Emma
Sometimes your body makes decisions before your brain can accept what's going on. Most of the time, you can control your body before it's too late, but in this case i can't.
My body hurdles through the door at an alarming rate, my feet moving at a speed that I didn't even know was possible. My muscles burn with a fire, the extreme motion making the pain almost unbearable.
"Emma!" Elicio's deep voice fills my ears. Fear pools at the bottom of my stomach, hearing his voice causing shivers down my spine. Although he seemed un-affected by my blood, I knew better than to trust him. He purposely took me to that room and showed me what type of monsters they all were.
How could I be so naive to trust a complete stranger? My anger at myself quickly dissipates when I get distracted by the twists and turns through the infinite halls. I whip around a corner, coming close enough to bang into the wall. My feet digging into the plush carpet, searching for some sort of friction.
In my distracted haze, my body collides with an unknown figure. The soft sound of me falling on the ground brings me back to reality. Air escapes my lungs as my head bangs into the ground, leaving a stinging sensation where I am impacted.
"Are you okay?" An angel-like voice fills my ears. I groggily look up at the woman, a slight dull ache coursing through me. Her bright green eyes pierce into mine. Familiarity flows over me as I realize that I'm staring at the woman in the portrait. Queen Victoria.
"Yeah, um, yeah," I say while trying to get up, but ultimately failing. She reaches out her perfect almost porcelain hand, and I take it with slight hesitation.
"You shouldn't fear me love, I won't hurt you," she says and I look at her puzzled.
"I could smell it," she says while tapping the side of her nose. I glance down at myself before taking a subtle wiff. Only smelling my perfume.
"How?" I ask. She looks at me with amusement.
"It's a vampire thing," she says, like it's obvious.
"Oh," is all I say as she smiles at me. She looks over my shoulder and I glance back at the empty hallway before looking back towards her.
"Did you piss Elicio off?" She asks. I simply nod my head and she laughs slightly. Her eyes filled with joy.
"Maybe," I whisper, hesitant of what the outcome might be.
"Follow me," she says while turning and walking towards the end of the hall. I contemplate following her for a second but decide it's the safest thing I could possibly do. If I had to trust any vampire, it would be the one who has been the nicest to me since I've met them.
Her body moves gracefully through the halls, her hair swaying with her movements. I follow closely behind, fearing that I may get lost. She slows down to a stop, me following her motions.
A large door stands in front of us, small engravings of symbols covering the dark wood. I raise my hands to the design and she lets out a breath of relief.
"What is this?" I ask and she opens the door. The smell of the outdoors instantly fills my senses. My eyes run over the scenery as I walk through the frame. Soft grass covers the ground, and large plants decorate the walls. Twisting vines covering the ceiling. I glance over at Victoria who holds a wide smile.
"This is my safe haven," she says before walking towards a small tree, the roots twisting and turning across the ground. I follow her and take a seat besides her. I worriedly look towards the door.
"Don't worry, my son can't find you. I casted a spell on this room only allowing me to see it, and now you," she says with a slight smile. I look over at her, confused.
"Part witch," she says, while taking a mock bow.
"How many mythical beings am I going to meet today?" I ask no one in particular. Victoria bursts into a fit of laughter and I grumble incoherent words.
"Just you wait," she says after sobering up. We sit in silence after that, giving me enough time to take in little details of the room. Small chirps of birds fill the silence and I notice the large amount of wildflowers that cover most of the ground.
"Who made this?" I ask while running my fingers across the ground. The small blades of grass tickling my flesh. A foriegn, but lovely feeling.
"My beloved, Cassius. He really is the most caring," she says looking up dreamily. I smile slightly at the loving look she has strewn beautifully across her face. My heart slightly longing for a feeling remotely close to that.
"That sounds amazing," I whisper. She nods her head enthusiastically.
"Yes my dear. I hope you meet someone just as amazing," she says while looking into my eyes, her words being as sincere as she could muster. I blush at the idea. Someone who loves me for me? That sounds impossible.
"Don't get your hopes too high," I sigh. She just rolls her eyes before closing her eyes and basking in the artificial sun light.
"My sons are trying to reach me," she states, frustrated. I giggle as she begins to rub her temples.
"How do you know?" I ask. She glances up before continuing her massage on her tender skull.
"Vampires can sort of, communicate? We just talk through our heads sort of," she says with frustration. I giggle at her childish antics. For being about two thousand years old, she seems to have a young personality. Adapting with the time not being an issue for her.
"I'm sorry," I whisper while looking down at my palms.
"Don't worry. He tends to be too much for people. Always rushing before someone is ready," she says. Her words were completely right.
"He is a good man though. I'm very proud of the king he became," she says with a smile.
"You two must be close," I observe.
"Of course," she says. After a few moments, she finally caves and looks off into space. I assume she's communicating with him. When she finally zones back in, I never would've guessed what her next words would be.
"You're grandmothers here," the words barely left her mouth before I burst from my spot by the tree and sprinted out the door.
-----
"Gram," I barely say before running into her arms. My head pressed into her shoulder while silent tears fell down my cheeks.
"It's okay sweetheart. Everythings going to be okay," she whispers into my blonde tendrils. I cling to her tightly for a few more moments before releasing, basking in the warmth that she provided.
"Elicio said you weren't adapting well," she says with a sad smile. I quickly agree with what she says.
"She was barely awake for twenty minutes before I was able to scare her off," Elicio's deep voice resonates through my ears. My eyes shoot towards him and I give a sheepish grin.
"I'm sorry," I whisper.
"It was deserved," is all he says. I nod my head, still embarrassed by my actions. Glancing over at my grandmother, I notice her wide smile.
"Let's go somewhere more private," she says before leading down the hall. I look over at Elicio who just shrugs before following, myself doing the same.
"Where are you taking us?" I ask, breaking the silence.
"To my old room," she states, nonchalantly. I look at her back, shocked. She lived here? Did she know?
"I can hear the gears turning love," she says, still facing forward.
"You knew about everything but still didn't tell me?" I ask, a sense of hurt washing over me. Her steps hesitate slightly but pick up just as quickly.
"I couldn't. I was under oath," she says while glancing back, a sad look across her face. I nod my head, the pain still there. My grandmother and I shared everything, so finding out that she kept this huge secret for so long hurt. And it hurt bad.
We stop in front of a door. My grandmother, without hesitation, bursts through the door. I follow quickly behind her only to find myself frozen to the floor. The room was huge, filled with weapons of all kinds. The walls were covered in daggers, guns, and stakes. Every couple of feet, a punching bag hangs from the ceiling.
The slight nudge from Elicio brings me out of my shocked state. I pick up my feet and follow my grandmother's fast paced steps. She leads us to a set of sofas with a small coffee table between them. I plant my body on one of the couches, my grandmother right beside me.
Elicio sits in front of us, his features grim. I glance at both of them, waiting for them to speak.
"Have you ever heard of soulmates?" Elicio speaks up. My memories resurfacing the stories that they would tell in history.
"Weren't all of the 'other halves' extinct?" I ask in confusion.
Other halves were considered soulmates for people. They were wiped out about a year ago, all records of them even existing vanishing to nothing. No one even knows how to find them anymore, which honestly, might be a good thing.
"Not those types of soulmates," my grandmother states. I raise my brow at them.
"Vampires and Wolves are the only beings that have soulmates anymore," Elicio states.
"Why are we talking about this?" I ask, confused. What does soulmates have to do with my life?
"Well we believe your symptoms started because you accidentally ran into your soulmate," Gram states with a wide grin. Her skin wrinkling from the motion.
"It's called a heat," Elicio states. I look between them before speaking up.
"So how do I get rid of it?" I ask. They both glance at each other before me.
"You need to find your soulmate," Elicio states dumbly. Like my question had the most obvious answer in the world, which might just be true.
"And how do I do that?" I ask.
"Wolves can tell by scent, touch, and even eye contact. Their wolf will even tell them that they found their 'mate'," Gram says. I nod my head.
"For vampires, it's not that simple. There's a mark that decorates your body, which matches your mate. They darken the more you're around your 'beloved' or whatever they call it," Gram states. Elicio scoffs at her disregard towards their title for their soulmates.
"Well that doesn't sound so hard. We just find them and then I'll be free from this pain," i say triumphantly. Elicio and my grandmother share a look before glancing at me.
"It's not that simple," gram says with sad eyes. I look at her, confused once again.
"There was a ball on the night of your arrival. All of the kingdoms were here," Elicio says with a sad expression.
"What does that mean?" I ask as worry trickles through me. My anxiety towards this situation skyrocketed by the second.
"That we might just need to take a road trip," Elicio states. I glance at gram who just nods her head. Oh no...