CHAPTER THIRTY ONERevelations***ElenaDracul didn't move for a moment. For what felt like an age, he just rested, taking deep breaths and regrouping. His breath was short and trembling in his chest.He seemed to have a lot on his mind, a lot on his plate. My heart pounding as I watched him, everything seemingly suspended in mid-air.I took a deep breath and held it. I didn't know if I wanted to hear the answer, but I knew that I had to. I didn't know how to move forward from here, but I knew that the truth was the first step. I had been kept in the dark for long enough."It's complicated," Dracul said, finally. His words broke the silence that was hanging between us, but somehow, he still wasn't saying much, wasn't explaining anything.Part of me wanted to be angry with him, but I was still just relieved that he was alive, relieved that he wasn't dead.I couldn't be angry with him, not really, but I could still feel the pounding disappointment in my heart. I deserved to know more,
Chapter 32Revelations***ElenaDracul didn't move for a moment. For what felt like an age, he just rested, taking deep breaths and regrouping. His breath was short and trembling in his chest.He seemed to have a lot on his mind, a lot on his plate. My heart pounding as I watched him, everything seemingly suspended in mid-air.I took a deep breath and held it. I didn't know if I wanted to hear the answer, but I knew that I had to. I didn't know how to move forward from here, but I knew that the truth was the first step. I had been kept in the dark for long enough."It's complicated," Dracul said, finally. His words broke the silence that was hanging between us, but somehow, he still wasn't saying much, wasn't explaining anything.Part of me wanted to be angry with him, but I was still just relieved that he was alive, relieved that he wasn't dead.I couldn't be angry with him, not really, but I could still feel the pounding disappointment in my heart. I deserved to know more, especial
Chapter 33No Holding Back***DraculElena's question hit me like a sledgehammer. I didn't know what to say or how to react.No one had ever asked me that before. No one had ever cared about what I was feeling before now, not really.As a child, the focus had been on survival, and I had been grown for so long now that I barely even remembered that time. I sighed and tried to rein in my emotions, which stampeded along at a great speed.Elena was something else, she was.Right now, when I should be feeling guilty for what happened between Gulliver and me, I wanted nothing more than to pull Elena into my arms. It was insane. It was absurd.But she did that to me. Even in the depth of the hardest conversation of my life, she was still here, listening. Even in the depth of the most challenging part of history, I wanted nothing more than to take her into my arms.She did things to me, things that I had never felt before, things that I didn't truly understand.I turned and she was looking
Chapter 34All the Way**Elena Dracula felt incredible beneath my hands. His lips pressed against mine, and all of the breath left my body.I collapsed into him on the table as Dracul pressed his body against mine and kissed me, kissed me as he needed me for air as he needed me to survive.My head was spinning from the revelations that had just happened, everything that had passed between us. I no longer knew what I was feeling, but it was okay. Everything was okay.Because now I knew. Now, I had seen the real Dracul.And I was discovering that I liked him. I liked him a lot, flaws and all.This was different from before, somehow.This was raw and passionate but sweeter, somehow, wonderful and tender.And yet, he managed to still kiss me harder than he had ever kissed me before, his hands tangling in my hair, possessive and hard as he kissed me, his tongue pressing past my lips.I wanted this. I needed it.Now we were making love for the first time, with all secrets bare. Now, I kn
Chapter 35Nightmare Fuel***Elena Sleep came easily, curled up on Dracul's chest. Even thoughts and confusion about love weren't enough to stop me from sliding into a sweet sleep.But my dreams weren't pleasant, or sweet.On the contrary, I found myself thrown back to where this all started, to the nightmare that happened on my first day in the castle.It was like I was reliving everything again. But this time, it was warped. This time, it was wrong.I stood in the corridor, the hallway of the castle dark and twisted in my nightmare. I couldn't move, the cold seeping into my body like poison. I was helpless. I was terrified.Time seemed to slow as a second figure appeared and they both turned their eyes towards me. In the dim lighting, I saw yellow eyes staring back at me, narrowed to slits.Just like Dracul's eyes, but nowhere near as warm. The golden tones of his eyes were welcoming compared to the pale-yellow eyes that stared back at me.Just like the first time, I couldn't brea
Chapter 36Trust Issues***Elena pov"What's the matter?" Dracul said.He looked tired, sleepy, and groggy. I knew that I had woken him with my nightmare and now, there was no going back.Once I told him what was on my mind, there would be no way to return to sleep. I looked at him, sliding my eyes over his body.He looked tired and washed out, but he seemed stronger. Rest had done him a lot of good. Sleep had really helped him heal.Dragons really did heal as quickly as the rumors suggested."I, um..." I hesitated, feeling the pull in my chest. Once I told him, this lull was over. Once I told him, he would have to take action and the time we were spending together would dissolve into nothing.I had not had a chance to tell him yet. I had not had a chance to talk about it or consider my next move. But now that I did, the reality was really starting to kick in.But it was Dracul. He was doing everything he could for his kingdom and for me. He had protected me. He had put me first. He
Chapter 37Last Resort***Elena pov"What?" I stammered.Dracul's words felt like a punch to the gut. I had expected him to feel frustrated. I had expected anger. But I was not expecting this.I wasn't expecting this loss of trust, this coldness from him."You heard me." He said quietly.There was a heaviness in the way he spoke, a weight to his words that I had not heard before. I felt a jump in my stomach at the way he looked at me.Only hours ago, his gaze had been so warm on mine. I had been the one angry at him, feeling the fury of uncertainty.Now, he felt as betrayed as had. Maybe even worse, from the way he was looking at me.But it was more than that. There was a focus on him. He wasn't going to wait around, and I knew that. He was going to charge straight in, no two ways about it.I shuddered and shook my head, "Dracul, I know you're mad, but I didn't hide this from you. I didn't get two seconds to talk to you in private!"He shook his head and I could tell that he was done
THIRTY-EIGHTEnter King**Dracul pov.I sank back into the seating behind me, closing my eyes. I could still hear Elena's voice in my head, her worry and stress thundering through me.I didn't know what I was feeling right now.I needed to getaway. I needed to take action. I needed to do something other than just sit and let things happen.I had just been hit with a revelation. My world was spinning out of control in a way I had never felt before. I was usually in control. I had things under control.I never really trusted those around me. At least, not until recently. I was always weary and cynical. I was careful. I kept my guard up and my enemies close.I knew what everyone expected of me. I knew when a fight was brewing and something dark was just around the corner.And now, I knew that my kingdom was in danger. I knew there was unease in my kingdom, but I thought that everyone was working towards a common goal.For once, I had felt a strange sense of unity in my kingdom and in my