Under the vampire Lord's protection
Chapter 223: No better environment

Chapter 223: No better environment

"When he does come," Silas continued, "Do not try to interfere with anything that happens,"

"What... Do you mean?" even the words hesitated in her throat.

"Once the boy will be in his father’s care, anything that happens between them is considered a domestic matter and we are not to intrude,"

Her hands squeezed the pendant around her neck harder as his words announced the colors, "I’d only told him he wouldn’t be punished as a motivation device. I hadn’t realized there was a real chance his father would... Actually do it," her voice simmered down to whispering range.

"He deserted his pack and ran onto private property, owned by vampires no less. The incident has the potential of igniting a war between clans if not quelled properly,"

Silas lay Remus on one of the infirmary beds. The instant his body touched the mattress, he turned and curled towards the other side, sticking both hands together between his cheek and pillow.

"I understand, but he is just a child," she stood over him.

"Would Lustrisians be forgiving of such an act, even from a child?" Silas looked her in the eyes.

"I suppose it depends on the people involved,"

"In Umbraria, even children are capable of devastating damages. He could have seriously harmed you," he paused but upon seeing her mouth open, the vampire added, "Regardless of whether or not it was his intention to do so,"

She shut her mouth and plopped her behind on the empty bed next to Remus’.

"What will happen to him?" she asked, eyes on the boy.

"The severity of his punishment is up to his father,"

"But... He won’t truly hurt him, right?" she grimaced, "He wouldn’t hurt his own son," she shook her head as though attempting to imbue truth into her own words.

The lack of response rattled her core, tugging at her heart with enough strength to sink it.

For a moment, neither of them spoke as they both stared at the sleeping boy.

His slumber had turned peaceful after some struggling to even his breathing. His innocent face had recovered its natural shade while his muscles had completely relaxed.

Watching his little chest rise and then fall was something else. It meant something different to each of them but neither shared their thoughts on the matter, believing them too silly to be well received.

Although eventually one of them cracked under the stifling pressure that silence put on them. That time around, it was Arabella that caved.

"Were you truly going to...,"

She never finished her question, but Silas needed no pointers, "I don’t wish to lie," was all he said.

And there it came again, that suffocating quiet that crept further in, pushing its luck with every inch it gobbled.

Her eyes fell to her lap, where her fingers twiddled one another. Him on the other hand, never allowed her figure out of sight.

Instead, he watched her face crumble little by little as his answer sank in.

However, the look on her shifted much quicker than the vampire expected it to. Her features began to harden under his gaze as her fingernails pressed deeper into her own skin.

"I’d like to face Cynric," despite sounding like nothing more than a mutter, her voice remained steady.

"I doubt you are ready to," he too sat down, facing her.

"I will never be ready," her eyes darted up and met his, "I realized it on the day you took me horse riding around the property... When we spoke of connections and bonds that link us to people. It made me understand that I never truly healed from anything. I never made peace with my brother’s departure. I never accepted my mother’s death. I only coped with their absence since there wasn’t anything else I could do about it but now... With this...," she trailed off.

"I see your point," he nodded, "I merely think it is too early for that,"

"The opportunity came to my feet, and I am not one to squander chances," she shook her head, the ghost of a smile peeking at the corner of her lips, "I certainly won’t go out of my way to face him so what better time is there for that than when he comes out of his way here?"

Silas did not agree. Not verbally, at least, but deep down, he knew there was a shred of truth to her words.

It was the best environment for her to face her fears as Cynric would never try anything on his property. Too soon or too early was no longer the question...

The events he feared would break her seemed to have emboldened her instead which was not at all inconvenient. On the contrary, he hoped she’d grow out of the ways ingrained in her since childhood. The ones that kept her tethered to someone else’s mood or whims.

As he’d foretold it, it wasn’t long before heart wrenching howls rose in the night, drawing nearer to the property.

"Here they come," he stood up and looked at Arabella.

She quenched her trembling by tightening her grasp around her pendant, "If that is alright, I’d like a moment first. I will join you in a few," her eyes remained on Remus who continued to snore, blissfully ignorant of what awaited him.

The vampire nodded and went for the door. He chose not to question that look in her eyes, that fire that burned in their heart, clashing with the green surrounding it.

Silas had seen determination on her before and was sure it was it, but only partially as something else lingered.

He’d never seen it on her and wondered whether it was wise to leave her be with it.

The thundering of their stomping crept closer, faster than the wind that carried the sound itself.

Silas wanted to believe their confrontation would be the end of it all and yet... It seemed as though something new lurked behind the corner, like the beginning of a new Chapter was about to be announced.