The Vampire Vigilante
Chapter 16

I woke up the next morning with Erik's arms still around my waist. His face was just mere inches from mine and he was softly snoring. I smiled and snuggled up closer to him, inhaling his addicting scent.

"Good morning," he whispered, kissing my forehead. I peeked up at him to see he still had his eyes closed but was smiling back at me.

"Good morning," I replied, kissing the nape of his neck since that was all I could reach. His eyes shot open and he looked down at me with those golden eyes.

"What?" I asked, "You look surprised or something."

"Come here," he growled, pulling me closer. His lips crashed into mine and my insides melted. I wrapped my hands around his neck and twisted my fingers in his hair as his tongue slid into my mouth, getting a taste of every inch. I switched my position to straddle him and felt his erection between my legs since all I had on was underwear and his shirt.

I want this. Now.

His hands slid around my waist under my shirt and pulled me closer to him. With every touch of his fingers my skin responded with goose bumps. Electricity shot through my spine as one of his hands moved to my breast, cupping it and making a moan escape from my mouth.

He moved us to where I was under him in one swift motion. He pulsed his hips toward my core and I moaned in ecstacy. There was only the fabric of his shorts and my underwear holding us back, and I knew it was only a matter of time before we would not be able to stop.

I don't want to stop.

He leaned down and kissed my neck slowly as he grinded against me. I threw my head back in pleasure as shock waves went through my body with every touch from him.

"Mel," he breathed in my ear, "Tell me what you want." I looked deep into his eyes and kissed him slowly. "I want you. Now."

He leaned back down and kissed on my neck before trailing down my collar bone, unbuttoning my shirt slowly. His lips moved down to each breast and I had to bite my lip to keep from yelling out in pleasure. Once he was finished there, he moved down my stomach and was about to pull my underwear down when there was a knock at the door.

"Go away!" Erik growled.

"Sir, it's urgent," a man replied on the other side of the door, "Emergency council meeting." I looked down at him to see the pain in his eyes that we would not be able to finish. I swallowed hard and sat up as he sighed and went to the door. He cracked it just enough to stick his head out.

"Give me a few and I'll be down," Erik said, slamming the door in the guard's face. I buttoned my shirt back up with shaky hands as he came and sat next to me, stroking his fingers through his hair.

"Hey," I said, wrapping my arms around him from the back, "We can always continue this later."

"Oh we will," he said, pulling me into his lap, "I can promise you that." He gave me one more slow kiss before he got up. "You are more than welcome to stay in here as long as you would like, I'm hoping this won't take long."

"What do you think they could be meeting about?" I asked nervously.

"Probably some bullshit," he answered as he adjusted himself, "Like always." I licked my lips as I watched him walk towards the bathroom. I heard the shower start and I laid back in the bed on my back.

We were so close.

I had to stop thinking about it because if he came in and saw me finishing the job, he would more than likely not make the meeting. I reached over on his side of the bed and grabbed the remote to flip through channels before I settled on LMN.

I had watched about 30 minutes of the movie before the shower turned off. Erik came in with nothing but a towel on before he grabbed a pair of black slacks and a white button-up shirt to change into. He then dropped the towel with his back to me before walking slowly back to the bathroom.

I had to close my mouth with my hand after seeing his bare ass. I shook my head and cleared my throat. I thought I heard him chuckle in the bathroom before the water in the sink turned on.

Damn you.

He came back out of the bathroom fully dressed while he brushed his hair. I looked up at him as he set his brush on the bed and sat next to me.

"That was not nice," I said as I looked him up and down.

"Like you've never teased me?" he replied, a smile creeping across his face. I rolled my eyes and smiled. "Get to your meeting, your Majesty." He pulled my face to his and kissed me again.

I could never get used to this.

Every time our lips touched it was like magic; the sizzle of our touch ignited all of my senses and sent my brain into a fog of pleasure. I knew when the time would come for us to actually make love would be like an earthquake.

"Will you be waiting for me when I get back?" Erik asked, his lips brushing against mine.

"Only if you don't make me wait too long," I answered, wrapping my arms around him.

"I'll hurry," he replied, kissing my forehead and smiling as he practically ran out of the room.

This man is driving me crazy, and I love it. Sᴇaʀ*ᴄh the (F)indNƟvᴇl.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

I had glanced at the clock at least 100 times in the past hour. Surely a meeting should not last as long as this one was, unless it's something bad. I finished a whole movie on TV when the phone next to the bed rang. I looked at it for a minute, unsure whether I should answer or not. It was Erik's so maybe someone was for looking for him.

When it rang for the third time, I decided to answer it. "Hello?"

"Mel," Erik said, "You need to come down to the conference room." His voice was ice cold.

What the hell?

"Um, okay," I said, "Is everything alright?"

"Just come down as soon as you can," he answered, "I'll explain when you get here." He hung up the phone without another word.

I got up slowly and realized I would need to go to my room across the balcony to change. I couldn't exactly run across without pants, so I grabbed a robe that was hanging on the back of the bathroom door to wear. I picked up my dress and shoes before heading down the hallway quickly and back into my room.

I put my dress on the bed and decided to put on some decent clothes. I figured that if I was about to encounter the council I need to look presentable. I put on some black dress pants, a nice shirt, and a tan blazer. I pulled my hair back into a neat bun and slipped on some flat dress shoes. I dabbed a little bit of concealer under my eyes and put some mascara on. I looked in the mirror and took a big breath before I walked out.

I made my way down the stairs and to the left down the hallway to the conference rooms. Maya had given me a tour of the castle a few weeks back so I had familiarized myself with the layout. I came down a few more steps and saw Erik leaning against the wall of one of the rooms. His eyes snapped up to meet my gaze when he heard my footsteps. He walked slowly over to me to meet in the middle before he took my hands in his. He brought them up to his lips to kiss them.

"What's going on?" I asked in a whisper. He shook his head and sighed. "You know Malachi has been running his mouth since he saw you here last night. That talk got back to the council and now they want to investigate everything again."

"This is what we wanted though, right?" I replied, squeezing his hands, "Malachi will be wiped off the earth if the council has their way with him."

"That's the problem," Erik said, releasing my hands and rubbing the back of his neck, "They believe him." I put my hand on my forehead and groaned. "Shit."

"I know," he replied, "And he's in there too." I dropped my hand and looked at him. My eyes lit up and I could feel the anger swirling inside of me. "Well I guess we should go in there and see what they want to do."

"Mel," Erik warned me, "You have to keep your cool. Like I said, they believe him right now until proven otherwise. You're the enemy in their eyes."

"So what the fuck am I supposed to say?" I said just a little too loudly, "Just let them grill me and take the heat for all of the shit that happened? Hell no. I won't sit there in silence, Erik. Not happening. This has been going on for too long and I won't let them run over me anymore."

"Just be careful," Erik said as I walked past him, "Wait-"

I walked into the room, pushing the doors open with force. I took the scene in for a minute before I took the open seat across from where everyone was sitting. There were about 7 older men sitting on the left side of the table, Malachi at the far end, and I presumed Erik was on the closest end since there were papers sitting in front of that seat. I sat down and refused to look at Malachi, letting my glowing eyes scan the room in front of me. Erik walked in slowly and closed the doors behind him before sitting down in his seat. I could feel Malachi's eyes burning a hole into the side of my face.

"Can you please tell the council who you are?" the man in the middle asked. He was wearing a dark blue jacket with dark blue dress pants, had white hair brushed neatly back, a semi-long white beard, and deep yellow eyes. He had aging lines around his mouth and in the corners of his eyes. He leaned forward, eager for me to speak.

"Melody Raines," I said, almost whispering. This was more intense than I thought it would be. The man then looked down at his papers while he put on his glasses. He scanned the paper a few times before taking his glasses back off and looking at me. "Daughter of William and Margot Raines, correct?" I nodded quickly as I squeezed my hands together.

"Do you understand why you were brought here this morning?" he asked. I looked down at my hands before I spoke. "I have an idea, sir."

"You have been missing for quite some time," he continued, "We thought you might have passed on. But it seems you just went into hiding all of these years."

I looked up at him as the fire in my tattoo began to burn. I felt the prickly sensation as the blue colors began to swirl around my hands clasped together.

"I was not in hiding, sir," I replied, "I was being held captive." Malachi let out a huff at the end of the table and I looked at Erik to keep my composure.

"And who was holding you captive?" the man asked. I tore my gaze from Erik, who was giving Malachi a death stare, and looked the man in the eyes. "King Malachi, who is sitting at the end of the table."

Some murmurs began to stir around the men at the table before the one in the middle held his hand up, instantly hushing them all.

"There are a few propositions laid out here today," he said, "If you are open to hearing them."

"Okay," I replied, "What might those be?"

"We could have a trial," he continued, flipping through some papers, "Since King Donovan here states he has proof you did not kill your parents. King Malachi states he was there that night and watched you loose control of yourself and killed your parents in the midst of the chaos."

"That's a lie," I said through gritted teeth as I put my hands on the table, "He is the one who killed them, not me."

"And the truth will come out in the trial," he replied, "If that is what you wish to do."

"And the other option?" Erik asked.

"Princess Raines comes with us for sentencing," the man answered, "Today." I sighed, knowing that a trial was my only option for the truth at this point. "A trial is what I choose."

"Alright," the man replied, "King Donovan here has stated that he can ensure your safety and the safety of others by keeping you here at his castle." I looked over at Erik and gave a soft smile before the man continued.

"We will go back to the High Lands and discuss the trial further," he said, "Once we reach a date we will contact you all and let you know."

"Thank you, gentlemen," Erik replied as they all stood up. They began to gather their papers and leave before I decided I wanted to speak my mind.

"Can I ask to speak to the council?" I asked, stopping everyone in their tracks, "Alone?"

They all looked at each other before the man spoke again. "Of course. The council is here for the community as a whole. King Donovan and King Malachi, could you give us the room please?" They both nodded and walked out before Erik closed the door behind him. The council sat back down as I sat up straight.

"When this trial occurs," I said, "Can there be other subjects on the agenda? Because if Malachi is found out to be a liar I want him punished for what he has done to me the past 12 years."

"Of course," the man answered, "But you will need to back your statements with evidence."

I rolled my sleeves up to show the scars lined along my arms. "Would this be considered proof?" I then turned in my chair and lifted my shirt to show them my back. "And what about this proof?" I turned back around to face them as my eyes glowed bright blue. I felt my power rising from the bottom of my feet to my neck as the emotions poured out of me. Tears leaked down my face.

"I did not kill my parents," I said as they watched in awe of the mist swirling around my arms and shoulders, "I loved my parents more than anything in this world. Malachi is the real murderer. Yes, my powers grew out of control that night. But only after what I was forced to watch him do to my mother and father.

"I was so angry at him that everything from within me exploded. My walls came crashing down. The next thing I knew, I woke up chained up in a cell. I spent 12 years of my life getting beat, raped, starved, and goddess knows what else. It was hell. So the second I got the chance I ran far away from that monster.

"I'm not the one who should be on trial; Malachi is. He is a sorry excuse for a king, unlike King Donovan who has shown me nothing but kindness even after he found out who I was. I know that this will all be brought forth in trial, but I wanted the chance to express myself to you personally. I know that each of you knew both of my parents well, and you have to understand I would never harm them."

The man in the front crossed his arms and stood facing me. He looked me up and down as the mist began to evaporate. "What you have is something incredible. I did know both of your parents well, and they were worried about what powers you would bring to this world. I am afraid, however, that it does appear your strength was too much for you to handle that night. We will get to the bottom of this, Princess Raines. And I do appreciate you taking the time to talk to us without distractions in the room."

"Thank you," I whispered. He nodded before they began to file out of the room. "We will be in touch."

Once the room was empty I put my head in my hands and began to cry. This was all too much to handle; I wanted to just run and never look back. Malachi was doing everything he could to bring me down.

Don't let him get in your head.

I wiped my face with the back of my sleeve and stared at the table in front of me for a long time. I was just about to get up and go find Erik when the doors to the room flew open and I was slammed into the wall by my throat.

Sᴇarch the FindNovel.net website on G𝘰𝘰gle to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.