When Night Comes

14. 𝓢𝓲𝓷𝓯𝓾𝓵 𝓟𝓻𝓸𝓽𝓮𝓬𝓽𝓸𝓻

He left her in that room for the rest of the night trapped with the rotting corpse. The flickering candlelight casted an eerie shadow, etching the gruesome tableau indelibly into her consciousness.

Returning hours later, the sound of the lock announcing his presence, she remained motionless, her gaze fixated upon the lifeless form. Her back turned to him, she whispered, the words carrying a lot of weight. "I'm sorry," the phrase lingered in the air, a hollow murmur directed at the vampire or perhaps at the forsaken victim. She wasn't quite sure.

"I know you are, doll," he responded with a voice that danced between sweetness and a subtle cruelty that spoke of centuries of existence.

She shook her head, trying to explain herself as well as erase the image from her mind. "I didn't want this..."

"Yet, you have brought this upon her," he countered. A hand rested on her hair. "Do not fret, dear. You have learned, have you not ?"

She maintained her silence, a tremor coursing through her weakened frame. Fatigue clung to her like a shroud, and a gentle tug on her hair spurred a clenching of her jaw. "Did you understand, dear?" he inquired, the softness of his tone juxtaposed against the underlying severity.

A muted nod was her sole response. The enfolding of arms around her form and a head resting on her shoulder signaled a rare, perhaps even genuine, tenderness. "Say it, dear," he whispered into the stillness, the words imbued with a delicate insistence. "Tell me you will not try this again." A dampness traced the contours of her neck. A single tear that wasn't hers.

"I won't," she promised with an apathy that indicated her surrender.

⊱ ────── {⋆☾⋆} ────── ⊰

Dorian cradled her with a gentle strength, carrying her weightless form to her room like a precious offering. He lowered her onto the bed tenderly. A soft kiss graced her forehead. Silently, he left the room.

He sighed as he entered his coffin. Vampires didn't need to sleep, but rest was a welcomed interlude, a temporal escape into the velvet embrace of his coffin. It was here, in the darkness, that Dorian found solace. It was a pleasant way to ponder about the event of the night.

While this might have appeared harsh or even cruel, Dorian did not regret it. She had to learn, he repeated to himself fervently. She needed this discipline, the chilling reality etched into the fabric of her soon to be immortal existence. It was a lesson to endure and remember. She had done this to herself and it was his job, as her parent, to educate her. He wanted this to be ingrained in her mind. He wanted her to remember. He wanted to squeeze out this rebellious streak out of her; to pull it out and crush it until there was nothing left of it.

Furthermore, the woman deserved it. The duke had given them all one very specific rule : to keep her in. Yet, one servant broke that rule, having been convinced by the young girl.

This brought up another matter. Dorian was well aware of (Y/n)'s craftiness. She had coaxed and deceived the maid. His daughter had fooled the lady with charming words for weeks.

The lingering pride in Dorian's chest, a testament to his daughter's cunning persuasion, manifested as a soft smile on his lips. The realization of her adept craftiness fueled a certain paternal pride—a sentiment that seamlessly blended into his musings on her intelligence and adaptability. In the chessboard of their existence, she had proven herself a brave player. Brave, but foolish. Her actions were extremely reckless. Bad behavior, no matter how well executed it was, had to be punished. It was his duty to do so; just as it was hers to learn and act accordingly.

Eventually, in the middle of the day, Dorian's tranquil contemplation was shattered by a distant scream from his child's room. In the fraction of a second, he was on high alert. He rose from his coffin and marched to his child's room.

He found her rolling in her bed, sweating profusely while muttering to herself. A nightmare. He should have expected this following the recent events.

Discovering her in the throes of a nightmare, he sat on her bed, gently shaking her to wake her up from the distressing dream. Whispering soft reassurances, he comforted her until she gasped awake. "This was but a bad dream," the duke wrapped his arms around the girl, shushing her cries.

She clung to him, her small frame seeking solace in the embrace of the vampire who had become her guardian. They remained in this position for a while. When Dorian deemed her sufficiently comforted, he prepared to withdraw. However, her pleas pierced the air, "Don't..." she sobbed while gripping his clothes harder. "Not alone..."

He sighed with no real annoyance. With grace, he slipped beneath the covers, drawing her into the protective cocoon of his arms. The sheets embraced them both, a refuge against the nocturnal terrors that haunted her. His fingers combed through her hair, his chin found its resting place atop her head. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asked.

(Y/n) shook her head, burying her face in his chemise in a childlike manner. How sweet. He smiled fondly.

"That is fine," he whispered soothingly. "We can simply remain like this." She nodded.

Her lips did not remain sealed for long however. "I miss my parents," her whimper broke the silence minutes later, the raw ache of longing echoing in her voice. "I want my mom."

A pang of jealousy fluttered within him, quickly stifled. This was his role now. "I am here," he declared, tightening his embrace.

In her vulnerability, she leaned into him. The nightmare had done a great deal to her, but Dorian couldn't help but feel a sense of joy. It was in these weakest moments that the girl was most receptive, that he could more easily reach.

He planted a kiss on her head. This was his child, she was his. His to protect and his to cherish.

┉┈◈◉◈┈┉

Imagine being so desperate that you have to seek comfort from that same person that hurt you so much. yikes. not good mentally or emotionally for dear (Y/n). But good for my fic :)

Spent hours trying to find the perfect image for this chapter, I gave up and just put something that was meh.