Bitten – Episode 6

 

Chapter 6 ♀

 

Father!” Vincent called, stepping into the lounge.

 

Joel pushed me in after him, shutting the door behind us. My gaze swept across the room. A gigantic fireplace that held a blazing fire was against the furthest wall, and around it were a few rouge, Victorian styled chairs. On either side of the fireplace was a tall, wide window-pained window. Paintings of very handsome men and beautiful women lined the other walls, and an immense bookshelf took up half of the wall to my right. But there was something missing… The King .

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As if on some kind of cue, as soon as I thought those words a pair of hands grasped onto my shoulders. Without warning, I was spun around, and pressed against the wall. Piercing emerald eyes- exactly like Sebastian’s- gazed into my own, amusement flickering in them. The man pinning me against the wall grinned,

 

 

revealing sharp, snowy canines. My breath caught in my throat and my heart stopped, standing immobile in the grasp of this vampire.

 

“Is this bring-your-father-dinner day?” he inquired, bringing his head closer to me.

 

“How marvelous.”

 

“S-stop it!” I cried, finally finding my voice. “Let me go!”

 

Vincent’s gaze met mine and I sent him a pleading look. He rolled his eyes, looking extremely annoyed. “Father, cut it out.”

 

Father? The vampire pinning me to the wall abruptly pulled away, his dark hair falling into his face. I stared at him in disbelief. This man was the King? He barely looked ten years older than me!

 

“Vivi, you really like to ruin my fun, don’t you?” he complained, turning to face his son.

 

Vincent scowled at him. “Don’t call me Vivi.”

 

“Your mom does.”

 

“She’s different.”

 

The King placed a hand on his heart. “Ouch… Emily, dear, you can move away from the wall now.”

 

Once again I found myself looking into emerald eyes. The King grinned at me, showing his fangs to me once again. I pressed myself harder to the wall, my heart rate spiking again. That swept the grin right off his face. He turned to Vincent, crossing his arms.

 

“What did you do, Vince?”

 

Vincent clenched his fists. “Why do you always think I did something?”

 

“Well you are the trouble child…”

 

“Actually, Emily is afraid of vampires, Your Majesty,” Joel interjected, sending me a cheeky smile. “Apparently since she was a child.”

 

The King turned back to me, looking interested. “Really now? That’s going to be a hassle. But you know what they say, right?”

 

I slowly shook my head, not sure whether he was talking to me or not.

 

“The only way to get over your fears is to face them head on. So when you’re out of here, you won’t be scared anymore!”

 

“Out of here?” I echoed. “Isn’t there a chance I might not be able to go home?” The King smiled widely. “And so she speaks! What a pleasant voice! Like doves cooing!”

 

Vincent snorted, rolling his eyes while I flushed in embarrassment. From Joel’s earlier words and Vincent’s actions, I assumed the King was going to be an

 

 

unpleasant person. It was relaxing to know he didn’t seem that bad… But he did seem kind of un-king like.

 

“I’m King Solomon Rutherford, like the late King Solomon of Israel. Except this is America… But I do have the wise part down,” he told me with a wink. “You can’t be King without knowing anything. Right, Vivi?”

 

Vincent glared at his father. “I wouldn’t know, father. I’m not going to be King.” Solomon frowned. “Even if you’re not the heir, you still need to know how to rule.” “I don’t want to be King either, so I’m fine,” Vincent snapped. “Sebastian has it handled.”

 

I peered at Vincent from around the King curiously. It didn’t occur to me that Vincent or Sebastian could be the heir to the… kingdom, or whatever vampires had. Wasn’t Vincent at least the tiniest bit upset he wouldn’t become King? A grimace crossed my face. What was I thinking? I didn’t care how Vincent felt. What I cared about was whether or not I was going home.

 

Joel coughed, breaking the silence. “Your Majesty, if you would be so kind as to excuse me. The human has to eat at some point.”

 

My head snapped to Joel. Food? When was the last time I’d eaten? For the first time, I was aware of just how hungry I felt. The empty feeling in my stomach felt uncomfortable now.

 

“You may go,” Solomon responded, shooing Joel with his hands. “Pull out some dried fruit for our anemic friend as well.”

 

Finally allowing myself to push away from the wall, I tried to relax my stance.

 

Solomon didn’t seem like the person who would hurt me. “Er, Your Majesty…”

 

The words felt awkward coming off my tongue.

 

“Call me Solomon,” he responded with a polite smile. “I am not your King.”

 

I suddenly felt extremely shy. “A-about me going home… Is there any possible way that I can go home sooner?”

 

His expression fell quickly. “Emily…”

 

“I know you have a court system and all, but while that’s all fine and dandy my parents are probably worried sick!” I babbled, giving him a desperate look. “I can’t wait a week! I need to go home now!”

 

Solomon pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m sorry, but we can’t allow you to go

 

home-”

 

“But-”

 

“However,” he continued forcefully, cutting me off, “there is something we can do about your parents. You’ll have to consent to it though first.”

 

Ignoring the anger that was beginning to boil in me, I gave him a questioning look.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Memory altercation.”

 

The words hung heavy in the air. Vincent drifted off towards the fireplace, looking extremely bored. I stared at Solomon blankly. Memory altercation? “What does that mean?” I finally inquired.

 

“Sebastian can go to your house and alter your parents minds so that they think you’re at your Aunt’s house for the week.”

 

My eyebrows furrowed together. “My aunts live in California…”

 

“It stops them from worrying, doesn’t it? I hate to make you choose something, but it’s either that or having them worry about you for a week straight. They could think you were kidnapped, or murdered. And then when you come back there will be questions and police investigations and-” I held up my hand. “No, I get it…”

 

Solomon frowned. “I’m sorry you were pulled into this mess… Vincent-”

 

“It’s not my fault,” Vincent growled at the same time I said, “It’s not his fault.” He glanced at me in surprise, his eyes widening the fraction of an inch. I stared back at him for a moment before abruptly looking away, turning back to the King. His eyes searched mine for a moment while I stayed silent.

 

I knew I didn’t have a choice. If I had to stay here, I had to stay here. There was no point in making my parents worry unnecessarily. But if they could alter their minds so that they think I’m with my aunt, couldn’t they also change them so they didn’t know they had a daughter? What if the courts decided it was best just to kill me? Or force me to become one of… I shuddered at the thought.

 

“I can’t trust vampires,” I stated boldly, causing the King to look at me in alarm. “I’ve been terrified of them since I was little. So…” My voice cracked and I had to pause for a moment, waiting until I had it under control. “Please, if there’s a chance that I won’t be able to go home, tell me. I want to know now.”

 

Vincent unexpectedly appeared at my side. I jumped violently, taking a step away from him. He followed, giving me an impatient look. “Look, stupid. You’re going home in a week. We aren’t keeping you here for any longer than you are supposed to. To hell if we do because you’re still my responsibility and I don’t want you here as much as you don’t want to be here!”

 

My eyes were unable to pull themselves away from Vincent’s grim face. He narrowed his eyes, backing away from me. I relaxed my stance, trying to calm my heart. If I was going to stay here, I needed to get used to these vampires as soon as possible.

 

 

“Do you want Sebastian to go to your parents?” Solomon asked in a quiet voice. “Yes.”

 

He let out a sigh of relief. “Good choice, Emily. I promise that while you are here no one will hurt you. Vincent will do his all to keep you safe.” Vincent gave his father a sour look. “Of course.”

 

“I’ll have someone set up a guest room for you… And as for clothing, I’ll tell Sebastian to bring along some of your things. After all, you did go on vacation for a week,” Solomon prattled, furrowing his eyebrows together. “If you want anything else, you should tell him…”

 

I bit my lip and kept my gaze on the floor. An overwhelming desire to cry had come out of the blue. It was only a week. One week with vampires… I clenched my fist to stop my hand from shaking. There was nothing to be scared of. The Queen and King were very amiable people, as well as Sebastian and Fiona. Joel didn’t seem that dangerous either and Vincent… As if he knew I was thinking about him, his sapphire eyes turned to me. I stared back, my breath catching in my throat for the second time. I wasn’t sure what to make of Vincent yet. “I’m going out,” he declared abruptly. “See you later, Father.”

 

“Vivi!” Solomon called as Vincent suddenly disappeared from my view. He let out a small sigh, shaking his head. “That boy…”

 

I stood stock-still in front of the King, an awkward silence filling the air. To make things worse, my stomach let out an obnoxious growl. Blushing furiously, I twisted my head away from Solomon.

 

He chuckled. “Joel will be back momentarily. He’ll show you to the kitchen.”

 

“Okay,” I mumbled.

 

“Emily?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Remember, you’re not a captive,” Solomon told me. “We won’t hurt you. You can have free run of the manor. Please don’t think badly of us because of this…”

 

My mouth went dry. Please don’t think badly of us . Don’t think badly of my kidnappers? Was that even possible? Yes , a voice in the back of my mind stated. I closed my eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath.

 

“I won’t,” I promised, letting out my breath. “It’s only for a week, right? I can handle it as long as my parents don’t worry.”

 

Solomon beamed at me. “Good girl!” he cried, slapping my back.

 

I stumbled forwards, nearly falling over my feet. A stinging pain crossed my back and I winced, putting my hand to it. “Ow…”

 

“Sorry!” Solomon apologized quickly. “I didn’t mean to…”

 

 

“It’s fine,” I told him, letting out a huff of air. “No problem…” I would have to get used to this. “You know, you’re not very king like.” As soon as the words left my mouth, I gasped, staring at him with wide eyes. “Wait, I didn’t mean-”

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He chuckled deeply, cutting me off. “Don’t worry about it. It seems were even now. You’re correct, compared to my father, my grandfather, and all the kings before, I’m

 

not King like. But I don’t want to rule the kingdom as a dictator. I want to rule as… for lack of better words, an elder brother.”

 

I almost snorted. Almost . If they king knew my older brother, he wouldn’t want to govern like that.

 

There was a knock on the door and Joel appeared in the room again, bowing to the King. “A meal is ready for Emily now.”

 

Solomon nodded. “Very well. Emily, please enjoy your stay. Don’t hesitate to come talk to me or Luella if you need anything.”

 

“Um, thanks,” I responded, a bit taken aback by his easygoingness. Joel flashed to my side, shooting me a suave smile. “You ready?” “Sure…”

 

Together we left the lounge, heading down the dimly lit hallways again. This time I paid attentions to the twists and turns we took. Joel kept his distance from me, unlike earlier when he was within touching distance. I smiled at the gesture.

 

“If you want, after you’re done eating I can show you around a bit,” Joel offered, glancing at me. “Unless you’re more comfortable going around by yourself. Or if you just want to retire to your room.”

 

“I… I’d like it if you showed me around,” I responded, swallowing nervously. Joel was a nice guy. If I could get used to being here, we could even be friends. I just had to swallow my silly fear.

 

Joel grinned widely. “Sure! Now I’m not a great cook, so all I could so is cook you some canned soup.”

 

I gave him a questioning look. “Vampires eat human food?”

 

“Duh,” he responded in a sarcastic tone. “We can’t survive on just blood. That’s just stupid.”

 

“Well sorry for being uninformed.”

 

“Apology accepted.”

 

I gave him a flat look. “So for the next week am I going to have to live off can soup or what?”

 

“Vivi is a very good cook,” Joel told me. “Make him make you something. Or you can get one of the kitchen help to do it.”

 

“Kitchen help?”

 

“The cooks,” he clarified. “They’re off tonight, but they’ll be back tomorrow. I’m sure if you request something they can make it.” I nodded slowly. “Okay…”

 

“So what’s with the sudden change in attitude?” Joel asked, suddenly changing the topic. “You were all ‘ah, vampires!’ and now you’re pretty calm.”

 

A wry smile crossed my face. “I figure I’m wrong about vampires. You guys are nothing like the movies.”

 

Joel made a face. “No, we’re not. But Emily, you’d do well to remember there are

 

vampires out there like that.”

 

“There are?”

 

“Yeah. Really dangerous ones.”

 

My heart skipped a beat. “Oh.”

 

Joel sent me a gentle smile. “But forget about that. The kitchen is through here.” He pushed open a large, swinging door, ushering me inside.

 

The smell of chicken noodle soup filled the air, and my stomach rumbled again. Joel smirked and I blushed, awkwardly standing by the door as he went over to a pot on the stove. After a moment he motioned for me to sit at the table that was against the far wall. I did as he said, taking a seat on the high stools.

 

“Bon appétit,” Joel commented, placing a porcelain bowl full of soup in front of me. “Enjoy, because I’m not making you anything else until dinner.” I blinked at him. “What time is it?”

 

“Around noon,” he informed me. “Sunday, if you’re curious…”

 

I stared down at my soup, frowning. It hadn’t even been one day since I arrived at the manor. If this was what one day felt like, what would one week feel like? An unpleasant feeling spread through my chest. Guess I was going to find out.

 

 

 

 

♀Bitten ♀

 

Chapter 6b

 

Raindrops rolled down the crystal clear window, crisscrossing and making winding trails of water. I stared mindlessly into the dark forest splayed out before me, resting my head on my hand. The trees gave off an ominous feeling, like something was going to pop out of them and scare me, but I couldn’t pull my gaze away. As if I was waiting for something to appear.

 

 

A yawn escaped my lips and I rubbed my eyes warily. I was told to feel at home and

 

feel free to explore the place but how could I do either when I was terrified to leave my room? Somehow Joel and the others forgot to mention that there were others here. Others as in other vampires that gave me the look a starving person would give any morsel of food.

 

My stomach rumbled and I rested my forehead against the cool glass of the window, wishing I were at home where I could eat whenever I wanted to. Canned soup was definitely not enough to keep me, let alone any human, sedated for more than six hours. I didn’t know what time it was exactly, but since it was dark out now, it had to be late.

 

I turned away from the window for a second, surveying the room that was set up for me. For a guest, this room was rather fancy. It had the same Victorian style as the rest of the house and a large four-poster bed with a canopy. Earlier I had flopped down onto its maroon and chocolate covered comforters to test its softness. It had passed my standards by flying colors. I was beginning to feel less like a captive and more like a guest more and more.

 

A gust of wind hitting the window pain caused my head to snap back towards it. The branches of the trees were waving around in the sudden breeze. I chuckled quietly; amused that such a silly thing had caused my heart to skip a beat. “Hey, Em.”

 

This time I blenched, shoving myself away from the window in surprise. Fiona appeared in the window’s reflection. She looked highly amused. My heart thumped wildly in my chest and I turned around to face her, trying to calm myself down. “You okay?” she inquired, raising an eyebrow.

 

I shook my head, placing my hand over my heart. “D-don’t scare me like that!”

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A small smile slipped onto her face. “Er, right. Sorry. You’re not used to vampires yet.”

 

“Yeah,” I muttered, running a hand through my hair. I wasn’t even used to the word vampires yet.

 

“Anyway, Vincent and Joel are about to play a match of billiards. Are you interested in watching them? They play a pretty awesome game.”

 

I hesitated, dropping my gaze. So far these guys had been trust worthy. There was no reason to be scared of them. And playing pool sounded pretty normal- my friends and I played it all the time. Maybe vampires were more similar to humans than I thought. “Okay,” I finally responded, offering Fiona a smile.

 

 

She grinned back. “Good! I was about to slap you silly if you made up an excuse about being afraid of vampires again!”

 

“It… It’s not an excuse,” I told her, giving her a wry look. “I really am afraid of vampires. Since I was little. Fears don’t go away over night.” “You don’t seem afraid of me.”

 

“Which is weird since I was afraid of a cardboard cut out yesterday,” I mused, following Fiona out of my temporary room.

 

She let out a loud bark of laughter, surprising me. She was such a tiny and lithe

 

thing; I would have never imagined her making such a loud sound. “You’re

 

ridiculous! A cardboard cut out?”

 

“It’s not my fault!”

 

She smirked. “Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll come to like us.”

 

I frowned. “It’s not that I don’t like you…”

 

.

 

.

 

“That’s good!” she responded brightly. “I want us to be friends! I don’t really have a lot of friends because…” She trailed off, suddenly losing her cheerfulness. “Never mind. I just hope we can be friends!”

 

I stared at her curiously. She definitely didn’t seem like the type of person- er, vampire, that would be a loner. She was royalty, wasn’t that a straight shot to popularity? Or was the vampire world different? “But Emily…”

 

“Yeah?” I asked, pulling myself from my thoughts.

 

Fiona glanced at me from over her shoulder. “You’d do well to remember that not all vampires are your friends. Having fear might keep you alive.” Goosebumps spread over my skin. That made me feel safe.

 

“Emily! You finally decided to emerge from your cave?” Joel called, grinning as Fiona and I descended the steps into the mansion’s basement. I gave Joel a small smile. “Um, yep.”

 

Vincent spared me a quick glance, rolling his eyes at me before looking away. In his left hand was a cue, which he was chalking with a small, blue chalk box in his right hand. My eyes switched back to Joel, who was also holding a cue. Behind him was the large pool table, the balls already set up in the triangle.

 

“Do you know how to play? I can teach you if you don’t,” Joel offered, moving towards me. He stopped a good three feet away. “Or would you rather I not come near you?”

 

 

A frown flitted across my face and I dropped my gaze. I felt guilty because Joel felt like he couldn’t come near me. Guilty . Never in my life would I have guessed I’d feel guilty for a vampire. “Well I already know how to play, but I wouldn’t mind some tips,” I finally responded, taking a step forward. After a moment of hesitation, I put my hand on his shoulder. “Thank you.”

 

A look of shock passed his face, and then a grin appeared on it. “Any time, Em.” “Sorry to ruin your fun, but Joel and I are playing a game,” Vincent interjected, sending me an impatient look. “You’ll have to wait.”

 

“Will do,” I replied quickly, turning my head away from him.

 

“Joel.”

 

“Coming, Vivi!”

 

” Don’t call me that! ”

 

Joel held up his hands defensively. “Yes of course, Your Majesty.”

 

Fiona beckoned me over towards a black, leather couch that rested against the wall of the basement. I sat next to her, my back rigid. It was still awkward to be in the presence of vampires. As much as I wanted to relax, there was a voice in the back of my head that constantly reminded me of I was in danger.

 

“Hey,” Fiona started, gaining my attention. “It’s in the human nature to feel always intimidated while you’re in the presence of a vampire,” she continued, as if she was reading my mind. “Trust me, I know. I got that feeling all the time when I was human. But you’ll get used to it. Just try to relax.”

 

I forced myself to relax my shoulders and lean against the back of the couch more comfortably. If I was going to be here for a week, I wanted to get used to it. Fast. “Where’s Sebastian?” I asked, now noticing his absence. Fiona shrugged. “Doing his princely duties I guess.”

 

“Huh? But isn’t Vincent a prince too?”

 

“Yes,” she told me, “but Vincent isn’t the heir to the throne so he doesn’t have to do all that.”

 

Vincent looked over at us when his name was mentioned. Instead of looking upset

 

like I expected, he looked nonchalant. He caught my gaze. “What?” he demanded.

 

“What’s that look for?”

 

.

 

.

 

I was giving him a look? Shaking my head, I quickly wiped any expression on my face that could mislead him. “Nothing! I didn’t mean to…”

 

“If you think I care that I’m not going to become the king, I don’t.”

 

“I didn’t-”

 

 

Vincent cut me off again. “That goody two-shoes brother of mine is more than willing to do such a tedious job. I’m perfectly happy enjoying the easy life of wealth and not having to do anything in return.”

 

Fiona sighed quietly as I stared at Vincent, all protests gone. It was a good thing he wasn’t going to be come the king. He was just a spoiled brat! “Vivi, pay attention,” Joel ordered. “I just pocketed a ball.”

 

“How do I know you didn’t cheat?” he snapped, turning back to Joel. “My back was turned!”

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“Please. I don’t cheat.”

 

Vincent scowled. “Whatever. Just go before-”

 

“Vince? Fiona? Joel? Are you down there?”

 

My eyes snapped towards the basement stairs, where Sebastian descended. His eyes widened when they landed on me. Joel immediately dropped into a bow, murmuring a polite greeting.

 

“Don’t do that,” Sebastian pleaded. “I’m not king yet.”

 

Joel straightened up, grinning sheepishly. “Right, sorry Sebastian. It’s just reflex.” “No worries. Now, Emily,” he started, turning to me, “I didn’t realize you were done hibernating.”

 

Joel and Fiona both grinned while I flushed. “I wasn’t hibernating!”

 

He chuckled. “I was joking.”

 

“What do you want?” Vincent asked sounding irritated. “We’re in the middle of a game.”

 

“It’s dinner time,” Sebastian announced. “Mother wants everyone to the dinning room.”

 

Fiona’s mouth dropped instantly. “Dinner this early? It’s not…”

 

“It’s one of those dinner, Fiona,” Vincent scowled. “Perfect.”

 

“I’m not eating dinner tonight. Please tell Mother that, Seb,” Fiona declared, pulling at the hem of her shirt.

 

Sebastian shook his head. “You have to go, Fiona. Vince isn’t coming, so you must.”

 

“Why doesn’t Vince have to go?” she demanded in outrage.

 

Sebastian’s eyes flickered to me. Fiona also turned to me, a frown appearing on her face. I looked back at them in confusion. “What?”

 

“Vincent is eating dinner with Emily after us since Emily can’t come to the family dinner,” Sebastian clarified. “You know how everyone is if all of us don’t show…” Fiona huffed angrily, pushing up from the couch. “Fine.” “Sorry,” Vincent apologized quietly.

 

 

My eyes widened. Vincent didn’t seem like the type to apologize. I barely knew him and it seemed out of character.

 

“It’s fine,” Fiona told him in a flat voice. “Next week though, if Emily is still here you are going to dinner and I’m eating with her.” “Of course,” he responded smoothly.

 

“See you later, Em,” she said to me before heading towards the stairs.

 

Joel bid me adieu too, heading up the stairs after Fiona. Now I was left alone with

 

Sebastian and Vincent. I silently prayed Sebastian not to leave me alone with

 

Vincent.

 

.

 

.

 

“Stay down here until I come back,” Sebastian ordered. “Tonight Mother is going to tell everyone about Emily’s presence, so it’s best to keep her away. At least until everyone settled down.”

 

I stared at him with wide eyes. What did he mean by settled down? Before I could ask, he swiftly disappeared up the stairs, leaving Vincent and I to ourselves. An awkward silence settled in.

 

“Do you want to play?” Vincent abruptly asked, breaking it. “I hate not playing a game all the way through.”

 

Once again caught off guard, it took me a moment to respond. “Uh, sure.” When did he become so amiable?

 

“I don’t consider you much of a threat, so we’re just playing so I can have a sense of closure for this game,” he informed me. “You have no chance of winning.” I grimaced. Okay. Maybe amiable wasn’t the right word. “Right…”

 

Vincent thrust Joel’s cue into my hand. “You’re solids.”

 

We started the game and I promptly realized I really didn’t have a chance at winning. Vincent nearly got all the balls on one try- he would have too, but he obviously missed some on purpose. Growing more and more irritated, I finally smacked the ball with cue so hard it bounced off the table. Vincent smirked. “Getting frustrated?”

 

“Why are you so good?” I demanded.

 

He gave me a complacent look. “I’ve had many years of practice.”

 

Many years… Of course. He was a vampire. I glanced back up at him, frowning. “I

 

heard you were a good cook.”

 

“And?”

 

“Were you practicing to become a chef when you were human?”

 

Vincent gave me a look that clearly stated,

 

are you stupid ? “I’m a vampire, stupid. I wasn’t ever a human.”

 

“Eh?”

 

“What eh?” he responded, raising his voice a few octaves to mimic mine. “There is no

 

eh . You looked stupid, but I didn’t realize you were stupid enough to think I was human when I clearly stated before that I was a vampire.” I scowled at him. “You don’t have to be a jerk about it!”

 

“Too bad.”

 

Instead of arguing with him, I let it drop. It didn’t make sense. If humans didn’t become vampires, how come Fiona had said she was human once? Was she tricking me? I’d have to ask her about it later.

 

“So what’s this dinner Fiona and Sebastian just went to?” I questioned, changing the subject as Vincent set up the balls again. “Why do you want to know?”

 

“I’m just- I’m curious!”

 

He laughed through his nose. “Calm down. It’s just a family dinner.”

 

“Is it a big deal?”

 

“This one is, kind of,” Vincent responded vaguely. He continued after seeing my annoyed expression. “Everyone in the immediate family gathers once a week to eat a human dinner together.”

 

I cocked my head to the side. “How come?”

 

He shrugged. “I don’t know. It was my father’s idea.”

 

“Why is Fiona so reluctant to go?”

 

“Because Fiona isn’t well liked in the family,” he responded in a hard voice. I knew not to press any further.

 

I cleared my throat, rolling the cue in my hand. “So, um… Did I cause you any trouble?”

 

Vincent glanced at me. “Fortunately, no. Accidents happen.”

 

I smiled wryly. I was an accident? That was awesome. “So how come-”

 

“No more questions,” he interjected in an annoyed voice. “It’s getting irritating.

 

Let’s play another game.”

 

“I don’t want to.”

 

He narrowed his eyes at me. “Why not?”

 

“Because it’s obvious you’re going to win!”

 

“So you’re a sore loser?”

 

I scowled at him. “Play by yourself!”

 

“If I could, I would. Obviously. Now play with me.

 

“No!”

 

Before I could blink he was in front of me, his face inches away from mine. My breath caught in my throat. He cocked his head to the side. “You going to play now?”

 

“No,” I breathed confidently.

 

“Maybe I can convince you otherwise…” He inhaled deeply, pressing his nose to my neck. “It’ll hurt.”

 

I shoved on his chest as hard as I could, pushing myself away from him. “S-stop!”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“I’ll play,” I snapped at him, feeling color rise to my cheeks. “Stupid narcissist,” I

 

muttered.

 

“Heard that.”

 

Of course.

 

___________________________________