A Vampire's Play Toy

Chapter 23

Chapter 23

I'm not in the castle anymore but in a beautiful meadow, laying on the soft grass with the warm sun rays beating down on me.  This is a peaceful place.  A place that I think I would like to stay but I hear a rumbling in the distance.  It starts low but as it gets closer, it grows louder.  A burst of lightning strikes a nearby tree, setting it ablaze in my peaceful meadow.  The calm feeling I had enjoyed is slowly starting to dissipate.

A strong gust of wind billows through the meadow, rustling the trees leaves and making the once beautiful flowers bow to the unforgiving terrain.  I see a woman standing far off in the distance, making out the grin on her face and the piercing look in her eyes.  My heart fills with fear at the image of this woman for she does not look like the mother my foster father told me stories about. She looks like a woman that is spoken of in horror stories.  Someone who holds no love in their heart but only destruction for the ones who believe in her.
 
I spin on my feet, taking off for the protection of the forest as lightning strikes all around me.  The sky still rumbles and I hear the first drops of the rain that was waiting to fall.  In a matter of seconds I'm stuck in a torrential downpour as the sky can no longer hold back its tears.  A piercing wail breaks through the noise of the storm and I'm forced to face the woman again.  I come face to face with the woman that holds no emotion in her eyes and my body feels a sharp prick in my abdomen.  My eyes search for the cause of the prick and shock takes over my body as I stare at the dagger's hilt that the woman is still grasping.  She removes it from my body and goes for it again trying to pierce my heart as a loud scream leaves my lips.

  I'm forced awake by a pair of very worried eyes.  Stephen looks down at me, waiting for me to say anything to him but I just want to remain here still and silent.

"Keira please."  He pleads to me and with the desperation in his eyes, I know I can't refuse him.

"It was just the same nightmare from last night Stephen,"  He urges me on with his eyes, "I know I'm just taking all of this new information too hard and I don't want to feel this hurt."

Sadness reflects in his eyes and I feel the bridge of my nose burn with my new tears that I'm trying so hard to hold back.  "Please, Keira, know that everyone has reasons for doing the things they do, may they be good or bad but that doesn't mean that they don't care in some way.  Your mother may just not know how to show her feelings like you need her too."

I listen to Stephen very closely, hearing what he is saying and understanding where he is coming from.  For him it is something that he understands more than I do because he did have a very hard time letting me in and letting himself believe that he was worth loving.  I place a soft kiss on his chest and I hear a quiet hum come from his lips, almost like a purr.

"Thank you for being there for me Stephen, you have helped me so much in the short few months that I have known you."

"I do it because I love you."  He kisses my forehead and squeezes me tightly against his chest.

When he releases his hold on me, I roll onto my back and stare up at the beds gold shaded canopy.  My eyes take in my surroundings, letting myself appreciate my new room that I have been staying in during my stay here at my fathers castle.  I hadn't allowed myself the chance before since I was very distraught and just trying to focus my emotions.  Everything in the room is accented with gold, while the walls are a rich red color.  The decor in the room makes it feel like it was made for royalty and I almost feel a little inferior being in this room.

"You have royal blood, Keira, you are more than deserving of this treatment,"  He raises my chin so our eyes meet, "I hope one day you will be my Queen."