*Ch 253: Heart and Mind in a Conflict

Thereafter those thoughts, blood dripped from my nose. The aftermath of my trance keeps causing this to happen. At least I didn't have a seizure this time. To clean up, I head to the restroom. Luckily the gallery had one inside it, and there weren't any vampires nearby.

After I cleaned up, I left the gallery toward the connected corridor. It was about that time to head back to the main party at the ballroom.

"I thought you'd be attracted to that boring old gallery." Taking my attention, Crystal's voice pearled straight forward from me in the corridor. "I figured our vampire nerd couldn't resist a full gallery of fantasy art, illustrating vampires."

She walked across the corridor, looking so beautiful in her gown. If it wasn't for that photo Orlando showed me, you couldn't tell that she had been in the hospital after Kai attacked her. Without stalling, I met her the remaining way and hugged her so tightly.

"I am so sorry for what Kai did!" I empathize as tears begin to stream down my cheeks. Between witnessing Kai's past as a newborn and knowing what he did to her, all of it was very emotional for me.

"Don't reproof yourself over nothing you did wrong. Kai is the blame, not you," she said after we hugged, then she wiped my teardrops away.

"I'm sorry, I didn't visit you at the hospital," I told her, being sincere.

Crystal smiled meekly. "I know why you couldn't because Kai would never allow it."

"Thank you for not pressing charges," I frowned, subsiding my head.

"For you, I'd never," Crystal replied, earnestly. "For now, Kai got lucky."

I swallowed hard to muster what she said before she took my hand, insisting, "Come on, somebody wants to see you."

She guided me back to the ballroom, but we stayed behind the pillars, where I saw Orlando waiting for us.

"I found her for you!" Crystal announced, and Orlando warmly beamed our way as he slipped his phone into the inside of his suit pocket.

Better yet, I should say his smile was shimmering more toward me compared to his cousin Crystal. Though an emotional twinge twisted in my chest. That little voice in my head told me to scram while I can, but my heart whimpers to take this chance to be with him. Temptation on one's heart was such a hard hindrance to defeat.

I parted my mouth to speak but then closed it when Ashley came to Orlando's side, saying, "Hey, Orlando..." her voice paused once she noticed my presence.

"I should be going," I spoke up, feeling a knot in my gut, telling me it was best to go.

"No, I apologize for the intrusion," Ashley said respectfully, then she ambled away with Crystal, which left me standing around awkwardly with Orlando.

He smiled heartily and was about to speak until I cut him short. "I can't stay here long, but I'm sorry you had to see Kai and I had almost kissed."

Orlando slightly nodded to what I said, but then he took my hand, "Come with me," he insisted.

Without giving me a chance to decline, he started leading me underneath the imperial staircase. The whole way there, my eyes wandered. I still saw vampires and vampiresses smirking maliciously at me. Nevertheless, I was happier not to see the Collin Coven.

Off near the wall, Orlando faced me.

"It's never easy watching you kiss him," he shared as he pulled me closer by my hands.

"None of this is easy on me either, but that's why we must go our separate ways," I breathed as his hand cupped my face.

"You know I'll never accept that," Orlando expressed so smoothly.

Rapid heartbeats fluttered up my chest from this mushy feeling. Such fondness had me fawning over him. I was having trouble breathing as my eyes got dazzled by that ocean-blue gaze. Even that musky cologne made it harder for me to resist, Orlando.

"Orlando..." my voice vocalized too weakly.

As his pointer finger pressed my lips,

"Shhhh," he hushed me with these doe eyes. "Kiss me."

Two words rolled off his tongue so smoothly. Wings soared my heart to the stars. Any rational sub-conscience I had left was smothering from the high heat sizzling between us. My mind said stop, but my heart yearned for this man. The conflict between mind and heart was competing. But as always, the heart takes over anyone's common sense.

In my defeat, I let the natural flow of charisma solve the battling conflict between the heart and mind. Two opposite poles were calling our lips to close that space that is keeping us apart. My face tilts as my eyes shut. All chattering voices, including the musical strings, firstly dimmed before the candlelight withered into a smokey fog. Any sounds perished suchlike that of a candle going out into smoke.

Without care or control, I found my lips, heart, and soul attracted to the overbuilding affection infusing our flesh into one. It electrified my lips toward him while he followed through to meet me halfway. His breath fanned my mouth as we went in without scruple. Then all of a sudden, this firm grasp snaked around my front waist. Gentle yet with force, I am yanked away from Orlando before my spine is smashed into a vast body. My eyes spring loose to see Orlando express a narrowing glare. Deep beneath that pit in anyone's stomach is where my heart flounders within the depth of all bleakness. Every bone in my body trembled, and this unnerving qualm, quivered my spine.

I glanced upward to see Kai was livid. He was sure to express it more grisly towards Orlando. Surprisingly, his eyes were normal color over that vile redness, which would lead to a macabre outcome if he exposed his true vampiric self.

Kai snarled his lip like a snapping crocodile. "First, you cross me by dancing with my wife. Now, I catch you trying to kiss her!"

"I love her! I can't help but wanna kiss her. You know she's mine over her being yours," Orlando slashed at him.

Kai's eyebrows furrowed into a glowering gaze like he couldn't believe what he had heard. Suspense breached the surface with these two. I heaved and embraced myself for the worst.

To my utter shock, I wasn't sure how, but Kai composed his last tolerable nerve.

In a seemingly seethed undertone, Kai straightforwardly affirmed. "Never once has she been yours, Orlando. Nor do your lips belong on hers. You best keep your distance."