Stained By Sin

FIVE

Jaiden paced back and forth inside the room he was in. He had been awake in this room for what felt like hours, but he had no idea how long it really had been since he was captured. The first hour he was left alone, he spent trying to calm his nerves. The next hour, he observed the room he was in, thinking of ways on how he could escape. Unfortunately, there was nothing in the room that could help him.

The room was pretty bare. No furniture except for the bed he slept on, an empty bedside table, and a locked closet. He tried to pry it open, but it was sealed so tightly, he thought his arms would be ripped off their sockets before he could open it. The walls were also bare. There were a couple of hooks on the wall, but nothing hanged on it. A single candle was lit, placed on top of the bedside table -- the only source of light in the room. There was a window opposite to the door, but heavy blinds covered it. When Jaiden tried to open it, he was surprised to see another wall blocking the window from the outside. Maybe the stories that said vampires were weak to sunlight was true. Else, the windows wouldn’t be this heavily covered. It would also explain why Ava could only meet him at night.

When he thought of Ava, his mind also immediately went to the female vampire he met when he woke up. A sudden shiver of fear ran down his spine with just the mere thought of the female vampire that was in his room a couple of hours ago. It was thanks to her, however, that he was able to have time some alone with himself. Ever since he found out that vampires exist, and that he was currently mated to one -- whatever the hell that meant -- he’d been caught up with one tragedy to another, with no time to actually process anything at all.

Jaiden thought of Ava… his sweet, innocent Ava. She was so gentle, so kind, and so child-like that he still had a hard time believing she was a monster. But after talking to that female before,there was no doubt that Ava was one. The female also mentioned something about an ivory princess… was she talking about Ava? If she were, then that would explain why Ava was so sophisticated when she moved. She’s a royalty. But wait… why do vampires have royalties in the first place? Weren’t they just a bunch of savage monsters with nothing in their minds but to prey on humans? But if that’s all they were, how come Ava was nothing of the sort? And even though the female she had just talked to felt very dangerous, she didn’t kill him. All she did was scare him and tease him, but nothing more. She even gave him space, knowing that he was all tense and scared.

Not good, not good. This was so not good. Everything was so confusing. True, he was a bit calmer now than when he first woke up, but when his mind began to process everything that was happening, he just couldn’t help but panic.

At least, he wasn’t crying anymore.

No matter how scared he was a while ago, he still saw the disgusted look that male vampire gave him before he left the room.

He was still a man, after all. He should at least have some dignity, even after being captured by vampires.

The sudden sound of the door opening startled Jaiden, making him scream in surprise.

So much for having some dignity.

His heart palpitating, and on the verge of hyperventilating, Jaiden placed both his hands on his knees and tried to calm himself. The small calmness he felt before just flew out of the window, and his nerves were more on edge than before.

Slowly, the female vampire from before entered his room. She was smiling slightly, which helped him relax a bit. This made him worry even more. He shouldn’t be feeling relaxed. Sure, he couldn’t see any hint of the deadly aura he felt from her the first time they talked, but he knew it was there. He experienced it first hand. He knew her smile was just a facade, and he wouldn’t be fooled.

“Jaiden,” she greeted him, her voice soft. She brought with her a tray with some fruits on it, a glass, and a pitcher filled with water.

Jaiden just stood there, watching her as she entered the room. She walked towards the bedside table and gently placed the tray she was holding on top of it. He noticed that she left the door opened, and he wondered if she forgot to close it.

Maybe she thinks she had already closed it, Jaiden thought.

This was his chance. He could quietly run to the door while her back was on him. What he would do afterwards was for future Jaiden to think about.

Jaiden took a deep breath, then tensed his muscles, preparing to run. Before he could even take as much as a step, however, he heard the female chuckle.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” she said, sounding amused.

“Do what?” he asked innocently, instantly dropping any hope of escape.

“You were just about to run outside. Don’t do it. It’s not worth it.”

How did she know? Her back was fully turned on him. There was no way she could see what he was about to do.

Jaiden stood frozen on his spot, his lips slightly parted in shock, his eyes staring at the female blankly.

Maybe vampires could read minds?

The female turned to him, her lips curved in an amused smile.

“Don’t think too hard. Are you forgetting that I am a vampire? I can feel any movement you make, no matter how small. That slight change in stance you did was enough to let me know you were about to run for it.” The female walked towards him, still smiling. “I hope words are enough to warn you, but you can never outrun me. Not in a thousand years. Not even in a million years.”

Jaiden swallowed. Hard. He could feel his heart beating harder than before, his breath coming in short bursts.

“Relax. I’m not here to scare you. I’m actually here to deliver some news to you.”

Jaiden watched as the female took a paper from her pants’ pocket. Was that an execution order? Do they even have someone to hand out execution orders?

“This is from your mate,” she said. “Her clan wanted to hold a discussion with me, regarding your release.”

Mate? Wait… Ava?

And wait… discussion?

Why were these vampires so organized? Where was the mindless monsters he’d seen on the handful of horror movies he saw?

“You don’t look thrilled?” she mused.

“I am not thrilled. I honestly don’t know what to feel.” Jaiden was surprised with himself. He must have been really stressed out that he’s starting to hold a conversation again with this vampire.

She smiled at him, though. And it was a gentle smile.

Huh. Maybe befriending her would be a good idea. Maybe if she becomes his friend, he could talk her into letting him go.

But wasn’t Ava already doing that for him? This female had just told him that she was meeting with them for a discussion about his release. Why would he force himself to do anything?

But, if Ava succeeded into arranging for his release, would he end up being locked inside Ava’s home instead? After all, he was her mate. Or whatever. That would just be going from one prison to another.

That decided it, then. He would work for his freedom. If he could free himself with his own effort, that would be the best case scenario.

“Thank you for the food, by the way. Uhm…” Jaiden mumbled, then looked at the female, waiting for her to tell him her name.

“Elara,” she supplied for him.

“Thank you, Elara,” he said. Somehow, her name rolled out of his tongue with ease.

It shocked Jaiden, but brushed it off. Her name was just probably very easy to pronounce. Elara looked shocked as well, though. And it was something she just couldn’t seem to shake off.

“Uhm…” she muttered. “Uh, you go ahead and eat. I will visit you again later to inform you of my decision with the Ivorys request. For the mean time, go ahead and eat. We don’t have any human food here so I hope fruits would suffice.”

Before Jaiden could respond, Elara was already out of the room, the door closing loudly behind her. He heard the sound of the doors lock clicking into place, and then nothing. He was alone again.

Jaiden stared at the fruits on his bedside table. He felt his stomach grumble in response. Sighing in resignation, he went over to the table and picked an apple from the tray.

Elara rushed to her room, her heart pounding hard against her chest. She could still hear the way that human…Jaiden… said her name.

Elara.

Ela-ra.

Ela-ra…

“Ela-ra,” Xian groaned, making Elara smile in response. “I told you, the clothes you made for me still fit. You don’t have to keep making me new ones.”

“But you’re so tiny and cute, I can’t help but sew you new clothes every chance I get,” Elara said, teasing her little brother.

“Ugh…” Xian groaned again, making her laugh.

“Stop grumbling and let me take your measurements already.”

“You just took them last month!”

“Hey, you are a growing boy. Your sizes could change drastically in just a couple of weeks. I need to make sure.”

“Fine,” Xian finally surrendered. “Just be quick. I want to train swordsmanship with brother.”

“Alright, alright, you little soldier.” Elara grabbed her tape measure and immediately went to work, but not without ruffling her little brother’s hair first.

“Ela-ra! Stop it,” Xian said, but she ignored him. She just continued to take his measurements in silence, her heart overflowing with love for her baby brother.

“Done. I’ll go make your new clothes, now,” Elara said before leaving Xian’s room. Elara chanced a quick glance on her brother before she closed the door and she saw him smiling fondly. Ah, that little fluffball.

Elara closed her eyes as a fresh wave of pain hit her. Oh, how she missed her little brother. Why did that human said her name like that. She had already moved on, but now, her pain felt so fresh and raw.

It didn’t help that she was just thinking of her brothers when Aki appeared to give the letter. Reminiscing the days she shared with her brothers, coupled with this incident, was just too much even for Elara.

She placed her hand on her chest as she felt her sobs making its way out of her throat. She tried to hold it in but failed. The moment her first sob escaped her lips, a sealed dam of emotions broke and she just started crying. Her knees went weak, and she slid down the floor, broken. She didn’t realize how hard she was crying until she felt Aki’s arms wrapped around her.

His familiar warmth comforted her a little, her pain ceasing just a bit. He must have heard her crying. If he did, then the other vampires could hear her as well.

It’s not like she could stop herself from crying at this point, anyways.

She continued to cry while Aki held her, saying nothing. He just let her release everything she desperately hid in her heart.

She didn’t know how long she had been crying, but after a while, her sobs came less and less, and her tears were starting to dry up.

Aki held her gently, even after she was quiet and had stopped crying. Elara leaned her head on his chest, letting him comfort her during her weak moment. He was gently brushing her hair, making her feel as if she was once again a little girl and not a leader of an entire clan. Making her feel that it was alright to cry and not be strong all the time.

This was why Aki had become her best friend. He just knew how to interact with her. He knew when she needed him, and how she needed him. For that, Elara was very grateful.

After a while, Aki spoke, breaking the silence. “What happened?” he asked her softly, his voice barely a whisper. His fingers continued to caress her hair, his heartbeat a comforting music in her ears.

“Nothing much,” Elara replied, her voice hoarse from all the crying.

“Tell me,” Aki prodded, his voice gaining a bit more strength and volume.

Elara paused for a minute, thinking about whether she would tell Aki about Jaiden or not. She knew he wouldn’t let it go, though. With a sigh, Elara decided to tell him about what happened.

“It’s Jaiden.”

“The human?” Elara was still leaning against Aki so she couldn’t see his reaction. She was sure that his eyebrows were raised with her statement, though.

She nodded. Elara felt Aki took a deep breath, as if shocked.

“When did it go from “the human” to “Jaiden”?” Aki asked, sounding confused.

Elara shrugged. When indeed?

“Tell me,” Aki said again, composing himself.

“It’s not really a big deal. It’s just that… the way he said my name reminded me of someone.”

“And that someone is?”

Elara took a deep breath before responding. “Xian.”

Aki was silent. He didn’t speak for a long time. Elara told Aki all about the history of the vampires, including her own story and how the Ivorys rose to power, way, way back. She knew her brother’s name was enough to let him know why she cried that much.

“What are you going to do now?” Aki asked after a while.

“Nothing will change,” Elara answered. “He might have reminded me of my little brother, but that’s just that. People can pronounce my name like that, but that doesn’t mean that will be important to me. Everything will proceed as planned.”

They were both quiet again. Aki kept on giving her hair gentle pats and strokes, which made her feel sleepy. All that crying sucked the energy out of her.

Aki must have sensed that she was starting to doze off because she felt him shift. Elara was about to protest but he hushed her. Gently, he picked her up and carried Elara to her bed. He tucked her in as if he was tucking a child to sleep. One more thing Elara loved about having Aki by her side was this. She didn’t have to act all tough. She could let all her guards down and be all weak and soft but he wouldn’t judge her. He wouldn’t change his alliance just because of her weakness. Instead, he would take care of her, just like how his older brother, Cairo, took care of her when he was alive.

Elara sleepily mumbled her thanks to Aki. He didn’t reply, but she knew he heard her. Feeling very much relaxed for the first time in ages, Elara drifted off to sleep.

Aki stared at Elara, who was sleeping peacefully on her bed. He hadn’t seen her break down like this since that time she told him about what happened to her family. Seeing her cry like that just because someone called her the way her little brother used to call her made Aki angry. He really couldn’t forgive those damn Ivorys of what they did to Elara. To see her lose her cool like that… it was obvious that even after all these years, she still hadn’t moved on.

He couldn’t understand the amount of pain Elara must have felt. After all these years of being a vampire, his memories from when he was human slowly faded. He couldn’t remember the faces of his family. He knew he had a younger sister and an older brother, but that’s it. He couldn’t even remember their faces now. And that’s why Elara, and this clan, was the only family he had. So he would protect it at all costs. He would do everything to keep Elara smiling. To keep her fighting. To keep her strong.

He would do everything for her.

Aki stood up, gave Elara a last look, then left the room.

Aki swore to protect everything Elara held dear, and even though she said that everything should proceed as planned, he knew the human affected her. So he would take care of him first.

He didn’t expect to take care of human with no killing involved, but hey. There’s always a first time for everything.

Aki went to the spare room which he decided to use while the human used his own room. Grabbing some clean clothes, he went to where the human was staying. When he arrived in front of his own room, Aki hesitated. Would he really show some kindness to a human?

Oh, well. Everything for Elara.

With a sigh, Aki opened the door, fresh change of clothes in hand.