Destined

Chapter 9

The smell of blood was thick in the air. My hands were sticky with the stuff. I could hear the sounds of screams and hisses. I was stuck in place, looking around frantically, but I couldn't see anything. It was as if I was blindfolded. I scratched at my face, in fear that something was blocking my vision. There was. When I removed it, I was greeted with the men that were killed in the woods. Their bodies swung, as if being pushed by a phantom wind. I looked around and saw that I stood in a lake of blood. Faces of those that I killed began to climb out. I wanted to run, to do something, but fear kept my feet planted in one spot. I felt something grab my ankle, and pull me under. I thrashed and kicked trying to get back to the surface. The blood was thick and warm yet it was clear enough for me to see the vampires swimming at me. I could then hear their voices and screams in my head. I tried to cover my ears, but they grabbed my wrists. Was this my punishment for killing them?

I woke up with a shock. I was panting, trying to catch my breath, my skin slick with sweat. I felt a hand running through my hair. "It's okay," A voice whispered to me. It was Maddox. I clung to him as I cried. It felt so real. "It was just a nightmare," He told me. "I felt so real," I whispered to him once the tears stopped. "I saw the men and the vampires. There was so much blood." He kissed the top of my head, "Come on." He lead me to the bathroom and sat me on the counter while he got a bath ready for me. "Where's Cassius," I asked him softly. "He went to get you some hot chocolate," He told me. "I didn't mean to wake you both up," I told him. "We were already having trouble sleeping. When I close my eyes I see the faces of the lives I took and the men we lost," He confessed to me. He kissed my forehead as he cupped my cheeks, his thumbs brushing away my tears.

When the water was ready, I looked down at the floor, "I don't want to be alone." "You won't be," he assured me. "While you get in the bath, I'm going to get your clothes." I nodded, "Okay." He left the bathroom and I stripped off my clothes before getting into the water. I still felt like I was in that lake of blood. I kept glancing at the water, making sure it stayed just water.

When Maddox came back in, he placed my clothes on the counter, then sat on the floor of the bathroom, his back against the tub. Cassius came in a moment later and did the same. Without looking, he passed me my cup of hot chocolate, "Here baby." I took it from him, "Thank you."

We then fell into silence. I could hear a servant in our room changing the sheets. "Do you want to talk about it," Cassius asked me softly. I sighed as I looked into my drink. "I was standing in a lake of blood, covered in the stuff. I could feel how sticky it was on my fingers and the smell thick in my nose. At first something was covering my eyes until I removed it. When I did, I saw the men that were killed, hanging. They were moving as if being blown by the wind, but there wasn't even a breeze. Then I looked at the blood. Every vampire I had killed was coming out of the water, trying to grab me. I was too scared to even try and run. When I was pulled under, I tried to fight, but the blood was so thick, yet it was clear enough for me to see the vampires swimming right towards me. After that, I woke up." As I spoke, my hands shook as the images of my nightmare came to the forefront of my mind.

We then sat in silence while I drank my hot chocolate. "We didn't want this for you baby girl," Cassius told me after a while. "We wanted our courtship with you to be full of light hearted fun before we reached any of the heavy shit. Even then we didn't want it to be this heavy." "No one wanted this," Maddox added softly.

When the water was cold they stepped out so I could get out and get dressed. I noticed the clothes that were grabbed were a pair of Cassius' boxers and one of Maddox's shirt. I towel dried my hair till it wasn't dripping anymore before leaving the bathroom. I laid between them and tried to fall asleep. Unfortunately I drifted between consciousness and unconsciousness until it was time to wake up to have breakfast with the Alphas and Lunas. I dressed in a pair of slacks and a soft pink blouse. I sat on the floor with a mirror doing my makeup while Cassius took a shower in the bathroom.