Blood Bonds (Vampire)

Chapter 29

Elliana

I felt guilty. Demi had shared what was obviously such a personal story with me because I had pushed for it, but I couldn't bring myself to explain to her the source of my nightmares. How could I explain what had happened to me to her? How could I explain my nightmares and how I was the reason that my parents had split up?

I didn't like thinking about my past. Everyone had their own demons I guess, but mine were just a bit darker than the others. I had never spoken to anyone about this, although everyone back in my old neighborhood had their own assumptions. Even within my family, it was very much a taboo subject.

I hadn't had the nightmare for years, but maybe it was due to being so far away from my mom and home.

This is your home now.

The voice inside my head reminded gently. I bit my lip, conflicted, and deep in thought. Demi ran a gentle hand up my face, making me snap back to reality as my eyes focused on her. "You seem troubled, baby girl..." she said worriedly.

"J-just thinking about the past..." I said softly.

Demi looked into my eyes and smiled sadly. "I can tell that much. I won't pry in your mind unless you want to tell me."

I smiled at her gratefully as the flashbacks of the nightmare rolled in my head again. There was also a reason that I hadn't seen much of my dad after my parents' divorce. The memories were too painful to think about again. I sighed internally. My eyes snapped to Demi, who was clearly concerned, but didn't say anything.

Trust her.

I heard again in my head. I shook my head at the thought. I had never trusted anyone with this information. But...I wanted to trust her. My instincts told me that I could trust her.

She's your mate. She loves you and would never hurt you. Mates trust each other and fight their battles together.

I bit my lip again. I felt Demi's fingers lifting my chin upwards gently. "It's okay, baby girl." She smiled at me gently. "When you're ready."

"I'm scared." My eyes closed again. I could feel Demi tense slightly before pulling me closer to her. She didn't speak, silently waiting for me to continue. "When I was very little, about four years old, we were all living together in New York. We were a happy family... at least aside from the occasional arguments mom and dad had about dad working too much." My voice broke a little at this and I was immediately pulled closer into my mate's warmth.

"We don't have to talk about this." She said firmly.

"I want to tell you." I said softly. "I want you to know."

"Okay..." She hesitated as she kissed my forehead gently. "Go on, Sweet Girl."

"My dad was the head of a huge publishing company and he worked constantly...kind of like he is now. Even when he was home, he was working. One day, my father took Adri and I to the park. When we arrived, he received an important call from a client. He told Adri to watch me while he sat on the bench, which wasn't that far away. Adri was only ten back then."

Demi began to tense up even more, but stayed visibly calm for me. I closed my eyes and leaned into her chest. "We walked into this place we liked to call the mini forest. It wasn't a real forest of course, and the trees were actually quite short, but at our age it seemed like a forest."

I actually smiled a little at this, remembering how we used to go exploring. "Adri climbed up a tree." I chuckled. "I was too small to climb but I was stubborn enough to try anyways. As I was climbing, this person showed up out of nowhere and grabbed me. Adri saw them take me, but she couldn't do anything because she couldn't get down fast enough. I remember her screaming for dad, but he thought she was just trying to get his attention and we were playing a game. By the time he realized what had happened, I was gone."