The Vampire's Promise

I couldn't leave the castle; no one would let me. It irritated me to no end, but what could I do about it?

I was guided off to a random room, where I was told to wait for Vladimir. I didn't want to wait for him, but I supposed I had no other choice. I took a seat in one of the many chairs in the room.

There were so many bookshelves in here; I had to assume this place was a library, or it was meant to be a library. There were no books in sight. The shelves were bare. One look around the room, and the obvious feeling that something was off would sink in rather quickly.

My gaze traveled to the floor as I thought about why there were no books in here. The smell of burning candle wax made its way to my nostril, and I looked up. But there were no candles, let alone lit ones. I sighed and continued to feel more and more nervous about the room.

It wasn't long before Vladimir stepped through the doors of the room.

"I know you're mad at me," he said quietly.

"That's an understatement."

"I had very good reason to do what I did," his voice was louder, and I turned to look at him. The expression on his face sent a shiver down my spine. He brushed a strand of his long, blond hair from his face and cleared his throat, dropping his gaze to the floor.

"Please, believe me when I say that," his tone was gentle once more.

"Look at me when you ask me that, please," I requested. "It makes you look a bit suspicious if you look a the floor and demand someone that someone believe you."

Vladimir looked back up at me and just stared for a long while. His icy eyes traveled all over my face, peering into me, his gaze stopping on my eyes. Though he was supposed to be a dark and scary vampire, in that moment I felt no fear. Only a questioning hurt resided within my heart.

Making someone your queen without their consent was just like... just like a shotgun wedding.

"I'm sorry, Carol; I truly am, for not speaking of this with you before. I really did have my reasons."

"What were your reasons, Vlad? Stop apologizing and just get on with it," I looked away from him. He came to kneel in front of my chair again, just like when we were in his office.

"Making you my queen was the only way to save your life; I'm not lying about that," he began. "Those men weren't ordinary men, as I told you before."

My eyebrows furrowed and I gave him a questioning look, but he was looking away from me.

"When they... when they caught your scent, they locked your mind down; they locked you out of your world. I could- I could send thoughts to you, and make you see me... but that was all. In order to stop their magic, I had to use an even greater magic."

He looked to me again, searching my eyes again. I continued to stare with what I hoped was an expression that would urge him to continue. He raised his hand and cautiously cupped my cheek with it. I flinched slightly at the movement, at the sudden bodily contact, but allowed him to.

"A magical bond can be formed between two people," Vladimir went on. "A very powerful bond... It sort of... marks the two people as soul mates, only it's a rather hard mark to see. It's in here," he brought one of my hands to cover his chest, over where his heart was probably beating, if it did beat, "and it can also be seen through here..."

Very gently, the thumb of the hand that was cupping my cheek brushed just underneath my eye. I gasped slightly at the caress. He pulled his hands from me, and my hand continued to rest over his heart, before I realized it was still there and pulled it back.

"I formed that bond between us without your consent, and when I did, I could... Well, I did what was necessary to ensure that they couldn't come after you again."

"You killed them...?" I asked, remembering the dark color I had seen on him in the alleyway.

He never faltered as he said, "I did." I gasped and leaned back in my chair. "I'm a vampire, Carol; it's what I do. I kill people."

"I... I know. It's still shocking to hear." He stood up, turning away from me.

"Well, anyway, this room-"

"There were six of them," I whispered, interrupting him.

"I beg your pardon?" Vladimir turned back toward me. I cleared my throat and shook my head.

"Uh, I said that there were six of them." Vladimir's eyes narrowed.

"Yes; there were six of them," he agreed. "As I was trying to say... this room is very special. You may have noticed that there are no books anywhere in sight."

"I did," I nodded and a smile grew on Vladimir's face.

"What if I told you that it was just an illusion?" My brows knitted together, and I looked around the room a few more times. This can't be an illusion... I thought.

"It's not," I shook my head as I stood up.

"Ah, but it is," his grin grew wider as he spoke. "You see... only those with a trained eye can see the books hidden within this room. This is the first bit of your training, Carol."

I raised my eyebrows at him.

"Let's start with clearing all other thoughts from your mind... You might want to sit down again."