A Promise

Surprisingly, Mineah slept soundly despite the fact that she hadn't slept in her own bedroom. It was a surprise to her because before this, she would usually wake up every once in a while whenever she slept in places other than her own bedchamber.

Moving to get out of bed, she was just about to leave when she suddenly got pulled back into the bed from behind. Her sheepish eyes snapped open wide as she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist and pull her closer.

Biting her inner cheek, she contemplated whether or not she should move and quickly get away from this situation. Somehow, a part of her wanted to stay, but looking out the window, she saw that the sun was about to rise soon.

She needed to do her routine morning meditation, and she wasn't going to let anyone stop her. She moved gently and quietly, as she slowly moved Nikolai's arms off of her and quickly slid out of bed.

Standing by the side of the bed, she turned to look at the soundly sleeping vampire king before letting out a deep sigh as she mused, 'He sleeps too much like a log for a vampire.'

Not wasting any time, she prepared herself and took up a good spot to position herself for the start of her morning meditation, she worked on her inner energy by building it up to sustain her weak body from the inside.

After some time of productive mediation, Mineah slowly opened her eyes and as she expected, Nikolai was already awake and keenly watching her.

"How often do you do that?" he asked with a frown on his handsome face.

"Every morning," she answered with a smile.

"How bad is your health?" he further asked.

"Not that bad," she casually admitted. "I just have a weak physical constitution."

'My days are numbered too,' she added in her thoughts, wondering if she would eventually come to the point of being able to admit such things to Nikolai.

To be honest, she felt like she was bottling it all up inside her. It was not because she feared death, but because she feared the fact that she was a danger to the most important people in her life, not to mention to innocent lives as well.

Hearing her response, Nikolai nodded and said, "Don't worry, I'll help you strengthen your body. I'm sure it's not that bad…"

Mineah withheld the scoff that threatened to escape from her lips. If only he knew...

She truly had a weak body that wouldn't even last simple basic physical training with her siblings. She and her family already did everything they could, and all they came up with was for her to meditate to improve her inner energy and strengthen her body that way.

'"Come…"

Seeing as he was compelling her yet again, Mineah had no choice but to comply.

'This is unacceptable!' she inwardly retorted.

Despite her turmoil, however, she still followed and walked towards him. As soon as she was near him, she felt her heart jump out of her chest when he suddenly pulled her in, causing her to sit on his lap.

"You may have a weak body, but you have a strong will and mind," Nikolai hummed, making Mineah unknowingly smile as she recalled how her parents and siblings would often say the same. She always appreciated those kind words of encouragement.

"How exquisite," he hummed as he gently caressed her cheek.

Mineah felt a giddy roiling in the pit of her gut as she blinked rapidly upon seeing how close his face was coming toward her own. Her instincts wanted her to close her eyes and anticipate what was to come, but...

'No,' she inwardly protested. 'What if this leads to us consummating the marriage? What if he dies?!'

That one conundrum kept on ringing inside her head, which only gave her the courage to stop Nikolai from going further by putting her palms against his chest and gently pushing against him.

Seeing her sudden reaction, he snapped his brows at her while staring into her eyes. "How come my natural charm isn't working on you?" he murmured with a gloomy expression. "Do I need to compel you just to get a kiss?"

She suppressed the chuckle that was threatening to burst out of her lips upon hearing his words. Well, he wasn't lying. On any other woman, his charms would surely work. However, she wasn't like other women because of her cursed blessings.

"No. Pardon me, Lai, I didn't mean to offend you," she bravely stated. "It's just that… Can you promise me something first?"

This was a possible gamble on her part. She thoroughly thought about what she was going to say and analyzed the pros and cons, hoping that she wouldn't make the worst mistake of her life.

"A promise?" he asked, his brows colliding more as his arms tightened around her waist, securing her in place on his lap. "What is it?"

"Well, I want us to fully consummate the marriage only once you've fallen in love with me," she directly spoke, refusing to break eye contact with him.

"I… don't have a beating heart, Mine, so what you're asking of me is impossible…" Nikolai answered.

She inwardly frowned. That couldn't be… The message Seer Beirut received through a Seraph in his dream was very clear. She had to capture his heart and make him fall for her.

Even though it only held a slim possibility of somehow ending her curse, it was still the best shot she had. The Almighty wouldn't give her that message through a Seraph for nothing, so the word 'impossible' just didn't make sense to her. Nothing should be impossible…

"I will make it beat then, for me," she confidently remarked. Surely, vampires could love too, right?

*****

A/N: Do you think Nikolai will agree?