Under the vampire Lord's protection-Chapter 187: Beyond the threshold

"It is very kind of you, Master," her gemstones still lingered on the floor at those words.

There was something in the way he glared at her, so blatant even he became aware of its presence without seeing it. That was one of the only times Silas breathed a sigh of relief, knowing she, on the other hand, did not seem to spot it.

The question he asked himself however, was what caused the sting that jabbed at his entrails?

Could it perhaps have been the fact that Arabella still referred to him as Master? Why would she not? The vampire hadn’t yet requested that she’d cease...

"Shall we go then?"

His question shattered the short-lived, awkward silence that had settled between them, thus ripping her eyes from that marble floor and onto himself.

The little gap her lips had formed closed before the words that clung along her throat were freed, "Where to?" she muttered.

"I was under the impression you wanted to visit Katherine,"

Under normal circumstances, his own calm and poise wouldn’t have impressed him, but in front of her... It was different.

His outward impartiality was short of a miracle, indeed, though just by a bit.

Arabella’s figure remained rigid for a good moment, gaping back at him, eyes somewhat wide.

Right then and there, Ada’s previous utterances about him blared in the back of her mind and refused to quiet down.

It had something to do with reading his face, but for as long as the young woman stared at it, no matter how long, not a hint, not a whisper did his features breathe.

If anything, the only picture his outlook ever painted was that of annoyance and quiet fury.

"Yes... I simply wanted to check on her state, but if it is too dangerous to do so while the sun is still up then I can wait until-"

"We may go see her now," he cut her off at once.

Very much like the patterns he’d carved onto his sculptures, the traits on him did not shift in the slightest. The only motion on him being the rising and falling of his chest as well as the scintillating in the diamonds that served him as eyes.

Sunlight seemed to love them and took every opportunity to grace them.

Only when Silas turned around, did the bubble confining Arabella finally burst. She watched him walk through the door before stopping in the hallway to look back at her. ƒreewebɳovel.com

The next landing place for her eyes was none other than the threshold of the door itself.

It was then that the solemnity of his suggestion truly hit her.

The vampire had invited her to leave the safety of her room...

"Do you trust me?"

As if she hadn’t already been rooted to her spot, when those words reached her ears, the floor beneath her swallowed her will to move down to the last ounce. Not that Arabella had much of it to begin with.

It was the second time in that same morning that somebody asked her if she trusted them.

Coming from Ada surprised her, but from him syphoned the wind out of her lungs...

No, that wasn’t true. It didn’t. On the contrary, it breathed a new spark in her core. As small and frail as it was, it sure had warmth to spare.

Arabella allowed that flicker to imbue her with that heat for there was no fighting it even if so, was her desire.

Very hesitantly, her right leg found the strength to unglue her foot off its standing place. Then came the turn of her left leg to do the same and one foot aligned in front of the other until the tip of her toes grazed the threshold.

That time around when Arabella froze, Silas did not allow her the time to ponder, lest the small bit of confidence instilled in her withered away.

The vampire extended his arm to her and opened his hand.

"Take it," he said in the softest voice his vocal cords could muster.

Another wave of reluctance washed over her. Heart drumming louder in its cage as the threshold of the room she hadn’t left in three days glared up at her, screaming silent threats only her ears deciphered.

Many things lay beyond that limit. Dangerous things and people that would leap at her throat upon glimpsing her.

But... There he was too, beyond that same limit, beckoning her to follow.

"You are safe," they resonated just above a whisper and yet those words rumbled through to her core.

Eventually, her right hand began to ascend. Shaky but determined to connect with his, nonetheless.

It was neither too soft nor was it too harsh on her own tender skin. Centuries of battles and handling wood transpired through a touch. So warm they were, every crumb of doubt that kept her tied down all that time was just swept away.

Freed from their clutches, Arabella took her first step into the hallway and closer to Silas for his own warmth to welcome her out of that cage.

The vampire’s eyes lingered on their locked hands. His thumb took the liberty of rubbing slow and gentle circles on hers, hoping she wouldn’t pull away. She did not.

Her own attention seemingly focused on taming her breathing.

The little tingles that direct contact between them yielded wouldn’t stay put, racing across her entire body, igniting every nerve ending on their path without taking the responsibility of quelling them right after.

Every exhale out of her ricocheted against his chest and came back to brush her skin, whereas every time he did the same, his breaths would end up feathering her hair, only to trickle down her face.

The tiny flutters her eyelids did every time Silas expelled air out of his lungs kept him completely immersed in the moment.

Her hand so brittle in his, birthed the desire to wrap his arms around her entire body, and protect her, but he held that thought.

The fact she had yet to take back her hand was enough of a miracle on its own, or so he believed.

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