Under the vampire Lord's protection-Chapter 106: The layers of slumber

Katherine had been right. By the end of some idle chit chat that held no stakes between them, the easeful tea cradled Arabella’s entrails into a cozy sleep with the last thing on her mind, the many erudite lines that had graced her eyes.

But the deeper through the layers of slumber she fell, the further away those drew.

Her plan to distract herself from everything that had happened bore its fruits. That night, she first dreamt of frolicking through the valley, her hands still tingling from the warm and squishy squirrel she’d hugged.

The fairies shone as bright as stars in the distance, but their glow dimmed, mingling with the balmy sunlight the closer to her they fluttered.

The faces of Floriel and Ariel were in the frontlines; the rest surrounded her figure and chirped merrily. Some of them would pick single strands of her hair each and wave them around.

"Oh dear! You’re bleeding!" Floriel had gasped, clasping her little hands over her mouth.

And just like that, their blissful demeanors all crumbled as they backed away from her. Following their horrified gazes downwards, her own eyes met the cuts and scrapes riddling her legs.

It was such an odd occurrence as Arabella hadn’t even felt them.

"Oh... I am so-"

But the moment she’d looked back at them to apologize and explain it wasn’t done on purpose; the fairies had already vanished. The young women spun around, searching for them, to no avail.

Although when she turned back the other way, a second figure stood before hers. Well, the term knelt was more correct in his situation.

In his hand, Silas held that same cloth and quietly wiped at her blood. Dabbing around the wounds very gently so, his left hand trekked upwards along her leg, birthing a different kind of tingles.

The injuries caused no pain, and yet soft as a feather, his touch sure wrenched a shiver out of her.

Her blood must have coursed her veins a hundred times faster seeing the heat it had generated at her core which radiated beneath her skin across every limb, only to gather mostly around her beet red face.

However, much like the fairies before it, that exhilarating rush was not meant to last.

Something had shifted in his eyes. The tint of kindness that lived in them gradually faded for a carnivorous one to hold its space.

The shy brushing against her skin turned to full on groping, from the ankles straight to her thighs he went, while maintaining eye contact as though to confirm he was fully aware of his actions.

By then, taming her heart was an impossible task. The breaths traversing her lungs grew shallower with each new huff, forcing her chest up and down at an accelerated cadence.

"He fancies you,"

Lady Persephone’s voice echoed from the side. She sipped on her tea like always before vanishing just like she’d appeared. Despite fighting with all her might to tune it out, Arabella still sensed Silas’ grip tighten around her thigh and very slowly rise up to explore more under her dress.

All attempts at pulling away from him were revealed fruitless, for the vampire maintained her in place with great ease.

Never once did he break eye contact with her as he took what he wanted.

"Now, what kind of Lady gives her body away like that?"

Another familiar voice made her head snap around. Shrouded in darkness his figure was, but Arabella could have never mistaken his voice for someone else’s.

"Just look at how you turned out... I’ve raised you from infancy and this is what I get!" her father’s voice boomed across the bounds of nothingness they stood within.

"No... No!" she cried, still fighting against her odds to free herself from Silas’s grip which had gotten stronger and tighter around her. The more she struggled, the deeper he dug his nails into her flesh.

"You are exactly the disappointment I expected you to be,"

The figure of her father never became clear and remained shrouded in the blackened smokes that whirled his silhouette.

"No! Father, please!"

"Don’t call me that! No daughter of mine is a harlot!" his words somehow blared louder and closer.

Everywhere she turned, Arabella was met either by a glare or an insult. Soon came that overwhelming sinking feeling of utter despair.

"I did all I could to turn you into a proper Lady. The fault is not mine," another boom... The shadowy figure of Reubon shook its head, "It’s your mother’s fault! It must be!" Reubon disappeared then reappeared several feet closer to her, "She was too soft on you!"

"Don’t speak of her in such a manner!"

Arabella stunned herself with the burst of rage she demonstrated. It was too much for her to bear. No one ever could speak about her mother in that fashion. Especially not him!

"First you disobey me!" he flashed closer, "Then you dishonor me!" he growled, the booms of his timbre thundering, "And now you raise your voice against me!"

It was the last straw, the last few feet separating them. One or two more steps and she’d be within his reach.

And reach, he did! Reubon extended his hand straight towards her throat, but right as he’d been about to grasp it, the booms reverberating through that space softened, dimming down to shy knocks.

When Arabella opened her eyes, there no longer was any sign of Silas. Reubon had faded as well...

There was but the white dressed canopy dangling above her bed.

"Miss?" Ada’s voice came modest, much like her knocks.

The sun had already risen, and everything around led her to believe she’d dozed off for longer than usual.

"Miss, is everything alright with you?" the maid called with a little more concern in her tone. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

"Yes! Yes, everything is alright. Please come in!" Arabella responded the instant her vocal chords had untwined.

"Oh dear...," those were the first words Ada had muttered upon laying eyes on the young woman.