Chapter 6
"Xander, we have to tell mom and dad. Do you not understand how much trouble you have brought upon yourself?"
"I understand it fine!"
"Then we have to let our parents know."
"It'd be so much simpler to just kill her..."
I gawked at xander, my eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets.
Peter raised an eyebrow at my reaction, while Xander didn't even spare me a glance.
Arnaldo sighed, shaking his head.
"First, that is against the law, and second, considering your position and mine, going against the law is practically suicide. You have to think of your status and image, not only for you, but for the family as well."
"I don't care what other people think of me," Xander snapped.
"And I didn't say I was going to kill her, I just said it'd be easier if I had."
I relaxed somewhat now.
As long as I wasn't going to die... Wait, no.
I couldn't relax!
What was I thinking?
This place was probably full of creatures that shouldn't exist!
These dangerous, horrifying, and stunning creatures.
A small frown slipped onto my face.
No matter how much vampires scared me, I had to admit they were definitely eye-catching.
It was funny how nature worked.
It gave one of the worst predators in the world the exact advantage it needed to capture its prey.
In this case, the vampires acquired inhumanly good looks.
But hey, it'd be unnatural for someone, especially a woman, not to think people who looked like the three men before me were attractive.
Somebody could be both a serial killer and a gorgeous guy. It was the same thing... Except these serial killers claimed they didn't actually kill, and they sucked blood. And they kidn*pped me. Which was kind of a downer.
"What is your name?"
My attention snapped away from my thoughts and onto Arnaldo.
For a second I debated on ignoring him, but decided it wouldn't be my wisest choice.
"Sophia."
"I'm Arnaldo," he responded, holding out a hand to me.
"Nice to meet you."
I stared at him like he was crazy.
He wanted me to shake his hand?
I could barely stand being five feet away from him, let alone touch him!
And did he expect me to say it was nice to meet him back?
His brother kidn*pped me!
Finally Arnaldo dropped his hand, a frown appearing on his face.
To my surprise, I actually felt a little guilty for turning him down.
I bit my lip, scolding myself.
There was nothing to feel guilty about!
It wasn't my fault I was terrified of vampires and didn't want to touch them.
Just trying to realize they really did exist was hard!
It was like my mind was trying to reject the entire idea— not that I wouldn't mind that, but now I was aware.
And they weren't going away.
"Arnaldo may not mind if you don't shake his hand, but when we go to see my parents you will treat them with respect," a low voice commanded in my ear.
My head whipped around and I found Xander not even a foot away from me.
I staggered to the side, trying to put space between us.
Was he trying to give me a heart attack?
He smirked at me, raising an eyebrow.
"You are just like a kitten that has been taken home for the first time," Peter commented, smiling at me.
"Except I've been kidn*pped and this is not my home," I responded, frowning at the blonde man.
"For now it is," Xander interjected.
"And probably for awhile."
"For awhile? I need to go home!"
"Too bad."
"My family is going to be worried sick!"
"And?"
I stared at him, my mouth open in disbelief.
"They might think I'm dead! I can't do that to my parents! I need to go home!"
Once more tears were burning in my eyes, but I refused to let them spill.
"Please!"
"Not happening," Xander snapped.
"You are staying here whether you like it or not."
"Xander, don't be so harsh," Peter reprimanded.
"What? I'm just telling her the truth! It's better not to have her get her hopes up and then crush them."
"Yes, but you don't have to do it like that," Arnaldo cut in, sending Xander a disapproving look.
The lump in my throat was growing as I fought to control my emotions.
Somewhere in my mind I knew I wasn't going to be going home any time soon.
But I really didn't want to face that fact.
I had no idea what was going to happen to me now.
Was Xander telling the truth when he had said that it was against their law to kill a human?
"Tell me honestly," I started, looking into Arnaldo emerald eyes.
"Am I going to die?"
Arnaldo looked surprised for a moment, but then he shook his head.
"Not by our hands, no."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"He means that the only way you will die is if you kill yourself," Xander informed me in a bored tone.
"I'm sure you heard us earlier. It's illegal to kill a human."
Surprisingly, hearing that again made me feel more relaxed.
There was nothing that could ever make me want to kill myself, not even being kidn*pped, and hearing that they couldn't kill me made a little calmer.
I still hated the whole part about me being kidn*pped though.
It wasn't exactly my idea of a good time.
"Well, it'd be best not to defer informing our parents about our... guest," Arnaldo stated, his eyes flicking to me for a split-second.
"They'll only be more upset if we wait."
"Fine," Xander agreed in an irksome tone.
He then turned to me and I felt myself cringe away from his penetrating gaze.
"You," he started, addressing me.
"What?"
"When we enter whatever room my parents are in, you will bow. Don't move or speak after that unless spoken to," Xander ordered.
I stared at him incredulously.
I had been kidn*pped, and he wanted me to show respect to his parents?
Was he kidding me?
"You want me to bow... to my kidnapper's parents?"
"And you'll do as you're told."
I laughed without humor.
"What makes you think that I'll listen to you?"
Before I could blink I was on the bed again with my back pressed against the mattress and Xander on top of me, holding me down by my throat.
A quivery breath escaped my lips as my heart went into a frenzy from the sudden proximity of the vampire above me.
I couldn't even scream.
His sapphire eyes bore into mine menacingly, making my pounding heart stop momentarily.
"Xander," I heard Arnaldo say in a reproachful tone.
"Stop being so physical. You will accidentally kill the poor girl."
Xander ignored his brother and continued to glower at me.
"Just because we can't kill you doesn't mean that we can't make you wish you were dead," he said quietly.
"The best thing for you to do is obey us."
A lump formed in my throat while I stayed stock-still, waiting for Xander to move off of me.
I wanted to go home. I wanted to leave this place and never come back.
I wanted my mom and dad.
What in the world could I have done to deserve this?
Was this some kind of joke some god was playing on me because my fear of vampires was supposedly nonsensical?
Finally Xander pulled away from me, but not before grabbing my forearm and dragging me up with him as well.
"You will address my mother and father only if they speak directly to you and if you are even the slightest bit rude to them I will make sure you regret it," he warned me, letting go of my arm.
"Why?" I asked quietly, trying to swallow the lump in my throat.
"Why what?"
"What is so special about your parents? Why do I have to bow to them and address them with respect?"
Xander looked at me like I was the stupidest person in the world.
"Are you stupid? You can't figure it out?"
A scowl of annoyance forced its' way onto my face as I glared at Xander.
"If I could, I wouldn't be asking."
Peter snickered from the other side of the room, earning a death look from Xander.
Peter stopped laughing immediately.
Xander turned back to me, his expression caught between amusement and irritation.
"My family is royalty," Xander told me, a smug smirk now appearing on his face.
"You are about to meet the queen and king of the vampire world."
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