Deaths Embrace (On Hold)

Chapter 20

It was Monday, Eloise had slept in my bed for three nights now, but today she was going back to Williams, which made me feel somewhat conflicted.

Although Eloise was free to come and go as she pleased, we were officially 'dating' now, and her family knew it, and she also now knows about my secret... I didn't want her to leave, I had even thought of keeping her here by force, which I never want to do.

This possessiveness inside of me had only worsened the longer Eloise stayed with me, making it impossible for me to let her go, and although I keep myself together on the outside around her, on the inside I felt lonely at the thought of her not being here.

"Are you listening, Charles?"

Eloise was human, and I was Vampire, there was already a gap I could never fill, I could never walk with her during the day, or treat her to a vacation somewhere exotic, I could never introduce her to family.

Eloise had nothing to gain being with me, she was a vibrant young woman with her whole life ahead of her, she's so kind and outgoing, smart and loving, at some point in her life she'll want more.

She'll want things I can never give her.

"Charles!"

I come back to my senses and focus on Mariella, who had shown up, once again uninvited to talk about Eloise, which I didn't want to hear, but the more he speaks the more I see it becoming unavoidable.

"What exactly do you want, Mariella?" I ask, just wanting her to stop talking so I could make her leave me alone sooner rather than later.

"I'm asking you, for the sake of our lives to leave her alone, your little pet project." She said, making me raise my head to look at her through my book.

Pet project? Now I was offended, she came into my home and had started demanding before she even walked through the door, she was a guest, and right now she was starting to irritate me to no end.

"Watch your mouth Mariella, I've already warned you." I said, in a threatening tone as I closed my book and placed it on the table beside me.

"Is she really worth dying for?" She frowns deeply. "You've known her for just a week, I've known you for over a hundred years, is her life really more important than mine, or yours for that matter?"

"Does she even know anything about your past? What you and I have done, to girls just like he-"

"I said shut up!" I snap out, standing up to glare down at her.

Bringing up the past was and is a ridiculous move, even for her, considering what I've done for her, and still do to keep her afloat, someone with little value other than the curse we share.

Mariella was becoming a thorn in my side, ever since she laid eyes on Eloise, I knew she would constantly come here to persuade me to let her go, but I can't, and I won't.

"I've already made up my mind, if you can't accept that then you're free to leave here." I tell her as her face drops.

"Charles, you don't mean-"

I walk over to a table where I keep a spare check book and then pick up a pen that laid on top of the table, I then proceed to write her a check, one she wouldn't refuse.

"What are you doing?" She stood up and was coming over to me, seeing what I was writing.

"Stop it." She demanded, but I ignored her as I added another zero to the check.

Mariella was not worried for me, but for her source of income as I am her patron, and have been since we became entangled, but with this check I can finally keep her mind at ease.