Luciano

Chapter 24

The feeling of my heart stammering against my chest rapidly was an all too new sensation as I stared at the man in front of me with wide eyes. 

I could feel Luciano's confused eyes on me as he could no doubt hear the unusual way my heart was beating. 

"Let her leave," Luciano growled however his voice was drowned away by the frozen state I was in, my pulse soundly at my ears. 

"Grace," Luciano continued to growl when nobody responded. The vampires who held him back stared at the man in front of me for any sort of sign. 

"Grace," George repeated in a mumble as he stared at me blankly. 

The situation was dripping with intensity and despite my fast thumping heart I dully glanced the man up and down before staring into his eyes. 

The flame that remained burning behind us made me feel almost sweaty as the photograph of this man holding me as a child kept flashing into my mind relentlessly. 

"Who are you?" I asked hoarsely as my eyes couldn't help but search his. 

George only seemed to observe me and a few seconds later he let out a sigh. 

"Just by looking at you I can tell you know exactly who I am." 

His words only made me feel a strange nervousness. My mother had depicted the man in that photograph to be my father. The father who had left us as soon as I was born. Mother had said he had disappeared from the face of the earth, never to be heard from again. 

However here he stood. The man who was supposedly my father. He only looked to be in an age range of early thirties and I grew more confused. 

"How long," I said, "-how long have you been one?" I asked referring to the concept of him being a vampire. 

I didn't know what to say, and felt pressured with the eyes of the few vampires standing around. Luciano had a dark look, his eyes steadily on George as Axel simply relaxed into the hands that held him. 

"Eighteen years," George replied. 

His words made me blink. That mean't he had become a vampire right after my birth. 

The strange nervous like feeling had me in a state of shock. The thought of my father, someone who was supposed to be one of my parents suddenly here, left me baffled. 

"George," an irritated voice interjected and my eyes moved down towards a red nailed hand that itched down George's chest. 

Amelia stood beside him, her hand resting on his chest as she peered down at me with a vicious look, eyes flickering to a darker shade as she licked her lips. 

"I'm getting a little jealous," she said leaning closer to George, "-you don't usually spare your food a conversation," she continued to say in a hushed tone. 

George didn't respond to Amelia or move an inch at her advances. As I stared at the man feeling a spur of emotions, it didn't halter what I knew of him. 

He was a murderer. The cause of many deaths. And conspicuously, the leader of the annual feeds. 

"Kill her," Amelia whispered in George's ear and he peered straight ahead. 

"I cannot." 

His words frustrated me. Again I was hanging off a thin thread, so close to death and yet, that thread wouldn't break. Everyone had been murdered and why is it that someone who does not appreciate life is left alive. 

"Kill me," I whispered. It was too much. 

Taken aback, Amelia inched her face back a little from George with furrowed eyebrows. 

"You cannot?" She repeated. 

I watched as George only gazed at the vampires surrounding us. They all suddenly eased back, no longer circling us. The vampires who held Luciano and Axel also backed away, freeing them. 

It was a surprise that Luciano nor Axel didn't make a move to attack, or draw upon further conflict. If anything, they were reluctant between the current ordeal and George's withdrawal. 

Luciano roughly pulled the stake from his torso out and hissed as he threw it aside.  

"What do you think you're doing?" Amelia screeched. 

"You," George suddenly said. His eyes were locked with Luciano's dark ones that stared at him with a deadly glint. 

"-We no longer recognise you a brother to us," George lowly said, "-do not follow us. I will spare the three of your lives." 

Luciano's intimidating presence was overbearing and he took a step towards George. 

"You killed all these people," Luciano said in a dangerous tone, "-times have changed and yet you proceed these annual feeds," he said dangerously low.

Within the whole time George was here he had not once exposed an ounce of emotion. However he did remain silent for a few moments at Luciano's words. 

"Time's may change. But death wont. This is what we are, it is what we do. If you wish to play no part in that, then I will not oppose." 

The vampires who were around us sunk back into the trees and surely, disappeared. George remained standing still and Amelia stood outraged by his side. 

George lowered his eyes to mine and gave me a look. A look that I could not read however gave me a dreadful feeling.

Amelia despite her fury, seemed afraid of angering George and without saying anything, swiftly disappeared in a second.  

I stared at George and my heart had begun to slow down. I felt a wave of sadness as George began to back away. Everyone's eyes were on his and I let out a low breath when he suddenly disappeared. 

He was a complete stranger however I couldn't help my bodies response. 

I could sense Luciano and Axel behind me and before I knew it, my legs gave out and I fell to my knees. 

I dully stared ahead as Luciano immediately lowered beside me, arm wrapped around my shoulders, pulling me into his chest. 

It took my brain an agonisingly long moment to catch up on everything. The tumultuous events that had just happened. 

Ethan's death. 

I didn't realise I was doing it, until I heard my own voice. 

I let out a sob. A deep sorrow had wedged itself into my chest and tears began to fall down my face and the sobbing was too late to be stopped. 

My eyes were squeezed shut and the painful feeling of distress was too strong as I found myself clinging to Luciano who held me. 

The soothing of his hand that pat down my hair and his silence only made me sob harder. 

The emotional pain was heart wrenching and in that moment I felt more lost than ever. 

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A/N

Hello everyone!

Apologies for late update..

Thoughts? :)

-E