Under the vampire Lord's protection-Chapter 523: Finished business

Silas waited patiently for an answer that did not come... For a while, nothing was said between them but right as he had been about to reiterate his question, Eleanor pushed a long sigh, her hands together on her lap.

"Rubius, that old fool," she scoffed, "I thought I had him figured out but then... I didn’t," she shook her head, eyes on those odd dishes below them.

"I don’t think he had nefarious intentions. Not anymore, at least," Silas’ diamonds followed her gaze downwards, "I still wish to hear more about this curse if you don’t mind,"

"I do not mind for there is essentially no curse as you’ve so brilliantly caught on to it already,"

And so, it was true. There was no actual curse. Just the looming threat of premature deaths for women in the family.

"My final words were meant for my daughter, but she wasn’t supposed to be the one to find my body on that cursed day," she no longer looked amused by anything.

"But she did," he said simply.

"There is no denying that, but I do have a question for you as well," Eleanor’s head tilted a tad to the side, "She left the pendant in your care. You knew it harbored my goodbye letter and yet your hands never wandered its way. Why is that? Were you never curious?"

"Curiosity ate me from the inside out but... She gave me the pendant and never said a single thing about permission to read your words. I thought I’d ask her some day when things settled,"

His composed demeanor fell completely apart as his hand felt his side. The place where the pendant was supposed to hang from was empty.

The clothes on him were the same he dawned during the assault but for some reason the emerald pendant had vanished.

Frenzy was never in his nature, but before such gut sinking discovery, the vampire leaped to his feet and patted himself in search for the jewel.

"I wouldn’t bother," Eleanor sat unmoved, "You walk these parts in the same garments you arrive in. They took the pendant off of you as a trophy,"

The stiffness that overtook his jaws nearly shattered his teeth. His muscles did nothing other than keep him locked in place as the blood boiled in their streams.

"I simply apologized for failing her," face half turned his way, the brunette spoke.

That got him to simmer if only by a bit.

"Your son may be alive," he groaned.

"Only after leaving that realm did I realize it," she took a deep breath before sighing, "I regretted it immediately but of course, it doesn’t matter after the fact,"

"No, it doesn’t," after a few heavy breaths, Silas sat back down, "Do you disapprove of me carrying that pendant? Do you disapprove of our union?" he kept his eyes away from her.

"If you have her blessing, then you have mine as well," her smile finally returned, but the tears in her eyes clouded their shine, "Take care of her, will you? She’s never been the demanding or difficult type. I was weak and I couldn’t follow my duties as a mother through to the end. Take care of her,"

A stronger breeze hit him face first, carrying the echoes of her last appeal onto a different range of sound.

For a moment, Silas could’ve sworn she spoke those words right in his head, but when he finally reopened his eyes to answer, the picnic was no more. Eleanor was no more.

It was as though they were never there to begin with.

Silas stood up again, searching from his left to his right only to find nothing and no one at all.

Vanished much like her pendant...

But why? Had their conversation run its course? Had he gotten what he needed from her?

Eleanor had told him that the reason keeping him near her was unfinished business...

Was his business with her done then?

She gave him a straight answer as well as her blessing after all. What more was there to expect?

It seemed that was all that was needed in order to move forward. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

But where was forward? Which direction to go?

North, South, East and West all stared him in the face without a word or a hint to spare.

Would there be any use in running or even walking around without a purpose?

And so, the vampire, once anew, settled back down on the grass to ponder his next move. An action that turned out a lot harder than what should have been.

His wife was out there, suffering a fate of his own making.

Yes, it was all his fault. She kept something from him yet again, but it was no viable reason to react in such a brash manner.

Cedric even took his wedding pendant as a trophy... What would she say to that?

Would she ever forgive him? Would she ever look at him the same?

She shouldn’t.

"You haven’t changed one bit," a familiar, long missed voice reached his ears.

Silas froze, his neck refusing to sway.

So, the masculine timbre rose again, "You won’t even look at your father," Emeric half asked.

Very slowly, the vampire stood to his feet before turning around, eyes half expecting to see someone other than his father.

But his disbelief was suspended when the man truly turned out to be none other than Emeric.

"You are here as well," he spoke dryly.

The smile on Emeric shifted closer to a pout as he murmured, "Why am I not surprised?"

Silas said nothing and his father shoved his hands in his own pockets then walked past his son.

"I’d welcome you, but this isn’t my home and... I don’t want you here,"

"Good," Silas followed in his tracks, "I don’t want to be here either. Do tell me how to leave if you know the way,"

"You must be invited,"

That was no shocker. It was somewhat similar to what Eleanor had told him. He needed a hand to guide him out of there.