“Miraya?” I was still standing over that man’s body when Cassius’ deep and velvety voice sounded behind me.
Startled, I spun around with a gasp. My eyes flickered between him and the man’s body, “H… How much did you see?”
His eyes widened in horror as he took a step toward me. He raised his shaking fingers and touched my cheeks. “Is this still you, Miraya?”
I took a step backward and wiped the blood off my lips. Raising my bloody hand, I burst into a peal of dry laughter. “What do you think? I just killed this boy lying here.” My throat constricted. “I sucked his blood until the light in his eyes died.”
He shook his head vehemently, “I don’t believe you can do something like that.” He rushed over and held my shoulders. “I know you very well, Miraya. You are anything but a killer.”
I looked into his eyes, brimming with emotions. Love did really blind people. He had just seen me killing the boy, yet here he was unafraid, unbothered; arguing with me that I was not a killer.
“Aww… how sweet? I almost have tears in my eyes.” Andres taunted as he walked towards us. The simmering rage brewing within me exploded the moment I saw him. I so wanted to wipe that smirk off his face.
The thought had barely crossed my mind when I found myself in front of him; my movement had been so fluid that it was barely noticeable. A sudden surge of power coursed through me. It made me feel like I could do anything I wanted.
I grabbed him by his collar and punched him. His eyes widened, and he gaped at me; too shocked to react. I rained a few more blows before gritting out, “You better stay away from the ones I love, Andres. You have already turned me into a monster and I won’t mind killing you.”
With those words, I released him. He staggered and crashed against the trunk of the tree. I held Cassius’ hand and walked out of the grove with my head held high.
So what if I had turned into a monster? If I could protect the ones, I loved, it was worth it.
“Miraya?”
“Hmm…”
“What exactly happened back there?”
My steps faltered, and I stopped walking. I didn’t want Cassius to hate me, but I didn’t want to lie to him either. A sigh left my lips, and I looked at him with pleading eyes. “Can’t you forget about everything that just happened?’
“I don’t think that is possible, Miraya. I just saw you moving so fast and then you beat up Andres like that…. I don’t think I can ever get that image out of my mind.”
He held my shoulders and drew closer; his eyes boring into mine, “Please….”
“You are probably going to hate me after this, but I think you deserve to know the truth.”
He drew closer and placed a soft kiss on the corner of my lips. “Nothing you do can make me hate you, Miraya.”
My breath hitched and my heart started beating erratically. He stayed like that, his right hand on my shoulder and his lips lingering against mine.
I stepped back reflexively and studied his expression. The unconditional love that I saw in his eyes is what prompted me to tell him everything.
It felt good to get it off my chest. I felt strangely lightheaded. I couldn’t help but wonder if things would have been different had I told my parents the truth.
“I am so sorry, Miraya. I am sorry that I couldn’t hear your silent pleas.” Cassius said, tracing lazy circles on the back of my hand. “I am sorry that….”
“Why are you apologising, Cassius?” I cut him off with a shrug. “None of this is your fault.”
He squeezed my hand and looked into my eyes. “This isn’t your fault, either. So, You should stop blaming yourself.”
My heart clenched as Emma and Daniel’s faces flashed in my mind. Did it matter whether it was not my fault? My parents were dead.
“Hey, my love, please don’t cry,” Cassius said as he drew closer and wiped off the moisture from my cheeks. I hadn’t even realized that I was crying until he wiped off the tears.
He pulled me into a hug and rested his face on my head; cocooning me in his warmth. His embrace was like soft morning sunshine. It seeped through my skin and bones; soothing my heart and soul.
“Why are you still here, Cassius?”
His breath hitched. “Do you want me to leave?”
“That would be for the best,” I spoke in a voice that was barely a whisper. At the same time, I gripped the fabric of his shirt and nestled closer.
“I don’t know what is good or bad, Miraya.” He said, wrapping his arms tighter. “I know only one thing. I love you and I am not leaving you.”
His words cocooned me in their warmth. How I wished I could spend the rest of my life like this. Even as I made that wish, I knew it wasn’t possible. I was a vampire now.
***
“You want me to go to college?” I shook my head incredulously. “Are you crazy? What if I am overcome with bloodlust and start killing all of them?”
“I don’t think you will do that, Miraya. We have been living together for ten days and you haven’t hurt me.”
“But I did kill that boy in the groove.”
“That was because you were under compulsion, Miraya.”
Tears brimmed in my eyes, and a strange ache built in my chest. “Why do you have so much confidence in me, Cassius?”
“Cause I love you.” His lips lifted in a smile and he cupped my face. “I know that you are not a killer, Miraya. Don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise.”
A strong gust of wind left my lips in the form of a sigh. “Let us not push this, Cassius. I won’t go to a public place unless I am hundred percent sure that I am not a threat.”
His lips pressed into a thin line and he nodded. “I still have to go, Miraya. I need to submit all my projects.” Concern flashed in his eyes. “Will you be okay on your own?”
I wanted to cling to him like a koala and keep him from leaving. But that would be terribly selfish of me. So, I merely nodded.
Walking inside, I slumped on the couch. With Cassius gone, the shadows of mind-wrecking thoughts started haunting me again. My grip on the armrest tightened as that boy’s lifeless eyes flashed before me.
I could make a million excuses, but that would never change the fact that I had killed someone. The knot that had formed in my chest tightened, suffocating me.
Andres hadn’t tried to contact me after that incident, but there was no saying that he wouldn’t try to use me in the future. What if he forced me to do terrible things again? I had to find a way to break the hold of compulsion he had over me.
I pulled out the slip of paper mom had given me. My eyebrows furrowed as I read the address scrawled on the piece of paper.
Barrenwoods? Wasn’t that place supposed to be desolate? With a long, deep sigh, I got to my feet and locked the door. I had to find Stella. She was the only one who knew about the Supernatural world.
The hired coach took me to the forest about eighty miles from my house; amidst the wilderness. There seemed to be nothing for miles. I was about to return when I felt something; a faint glimmer that seemed like an envelope of power.
Weaving my way through brambles and bushes, I came upon a dense foliage of trees. Nestled right in the center of this grove was a small cottage.
Drawing closer, I caught a glimpse of Stella sitting on the couch. She was chatting happily with someone. Moments later, her aunt walked into the room with a plate of pancakes.
They settled down for a joyous breakfast. Something about that scene tugged the strings of my heart. Stella was completely fine, yet she didn’t return.
She knew about all my difficulties, but she chose to abandon me at the crucial moment. She didn’t even come to see me when my parents died.
With a heavy heart, I started walking back without meeting Stella. If she didn’t want to get involved in my life, I wouldn’t force her.