The Essential Bride

The Essential Bride (25)

I opened my eyes facing the window in my nostalgic bedroom, and immediately regretted it. The light burned my eyes, my head throbbed, and I groaned, tossing over on to my other side. I felt like I was going to puke. I was suffering from the worst hang over in my life, and I didn't drink last night or at least I didn't remember drinking last night.

My head was pounding in my skull as I tried to remember last night, but I did. I remembered going downstairs to look for food, because I couldn't sleep, and running into that man.

That man.

I flailed in the bed, abruptly sitting up with wide eyes, to take in the room. My heart was racing, but I didn't remember going to bed last night. Moving that quickly made my stomach whirl with me, and immediately I wanted to puke again but didn't.

I was still at Margaret's though, in the replica of my old bedroom. It did little to calm my heart, but it helped. I didn't remember going to bed last night, what if that man had succeeded in taking me?? I remembered how Margaret spoke to him, sternly but comfortably. I don't believe she would have let anything happy to me, but what if they could overpower her? She was a small woman, but her voice sounded so frail and old.

She is a vampire too though, I'm sure she could hold her own in any kind of fight.

"Jesus, what the Hell." I mumbled, resting my face in my cold, clammy hands. I felt like I was dying, and I debated just going back to bed to try and sleep this off. I didn't want to face Margaret, she wouldn't answer any of the questions that I had. The way that man was talking, he knew things I didn't, he was so willing to talk about his history. He was willing to talk about Leon too. He was also  willing to crack open my skull for his own benefit so I probably wouldn't willingly talk to him again. I groaned in pain again.

"Ma Cherie," a familiar voice whispered, and I finally looked up. In the furry chair in the corner Leon sat, like he had all those months ago, only this time he didn't look cocky and sarcastic and overly confident, he looked tired. He looked sad, and it made my heart deflate like a balloon. Leon didn't look at me, "I'm sorry." He continued to whisper.

"What are you doing over there?" I asked, my voice coming out hoarse  but confused. He still didn't lift his head to look at me, I was just amazed and he decided to sit in the chair away from me and not in my bed. I tried not letting it hurt my feelings, but I couldn't help but think all those times he crawled in to bed with me without my permission, what was the difference now?

Why did I want him to be in my bed now?

"Seriously Leon, what are you doing over there?" I asked him again when I realized he wasn't going to answer me and I saw his fingers claw into the arm of the chair.

"Doing everything in my power not to touch you." He whispered through clenched teeth. "I want nothing more than to take your headache away, but doing so will make you forget and I promised.' Leon explained slowly and I struggled to grasp what he meant.

"I can live with a headache Leon, you don't have to feel bad about that." I insisted, and finally Leon looked up at me, and he looked defeated.

"I am sorry for it all, leaving you, Samuel coming here, forcing his way in to your mind like an aluminum can; the headache is just as much because of him as it is because of me." He pointed out, and it dawned on me then the headache was because that stranger forced himself into my thoughts last night.

"I don't understand," I explained, "you forced yourself in my mind before and it didn't hurt then." I pointed out and Leon scowled.

"Samuel and I are nothing alike." He nearly growled, keeping his voice low and it made my blood go cold for a moment. "I am your mate, I didn't go in to your mind with the intent to extract something you didn't want to share with me. I didn't do anything with the intent to hurt you, unlike Samuel." Leon explained, but didn't seem happy having to explain the difference. "I'm your mate, everything you are I am allowed to know."