered with the help of a local. If we find out who that is, we can gain more information about her."
"You seem to know a lot about her despite the little time you get to spend with her Lucian" Draven said with a smirk, making Lucian blush and Melantha laugh.
"Take your mind out of the gutter Draven it's not like that- she's a vampire after all-" Lucian stammered.
"Yeah I'm not buying that lover boy" Melantha said tipping his face with her finger. "The look in your eyes says it all."

"Care to explain where you were, Princess?" Aiden's already hoarse voice seemed to grow more rough as he said that.
"AHHH!" Nyx screamed, startled. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN MY ROOM YOU SCUM?"
"Your insults never stop do they?"
"I ASKED YOU A QUESTION"
"I was waiting for you. Because you decided to vanish from the palace in the middle of the day. And knowing you, you would definitely try to slither away from us and sneak into your room like a rat. That's why I thought this was the best place to catch you; and it clearly seems that I was correct, as always."
"Uhh excuse me, did you just call me a rat?"
"Yes- a green eyed rat to be precise."
"Wow you didn't just-"
"You still haven't answered my question princess." He breathed, inching closer; she stumbled onto her bed as his towering presence he stood in front of her, his amber gaze piercing through her eyes, picking her apart.
"Uh- how do my whereabouts concern you?" She stammered.
"Really? Did you just ask me such a dumb question? As a warrior of the throne, the whereabouts of the future queen shouldn't concern me in any way? Are you drunk, Galician? You disappeared without informing anyone in the midst of the Ebony Flames Campaign, and that too with a commoner of all people. Of course I would be worried! And isn't it my duty as your friend to care about you?"
A pause. The silence filled by the echoes of their breathes.
"Ok fine I'm sorry, I left without telling you. I went out into the town with Father Allerick."
"Lady Araxie's betrothed right?"
"Yeah- I trust him, he's not a threat. So don't worry"
"Still- you're royalty and the heir, you shouldn't forget that. You can't just leave without telling anyone. You could have told me at least."
"Ughhh ok ok don't make me feel bad now. I apologise again. I won't repeat this."
"We both know you're lying." He smirked
"Where do you find the audacity- you know what? Now that you know what you wanted to find out... GET OUT OF MY ROOM. And don't ever try to sneak in here again!"
"Why are you so angry about this? You're talking as if you never sneak into my room. This implies that you can barge into my chambers anytime you want but I can't? That doesn't seem fair."
"It's not like that- what if you came in at an inappropriate moment? That would an embarassing situation for both of us."
"What if you sneak into my room at a wrong time? What are you planning to do then, Princess?" He whispered with his signature Ashford smirk, as he crept closer, pinning his arms beside her.
"Uhh- I- uhhhhh" she stuttered.
"Oh so you know how to blush huh- it's fun seeing you so flustered" his sly honey coated voice purred.
"AIDEN. ASHFORD. GET OUT OF MY ROOM. NOW." She said, pushing him on his shoulders as he giggled.
"You have to admit you look cute when you are as red as a tomato." He teased as she slammed the door on his face.

"I'm blushing? That's absurd. Ha! I never blush. And that too by Aiden? NEVER!" But her reflection seemed to betray her. A peach blush bloomed across her delicately bronzed soft, fair skin. And of course, she wasn't aware of the heat that now spread across her visage.

He lay on the same patch of grass as the one they lay on together earlier. He already missed her... Everything about her. She always left before sunset- that ignited a spark of yearning in him. He had seen her gleaming in the pink hues of the setting sun, seen the golden flecks in her eyes catch the orange beams of the sunlight and her face brighten up whenever she smiled. But- he wanted to see her bathed in the slivers of moon beams, witness the ebony sparkle in her eyes come to life as she counted the stars, the threads of universe stitched in her skin glimmer from within under the incandescence of the moon and watch her marvel at the countless galaxies in the deep night sky. Her eyes are green too he often thought. 'But not like mine though. Her irises seemed to be carved out of the very core of the most glistering emeralds, etched with the depths of the darkest of nights and the slightest flicker of gold flakes- they're nothing like I've ever seen before. And I find myself lost in every crevice of those pools of silky emeralds everytime I look at them for longer than a breathe. He wished he could just drown in the serenity of her presence; he would drown again and again, letting his lungs fill with her breath, his mind echoing with the sound of her laugh. This longing increased every time she visited and left, slowly and painfully tearing him apart. He just- wanted to be by her side, watch her grow, watch her live, witness her in the happiest moments of her life and be with her at her lowest. She was his undying desire, his ecstasy and the irony was; at that moment, he was blind to everything he felt for her. Oblivious as his heart yearned for nothing but her. Often perplexed by the effect she had on him, he hadn't realised what this feeling was, but all he knew- she was his twin star in an imperfect constellation. As he lay on the grass, his heart aching for something he couldn't comprehend, his hand reaching for the half crescent fragment of the moon; Lucian wondered, "Is this what love feels like?"
"No I'm just overthinking. It can't be love, it's platonic." he said with an empty chuckle as he stood up and returned to his home.

But no matter how calming the pine forest may seem, how tranquil the fragrance may be, she'll always choose to walk straight into the blazing flames of Amber, wilderness and passion; no matter how much the embers burnt her she'll never turn back.