Chereads / Dystrophy of the Heart / Chapter 24 - Chapter Twenty Two

Chapter 24 - Chapter Twenty Two

I was standing in a moonlit garden, my long silk overdress and chemise hugging my curves as I stared at the orb in the sky. I could tell that the man was behind me, and I had tears streaming down my face. Even the soft glow of the rose petals and lilies would not quell the raging sorrow and betrayal in my heart.

"I am sorry my love," He was almost crying behind me. I remained silent, looking at the moon reflecting diamonds into my eyes on the sea before me.

"Please, say something." He started to approach, but I tensed my body and he stopped in place only a few steps behind me.

"How long?" My voice was shaky, my salty tears running down my throat. Even though the beast behind me had hearing that could hear the softest leaf hitting the sand, I could hear his hard gulp as he tried to regain composure.

"The first we consummate was at the century's turn. I have sustained her to have her, blinded by lust and greed."

"You have sustained her for seven decades for your lust and greed." I could hear him wince at my sharp words that prodded and tore at him as I laid his adultery bare.

"She claimed to be passing, and begged me to prolong her demise. As I took her virginity I felt responsible for her care." I twisted my head from the sea to see the pathetic and dark vampire behind me. It was Elijah, his hair longer and shaggier, and other than his linen clothes he looked the same. I could not help the words that spilled from my angry mouth as I felt like I was reliving a memory than controlling it.

"You took mine as well! And my hand all those moons ago, and yet you feel more obligated to a harlot than your wife?" He was in front of me in a blink of an eye, curling his cold fingers around mine as well. I tried to rip away, but his face was full of regret and adoration.

"I have been sickly and near death since we married! Yet you choose to turn a whore to your devoted wife to grant that gift!" I had started kicking his shins now, trying to pull myself away. He pulled me closer to him, encapsulating me in his embrace. I tried to struggle out, but my heart started to beat hard in my chest and I nearly collapsed. If Elijah was not holding me close.

"Get away from me!" I wailed, sobbing into the empty night air.

"I would walk through the depths of Tartarus itself. I could fight off a horde and come out unscathed, but the one thing I could never do was let you go." I stilled, his words both hurting me and healing me.

"I am sorry, my love. I swear to you, I will never be unfaithful again. I swear to you, that under our marriage moon I will give you the same gift, and keep you happy for all eternity. This is my oath to you." I collapsed in a ball of tears in his embrace. Forgiveness was hard, and for a sin like this it was even harder. Before the memory like dream dissolved I felt like it was not impossible.

My dreams had turned into a mix of fantastical dreams of historical moments and scenery, and horrific blood filled battles and disasters. I had not reacted in such a harsh way even after the gore and fowl, mostly a cold sweat and ragged breathing. Elijah has permitted me to leave my room in a slow manner. At the current moment it was just to his office and back to my room, with physiotherapy with Luca still occurring in my room. It had become routine, and I had even become comfortable in my prisoner life. I had lost track of weeks and months, everything just blurring together. It was strange to say that I had become attached-- or at least accustomed-- to the tall and built vampire that ruled with an iron fist. For the most part he was silent, and would only tell me stories if I really pressed him on it. For the most part I had just told him my backstory, even though it was not all that interesting. I was just a sickly child who was abandoned in an orphanage when I was a baby, most likely because my parents did not care about me or want to cope with my disease. The orphanage was lonely and cruel, except for the vice director Sister Kennedy. She was the one who took care of me until I met Conner in high school where we supposedly fell in love. After that I really stopped talking to him, finding my past relationship a little too difficult to speak of. It was almost like an unwritten rule about our previous spouses-- I did not speak about Conner, and he did not speak about Sara. Today was a day like any other. It was starting to become bitterly cold outside as winter loomed over us menacingly. I was snuggled up in a thick cashmere knit sweater, yoga pants and fleece lined chestnut boots that matched my light gold sweater. Ziva had lovingly coiled my hair into a braid, and my glasses were newly cleaned. I had filled out a bit from my rich meals and the rich blood I was to consume, a mug of which was warm in my hands. My skeletal figure had filled out, so much so that Elijah had to buy me new clothes. I was actually growing a little pudgy, but it was not like I minded at all. My last bra size was an A and I had just filled out into a D. My pear shaped figure still remained, with most of my thickness in my thighs and rear. It was a little embarrassing to have gained so much weight, but Elijah did not seem to mind at all nor did Luca. Luca actually praised my weight gain, stating that my BMI was still in a healthy range, even if I was thicker. I was humming softly as I gulped down the sweet and warm liquid, much to Elijah's delight. The usually stoic man had a uncharacteristic smile on his face as I danced a bit in my chair.

"Are you feeling better tesoro?" He used his recent name on me. I had asked him what it meant and he told me it meant fool. Yet when I asked Ziva she gave me a coy smile and Luca turned bright red. I nodded, although glaring at him a bit, thinking that it still meant fool.

"I am feeling better, you meathead." I stuck my tongue at him, causing a deep rumble in his chest signifying laughter

"Se sei più sveglio non posso impedirmi di mangiarti." His Italian was smooth but I was still clueless in it.

"What did you say?" I asked warily.

"I said you look like a pig when you do that, and Ziva will roast you if she sees you." I was taken aback, mainly because when he said those previous words he sounded so sincere and kind.

"You take that back!" I slapped his shoulder and he chuckled before returning to his work. I just pouted and drank my blood, becoming accustomed to the medicine.

"Am I a pig because I gained weight?" He blinked as if trying to comprehend my words, but I was feeling quite self conscious.

"What gave you that impression?" I just shrugged, looking into my glowing red mug. The man sighed before reaching out to me and running his fingers over my knuckles.

"You know why I don't let you go down to the village?" I shook my head at his strange and sudden question.

"Italian men have their own preferences. Whether you be thin or thick, they would pursue you endlessly. You have lovely features and a lovely figure, whether you are smaller or bigger." I clutched my chest at his kind words, tears pricking my eyes.

"Thank you Eli." His air seemed to change and he frowned at me for calling him Eli.

"Then again, your personality is something to be desired." I could not help my hand from lashing out and punching his stone hard biceps.

"Luca says I'm lovely!"

"My nephew is a liar." I pouted at his words and turned away from him in mock anger. He obviously was not buying my dramatic act. We stayed quiet for what seemed like an eternity, and I just stared at the dust particles dancing lazily around the room.

"You have never told me about your family. Can you tell them about them? Do you have any kids?" His writing faltered for a moment before he began again.

"I have no children. I told Sara that she was the only one who would bear my children, but I never fully turned her so she was unable to conceive. As for my siblings, I have a sister and brother. Luca is my sister Hilda's son, and my brother Theon had a girl and a boy. The girl is about twelve hundred, and Theon is about eight hundred."

"So you are the oldest?" He nodded his head in time to my legs kicking the air.

"I am. I turned my mother when I was young, so I would always have her in my life. Despite being estranged, and having her give birth to those cretins I wouldn't have it any other way." I was surprised by how soft he was when speaking when he spoke of his family. His quill even slowed and his hard and severe features softened and relaxed. It looked like a weight was lifted off his shoulders.

"She sounds like a lovely woman," I ceased my kicking and then buried my face into my arms as I leaned over the desk, "But how did you turn her if she birthed you?" He tensed at my question and his writing stopped. His sudden tenseness made an icy hand roam up my back with chills. Before he could even say anything the door burst open, causing me to flinch but Elijah it had no effect. I saw that his nostrils were flaring but he was still, but there was anger boiling in his eyes. He looked like a wolf that had just caught a sniff of another pack in his territory. Luca was looking like a deer caught in the headlights, the light spilling in behind him blinding me.

"Get her out now!" Elijah barked, standing up and slamming his hands so hard into his desk the room shook. I heard the desk even splinter a bit. I screamed and pushed myself back, the chair teetering behind me. All of a sudden I was thrown into the air as the chair swung backwards. I half expected someone to catch me, but I painfully hit the ground, tumbling out of the chair. I managed to roll to my side and wince, only to see Elijah standing deathly still with a raging hot fury rolling off of him.

"I can't! She's threatening the Convocation if she cannot see you!" The room seemed to simultaneously drop ten degrees, while Elijah's fury burned brighter and hotter. Now his garnet eyes were glowing, his teeth sharpening into fangs and nails into talons. His elvish ears seemed to grow pointier, and I trembled as I looked at the beast hulking over the desk. The slight alterations seemed to change his whole look and demeanor, making him look like a terrifying bloodthirsty beast than man. I flinched, making his eyes dart over to me. He noticed I was trembling and seemed to soften a bit, but his animalistic features remained.

"Get her out of here now!" He screeched and pointed at me.

"Do you not want me to see some sort of toy you have there?" A soft and feminine voice cooed from the door. I was behind the desk so the person was invisible to me, but Luca suddenly appeared behind me and he ushered me underneath the desk so I was hidden in the darkness. I only had a cage of legs in front of me as the two men stood side by side. The wood desk made me feel claustrophobic, the earthy scent washing over me.

"Get out Marie." Elijah's voice was quieter, but still fuming. It made my heart beat fast in my chest, recognizing the name on the spot.

"You should focus on your pet," Heels clicked closer to us with every purr of her voice, "She sounds like her little heart will give out." I covered my face with my hands, trembling on the spot. The soft purr and seductiveness of her voice sent shoots of absolute terror down my spine as if I had heard it before. I began to shake violently as my body reacted violently to her presence. Even without seeing her, something about her made my body scream with alarm bells, as if I was imminent danger. I heard an eerie scratching noise above me, and I realized that Elijah was digging his talons into the desk. Tiny cracks began to form above me, and I could not help the small squeak falling from my lips. Darkness surrounded me as I shut my eyes, only to be met with cold hands soothingly brushing over my face and hair. I began to jolt in fear, trying to escape like a trapped animal by pressing myself against the back.

"It's okay, Elijah will make her leave." Luca hummed and stroked my hair again. I could hear something grabbing something cloth and hard harshly. I cracked my eyes to see Luca kneeling down and shielding me from the outside. Elijah's clawed hand was clenching his shoulder, and even though it looked like it hurt, Luca was still calm and soft.

"Awe, is it Luca's toy or is it yours? I know you don't like sharing your things, but you love sharing others." I felt my chest burn by that, as if the venomous words were affecting me. The room was deathly quiet, and I thought a murder was about to happen. My tiny hands bravely shot out and gripped his ankle to stop him. I knew that if he really wanted to do something, he would kick me off and do it. However he stilled under my touch and remained standing there.

"Get out Marie. I don't care if you are threatening the Convocation on me for not allowing you in my residence. They have no control over me or my business." He was spitting mad, but cool under my fingertips. Luca was hushing me as I bit back tears, vibrating like an earthquake. There was a soft brushing sound over the wood opposite to Elijah.

"You made me, so you have to take responsibility," Her words made me stop shaking and remember my dream, " I should be allowed to walk in and out of this residence."

"There is no law saying that creations have rights to their creators property." Luca added, peering over the desk.

"There is not a law, but it is more like an unwritten rule."

"So you admit there is no law. So get off my property now, and go complain to your Convocation. I am not scared of them, because I have followed the ancient laws." I could almost hear the smirk on her lips.

"You embarrassed me by disowning me Elijah, and now you should be scared of me and my allies." Elijah's cold skin seemed to heat up underneath my fingertips. Luca looked a little scared, but not at the mysterious woman who was threatening them but at his uncle. Something told me that his expression was not one of kindness, and just seeing it might kill me on the spot.

"Let me see your little toy Eli. I would like to play with her, just like I played with Sar-" My fingertips were suddenly empty and in a blink even Luca was even gone. I heard Luca screaming, while there were beast-like screams and growls. I scrambled out from under the desk as if on instinct. I stood up and turned only to see Luca trying to wrestle a primal Elijah. He had his arms wrapped around his waist and was trying to pull him back as Elijah flailed and tried to claw at the gold and white figure behind him standing smirking at the door. She had long golden hair, and porcelain skin. Her figure looked like a supermodel, just utter perfection. She wore a white tight latex dress, and glitter stilettos. Her dark eyes made eye contact with me and they widened just as Elijah accidentally hit Luca's shoulder with a spray of blood. I screamed as the blood sprayed in front of me like raindrops.

"Stop it Elijah!" As if everything reset, Luca collapsed and Elijah froze on the spot. I rushed over to the fallen vampire and started trying to press down the wound. Luca just tried to push me behind him but I was adamant about pushing the open wound. It was four deep cuts that ran from his collar down his right arm.

"Suri, stop!" He was trying to shove me behind him again but it was too late. She was staring at me like she had seen a ghost before her. Her perfect face contorted into an angry sneer that left me feeling empty. Luca successfully scooted in front of me, while Elijah was still frozen in place.

"Who the fuck are you?" She cracked and shrieked like a banshee. I jumped and pressed my hand against Luca's bleeding arm and ducked behind him in fear. He was breathing heavily but standing strong before me. His warm blood flowed down my arm and stained my clothes and skin. Elijah was still frozen like a statue, and I silently begged for him to move just as she started moving towards me. As if he could read my mind, there was a blur of movement and he was pushing her out of the room. She was shouting incoherently as all my attention was on the wounded Luca.

"Are you okay?" I could feel his skin almost moving underneath my fingers as if it was rapidly closing.

"I'm alright Sara," He slipped, but seemed unaware of it. I just brushed it off, holding him as Marie's shrieks disappeared down the hall.