Realm of the forgotten

Chapter 10

Akara POV

I woke the next morning from a deep sleep and found myself tucked into bed. Then everything rushed back: crying in Eric’s arms, him holding me, me passing out. He must have put me to bed. My cheeks went warm, probably red.

I climbed out, ran a bath, and got ready. I would have loved to stay in that room forever, but I knew Eric would drag me out sooner or later. I still wanted to apologize to his parents, and I couldn’t figure out how. I rehearsed a dozen versions in my head, and all of them felt impossible.

After my bath, I picked a long dark blue dress from the wardrobe and black flats with a small heel. I never felt comfortable in heels. I skipped the make-up and put my hair in a bun. Just as I reached for the door, someone knocked. One of the maids stood there, bowing.

“Morning, Milady. I came to get you ready for breakfast, but I see I’m too late. I sincerely apologize. You may punish me as you see fit!” She stood bowed, not daring to look at me.

Her reaction baffled me. Punish her for not dressing me? I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed. “Calm down. I’m not going to punish anyone, least of all you. I can dress myself, so please don’t stress when you find me already dressed. And please, stand up straight and look at me. I don’t do well with this.”

She looked up, mouth slightly open, then smiled. “Thank you, Milady. Please follow me to the dining room. Breakfast will be served shortly.”

As I followed her, I asked her to stop calling me Milady and just use my name. I didn’t like being treated like a princess when I knew I wasn’t one.

Eric and his parents were already at the table. Eric stood the second he saw me and came straight over. My heart was pounding so fast I hoped he couldn’t hear it. I hadn’t even seen him cross the room, and suddenly he was in front of me, taking my hand.

“Come. Let’s have breakfast together.”

The warmth surprised me. He was gentle now, nothing like when I first met him. I sat beside him, trying to work out how to start. Finally, I took a breath, turned to his parents, and told them I was sincerely sorry for hurting their son.

They looked at me, then at each other, and burst out laughing. I was dumbfounded. “What’s so funny?”

His father answered first. “Sorry, my dear. Eric could never be hurt that easily. I believe you already know what we are?”

I nodded.

“We vampires are very strong. It would take a great deal to break our bones, or even scratch us. What you did last night was simply give Eric a push.”

I looked at Eric. “So you really weren’t hurt?”

He only nodded. The relief was huge. I hadn’t hurt anyone.

Breakfast was another English one, and I devoured it, since I hadn’t eaten since the night before. Then his mother spoke.

“Eric, Akara, the blood moon is four days away, so I’ve arranged for the dressmakers to come this afternoon to take your measurements for the wedding.”

I nearly choked. For a moment, I’d forgotten I was being forced to marry him. Everything was moving too fast. “No.”

Everyone turned to look at me. “No, what, dear?” his mother asked.

“I won’t marry him,” I said, as seriously as I could.

Her expression hardened, and her voice went stern. “Akara, you don’t have a choice. You and Eric will be married on the day of the blood moon. Am I clear?” Her eyes were cold. A chill ran down my spine. She meant every word, and I was trapped. Under the table, Eric’s fingers closed around my wrist, tightening fast. I could only nod.

I stayed silent for the rest of breakfast, left first, and went straight to my room.

I hadn’t realized Eric was following me. Before I could open my door, he grabbed my waist and moved so fast that the next thing I knew, we were inside, and he had me pinned against the wall. My breath caught. His eyes told me he wasn’t happy about what I’d said.

“Did you think you had a choice in this? We’ll be married whether you like it or not.” His voice was low, anger spilling out of it.

Then he was gone, and I stood there trying to get my breathing under control. Why should I go along with their demands when there was no love in this? If we were mates, why did he treat me like this? Wasn’t he supposed to love me? I had never felt so alone.

I stayed locked in my room until there was another knock. I told them to come in, and Eric’s mother entered, with other people behind her.

“I apologize for how I spoke about your marriage to Eric,” she said sweetly. “But you two are mates, and you’re destined to be together.”

My anger flared. “Destined? Mates? Are you kidding? If this mate thing is anything like what I know, it should be loved at first sight, not being hated and treated like trash. Being grabbed and shoved against walls every time I voice my opinion!” I shouted, and something burned inside me.

Her eyes widened. “Did he put his hands on you, dear?”

I stayed silent. My anger was boiling, and I was afraid of what I might do if I spoke. She took my silence as a yes and left, with the others following.

Eric POV



I was in the library, wondering if I’d gone too far with Akara, when my mother walked in with a scowl.

“Yes, Mother?”

Her hand cracked across my cheek. My whole face turned to the left, and the skin burned.

“Why did you hit me?”

“Funny, you should ask, when you put your hands on your mate. Did I raise you to hurt her?” Her voice rose.

I was shocked. “You’re the one who told me to make sure she’d go through with the marriage!”

“Yes, before I knew you two were mates! Do you have any idea what happens if one of you breaks the bond? Death.”

I was stunned.

“Fix what you’ve done, Eric. And do it soon.”

She left me alone in the library. My thoughts went straight to Akara, and I regretted everything. I had to make it up to her, but how? She surely hated me by now. I started toward her room.

Akara POV

I sat on my bed, replaying everything, my anger refusing to fade. Someone knocked. My gut said it was Eric, and I ignored him.

The door opened anyway, and he stepped in with apologetic eyes.

“What?” I snapped.

His eyes went from apologetic to bewildered, and he pointed. “Your eyes. They’re orange. Like fire.”

I rushed to the mirror. He was right. My eyes had turned the color of flames, and I started to panic. I had no idea what was happening to me.

Eric pulled me into a hug. It surprised me, after how he’d behaved a few hours earlier. I swear the man was bipolar. “I’m sorry for what I did,” he said. “I never meant to hurt you. I was afraid you’d call off the wedding.”

I didn’t know what to feel. I let him hold me, and said nothing, and then everything went dark.

“It has begun,” he whispered.