Crimson {COMPLETED}

CHAPTER VII

EMILY'S POV

OCTOBER 10
7:18 a.m

SOMETHING ISN'T right. Alice isn't here and hasn't been since last night. When I got back last night I'd assumed she went to check on dad at the diner he works at. But when I wake up, she's still not here and dad is crashed on the couch.

I call her phone but it rings on her bed where she left it.

I end the call. "Goddamnit Alice." I mutter.

I start back into my room, googling how long someone has to be missing in order to file a missing persons report.

There's a knock on my window. I quickly pull the curtains back, and sitting against the glass is an envelope. I snatch it inside and read over the front. It's from Christos.

God please tell me he didn't do anything to Alice. Jackson went on and on about how reasonable Christos is and how he'd understand, but I know how spiteful he can be.

I quickly skim the letter for her name but when I don't see it I start back at the top.

Dearest Emily,
Jackson told me the good news of you two being mates. Congratulations, truly. I have no ill will towards either of you and am very happy for you. I'm wishing you the best luck with your transformation.
As I'm sure Jackson has already explained, this does mean the wedding will have to be called off. Do not fret, I will be just fine. After all, your sister is a very beautiful girl.
~Christos Baxtor

I nearly choke and I stumble.

Alice. He must have Alice. Oh hell no.

Another knock on the window. Even though it's wide open, Jackson leans against the frame, waiting to be invited in.

"You can come in, just be quiet, my dad's asleep downstairs." I sigh, trying to fix my messy hair.

"I've got good news." He leaps onto the floor as quietly as possible. "Christos wrote to me and said he's happy for us. He's not mad at all. See Em, I told you he'd-"

He stops when I hold out my letter to him. He takes it and scans it over quickly.

"Your sister? She's the one he promised to leave alone, isn't she?" He hands it back to me.

"Yeah but he must be upset." I start to pace. "He must have came and got her last night while I was out. Oh god, what if somethings happened to her-"

"I can take you to the palace. We can go get her."

I force a smile. "You're sweet but-"

"But nothing, I can take you there and we can talk Christos out of this." He leans against the wall. "After all, he has no real reason to force Alice of all people into a wedding. We can convince him to pick another bride."

Right. Right, Christos just wants a wife. Not Alice in particular, she just so happens to be who he chose. He can be talked out of it. Yes, right.

"What if he already bit her?" I bite my lip.

"Don't be silly, it's tradition to save that for the wedding, it's a tradition the royal family lives by."

"But if he's even fed off of her he could mess with her head, hypnotize her." I wring out my hands.

Jackson doesn't give me any response to that one.

"Look, we can go get her now, yeah?"

"Yeah." I nod. "Yeah, lets go."

"How're you feeling by the way?" He tucks some hair behind my ear.

"Um, why are you asking?"

"Because of your transformation of course." His fingers brush my lips. "No fangs yet?"

"No." I step back so that his hands fall.

"Here, I got this for you." He hands me something that at first I believe is a bracelet.

"Jackson, this is a teething ring, you know that right?" I eye him.

"Yeah." He shrugs. He sighs at my raised eyebrows. "Fangs hurts like hell coming in, it feels like knives growing in your mouth."

"Thanks for the image." I sigh, putting it on my wrist like a bracelet. "Let's go."

He climbs out the window and motions for me to follow.

I chuckle a little. "Yeah no, I'll go out the front door." I pop the screen back into place and start downstairs.

God, I hope Alice is alright.