L I S A

"Promise me." She solicited continuously with her beseeching eyes. There was a hope and fright, not to mention an agape love of a mother for her child. She wasn’t leaving until my words pour out in a credible pledge.

"I promise I won't let any harm come his way." And she approved to leave only after she could see the grit in my eyes. I wasn't giving up on him, with her gone he was my responsibility and mine to take care of. He was my little knight.

The frozen blustery weather of the Immortal Dominion—that was what it was known as—shook all of our courage although the men were still hell-bent on getting everyone out of there. I was thankful to Malcolm for believing my word; without his help I could’ve never gotten everyone out of this hellhole.

Rory, Malcolm and Merida blessed me with their last glimpse and I realized it at the moment, I’d only meet them in the afterlife. This life of mine was sealed to a demon and he was about to destruct it with all his might.

I returned their apprehensive glances with a docile smile. Rory who was always mean to me, anyone could tell that she was hurting watching me stand there and wave them goodbye but we all had diverse plans, different journeys. Theirs had started from this hour and mine was yet to come.

~ ~ ~

It was absolutely crazy and idiotic of me. Maybe I was wrong or maybe not. But guess what? No one cared. No one knew what happened in the late hours of midnight, what had taken place in the ominous corners of the isolated cells. And the harsh waves crashing on the shores did a good job in concealing any evidence of the escape.

I had it all to my advantage or so I'd thought.

The door opened with a loud bang, almost hitting the wall on the other side. I promptly stood up from my bed and interrupted my train of thoughts to perceive an exceptionally incensed king towering over me and my bed.

The next moment without my consent I was pinned against the wall and he was leaning in on me. His breaths were washing on my face and the odor of blood created unrest in my mind. His fangs elongated and the further evidence of his breakfast hit me like a wrecking ball. I struggled to free myself from his firm grip around my neck; he was going to strangle me to death soon.

I coughed unfeasibly, my hands already losing the potentiality to fight and hung loose on the both sides. My face had gone red and I could tell his hands were going to leave some imprinting. Before he could cause any further damage, he desisted from his action.

I coughed as I lost balance, trembled and fell on my knees in futile attempts to regain my breaths. I’d sincerely expected him to be an irate bloodthirsty vampire after last night but not to this extent, not much so he could actually kill me.

He grabbed a handful of my hair at my nape and tugged my head up to meet his length. I screamed from his austerity and pain that erupted in my head, he wasn’t going gentle, he was torturing me. I was still trembling from the shock as I dared to look into his lustrous scarlet eyes and his flared nose didn't help in the process of regaining my sanity.

However before he went out of his mind, he let me go.

"Get dressed and meet me in twenty minutes." He dismissed and he walked away.

Not wanting to even think of what’d just happened and make him wait on me, I dressed myself as gracefully as I could in twenty minutes. In this castle, all the clothes I’d given were too much ladylike: frocks and gowns. But I couldn’t complain; I’d had to suck it up with it as usual. And today it was a black knee-length halter dress with little cleavage on the neck side with matching heels.

After catching my regular breath I unbolted the door and headed outside to be greeted by four vampires. I wasn’t scared, no by now I was used to being surrounded by them as long as they held their tongues. The four vampires were my own personal guards assigned to me by the imposter.

They were all males and not the type to talk much so my long walk was accompanied by silence as well. I couldn’t help but imagine as I walked in between the four tall ramparts like creatures what must be going through his mind. He was on the verge of sending me to hell and then he retreated, what was he planning? Was he going to punish me?

The four colossal demons led me behind the thick fair walls climbed by rose bushes. I could see no flowers but the thorns quite distinctly piercing into the old cemented wall. I hadn’t much time to wander when they began propelling me to walk faster. Who’d tell these brain-dead morons that I was a human?

Eventually I was led to a paradise beaming with serenity behind the titanic fair walls. When my eyes first caught the panorama I was awestruck by the splendor of it. In contrast with that, the vampires were just other dim creatures ruining the pleasure of daylight by bringing in the ill-omened clouds.

It was a garden vibrant with radiating colors and life and the one I felt thoroughly connected to. It took my breath away. The freshness and the exquisiteness and the liveliness of its existence in such an area where the Satan’s army ruled, astonished me. I wanted to wander more, run around the place like a little kid exploring, breathing, running and living but all of that seemed like a dream too far away in the clouds, like the stars I couldn’t reach.

I reluctantly took a seat at the table with him and just at the sight of his food made me want to vomit. If I described the food, one would feel the same. The plates were elegant but tainted with the blood of raw flesh. The see-through jars didn’t hold water but blood. The odor that was staining the novelty of the garden and its purity frustrated me.

But I held back. I stifled my urge to puke by a hair's breadth and endeavored to keep a straight posture. I didn’t know what he was planning and I wouldn’t want to inflame his exasperated temper even though just the smell of his breakfast was enough to make me throw up everything I'd had in the many years.

"What did you want to take about?" I asked holding back my coughs and grimace.

“Advise me on what to do with you?” He stated nonchalantly eyeing down at his plate.

“What do you mean?” My voice gave away my uneasiness with the environment and his shoulders stiffened at my tone.

“You let free those rouges and I'm not happy about that, as your king you should know better than to defy me.” He whispered angrily as if he’d lose it any minute from now. “And now you should be punished.” He threatened.

He was quiet as he woke up and began dawdling towards my side. His every torturously slow movement made me more cautious and feared until I felt his arms rest on my shoulders. He wasn’t taking this nicely. He harassed either side of my shoulders as if he had the urge to break them and I stayed immobilized, letting him have his way.

Suddenly images of the room in which Julie and I were not too many days ago flooded back in my mind. The images of her crying, puking out blood, laying lifeless in my lap as our clothes got drowned in her blood, the sight of her begging and then the sight of her dying with a meek smile on her face. I felt hot tears stream down my cheeks at those memories, they’re good as new.

And I knew for a fact it was him messing with my brain. This was how he wanted to punish me.

A chuckle escaped pass his lips and I peeked to see his expression. His face was stone cold, his chuckle was malicious and his lethal eyes were fixated on my face. There was more to this story, this punishment.

“How about I let your little knight suffer the same fate as that weak girl?” I was vigilant. My eyes widened at the realization, legs trembled and lips quivered as he seemed to have gotten the satisfaction he’d expected. I shook my head pleadingly, unable to form my words. Edward was the only reason I decided to stay here and if something happened to me, I’d be good for nothing. I’d even beg him if I had to.

Keeping that wicked smirk at bay, he put up the fork with a good shred of raw meat and brought it towards my mouth. “Eat.” He commanded as his hand pressed at my nape forcedly, making me lean my head in front to greet the raw flesh.

Out of options I opened my mouth, and without a moment’s delay the raw taste struck my tongue. It was awful. I couldn't chew it so I had to swallow it whole. He brought another piece closer to my mouth and I had to obey his command when he asked me to chew it. It felt disgusting; I didn’t have fangs so I had a hard time obeying him.

One, two, three and like that he made me eat a whole . . . I didn't know what.

“Would you like a drink?” His tone had gotten softer from previous and I nodded before thinking. I was in need of water but I understood lately that wasn't his definition of a drink.

He fetched the glass from nearby and drunk the whole thing down himself and then turned his attention towards me. I was curious and scared. What was he going to do? With his sharp claw he opened one vein in his arm and let the blood pour out into the glass. When it filled, he brought it closer to my face and commanded, “Drink.”

I was scared and didn't know want to do except to abide by him and did so with hesitation. I took the blood-filled glass from him and pursed the tip on my bottom lip and with a deep breath, gulped it down in one go.

I cringed at the taste and when I peeked up to glance at him there was an evil satisfied smile lingering.

“What now?” I asked boldly and regretted that immediately when his smile turned into one of the angry postures. He stalked closer to my face and before I knew tugged at my nape, pushing the chair down and dragged my body somewhere with him. My eyes were closed and I barely caught up with his strength and his pace. It was a waste of time to fight him but yet I decided to scream. I couldn’t help it.

He dragged me down the darkest alleys, the view of garden quickly got replaced by a gigantic foyer but never so elegant like the one I’d been in last night. It was old, dusty, murky, shadowy and scary with nothing but a fatal gas still persistent in the air. My lungs were already on fire and this place aided to my sore.

When I was able to look around I perceived hundreds of crests lying on the floor. The appalling smell was coming from the crests! However little did I know, he’d brought me into a room full of hundreds of . . . coffins. He hurled me towards the one in the centre, the most dreadful smelling one and pushed me against himself, not allowing me to breathe, live or escape.

Much to my surprise he unfastened the lock on the one we’re closest to. As he opened the lid, I was greeted by a lethal odor. I wanted to run, this was far too much than what I’d been prepared for. The coffin smelled like rotten corpse, dried blood and rotten eggs.

At this moment I was screaming at the top of my lungs and punching everywhere and everything that I could. He held onto me more vehemently and the realization dawned upon me regarding his intentions. I tried to ram his pretty face and hurl him away from me more ferociously but nothing worked; he was much muscular and powerful.

Without further ado he put me inside the coffin, ignoring my pleading glances, cries for help and yelps for liberation and with much force he shut it without an ounce of regret. But before he did that he gave me a last glance, “I'm doing this for us.” He murmured with a sad smile and shut it ruthlessly.

I screamed and screeched on the top of my lungs as oxygen seemed to run out and I was compelled to shut my eyes but the worst of it all was . . . it all felt like a déjà vu.