The Vampire's Fated

Chapter 13

EMMETT

I lean on the door as I hear movement, but then silence. My eyes close as I try to think of what to do next.

I feel Gage behind me, but I ignore him.

Everything I had planned to have Lena beside was now up in smoke. I lost her and didn’t know how to get her back.

I open my eyes and push off. I look over my shoulder to see Gage staring back. I know he is sorry for what happened. I can sense it, but the thought of what could have happened outweighs everything. I could have lost my mate to Marshall.

There was a deep dread in my stomach as my mind played tricks on me about what I could have done.

If Lena was taken away from me, I would have killed everyone and even switched off my human side, then become what I dreaded the most—a monster.

Every vampire has a dark side; many have suffered due to lack of blood or even the pain of losing a mate. They switch off their emotions and kill whatever is before them until someone kills them.

I never dreamt of going that dark—ever. But now, it was looming after everything that happened.

“You okay?” Gage murmured, which pulled me out of my dreaded thoughts.

I move slightly and look at him, leaving my face emotionless. I knew he was sorry, as the guy had been pleading his case.

He explained what happened, that Claudia approached him and seduced him. All the vampires here know Gage is a sucker for a woman in tight skirts, and Claudia made sure he had her attention.

Part of me thought she was in with Marshall, but she pleaded he threatened her to help him, or he would expose her secret. She later told me he found out she was sleeping with a human near here and was in a committed relationship with him.

I felt for her. She explained he was her mate and that she had to do things the human way to make him fall in love with her, but it was a very hard process. When I mentioned why she never mentioned her mate to us, she gave me this pity look. The look I knew all too well. She explained she didn’t want to rub it in for me, knowing I was still waiting for Lena.

I let her stay, only if she could introduce her mate to me. She agreed, and we have developed the older brother relationship for her to introduce me to him.

Like many vampires, Claudia had to watch her family die as they never knew what she was, and when they were taken from this world, she was alone. I remember when she joined our coven. She never once got into trouble or out of line when it came to the rules. That’s why it was weird to find her being part of the plan.

I turned on my heel and returned downstairs without speaking to Gage. I knew he followed me as I headed toward the office. I walked past a few members. Some looked at me and gave me a nod, while others didn’t know where to look.

I went inside and growled as Gage came in after me.

Spinning around, I glare at him.

“What the hell am I going to do?” I grunted. “She won’t even let me in.”

Gage frowned.

“Sasha and Whitney locked her in the room, so—” he said, but I hissed, cutting him off from his sentence.

“I know that,” I said, placing my hand in my pocket and pulling out the key that Sasha gave me. She was even concerned due to scaring Lena. She didn’t mean to, but the lack of blood had affected her. I learned she didn’t have a blood bag as she would enjoy her freedom at the party, which was part of the reason many didn’t drink. But when all hell broke loose, she couldn’t bring herself to eat, and the whole thing with Marshall and Lena happened.

“You had it with you?” Gage asked, sounding puzzled. “Then why didn’t you go in and speak to her?”

My eyes lingered as I pondered over the question. I wanted to open that door so badly and explain, but part of me knew I would lose her if I did. I needed her to come to be willing, but now that would be hard.

I let out a sigh as I walked over to the desk and leaned on the edge. My eyes stayed on him. “I was going to,” I murmured as I looked toward the window. It was now raining outside, and daytime.

“But I couldn’t. I thought if she tried the door, I would have opened it,” I said with a sheepish look. “Stupid, huh?”

Gage’s face softened as he sighed.

“I get it,” he said. “You don’t want to scare her any more than she already is. Maybe, send her some food and get some of her things for her place. Make her feel like she means something.”

My mind raced over what he had said. He was right. I could make her more comfortable, at least. I looked at him. “Send Whitney to get some of her things,” I asked as I moved off the desk. “I want Sasha to make some of her favourite food, and we can send it to her when she is ready to eat.”

Gage nodded but frowned. “How are we going to give her the stuff and food?” he asked. “She wants nothing to do with us.”

I pulled a face but looked at the key in my hand. “Maybe we can slip it into her when she is asleep,” I murmured, looking back at him. “I mean, she wouldn’t know that we were in there.”

Gage nodded. “I will tell the girls,” he said as he moved away. “We can at least make her more comfortable now and then when she sees we don’t want to hurt her. Maybe she will decide to learn about us then.”

I said nothing as he moved and left the office. I was alone with my thoughts again as my mind raced, praying that this would work.

Moving away from the front of the desk, I walked around it and sat on the chair. I had to work and order more blood bags for us, especially since the blood moon was only a few days away.

The mere thought of it made my stomach twist. I needed to get Lena to talk to me, or when the blood moon came, I would hunt for her to be mine, and that wasn’t the option. I needed her to be with me.

A knock on the door brought me back with a thud, and shook my head as I called out. “Come in.”

The door opened, and in walked Claudia with a small smile. “Hey,” she said as she closed the door, keeping her eyes on me. “How did it go?” she asked. “Did she let you in and explain to her what we are?”

I shook my head.

“No,” I muttered. “Nothing.”

Claudia’s eyes softened as she stopped in front of the desk. “I want to help,” she blurted, making me arch an eyebrow at her. “You want to help?” I asked. “Why?”

Claudia looked at me for a moment and sighed. “I was partly to blame for this,” she said as guilt formed. “I need to make this right.”

I stared at her.

What the hell could she do?

There was a deafening silence for a while until she spoke again. “What if I spoke to her?” she asked, as my eyes widened.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

Claudia pulled out the chair before her and sat down. “I could explain everything,” she said. “I mean, what we are and whatever questions she has?”

I said nothing, but she carried on. “Emmett,” she said. “You nearly killed a man in front of her, not to mention she found out her two best friends were also vampires. She saw your faces but never mine, only when I walked into the room behind Gage.”

I stared at her.

There was no other way to go around it. Claudia had a point, and it may have helped if one of us was more friendly to her and did not show our true faces.

“I know you want her to be part of the coven during the blood moon,” she blurts out, making my eyes widen. How the hell did she know that?

Claudia gave me a knowing look. “I want to do the same with my mate, too,” she said with a smile. “It will strengthen the bond between us. I wouldn’t be marking him, but I would mate him under the stairs, even drink some of his blood.”

I gave her a small smile.

“Do you think you can persuade her?” I asked, making Claudia nod. “I can only try. She needs a friend, and right now, there is no one she will talk to, not even her two friends.”

I felt my stomach churn.

Sending Claudia in may work, but what if it didn’t? I would be back to square one again.

Shaking the what-ifs away, I sighed. “Try,” I said as I placed the key on the table. “I know she hasn’t eaten since last evening, so take some food to get her to say something.”

Claudia leaned over, picked up the key, and stood. She smiled. “I will try,” she said, turning away and heading toward the door.

As she closed the door, I leaned back into my chair. I needed to clear my mind, but first, I needed to finish the order forms for what we needed.

I leaned forward and got to work despite my mind being far from Lena.

Maybe Claudia could get through to her.

Only time will tell.