C H A P T E R 13

Valentina Dove Blackclaw

does not know what to do. He confuses her to the limit and the fear she has inside her of him controls her actions. Her wrist is burning with pain after he has sliced her up again in the same cuts as he had done before and it has not even begun healing. She tries her hardest to hide the pain from him but the fear becomes impossible for her to hide especially from the man that inspires the fear in the first place.

Knowing that she will have to obey him she stands up from the safety of the chair that she ha been sitting on and holding on like it were her whole world. Her body feeling hesitant and she shakes all over as she goes on the bed with him. The heart which beats in her chest begins to pick up the pace as she goes with her knees first and then lies on the bed, going as close to the edge on the bed as she possibly can to not be close to him. Though her body longs nothing more than to be in the arms of her Mate.

He takes the covers and goes under them but he doesn't say anything and for a moment she wishes him to speak to her, to let her hear his voice into her ears and fill her up with those emotions she gets but when reality kicks her she realizes that he can kill her if he wanted and as sad as it is he will kill her once he is done with her. She does not know when or how but all she knows is that it will take place someday in the near future.

"Your heart beats fast in your chest, almost as if it begs me to drink that blood it creates" He suddenly speaks, his voice husky yet still holds the same amount of power that it always does. His voice sends shivers down her spine and her heart is far from staying calm at his voice, the fear of him doing something to her creep inside her head. "Tell me... what is it that makes you so afraid?" He asks her. Her body is lying on her side with her back turned against him and before she could stop herself she turns around to face him.

She finds herself looking into his frighting scarlet red eyes yet she doesn't feel fear even when she looks into the very eyes that can send men digging their own graves with just one look. She turns so her body is facing the opposite side of what she has been before and she curses herself for she knows it was a bad idea yet a part of her knows that if she does not do what he tells her to do, he will harm her and she can't take any more pain.

"I'm not afraid of death" She finally whispers, her voice so low that is barely audible but the Vampire King heard her and she knows it. He chuckles at her response as if it amuses him and perhaps it does. "Everyone fears death just not the same. You do fear death... just not for yourself but for the ones you care for. You do not fear staring death in its face, no you fear the suffering that death around you can bring" He tells her with a smirk. She doesn't know how he knew that for it is true.

His every word was correct though she would never admit it to him out loud. "I'm not afraid to die by your hand" She then adds, which is the truth. He is her Mate and if he wishes to kill her then she will accept that fate yet no smile will be on her lips. Her Mate is supposed to care for her and love her unconditionally yet the one she has as a Mate is one that cannot experience love, she knows this and perhaps death by his hand is the way she is supposed to leave the world.

"That I believe is the truth" He whispers to her. Her mind keeps wondering why he is speaking to her like they know each other yet she doesn't wish to question it for he might harm her or harm her more than he has done. "However, your words say one thing but your heart says another" He tells her and Valentine cannot be sure what it is he is speaking of. Her eyebrows furrow as she looks only on him. Everything else is just distant in her mind. The tent, the Vampires outside the tent or even the day seems faded in her mind.

"You do not fear death by my hand because you desire another from me. That I cannot guess though it is what you have never desired from any man. Your pale blue eyes speak to me louder than a roaring flame that aims for nothing but attack and destroy with death and decay. Your eyes tell me what you wish when your mind doesn't want to speak" He tells her. "I believe we have no come to the conclusion that you can read me while all I know about you is that you enslaved my kind and are cruel and vicious" She says.

She had not meant to speak but he proves her in ways that none has ever done and he is her Mate, he is allowed to push her bottoms though her case it seems a little extreme. Valentina did not wish this to be her Mate yet fate has brought them together and if her death is meant to be in his hands then that is what will have to be done. He chuckles. "Why bother reading me when you know already all you need to know" He speaks and for a split second she could sense the fear in his voice.

Fear of what? She doesn't know yet wishes to find out. "I don't think this man that you hold yourself up to be is not who you are. Somewhere deep inside is the one who you truly are but the one you are now is only illusion of the one that you were. I believe that one day that man will rise and he will rule far better and be kind and just King instead of feeding the people he rules over with fear and hatred which will only get yourself killed" She speaks with confidence.

She doesn't know where it comes from but perhaps the one she is now is an illusion she has created to hide the strong person that she used to be. She can see how angry he becomes after she has spoken those words for the truth is not an easy thing to hear yet it is necessary. "You know nothing about me!" He harshly hisses at her before he turns around and his back faces hers. She sighs as she had believed she was finally getting through to him and perhaps it was a long shot get she wanted to change him for the better.

Turning to lie on her stomach she cannot believe how childish he acts though those thoughts would never be uttered out loud for she would most likely lose her head for it and that is something she would rather keep. "Good... night" She says confused for it is morning and they are going to sleep, her voice is low but she can tell that he heard her and she does not even know why she said that, then man beside her terrifies her more than anything else yet she had spoken with him like none of that mattered.

He doesn't answer her and she did not think he would. As she tries to fall into slumber she finds it impossible, not only is her body in pain that she has been trying to ignore this entire time but she also has a hard time quieting down the thoughts that continue to swirl in her mind like they were in a tornado that keeps growing bigger inside her head and does not want to leave her alone, not even for a second and it has created a mild headache inside along with the thoughts that won't stop.

As her eyes stay open she looks up at the tent to see it slightly moving along with the breeze that travels through and she wonders how wonderful it would be to feel the breeze dance on her skin or the sun to kiss cheek. Her mind travels everywhere all at once. She wonders how this is different than she thought it would be. She doesn't find herself dying nor does she feel like she's about to be in any danger though it doesn't make any sense for she's literally beside a Vampire King who wants nothing with her, she is nothing to him as he had stated before.

He might not realize it yet but he was kind to her, gave her food and now a bed to sleep on, which in her mind is an act for kindness. She fidgets with her hands on the sheets as she doesn't know what to do with her fingers when her mind is racing this much. Her ice blue eyes finally close themselves as she allowed the thoughts in her mind to sooth her until she's fast asleep and the darkness consuming her whole.

Valentina's ice blue eyes flutter open and for a small second she did not know where she was or how she got there but when the memories flashed before her mind's eye she calmed her panicked heartbeat. Looking around herself she notices she still lies on the bed, only this time she is no longer by the edge of the bed but rather near the middle or more importantly so close to him that their skin is almost touching. A light gasp escapes past her lips and she is quick to move herself to the edge of the bed again.

He still soundly sleep and she wonders how much a ruthless killer can sleep like a normal being at night and not feel the slightly remorse or guilt for what he has done but she must remind herself that perhaps a Vampire doesn't have a conscious and doesn't feel remorse or guilt at all. She must remind herself that he isn't like her and that he is a cold-hearted killer who feasts on blood no matter where it comes from even if it is from the one that is destined to be with him.

She releases a breath she has not realized she was holding in and it was only after her lungs begun to sting she let it go. She lies there on the bed and once again finds herself staring at the tent but this time it does not move in the way that it had done before as it does not even move at all. Figuring that there is no breeze any more she realizes that perhaps a couple of hours have passed. She does feel better in her body after having eaten and she has rested though she does feel her body want to pull her back into the darkness once more yet she doesn't allow it to do so.

The silence around her makes the world seem like time has stopped like it has gotten frozen and only she and she alone can move around and she has not frozen like the rest has. She doesn't know how much time has passed since she had woken up but by the time she realizes she should've tried to go back to sleep her body was already wide awake and refused to answer to the darkness that lurks when he closes her eyes and wishes nothing more than to drag her to sleep.

Sitting up and looking around the tent to see how much luxury he has and he does not even thank anyone for it and not has he thanked her for the blood that he takes from her. Surly she should have a say in the matter since the blood he drinks if from her own body. The tent is the largest tent she's ever seen her in her life and also the first tent she's ever seen in her life but it is also in the strangest color she has ever seen. It's a mixture between white and creamy white and yellow and brown.

No name comes in mind for the color though she doesn't dwell on it that long as she stands up as the scent of food catches her nose. She was not fed for days and her body is too thin for her liking. There are no mirrors anywhere and she wonders if she looks like herself or some horrid monster that will inspire nightmares to little children if she were to meet some. She believes that she looks disgusting and horrible as when she looks down her body all she sees are skeleton thin body with bones sticking out that she's sure she can count each and every one of them.

Walking over to the table where the food still laid out and she can't stop herself from wondering if he will ever eat this food or if it was only meant for her. Then again Valentina doesn't know much about Vampires and she only knows they drink blood yet that can't be all they consume. She takes a banana and starts eating it as she sits down on the chair, feeling exhausted by standing as she is still gaining her energy back.

The simplest thing like a banana tastes like heaven on her tongue and food has never felt more precious to her than now as she had spent days before this without food and even when she was given food in the room she found herself wanting only more and more, perhaps to fill the void in her body. She curses herself for thinking of her Mate ever caring her in the way that he is supposed to do yet it is right for her to think this way, it is in her true nature.

Finding herself eating a little bit more before her mind comes up with the idea that she should've thought a long time ago as she looks at the door of the tent. All she needs to do is unzip it and feel the sun on her skin. She knows very well Vampires cannot walk in the sun and she knows none of them will be able to follow her. Quickly but quietly she stands up from the chair with an apple in her hand she walks over to the door of the tent. Bends down and takes the zipper with her index finger and her thumb.

Her heart races faster in her chest than it has done before and somehow her heart is pulling her towards freedom which only take a couple of steps and then she's free yet her heart is also craving the same man that lies in deep slumber on that bed and for the last couple of hours has only showed her kindness. He had taken her blood and brought her actual physical pain to her body yet he cannot help it as he is a Vampire though that excuse all the other things he has done to her, things she's rather forget that be forced to relive by her mind.

Closing her eyes she takes a deep breath before she opens them once more and then moves her hand and pulls the zipper up. Instantly as the door begins to open light finds its way inside and the smile is hard to miss on her face and the tears prick her eyes like thorns but she wants this. She's seconds away from the freedom that she desperately wants and needs and after all the pain and suffering she has gone through she has to do this.

Fresh air and freedom is just within her reach and she's eager to reach for it and be free and happy. She hurries to open the door yet keeps herself as silent as she possibly can though it might be impossible as she is on the brink of jumping with job. Even after all the agony and all the suffering and all the heartache she still finds herself becoming happy with just the taste of freedom. The door opens and she steps one leg out that touches the soft grass and it tickles her toes and the giggle is hard to keep down.

The sound of her own laughter in her ears is unfamiliar to her and strange as she has not heard herself laugh in a long time. When she's out the sun is the first thing that greets her with open arms and it blinds her eyes and forces her to look down at the green grass beneath her very own feet yet she doesn't mind it at all, the sun is perfect if anything. It's warm and brings joy throughout her body, a feeling that she has been longing to feel for some time.

The sun is high on the sky as the noon has rolled through and when her ice blue eyes begin to gaze around herself, trying to spot anyone that will kill her on sight if they were to see her. But to her surprise she does not see a single soul. Only closed off tents that held sleeping Vampires inside them and she wonders if any of them are there and are eager to get out to hunt her down and devour her blood and leave her for dead like Vampires are known to do or play with her as they often prefer.

However the moment she sees no one she takes a second look at where she is, in the middle of no where and there is a grassy field wherever her eyes look. The road is the only thing she has to not get lost though she does wonder if she were to try to run away and she tries to figure out how far she will make it before she will be caught once again and punished more severely than anything that she has been through. Her body has tortured too much and she has not gained much weight and she does not have her strength. Perhaps her plans of freedom were always meant to be just that, plans.

With a sigh and a heavy heart she sits down on the grassy ground near the open door. She plays with the apple in her hands, as her eyes fill with tears but this time tears of sorrow that will hang over her once more as it had all be an illusion. Creating a fantasy that was nothing not an illusion in her mind, her own way of coping with the loss she has suffered and the pain she has gone through.

When looking around she sees the carriage and can't help but wonder why these people seem like they have gone back in time and are now living somewhere in the Middle Ages. However she also wonders why the Vampires who took her drove a car like the rest of the world yet they are in a carriage that is being pulled by horses. None of it makes any sense to her but she doesn't dwell much on that thought for she knows that she will never be able to get an answer for the questions that she has in mind, none would bother with her.

Her fingers trace the skin of the apple before she brings it to her lips and bites into it. "You must be the worst escaper of all time" She hears his husky (yet still manages to hold authority) voice behind her and she doesn't need to turn around to know he is there. Hidden from the shining sun which is her greatest protector now but that will all go away when the sun has lowered down and she herself has gone to sleep while the moon takes its rightful place on the sky.

"You are an interesting one, there is something about you that I can't figure out just yet" He says to her though she believes his words were not exactly meant for her but a thought that he had said out loud. "I realized there would be no where I could turn to" She then says, hiding the true reason. The ice blue-eyed girl had come to the conclusion that there is no where for her to go yet that was not the only reason she stayed. The same man that speaks to her now is her Mate and he is the reason she stays.

"That may be correct but anyone would've run had they been given the change yet I watched as you stood there and did nothing as if something were compelling you to stay. Enlighten me... what was it?" He asks her and she feels the blood rise to her cheeks when he speaks. No matter what she does he always knows the reasoning behind her actions and the more that he does it the more she begins to believe that he is her Mate after all and not her tormentor that was assigned to make her life miserable or more miserable than it had already been.

Turning around he sits there facing the door of the tent. When the sun shines on it she can see the shadow of the King there but she can tell he is careful not to let the sun inside the tent. "If I were to run then what good would it give me? Sure, I would've ran a couple of miles and made it somewhere in this big wide world yet what then? Where would I go? I have nothing, I am nothing" She states with venom in her voice.

The words she had spoken had been thoughts Valentina had thought before only saying them out loud made the words themselves become reality to her and she despises those words more than she has ever hated anything in her life. Mentally she scoffs when she thinks of how much she loathe how letters are put together to form words that ruin her. "You would have no where to run but the thrill of the hunt would've been... enjoyable" He says after a long pause of silence and she had wondered if he had gone back to sleep yet he sat on the ground as she saw his shadow.

"I think you would've hated it. The hunt" Valentine says as she takes the last bite of her apple and then sets the core down on the grassy ground beside her. "Oh, how come?" He asks her as if there has been some amusement in her words and he is thrilling to share a good laugh at it. "Because as intimating as you are and as evil as you hold yourself to be, you do not do much. Slice my wrist yes, but in the time I've known you, you have been sitting down mostly all the time" She tells him, though she had not meant for her to sound so rude or harsh.