Under the vampire Lord's protection-Chapter 536: Atticus

Reubon expelling his latest meal on the floor of the meeting room made Arabella’s stomach churn harder than it already did, threatening to revolt and push her breakfast out.

But the most haunting part were the screams that still reached her ears beyond the doors as her father was being dragged out.

He clawed at the ground for one last glimpse of the prince, begging for one last chance to redeem himself before the man he so loyally served for many, many years before that.

Her body did its very best to drown out his wailing and pleading through cries of her own.

"All the noise," the prince clicked his tongue against his palate, "One would think you’d be grateful I finally reunited the whole family... Well, most of it," he chuckled, pushing his weight off the chair.

Arabella flinched at that sudden motion alone, squeezing her eyes shut in the hope that whatever blow was coming her way wouldn’t sting as much if it wasn’t perceived.

But nothing came. Instead, Cedric spoke again, "I am still a man of my word. You obey me and your reward is more than guaranteed. You fail me and the punishment will far surpass your most dreadful fears," he not once glanced down at her, "This meeting is over. You are hereby dismissed,"

The shuffling of boots against the smooth floor grew intense for a while as the men exited the room.

However, even after the doors blared shut, no matter how hard Arabella tried to shake it off, a presence still seemed to linger around, their body heat nearing her exposed skin.

Sure enough, reopening her eyes wrenched yet another flinch out of her upon noting General Atticus’ figure, towering over her own.

In the glare he sent down her way, lived a certain breed of warmth the young woman had no energy left to unravel.

She cowered further against the chair that served the prince, fighting with all of her might to keep clasping her elbows behind her back, lest that bit of warmth in his eyes would evaporate.

"Drop that stupid pose," like thunder, his voice rumbled through her chest.

There was no dallying, seeing how twined her vocal cords were, Arabella simply obeyed in lieu of questioning anything. After all, they showed there was no use in doing that.

As her upper body was almost molded into that position due to how long it remained in it, unlocking her arms towards the front sent waves of ache that were sharp on her shoulders at first, turning dull to linger in the background as she squeezed at her own hands for comfort.

"Can you stand?" he asked.

Once again, the young woman attempted to act as quickly as the words came out of his mouth.

Clutching at the nearest chair for support, she pulled and pulled upwards but to no avail. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

There was no convincing her knees to ignore the pain that radiated through them. There was no locking her thigh muscles to maintain her figure straight.

The cry that escaped her as she collapsed back to the ground carried all of the frustration that stifled her streams.

In a last ditch effort to save herself from more insults and beating, she internally prayed that the second time was the charm, that her legs wouldn’t let her down again.

So, pulling upwards Arabella did, only to crumble back on the floor.

That was it. His patience reached its limits. He moved. Null doubt to fold her body in two halves like he did to her father.

But none of it ever came. No punch, no kick... Not even a slap. A thick, warm sheet of fabric draped her body whole.

"Stop trying to move," a new order came.

Without wasting another second his hands and arms went around her and lifted her off the floor at once.

Despite her efforts, however, the shivering didn’t die down. On the contrary, it doubled in intensity as her heart went out of tune, beating erratically in anticipation for the second shoe to drop.

Was he going to toss her off a terrace or something? Or perhaps shatter her middle on his knee?

What was the goal?

Although no animosity traveled with his voice, no softness did either. Nothing gave his true intentions away if there were any beyond appearances.

But Atticus kept utterly quiet, simply carrying her out of the room after making sure the red cape fully covered her.

Arabella never dared look him in the face, lest it would aggravate him.

"Have you eaten at all since yesterday?" he put a stop to her train of thought.

"Yes," she squeaked without even weighing her words, "I’ve had breakfast," she sniffled, doing her very best to choke down any remaining cries.

The next attention grabber did not come from him but from a young woman out in the hallways.

A gasp and a devastated, "Oh my Lord!"

Those words made Atticus stop dead in his tracks to glare at the young maid who stood among a group of peers on his way.

"You stupid girl!" an older looking maid smacked the back of her head, "Shut your mouth!"

Clearly a supervisor, the more experienced maid then turned to the General and bowed, her frame a bit shaky, "Please, sir, forgive this silly girl. She is new, she has joined our ranks only this morning," her demeanor immediately shifted and twisted upon looking at the new recruit again, "Apologize right this second, you idiot!"

Atticus waited for no apologies and resumed walking without paying the maids any more attention.

Arabella however, leaned back and flung her eyes at the young maid who still clasped a hand over her mouth, eyes teary and nearly exorbitant.

Her face was but a stranger though her voice... That voice was unmistakable. So familiar, Arabella could never unhear it if she tried.

A maid that joined their ranks that same morning! It held up, didn’t it?

Ada! That couldn’t have been anyone other than Ada!