Betrayed By The Hero, Loved By The Lord-Chapter 55: Still standing (2)

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Chapter 55: Still standing (2)

"W-Wait," Martin stuttered. "I didn’t mean it like that. She’s a pretty girl but no one would be so foolish to get involved with that woman."

"I’m married to her," Xavier shared.

Martin saw his life flash before his eyes. Not surprisingly, all of his life was just him here alone dealing with the dead. He has no wife or children at his side.

"Well, she’s more suited for a dashing man than an old bird like me. She would be crazy not to be with you," Martin said, hoping his praises might save his life.

Why did he choose tonight to be the night he didn’t follow his rule to watch his mouth around purebloods?

The man before him looked familiar but Martin couldn’t place his finger on who it was.

"Please spare me. I’ll take care of your wife’s grave if you need me to- Wait," Martin choked up. If this man held him any tighter his head might pop. "I don’t heal like you do."

Xavier released the caretaker and looked to his left at Selene. "Are you done? Ready to introduce me?"

Selene looked at the rude man gasping for air and then at Xavier. "I heard someone crying. Is it that easy for him to take care of their graves? After all the money I paid you, his threat worked more."

"Selene," Xavier started but didn’t know what to say.

Martin looked to the young woman as his saviour. Who would have thought that she of all people would be the one to save him one day?

"I am not upset. Strangely, I am a little excited to see the effect you have on others. We shouldn’t keep them waiting," Selene said, not carrying an ounce of worry for the caretaker.

Like Xavier, Selene knew what the caretaker was trying to say. He was not the first one who made her feel like she had to offer her body to receive help in the past. Maybe the caretaker had forgotten how he spoke to her but Selene did not.

’Is she crazy?’ Martin wondered. It would make perfect sense because of who her parents were but still, a lady shouldn’t be this way.

Martin was left even more puzzled when he heard the man before him laugh. They were all a bunch of crazy people wandering around the day. Normally, he would see this kind of behaviour at night.

Before Xavier followed Selene, he looked down at the caretaker he wasn’t done with yet. "I’ll see you another time."

Xavier wanted to know just how the conversation between Martin and Selene went when she first came here.

Martin didn’t see the need for them to meet again. He was just a simple caretaker. "Just great. Who wouldn’t be tired of having to hear about those traitors? Every other day it’s someone coming to ask about them. Oh," he covered his mouth when Xavier stopped walking.

Martin wanted to kick himself for forgetting how purebloods had excellent hearing. As a vampire himself, it shouldn’t slip his mind about the good hearing but it did.

Xavier turned around to finish his talk with the caretaker since it just became interesting. "Other than their daughter, who has come to ask about the Harrisons? Is it other relatives or men from the court?"

"I don’t know. I don’t question everyone about who they are or why they keep asking around about someone. It was a tall fellow with hair like the sun and then a woman but she had her head covered. I’ll remember the voice if I ever hear it. I can help you," Martin said, hoping this would make his life valuable.

"This won’t make me spare you for what you thought about my wife but it might make your death quick. When you learn the name, go to the Blackthorn estate and say you are from the graveyard. Don’t keep me waiting too long," said Xavier, giving Martin one chance.

"Blackthorn?" Martin whispered. Was it that Lord Blackthorn? Xavier Blackthorn?

Martin’s mouth dropped open wide enough for him to catch flies as it dawned on him who almost took his life this good morning. Marin knew of Lord Blackthorn but since he spent most of his days here at the graveyard, he didn’t see the faces of the five families regularly.

Martin pulled on his hair. He had terrible luck to be on the bad side of Lord Blackthorn. His chances of survival would only be high if he found out who came looking at the Harrisons.

Xavier made his way back to Selene and the now cleaned-up graves.

"Thank you for that. If only you could get back some of the money I had to offer him, then this day would be perfect," said Selene.

"I can threaten to break off the hand he held out to accept the money. It is not too late," Xavier said, ready to finish what he started.

Selene laughed. "At this rate, you would need to own a graveyard for all the people you have killed. Wouldn’t that be something?"

"Who said I do not own one already? Which flowers are for your mother?"

Selene’s laughter died down as she turned to Xavier. How could he say something like that to her and then go on like it was simple? "Was that a joke?"

"Why would I joke about that?" Xavier replied.

Selene wanted to learn more about it but realised what they said could be overheard. "We shouldn’t speak of that here. I need to be more careful of where I speak about that."

They were the only ones walking around the graveyard but there could be someone lurking like the caretaker.

Xavier reached into his pocket for a magic stone. "I never leave home without one. They are expensive to get your hands on so don’t lose it."

Xavier placed the stone in Selene’s hand so she could make use of it.

Selene closed her hand, feeling the warmth coming from the stone. On a cold day, a stone like this would warm anyone up. "You know a witch?"

"I know a lot of people. It’s time to put the flowers down," said Xavier.

Selene was so focused on the gift that she forgot she had yet to place the flowers. It wasn’t every day she got her hands on a stone which could momentarily affect a vampire’s hearing. She was always curious about how it worked but now was not the time to think about the stone.

Selene shared the flowers between the two graves. "I think you are showing off a bit now that you stand before them. My father would have liked you for how much you have helped me and my mother would adore you simply because we are married."

Selene stood back up and held Xavier’s hand. She was thankful he did not pull away. "Thank you for being patient with me to come see them. Somehow, I hope the dead know how much they are loved. You two might not believe this just as the town doesn’t but I have married Xavier Blackthorn."

"Don’t worry," Selene continued. "He is not as scary as he looks. Mayne a little," she changed her words after a second thought.

Selene laughed when Xavier squeezed her hand. "I had to be honest. You are a little scary but I do not mind it."