Her Vampire Prince

Chapter XX

Faith's heartbeat rocketed in her chest, something that William must have noticed as his eyes sharpened.

"There is no reason for you to be scared Faith. I would never hurt you." William stressed.

Did she believe him? He hadn't given her a reason not to. Well, not yet anyway. Since the beginning, he had insisted he was protecting her, and would always do so. Faith was coming to learn that William was treating her more then as his captive. Like his friend or familial member maybe. She wasn't sure how she would cope if it were anything more then that.

Her secret wishes were forbidden to the very back of her mind.

"Ok William." She murmured with a blush gracing her cheeks, a blush William had come to love.

"You know Faith, every Monday – which is tomorrow by the way, there is a market on the top level. Would you like to come with me? For educational purposes obviously."

"A vampire market?" She asked incredulously.

"Yes, it may help you with your studies of us." William shrugged with a grin, knowing Faith was going to cave.

"Will there be other humans?" Faith asked unsurely, but secretly really wanting to go.

"Yes – there are some humans who want to be turned, but they have to get accustomed to our way of life first, and also young ones with vampire parents but are still technically humans. There are also probably going to be some vampire human One's there, although it is rare to find them." William explained.

"Ok sure, I'll go." Faith shrugged nonchalantly but inside she was dancing in excitement. Anything to break up the monotony.

"It's a date, well not a date, an arrangement in time..." William chuckled, trailing off awkwardly.

The fire in Faith's cheeks roared at full force because of William's choice of wording, and she found her questioning herself on what it would be like if she really did go on a date with William. There was no chance of denying that he was deliciously handsome, possessing the kind of face that could leave girls heartbroken everywhere. There wasn't a single fault in him – well apart from his ice-cold skin, but Faith was more or less used to that now. He always smelt of fresh mountain rain and earthy pine, a scent Faith could drown herself in. His eyes were the most spectacular thing about him, a hue of the new spring growth, bright and soft all at once. They were flecks of strength, the kind of green that comes only as summer advances. And his lips... Faith could imagine they would feel like heaven against her own, indulgent yet firm and demanding all at once. William's gentle cough brought her out of her inappropriate thoughts, which she quickly dismissed.

Friends was all they could ever be, since she would forget him in six short days.

That night Faith didn't sleep so well, tossing and turning to the possibilities of what the new day could bring. She did not tell Hope about her 'arrangement in time' with William, as she didn't want her to read more into it then she should, and didn't want to make a big deal about it either. It was simply two friends meeting and walking together. Nothing romantic about that. She also did not want to worry Hope, as she was technically going into the lions den, but she trusted William with her safety. Hope however was only comfortable with Florence at the moment.

William had given the girls an alarm clock so they could keep track of time, and had agreed to pick Faith up at ten. She got up at seven and had a shower, then got dressed in a simple pair of slim leg blue jeans and a white lacy top. She applied a little concealer and mascara to make her look more awake, and then headed out to wait for William. She was quite skittish and nervous for his arrival, twirling her hair and chewing on her lip, but when he arrived, it was all worth it. He was only wearing light blue jeans paired with an apricot-coloured jumper, but the smile that bloomed on his face when he took in Faith's appearance made her heart thud in her chest. She wondered how he managed to pull off every look he wore so expertly. He had the embodiment of a model's body.