Eternal Chaos (Sequel to Eternal Bondage)

Chapter 2 | Part 2

Jayda almost began crying right there. She couldn't believe her father, yet at the same time understood him. She bit her bottom lip, trying to keep her emotions within for the time being. She looked at Hayden who had blood running from his forehead where the force of Mr. O'Dare's knee had connected. She  regained her composure and breathed in.

"Would you mind waiting until tomorrow Mr. O'Dare? I have some things I'll need to sort out if he'll be unable to work for a time."

"As you wish young one."

She laughed.

"Oh I'm not that young! I stop aging all together next year."

Vampires have a strange sense of time. What a year is to a human, is a dreadfully fast time for a vampire. It's as though only a month had passed. So although Jayda was 18, she had lived over 216 years, aging every twelve years as a human child would. Jeffery O'Dare smiled brightly at her.

"Then will begin your royal journey I suppose."

Her eyes glazed over as she was reminded of another task that laid before her, finding her royal family. Yet another reason she needed her mother home so desperately.

"Of course." She stood from the couch saying, "If you don't mind, I must take my leave."

The men smiled and bid her good day, Tyler knowing he would not see her again that day getting up to give his daughter a reassuring hug.

She walked out the door, running her hand along Hayden's shoulder to signal that he should follow her, but again reaching out with her mind to instruct him.

"Crawl."

Understanding her meaning, Hayden moved out of the room on his hands and knees. Hearing her voice again in his head.

"Don't stop until we're in my room, he can see us until then."

He obediently did as he was told and crawled up the stairs and through her door, where she was waiting, he stood and caught her as she fell into his arms, the black tears falling freely from her eyes. These were tears he hadn't seen before.

The only other time she had cried in front of him was when they had been reunited in Oregon, there her tears had been white, pure for joy. Now they were dark, knowing what was to come. He held her close to him for a moment, scared to move, but then sat down on the bed. She pulled away from him.

"I'm so sorry. There was nothing I could do, not with him there. I wanted to-,"

He silenced her with a gently hand on her cheek.

"I'm okay."

"But tomorrow."

"I know, but there's nothing we can do."

She started to cry again.

"If I could do anything-"

Her sobs kept her from forming a sentence.

"Shhhshh. I know. Darling I know."

"I'm sorry."

She said again before throwing her arms around his neck. He held her close to his body, eyes holding the fear he could not express with words. He had been beaten before, almost to death on multiple occasions, but for so long the pain was dull, he didn't feel it because he had been driven so far off the edge.

But now, he felt again, he felt the love and the happiness to a greater extent than he ever remembered, so he could only imagine that the misery would be the same. Jayda's body calmed as her breathing returned to normal. She pulled back from him and wiped her tears away. They sat on the bed across from each other, she reached over and took his hand.

"I'll be there for you."

"You don't need to see that."

"You've always been there for me."

He didn't answer. He knew it would be comforting to know she was in the room, that she would comfort him afterward, without having to question the extent of what he had been though.

"I'll heal anything internal. And scars later. I only wish I could do more."

He took her head into his hands and kissed her forehead.

"Jayda."

"Hm?"

"I love you."

"I love you too."