A Lonely Prince with Fangs (completed)

Pain All Over

Alexandru decided to leave. He claimed that he needed to help Octavian out. He left Lukas in charge which kind of offended me. I'd been living here longer and I knew the castle better. I also saw myself as a more mature young adult. I wondered if Alexandru would forever see me as a little girl once I got older.

I stood in the foyer of the castle trying to trap any tear that attempted to escape my eyes. I didn't want the count to leave. I looked forward to seeing him everyday. I was going to miss him.

"Maggy," I lifted my head up from looking down at my crossed arms. "I'm going to miss you," the count claimed. He smiled sadly and I didn't want to remember him with that face. I wrapped my arms around his bony waist and squeezed. He didn't know how long he was going to be gone. I allowed the wall in my eyes to crumble and my tears fell out.

I pulled away and said, "I'm sorry, I'm getting tears and snot all over your vest," Alexandru wrapped his arms around me and pulled me off the ground. He buried his face into my loose hair on my shoulder. I allowed my arms to find their way around his neck.

"I'll try and be back as soon as I can," he said in a muffled tone. I nodded into the nape of his neck.

He left and all afternoon I sat at the piano not playing but staring out the large picture windows at the rising sun.

Over the next few days Lukas and I spent a lot of time in town. Just walking around and buying clothes or miscellaneous stuff in the small stores. We stopped by the bookstore that Gabriel worked at. I even hung out with him a few times. I found myself clinging to Gabriel due to the absence of Alexandru. At night Lukas would remind me that if I ever got too close to Gabriel that Alexandru and I wouldn't be friends for much longer. Selfishly I kept my distance from the hunter. I wanted to be with Alexandru for as long as possible.

I began looking at myself in the mirror every day. I would press up on my chest and try to grab whatever fat I could find. I would stand in my bra and underwear and try to picture myself with the same curves the women in Alexandru's dreams had. I was flat as a board and looked like one too. I also still had a baby face.

Maybe Lukas is wrong, maybe Alexandru doesn't like me intimately but cares for me like his own daughter or sister?

It soon got to the point where the Count was gone for eleven days. I missed him. I missed him so much I even snuck into his room late one night. I needed comfort. I needed to know he was still here somewhere.

His room was dark due to giant velvet drapes covering the windows. His coffin lay in the middle of the room closed. There was no furniture in the room except an armoire that was full of his clothes. I stuck my face into the small closet and sniffed in the metallic taste I'd grown so fondly used to.

I walked over to his coffin and traced my fingers across the edge of it. It was black and wore intricate designs all around it. I popped it open and found the usual soft cushion that most coffins had. But it was red, and it had a very melancholy look to it. I peeked into the side and found multiple locks inside. I touched one and immediately flew across the room. My body slammed against a wall like a rag doll. I couldn't remember being in this much pain since Lukas had gone wild on me. As well as the time I fell down the steep slopes all those months ago when my parents and I were hiking.

I began to tear up. I ached all over, and I was reminded of my parents which only reminded me that the only person I had truly attached myself to wasn't here to comfort me. I hissed and grunted as I got up off the floor. Alexandru must have enchantments on his locks if humans ever tried to open his coffin and kill him. Tears were still streaming down my cheeks and I allowed it. I limped out of the room trying to suck up escaping snot. I heard thumping and found Lucas at the other end of the long hallway that led to Alexandru's room.

"I heard a large thump," he began, "what happened?" I limped toward Lukas holding my side. Every step shot pain up to my lower back and head. I realized that I might've hit my head a little too hard. "Hey, are you okay?" Lukas ran to me and slipped his arm around my back.
I winced in pain and he whimpered.

"What happened?"

"I touched Alexandru's coffin." I admitted embarrassingly with a heavy breath.

"What were you doing in the Count's room?"

"I miss him," I softly said. I looked at Lukas and he looked like he didn't know what to say.

He took me to my room and went downstairs to find some kind of medicine to rub down the pain I was in. What I wouldn't give for Alexandru's healing abilities.

I sat in bed—not in the covers—staring out at the moon. My eye caught on the spire that I had first seen Alexandru transform into a man from a flock of bats. He was so gorgeous that night. Why did I have to fall in love with a man at the wrong time? I'm too young for him and soon I'll be too old for him!

I closed my eyes and waited patiently for the wolf.

Suddenly my door creaked open. I shot my eyes open and sat up but Lukas wasn't in the room. I felt a cold presence and knew someone was watching me.

"Octavian?" I asked into my dim room. Subconsciously a hopeful smile appeared on my face. "Alexandru?"

My head was slammed against the headboard and I became overcome with fear. An icy hand was squeezing my jaw as it covered my mouth shut. My head was in immense pain but I was too horror-stricken to think about it. The lights were blown out but a white Cheshire smile gleamed in the dark.

"So," a voice that belonged in the dark began, "You're the little girl that the two Romanians treasure so much." I was breathing hard and frozen. What was I supposed to do? Where is Lukas?

"You're cute," the man said. He leaned forward and licked my neck. I squealed in his hand and tried pushing him away. My attempt was in vain as the vampire on my bed wouldn't budge a smidge.

"You taste good. I'm surprised those idiots haven't devoured you yet." The man's voice was definitely American. "I wonder why they left a beauty such as yourself unprotected." What have they done to Lukas? Where is he? "Your little wolf buddy was a joke if they call that a bodyguard." 'Was a joke?' Please God, please don't let him be dead!

My jaw was hurting incredulously. I still weakly punched at the American Vampire who wore a black jacket and raven hair that was pulled back into a small ponytail. He forcefully grabbed onto one of my arms and pulled it out. His tug felt like he almost pulled my shoulder out of the socket. I crushed my eyes shut as he dug his giant fangs into my arm. The pain was excruciating. It didn't feel at all like Alexandru's bites when he healed me from Lukas's claw marks. My head was still up against the headboard and I felt the pain slowly make it into my consciousness. The room was getting dimmer and more blurry. I muffled Alexandru's name before losing consciousness.