Under the vampire Lord's protection-Chapter 571: Like home

Bundled in a red sheet of thick fabric, Arabella’s eyes remained shut, breathing quickly instead of deeply.

Her bruised and bloodied features quivered under the layers of tears she had shed.

Silas put so much care in every motion, as little as it was, lest he break the frail scale that barely held her on the verge between life and death.

His hand very gently went under her head to lift it off the cushion the soldiers had bothered accommodating her with.

First things first, the collar and leash around her neck had to go. The man ripped it off with great ease and tossed it without any heed, as far away from them as possible.

The further the better, he thought.

"Arabella," he whispered as if speaking any louder would shatter her, "Please, open your eyes,"

His second hand hovered over her face, afraid to connect for the same reason he remained wary of jostling her too much.

Silas made no other requests from her unconscious figure and instead bit down at his own hand before brushing the wound, ever so softly, against her swollen lips.

"Please, drink and open your eyes for me,"

Only seconds ran by, but the fabric of time was quite tricky... Stretching its concept in his mind and fooling him to believe that hours had slipped away while he waited for her to revive.

All it took was for her lip to quiver and a little moan to escape her, allowing his lungs to take the deepest of breaths.

"Yes!" he asserted, "Take more of it,"

His vision stuck with her painted mouth but as soon as her eyes fluttered open, well, barely... Still, the spark that threatened to die at his core burned brighter all of the sudden, warding the cold off his limbs which had grown stiff.

Silas watched as the haze over her gemstones disintegrated, allowing their gazes to finally lock onto each other without any veils or conditions keeping them apart.

"I don’t see the sky," her words came out as broken breaths at first, "Am I still dreaming?"

Many answers raced his mind and fought to be heard. Although in the end, the man settled on simply shaking his head while smiling at her.

"Where are we?" she asked with a tad more strength as her vocal cords were revitalized.

"We are safe," his smile persisted.

Finally, her chest recovered its ability to inhale deeper huffs of air. Arabella pushed herself to a sitting position, enjoying more of her energy back as Silas’ blood worked its magic across her veins.

Her head snapped from left to right, eyes wide open, frantically taking in every detail, "Are we... Safe? Where are we heading?" she asked upon noting the carriage.

"We are going back to the castle. We must meet with the king before returning home,"

"The king?" her eyes still struggled to find a landing place.

"He’s been cured, yes," Silas nodded, watching as her features continued to quiver from one expression to another, "Your plan worked,"

At those words, the young woman froze, her gemstones rising back to meet his, "My plan...,’ she murmured.

After one last glance at her husband’s torn and bloody garments, she burst into tears, throwing her arms around his neck, "You are real! This isn’t a dream! I can feel your warmth! I can feel you!"

Silas shut his eyes, burying his face the deepest he managed in her hair. The vampire tightened his core and did his very best to reel his tears back in. He was not above crying, not in front of her, but there was still much to accomplish, walking out of the carriage with a damp face and standing before everyone else... That was too much to ask.

No one but her was to see the most unfiltered version of him and that was that.

"My lips are no longer hurting!" her fingers flew up to graze the freshly cured edges of her mouth, "I can do this without pain!"

Without another warning, she pressed her lips against his and dug her fingernails into his back which would have done more damage had his skin and flesh belonged to a human.

Silas asked no questions and reciprocated, wrapping his arms around her while making sure the fabric still covered her body.

"You smell like home," she pulled back just long enough to breathe those words against his face.

Chest to chest, they tasted, smelled and explored each other’s oral cavities for a good few seconds before the young woman suddenly pulled away, face flushed and eyes refusing to meet his again.

"What is it?" he asked, seeking her gaze.

"No... I simply...," she trailed off, tugging at the fabric around her body, "Where are the others?" she deflected.

"Worry not for them. They are safe as well. Still in the castle," he reassured her.

But her face fell further apart, "Not my father... He isn’t safe," her eyes remained sharp but drifted further away, earning the expression of someone that had long since succumbed to the void.

The beating in her chest was surprisingly steady and calm. Too calm for someone in her figurative shoes.

"I couldn’t reach him fast enough," he murmured, "I am sorry,"

"It was never your fault," she replied, eyes still wide and unblinking.

Something had for sure broken in her, but at the core, she remained the same woman.

The same kind and loving person he met her as.

All that Arabella wanted was for her father to let her be, but not in such a manner.

Then again, Silas was no mind reader. He had no certain clue as to what went around in there.

"Shall we go then?" he asked.

She snapped back into reality, but her eyes never rose above his chin, "Oh... Yes, let us go,"

One arm behind her back and a second underneath her knees, Silas picked her and the cocoon of fabric wrapped around her up before quitting the carriage.

The soldiers and horsemen that remained in proximity dared not utter a word. Aside from curious looks and side glares, they did not try to stop Silas from moving back towards the bridge leading to the castle.

"I will only go as fast as you can handle," he said.