House of Vampires: The New Wife

Chapter Five

Tate had been gone for a couple hours and I found myself being able to sleep somewhat peacefully. As I lay in bed, sound asleep, I was awoken abruptly by the sound of my door creaking. Light from the hallway leaked through the crack in my door, illuminating the dark room. I sat up in bed, my heart racing as I tried to make sense of what was happening. Was someone trying to break in? I listened carefully for any more sounds, but the silence only added to my fear. After a moment of hesitation, I slowly got up and made my way over to my door, carefully peering out into the hallway. As I stood there in the darkness, my heart racing and mind reeling, I realized that this might be the perfect chance to sneak out. With Tate gone and everyone else in the house seemingly asleep, no one would notice if I left. The sound of my own footsteps echoed through the empty hall as I made my way down the stairs, trying to remember which way led to the front door. But as I turned a corner, I realized to my horror that I had gotten lost in the maze of the mansion. Panic set in as I wandered aimlessly, trying to find my way back to where I had come from. Every door looked the same, and every hallway seemed to lead further and further away from where I wanted to be. After what felt like hours of wandering, I slumped down against a wall, feeling defeated and lost. How had I managed to get so lost in my own escape attempt?

Feeling lost and dejected, I leaned my head against the wall and closed my eyes. All of the sudden, I heard voices coming from down the hall. My curiosity piqued, I slowly got up and started to follow the voices, trying to make sense of what they were saying. The sound of hushed whispers grew louder and louder until I finally found the source of the noise. It was coming from behind a set of doors at the end of the hall. My heart racing, and with a sense of excitement, I approached the doors, pressing my ear to them to listen in on their conversation. Though the words were hard to make out, I could hear fragments of dialogue that hinted that they were talking about me. Suddenly, the voices got quiet and before I could register what was happening, the door flung open.

I saw the blue-haired boy standing before me. He had a mischievous glint in his eye as he took in my disheveled appearance. "I knew I smelled someone," he quipped, smirking in my direction. I felt my cheeks flush with embarrassment, but also a strange sense of excitement at having been caught by him. His presence was commanding, but I couldn't quite place why.

As soon as the blue-haired boy caught me in the hallway, I felt a sense of nervousness and anxiety building in my stomach. I knew that I was in trouble, and I didn't want to get caught up in whatever was going on in this strange mansion. But before I could think of an excuse or short comeback, Cyrus appeared behind the blue-haired boy, his eyes flashing with a sense of menace and danger.

"Well, well," he drawled, a cruel smile on his lips. "It looks like our little mouse crawled out of her hole."

I felt my breath catch in my throat as I realized that I had walked into something far more sinister than I had ever expected. Cyrus's presence was overwhelming, and I couldn't even imagine the power that he held over everyone in this mansion. As he approached me, I knew that my life was in his hands.

Cyrus's eyes narrowed as he looked me up and down, clearly trying to figure out how I had escaped my room. I shrank back against the wall, feeling small and vulnerable under his intense gaze.

"How did you get out of your room?" he asked, his voice icy and menacing.

I was too scared to speak, my tongue tied in knots as I tried to come up with a plausible excuse. The blue-haired boy, sensing my fear, laughed out loud and made a snide comment.

"What's wrong mousy, too scared to speak?" The blue-haired boy sneered.

I felt a pang of shame and frustration at his words, but I couldn't bring myself to meet his gaze. I knew that I was in trouble, and there was no getting out of it unscathed.

Just as I thought things couldn't get any worse, Tate came around the corner and saw me standing there surrounded by Cyrus and his companions.

"Hey, what's going on here?" he demanded, his voice firm as he stepped in front of me, his body language protective.

I felt a sense of relief wash over me as Tate stood up for me, even though I didn't know him very well.

"Mousy here got out of her room somehow," the blue-haired boy quipped, his tone disdainful, "We were just trying to figure out how she did it."

Tate's eyes flashed with anger as he looked from Cyrus to the blue-haired boy and back again.

"She's just a girl," he said, his voice calm but firm, "Leave her alone."

I felt a sense of gratitude wash over me as Tate spoke up for me, standing up against his own brothers in order to protect me. It made me feel like I wasn't completely alone in this strange, dark mansion.

Cyrus and the blue-haired boy exchanged a look as Tate stood before them, his protective stance unwavering.

"What, are you in love with the little mouse?" the blue-haired boy jeered, a cruel smile on his lips.

"Awe, Zaiden, I believe our dear brother is in love," Cyrus mocked.

I felt a sense of anger and frustration building inside of me as they laughed at Tate, but I didn't dare speak up. Tate looked like he was about to lash out at them, but he managed to keep his composure, even though his fists were clenched at his sides.

"Maybe you should back off," Tate said quietly, his voice firm.

Cyrus and the blue-haired boy exchanged another look, and I could tell that they were sizing Tate up, trying to figure him out. I knew that things were only going to get more complicated from here.

"Or what?" Cyrus said, his tone mocking, "You really going to get into a fight over a scared little girl?"

Tate didn't flinch, even though Cyrus was clearly trying to provoke him.

"No," he said calmly, "Violence isn't the answer to everything. But I will defend myself and others if I have to."

I could tell that Cyrus was getting frustrated at Tate's calm demeanor. He was used to being in control, to being the one with the power. But Tate's calm demeanor was infuriating him.

Cyrus took a step closer to Tate, his voice low and threatening.

"I am warning you little brother," he said, his eyes flashing, "Take your mouse back to her room and walk away, or things are going to get rough."

I felt a sense of fear creeping over me as Cyrus spoke, and I looked up at Tate, hoping that he would know what to do. But Tate just stood there, his eyes locked on Cyrus's, his body tense but still.

"I'm not afraid of you, Cyrus," he said, his voice quiet but firm.

Cyrus glared at him for a moment longer, "You should be."

Tate looked back at me with a small smile, "Come on, let's get you back to your room."

Tate grabbed my arm and made sure to put me in front of him as we walked away, leaving Cyrus and Zaidon to themselves.