The Vampire King’s Captive

BRAN

“Am I clear?” He repeated, a muscle popping in his jaw when she leisurely turned to face him.

“Oh, you were speaking to me?” She lifted a brow, crossing her hands. “Forgive me for not figuring out soon enough that it’s me you were speaking to. But then again, I remember clearly warning you to never use than tone with me agai-”

“Shut the fuck up.” Bran snapped and he hardened himself not to feel guilty when she jumped slightly, surprised by the sudden outburst. “Perhaps getting your powers back has gotten to your head and made you forget why you’re here in the first place, but as ever, I am more than happy to remind you.” His eyes narrowed with his anger and his voice lowered to a dangerous purr. “You’re here because you killed my parents and took my sister and I don’t care if it was your asshole of a father that ordered you to do it. The fact remains that they died by your hands and therefore, their blood is in your hands.”

Her eyes narrowed in anger and her shoulders went up, but she kept her eyes on his and Bran saw guilt creep in. Good.

“Don’t think for one second that your powers suddenly give you the right to disobey me as easily as you please, because, princess,” he smiled and he was positive that it was a cold one. “I took your powers once and I can take them back if I damn well please. Disobey me again and that collar will come around your neck so fast, you’ll get whiplash.” His anger was pouring off him in waves and he fought to keep it under control. “Do not dare fucking oppose me, Maria. I let you get away with hitting me before doesn’t mean that I’ll let you get away with it again. When I speak, you shut the hell up and do as I say. Understood?”

The sound of her quick, short breaths filled the car and a sheen of tears covered her eyes. Bran’s chest threatened to cave in at the sight of her tears and the tremor in her lower lip, but he stood his ground.

“Am I fucking understood?”

She gulped and in a cracked voice said, “Yes.”

Bran leaned back in his chair and turned his gaze out the window.

She could cry all she wanted but he was not going to fall for her tears. She would respect him now and that was all that mattered.

***

Bran was freaking the hell out.

He was a few seconds away from going crazy and he was positive that if he didn’t go out of the building right fucking now, he would go completely insane.

When they’d returned to the castle-which was now rebuilt exactly how it was so that one who saw it would never know that it had been destroyed-Maria had taken off, refusing to go inside the house with him.

He’d assumed that she just needed some time to cool off but when the day had darkened and she hadn’t returned, Bran began to guess that it was much more than that.

She was gone.

That was what a voice had whispered in the back of his head, but his gut told him that she wasn’t. She couldn’t leave.

She wouldn’t dare leave him!

Not after the warning he’d given her on their way here.

But that was exactly what had made her run. He’d pushed her to the wall and she’d decided that she’d had enough.

She’d run.

Gone.

No, he couldn’t accept that.

After several hours of pacing, pulling at his hair and having his men search the grounds for her and come back empty, he finally decided that it was time he went in search for her himself.

She couldn’t be gone. She just couldn’t.

The vampire inside him was roiling at the thought that its mate could be in danger and it was one of the reasons Bran had not been able to think about anything else but her. One of the reasons because Bran, himself, was dying.

Her absence was killing him.

If he’d known that his words would push her into taking an action like this, he would not have said them. He would have simply let her mouth back at him. After all, he missed her sassy comebacks now. He missed them so much.

He traced into the darkness outside, lit only by the lights outside his building, and started searching for her.

He searched the training grounds, the garden behind the house and even the huge masses of land on both sides of the castle, but still couldn’t find her.

“Fuck!” He roared, shoving his hands into his hair and pulling at the roots.

She had left him. She’d fucking left him.

But where had she gone?

She didn’t have any means of transportation. Not a car or a horse or a-

Horses! He hadn’t checked the barn!

He traced directly into the barn and searched for her with wild, panicked eyes, tearing every stall open in case she might be in them. He didn’t even hesitate to rip the door on the last stall open-a door he usually refused to open because of the hatred the animal inside had towards him-but he did freeze at the sight before him.

Maria, petting the stallion’s hair, tear streaks on her face and thick mud coating her bare feet.

Where were her slippers?

She jerked in surprise when the stall door opened and her eyes widened when she saw that it was him. Bran felt pain spear through his chest when her eyes filled with hurt.

The horse snorted when it saw Bran and it’s eyes filled with malice that Bran had become familiar with.

“What do you want?” She asked him, swiping at her fresh tears with the back of her hand.Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

“You’ve been gone for such a long time, I worried-”

“I’m fine.” She cut him off and turned back to the horse, who was more than happy to shove it’s nose into Maria’s hands.

Bran felt jealousy grip him. Jealousy that she was giving this annoying horse the time of the day while he stood there begging for her attention.

Because that was what he was doing. Begging.

“Come back.”

“I’m fine here, thanks.”

Bran sighed and his fists clenched and unclenched at his sides as he fought the urge to go over to her and hold her, beg for her forgiveness until she thought him worthy to have it.

He didn’t know what had come over him that possessed him to speak to her like that. He regretted it now and she needed to know that.

He decided to use another approach. “Please, Maria, come back inside the house. It’s late and you’re tired.”

This time, she did turn to him, sweeping untrusting eyes over him. “Why do you care? You want me to come back in so that I can hear more of your condescending words? So that I can listen to you speak to me in that disrespectful manner?”

That she was even talking to him after the way he’d spoken to her, the things he’d said…

It was a fucking miracle.

Bran swallowed hard, took a quarter of a step towards her, then forced his body to stay right where it was. “No, none of that.”

Her eyes clouded with suspicion and she just stood there, staring at him. She probably didn’t trust him and Bran couldn’t blame her. He hadn’t given her reason to.

But he was willing to try now.

“I’m sorry.” He tried again and noticed the way his voice cracked on the words. He cleared his throat. “Please.”

They stared at each other for a long time, Bran’s eyes pleading and filled with regret, and Maria’s, hurt and untrusting.

Yet then this beautiful woman that fate had given to him nodded. It was a small thing, and he would have missed it if he wasn’t staring at her, starved for any positive reply from her.

Bran sighed out and his knees weakened with relief.

Hurrying towards her, he lifted her in his arms, ignoring the snorts of the angry horse and traced them the hell out of there and into the house.