Chapter 14: Betrayal To The Darkness

Actually, at that moment my heart should have beaten faster and the adrenaline produced should have given me a shiver. But I felt nothing, only emptiness in my body. Did it have to be like this when you were lying under the ground? "Why should I believe you about all this.", I groaned through clenched teeth. "Because, you know it's true, I saw it in your eyes darling." I didn't let the fact that he had called me a horrible pet name faze me and continued to counter, "If it were, why isn't that my sister a vampire? That doesn't make any sense if it's apparently hereditary." He rolled his eyes and wandered over to my secretary, there he tried to open the drawer I had locked for safety. "What are you up to?" I was unround because in that place were photographs and letters from Livius and me. I know I should have burnt them all, yet I couldn't part with them. "I'm looking for paper, I need to write something down," he growled, jerking the gold handle harder now. "I'll give you one if you stop vandalising my belongings," I retorted coldly, scurrying to the secretary. I made room for myself by squeezing between it and the piece of furniture. With exasperated little hand movements, I fished a blank sheet from a staple and handed him, pen and all, what he wanted. "There, I hope you're happy now," I hissed. His hands wandered towards my face, those that had touched me with passion before were now icy cold. His eyes glittered in the moonlight, were now no longer friendly but like a panther about to pounce. He turned away from me to finish his drawing.

A few minutes passed before I received an answer to my questions. The vampire gene was hereditary, but was only ever passed on to the second born girl and the third born boy. It had to be activated with a serum, the so-called dark spell. This could be implied in the affected person either with the help of a syringe or with dipped teeth. His sketches were scribbly and unclean, even if he was a vampire, he had no talent in this field. "That means my sister is human?", I inquired. He nodded. "Consequently, I could have continued to live peacefully as a human, with the few side effects. But you o ton said no, I'm desperate to have a bride and she's mine," anger rose up in me again, "I already have parents who only want the best for me, but to hear it now from a complete stranger, that's just..." I was at a loss for words. "Di, I'm sorry you had to find out this way, but sooner or later, you would have found out anyway." "I don't care, I was so happy with my life before you showed up. I don't even know you, I don't know your name or where you're from. I'm not a damsel in distress, I'm a princess." I pushed past him, and opened the balcony door. There I was enveloped by the cold night wind, which was my favourite thing at that moment. He had never betrayed me. I felt his nearness even before he was next to me. My ears began to pick up the sounds of the night, overwhelming me. "You can't run away from your destiny Dinora, become my bride," he murmured in my ear. "I want you to go." He fell silent and then whispered, "Jaro, that is my name." I closed my eyes and repeated my request again, this time using his name. Jaro, however, remained where he was. He could not move away from me because if he did, he would die and so would I. "I thought vampires were immortal?" "As a rule they are, except that since I had bitten you and you had bitten me, we are bound to each other forever. I can't move away from that, then we'd both die and the animal in us would come out. You would be possessed by bloodlust and murder safely without being in your right mind." This couldn't be true, now I was bound to him forever. I didn't want to kill myself either, I couldn't bring myself to do that, but wasn't I already medically dead? "Can it be reversed?" "Theoretically yes, but we would have to get out of your country and go to mine, that's where the books of power are. Would you be willing to do that?" "I'll do whatever it takes to end this nightmare." I dashed back to my chamber and packed a few mementos and spare robes into a bag. The vampire was waiting for me by the balcony railing. "Just so it's clear, I'm not going to be your wife. I just want to be free of you." Jaro nodded and held out his hand to me, "Then let's go."