Diedrek

I can't help myself I am so beyond furious with her. My palm is just waiting to smack along that delectable ass of hers. She thinks it was okay to run from me. Well, I'll give her something she will never want to run from again. We take a right instead of going straight. Both her and my cousin Satine have a questionable look on their faces.

"We are taking the secret tunnels back to our quarters." I answer their unspoken question.

Kyla freezes mid step, "I don't like tight spaces." She argues.

I try to drag her along, but I don't use my full strength with fear I may hurt her. So, I stop beside her. I want to yell at her, force her to do my bidding, but one look into her eyes as I turn around has me holding it all back.

I face her full on, placing my hands along her shoulders, "It will all be okay. I will not let anything happen to you. I will be beside you the whole time." I look deep into her eyes, begging her to trust me on this.

She looks at war with herself. I can see she wants to trust me, but her fear is too great. "You have my word sweetheart; I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

"Me neither." Darius says from behind me.

She looks over my shoulder and looks at her brother. Giving him a smile, it takes her a moment for her to look back at me, "I know that." Her words are reassuring. "It's just, I don't do well with confined spaces. It makes me go into a panic attack. It's why I hate the caves my people mostly live in so much. I don't like to be confined. The walls feel like they are closing in on me." She whispers the last sentence while looking down at her hands. Feeling ashamed of her fears.

I follow her line of sight and see that she is wringing her hands together so tight, they are turning white. I place my hands above hers, stopping the action. "How about this, you close your eyes, I will pick you up and hold you against my body and walk with you."

She looks up at me with what looks like hope in her eyes, "you think that'll work?"

"It is worth a try, right?" I give her my brightest smile.

"Okay." She whispers so low. If I wasn't a vampire, I'm certain I would have missed it.

I place one arm around her upper back, the other below her legs and lift. She gets a tight grip onto my shirt and buries her face into my chest. I pat her head, "It's okay beautiful, I got you." I give a nod to my cousin and my best friend.

We make it to the opening underground. I jump down with her, making a loud noise when I land. She burrows herself closer to my body. "I got you." I reassure her with a soft tone. Once all three of us are in the tunnel, we run as fast as we can. Making suitable time, I don't want her to be down here feeling uncomfortable any longer than she must.

I hum deep in my chest, and the noise soothes her. Before long she's falling asleep in my arms. It takes us a little longer than I had hoped, but no longer than an hour at most. When we make it to the door that leads into the castle, Darius opens it and jumps out first. I see from above he looks left than right; he reaches his arm down and helps Satine up when he sees the coast is clear.

With Kyla still asleep, I jump up with her, barely landing on my feet. Darius grabs a hold of my arm to catch me. I nod to him in thanks. Once the door is closed, he stands up and leads us back towards my quarters. All along the way I'm hoping we don't run into my brother.

He is one that likes to creep around at night, getting into all kinds of mischief. Wreaking havoc amongst the workers in the castle. Both vampire and human alike are terrified of him. Not that I blame them, he's never been all there. Hearing something ahead, I reach into Darius's mind, "Wait!" We all stop dead in our tracks, and sure enough there's my brother ahead of us. Looking as though he's feasting on one of the human house cleaners.

"I better step in before he drinks her dry." I mutter under my breath, turning around towards Darius I try not to wake up my sleeping angel tucked soundly in my arms as I hand her over to him.

"Get them both in my quarters where they are safe, and guard them with your life." He looks at me a hint of worry in his eyes.

He doesn't fight me, he only nods his head and reaches back, taking a hold of Satine's hand and dragging her behind him. I watch and wait until they are around the corner and out of my sight before I step forward, making my presence known.

Alaric's face shoots up from the woman he is holding in his arms feasting on. His face is covered in her blood. Looking to the woman, her eyes are open wide in fear. She's looking at me like I am her savior. Little does she know if it'll keep him distracted, I'll allow him to continue.

"Brother, would you like a taste. She is divine." He slurs among her neck.

Great, not only is he in a feeding frenzy, but he's also intoxicated as well. "No, I was just checking the halls of the castle, I heard something and had to make sure everything was in order."

"Oh yes, you have to be sure it's safe for that little pet of yours." He proclaims before promptly going back to his late-night snack.

Clearing my throat to gain his attention again, his eyes look up at me, "don't you think you've had enough? I think you should let her get cleaned up and return to the workers quarters. Perhaps sleep it off the rest of the night." I raise an eyebrow at him. Challenging him, I know he will give in, as I am older and stronger than his stature.

With a roll of his eyes, he throws the human woman along the floor. His attention Stays zoned in on me, making it easy for the woman to run away. "You dare tell me when I have had enough!" He shouts making his words echo along the walls.

"You don't get to tell me when to stop. Don't tell me what I can and cannot do. Just because you are older doesn't make you, my superior. Father has given me that right with his absence." He points his finger in my direction.

"Why father even kept you alive is beyond me. Your mother was a halfling; meaning you have a soul. Looking at you makes me sick." He keeps shooting his venom my way. It's nothing I haven't heard before.

"Yes, yet he did. Because he knew he could use me as I got older. That I am a greater asset than you." My words hit the mark head on.

One second, he's standing a few feet in front of me, the next he's charging at me. Only, he's drunk, and cannot focus properly. I move at the exact right time, making him run headfirst into the hall wall behind me. Once I see he is passed out, I don't do much other than leave him there and walk away. At least I know for the time being I don't have to worry about his psychotic ass.

Takes me a little bit of time to get to my quarters, but when I do I hear voices. I can tell it's Darius and Satine talking.

"What were you thinking?!" Darius whisper yells at her.

"I was thinking she needed a breather. She deserved some time away." Satine answers.

"Time! Time away? Are you crazy? You know what happens when mates are away from one another. She could have been in danger, if not of the rebels, then of herself."

"Darius, I now know why you are so protective of her, and I get it. But let's face it he needed a wake-up call, and he got one." I can see Satine has her hands along her hips.

"Besides, I knew you would find us soon. Like I said she needed a little breather." She walks over to the window and looks outside.

"To answer your earlier question, we both know I'm not fully here. So yes perhaps, I am crazy." She deadpans.

"Well, you had to have been to take her away from me." I step into their line of vision, speaking before Darius can say a word.

Satine makes her eye roll obvious, "I'm going to bed. Spare me the lecture, you know it won't do anything anyway." She stomps her feet, walks right past the both of us and slams her door closed in our faces. "Sometimes that girl makes me want to take a stake and stab her myself." Darius says.

Shaking my head, I make my way to the bar in the corner. Pouring me a glass, I tip the glass back, swallowing its contents in one gulp. Enjoying the burn as it slides down my throat.

"What now?" Darius asks from his position in the chair.

"Now I let her sleep for a bit, when she awakens, I will manage her in my way."

"Do I want to know?" I turn my head enough to see him out of the corner of my eye. Giving him a devious smile, I answer him honestly, "I don't think it's anything a brother would like to know is done to his little sister."

His entire body shakes, "Eww...with that I'm heading to my quarters. I need to get some sleep." He stands from the chair.

Walking to the door, he pauses midstride. Looking over at me he says, "just don't hurt her, okay? I don't want to have to kick your ass." His words have me turning and giving him my full attention. Lifting an eyebrow, I place the cup down on the table behind me and cross my arms over my chest.

"You know me better than that." I answer him curtly.

He studies me a moment and must see whatever he was looking for. A second later, he gives me a smile with a nod of his head. He turns the knob and walks out of the room.

Before he closes the door fully, I can hear him say, "just don't get her pregnant until this war is over." His brotherly words make me laugh out loud as I listen to his footsteps going down the hall. Leaving me alone with my thoughts.