The cherry blossoms on the tree swayed in the wind as the falling petals danced and twirled to the ground, landing playfully in my hair. Rajaka was staring at me with a smirk planted on his face. Something deep down inside me recoiled.
I had seen that look on men before and it had meant pain.
As I studied his face closely, I wondered how I had ever compared him to those men. Still though, I was beginning to think that I should be more wary of him. I had always been told to follow my first instinct, and that had never led me astray. I wondered why I had thought that he was like one of my torturers. I toyed with the thought that he may not be one of them, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t like to watch. I quickly dispelled the thought. I was way too calm around him for him to be mean. There is no way I could be so comfortable with an evil monster.
The golden leaves of a bush had flown there was into Rajaka’s hair and one had spiraled onto his lips of perfection and then to his open mouth. He spit and gagged reflexively while using his hands to swipe randomly at his face.
Now I know that I just said that I was going to be more wary of him, but this was just too funny…I just had to laugh. He had always been grace and charm, never letting his back bend in a board manner, and now he was gagging like a cat with a fur ball.
He was laughing now too, but I noticed something that he must have missed. I was not laughing with him… I didn’t want to, I was laughing at him. For some reason, that same part that had warned me of him before, was back in action. You’re lucky he didn’t notice that, it warned me, I bet he would have been mad at you.
I shook my head to physically get rid of my mental disobedience. Rajaka was studying me closely as I battled to put my thoughts back in their rightful place. Remember that he is higher than you and you have to obey him too, I reminded myself. I shook my head again, but this time harder, and the petals in my hair gracefully sprinkled down to the ground below.
The ground!!!! The ground was shining a bright gold that matched the leaves in Rajaka’s hair. I jumped in surprise and when I came down I found myself cradled in Rajaka’s arms, which was weird since he was standing at least an arm’s length away from me before I had jumped. I also had really good eyesight since I was a vampire, so I was wondering how he had moved so fast without me noticing. I hadn’t even really jumped that high now that I thought about it. It was just a little jump of surprise.
His arms were holding me so there was no way I was getting out without causing a scene and making him angry, and it was impossible to miss the soothing warmth that his body released. My mind was tense and quickly trying to decide what to do, but my body was betraying me. It was like I wasn’t even controlling myself, (which I knew was impossible). One second I was being awkwardly held by a strong and powerful vampire; afraid and not knowing what to do, and the next I was cuddling up against him, trying to swallow up the warmth inside of him and keep it so no one else could have it.
Warm and gentle fingertips grabbed my chin and turned my head, so I had to look at his eyes. His eyes were burning with concentration and power, and I felt myself drawn to that atmosphere.
With his hands still firmly, but gently holding my jaw he lowered his head so his lips were descending onto mine. His stunning lips were all I could see. The way they parted slightly as they came towards mine. The curves of their fullness surrounded me, and I knew that I would be in for a taste of heaven when they found waiting mouth.
My déjà vu hit me hard. I had seen those lips before and I knew that the vampire they rested on was truly the man I wanted. That man would go to the end of the world for me and here I was about to kiss another who I didn’t even know all that well. I was ashamed of myself.
I arched my back and twisted out of his firm grip like a snake. I lashed out my hand and it found its mark on the lips of my superior. I landed gracefully in the grass a few feet away. The grass lit up again at my touch, but I hardly even noticed it. Rajaka was crouched in an attack position and a scowl covered his beautiful face with a trickle of blood dribbling down his chin. I was overcome by fear of the deadly creature before me. I knew that if Hiram was here, he would be able to help me. I mouthed his name, hoping that doing so would make him appear. Rajaka could obviously read lips and was surprised at the name I had mouthed for some reason. The scary expression was lifted off of his face, and it returned to the loveliness that I had come to expect.
“Sorry,” he said, “I forgot about the no hugging rule.”
Now that I knew he wasn’t going to hurt me, my fear vanished, revealing burning anger.
“You went a little bit farther than the no hugging rule,” I snapped.
“Sorry,” he amended, holding up his hands in defeat, “you just seemed so scared. I couldn’t help it.”
“I wasn’t scared,” I snapped, embarrassment joining my anger, “I was just surprised when the grass turned gold.”
“The grass?” he scoffed, “the grass has always been like that. You just didn’t notice it till now. It is just a form of security. It lights up whenever a vampire is on it. That way now one can sneak in invisible or something like that.” I had just realized that the grass around his feet was sparkling too. Wow, I thought, what is wrong with me.
I was being quickly drawn into his now calm manner, but I knew that I didn’t want to be. I thought that maybe he was messing with my mind, but after my encounter with Oliver, I was fairly certain that I would notice when someone tried to get into my head from now on. What I did know though, was that whenever I was away from him, I could think better. I had to get away.
“I need to get back to my quarters,” I demanded, trying to sound brave even though I was still kind of scared of how powerful he was…is. He looked me in the eye, and they were brimming with concentration. Once again the calm feeling washed through my body. I knew it was him then…something that he was doing was making me calm.
I concentrated all my efforts on the face of Hiram. His pale, strong skin, the way my skin would tingle an electric charge whenever he would brush pass me with just the lightest touch. The way my heart would flutter uncontrollably whenever he was around, and the curve of his smirk as he heard the audible change in my heart’s tempo.
All the calm feelings left me. I had won. My victory was short lived though as I opened my eyes and saw the snarl that distorted Rajaka’s perfect appearance. He was being rejected, and I would bet money that that had never happened to him before. He was probably used to getting what he wanted, when he wanted. On the outside I acted terrified, but on the inside I allowed myself a smirk of rebellion.
I made myself shake with fear on the outside when I was actually quickly coming up with a plan. One thing was certain. I could not get out of here without someone’s help and that person I trusted would not go to the queen to tell her of my escape…Hiram. The only problem was that I didn’t know where he was, I needed the chair for that, but I knew that he was here. Deep down I knew that he was around here somewhere.
I was so lost in plans that I almost missed Rajaka talking to me again. His face had returned to normal, but when I looked at him now all I could see was the contorted phase I had just witnessed, and he no longer seemed so handsome or enticing to me.
“What would you like to do now?” he questioned.
I knew that I couldn’t spend anymore time with and that I needed to get back to the throne room, but I wouldn’t be able to go back there until tomorrow.
“I would like to return to my room,” I decided staring at him defiantly. He flinched under my penetrating gaze. The corners of my mouth wanted so bad to twitch upwards into a grin, but I fought back the urge.
“As you would like,” he said, bowing his head mockingly, “I do believe there is dinner in your room awaiting your return.” I held my chin high playing along with his game, though I was puzzled by his words…how on Earth could there be dinner in my room.
As we approached my room, he bowed low to, still playing, and departed before I could even open my door.
As I pushed the door open an overpowering scent filled my very being. It called out to my thirsty body like alcohol to an addict; it filled my very being till all I could think was ‘kill’. My eyes burst open and before me was a man…a human man. He looked to be about thirty with dark black hair with a few grays appearing on either side. His nose was crooked from being broken so many times; his eyes once used to be blue, but were now almost grey with weariness. He was inside a black barred cage. When he saw me gazing at him, quiet obviously wanting to devour him, he screamed…a blood curdling scream meant for the movie screens.
If I would have been in my right mind, I might have spared him. Assist him out and tried to help him escape. But all I was thinking, feeling, smelling, and wishing for was his blood. I felt my fangs elongate and I knew that there was no turning back.
In one swift movement I was opening the cage door and draining the blood of a screaming, defenseless man.
When it was over he collapsed in my hands, and I was suddenly back to my normal self. I stared in horror at what I had done and backed slowly out of the cage.
I curled myself up into a ball on my bed and cried myself to sleep.