Under the vampire Lord's protection
Chapter 238: Biggest regret and buried memories

Chapter 238: Biggest regret and buried memories

"Then perhaps I can help you figure it out," a second finger came to tickle around the bite marks on her neck.

She allowed the moment to linger, shutting her eyes and taking deep breaths. The next thing she knew, it was his warm breaths colliding against her skin, creeping closer with every second.

As his lips threatened or... Promised to connect with her neck, her own body temperature continued on climbing until her mind could take no more.

In a moment of panic, she pulled away suddenly and turned to face him.

"I am afraid not," she shook her head, "I really shouldn’t have come here," hands around her mother’s pendant, Arabella refused to make eye contact, "I am really sorry for wasting your time,"

Her feet had started moving towards the door, but she never reached it as a force prevented it and held her in place.

By the wrist Silas had gripped her without tugging. He simply waited for her to look back, but when she never did, the vampire decided to break the silence.

"That’s alright. You still don’t have to go,"

"I think I should, I-"

She never managed to finish that sentence, "I don’t want you to leave," he rectified.

Her muscles solidified at those words, leaving it all for her heart alone to express.

And express, it did. That little ball of flesh battered against the inner walls of its cage incessantly as though begging for a savior that would never come.

"Just for a while," he added.

Eventually, after a few seconds, the strain plaguing her figure dispersed, allowing her to move freely once anew.

Very slowly, she turned around to mumble, "Alright," under her breath, "But I don’t want to try anything... Physical," her frown remained, "Most especially while I am still under the effect of the Mirari. Please, promise me that...,"

"That what?" he picked up where she’d trailed.

After biting her bottom lip for a moment, Arabella finally articulated, "Promise me that if I try to do anything... Indecent while I am in this state, you’d stop me,"

His diamonds flickered away from for the first time since they’d locked on her. The weight of his next words hefty, he chose to utter them without looking her in the eyes.

"I promise,"

"Do you truly mean that? Or are you simply saying it to appease me?" Arabella took two steps closer to him.

Her question forced him to look at her again, "I do mean my words. Although it won’t be easy. I promise I will stop you," after a short moment of silence he added, "But I’d like you to stay for a few,"

In response, she nodded and walked back towards the canvas, "Will you be bringing modifications to it or will you leave it this way?"

"I am not sure yet," his warmth joined her even though he made sure their bodies didn’t touch, "The past few days I’ve been thinking of my next project,"

"Really?" her eyes snapped onto him, "What will it look like? I mean, what do you imagine the result will be like?" her facial features had relaxed significantly, laying the ground for a faint smile to appear.

"It depends," he started, but did not say more than that.

"On what does it depend?" her eyebrows had furrowed slightly.

"Do you have an image or drawn portrait of your mother?"

The question rooted her in place, her temperature confused on whether to increase or decrease.

"Why?" Arabella stuttered a bit.

"I’d been thinking and I realized the people you consider friends have all given you a present," Silas kept his hand from reaching up to caress her cheek, "Ada outdid herself and sang a song for you," he paused just long enough to note her widening eyes, "Edgar decided to plant your mother’s favorite flowers in our gardens and I... still haven’t given you a thing,"

"But you’ve already given me two gifts," her hand let go of her mother’s pendant to wrap around the crimson vial amulet.

"I consider those necessities. Not gifts," he explained.

"Well, I am afraid I have nothing of my mother," her eyes traveled back to the canvas, "Nothing but this locket," she took it and lifted it up a bit, "To this day, my biggest regret since leaving is that I didn’t bring anything else of hers with me,"

"Could you draw or describe her?" he asked.

"I never learned to draw, but there is something else I’ve learned that can be of use in these circumstances," the ghost of a smirk transpired on her.

Silas wished to enquire but kept his peace for a little longer which was enough for Arabella to find her voice again.

"My mother taught me embroidery, but it was my paternal grandparents that insisted I learn it," her eyebrows furrowed a tad as if still skeptical of the fact she’d uttered, "Even stranger, it was my grandfather’s idea in the first place. I would’ve thought such a traditionally feminine idea would sprout from a woman but it was him that brought it up first. He’d even suggested hiring a trainer for me, but mother refused and said she’d do it herself. It was one of the rare moments my mother put her foot down. Especially with the patriarch of the family back then,"

"Where is your grandfather now?" Silas walked around her and began settling the carving tools on the desk into a small basket.

"I am not really sure, but after he lost my grandmother he pulled away and relinquished much of the decision making regarding the family businesses to my father. He moved away shortly after that, never to be seen again," she paused before adding, "I say I am my father’s only living relative, but the truth is I still hold out hope my brother is somewhere out there and... Part of me hopes my grandfather still breathes too,"

Once the packing of his tools was done, Silas looked back at the young woman, waiting for her to say more.

"Embroidery wasn’t my mother’s favorite activity but oh! Lord, was she so good at it!" Arabella swallowed her saliva through the strained cords that provided her voice, "I have this one image of her stuck in my mind, I think it is time I brought it to life,"