The Vampire Ambassador
Chapter 9

When our lips finally parted we stood there staring at each other. His fingertips grazed along where my scar now resided, and I could see the anger bubbling up inside of him.

"Erik," I whispered, "I'm so sorry I couldn't get to you." His eyes grew soft as a small smile spread across his face. "I don't care how long it took. I'm just glad you're back now."

"Yeah," I whispered, smiling as I wiped my tears from my cheeks, "I'm glad to be back."

"Why don't we go enjoy the rest of the night?" he asked, looking down the hall. I smiled and nodded, taking his hand and walking back to the other bar and dance floor.

Some techno rap beat was playing and Erik immediately grabbed my hand and spun me into his chest. We stared into each other eyes as we moved to the beat.

As we moved I could tell that something was different about him, but in that moment I didn't care. I was just excited to be back in his arms. I wrapped my arms around his neck as our foreheads touched and the bass vibrated the room. I felt his sexual tension begin to grow, and as much as I wanted to I knew we needed some time before all of that took place.

"I think we need some air," I said in his ear, "To talk."

He nodded as I grabbed his hand and we walked outside. When we went through the ballroom, I could see uncle Henry and Sonya saying their goodbyes.

We went out the front doors and turned to the left, finding a little corner all to ourselves. I stopped walking and turned to look at Erik. He seemed nervous almost; like an awkward boy about to ask someone on a date.

"Erik," I said with a sigh, "I'm so glad to be back with you. I just don't understand why you ignored me the whole time I was gone."

"What do you mean?" He asked, "I thought about you all of the time. I never ignored you."

"I called out to you every single night," I said with frustration, "I screamed my thoughts to you. And & got back nothing."

"Mel," he replied on the verge of tears, "I was so lost when your uncle told me that you were staying for the crown. I moped for days until I realized you weren't coming back. That's when I made the worst decision and tried to move on. But I couldn't."

"I know," I said, looking at the ground, "I've been talking to Maya. And I get it; you tried to find someone to fill the void. It's okay, I understand. But what I don't understand is why you would think all of a sudden I would have changed my mind? Hell, you were sitting right there when I told Johnathan I didn't want the damn crown."

"I don't know," he said, scratching the back of his neck, "It's like I couldn't second-guess myself. Like what Johnathan said was so bizarrely true I couldn't doubt that what he was telling me was the truth. When I got home, I racked my brain on why I was thinking like that. But eventually I decided he must be right so I tried everything I could to get out of the slump I was in."

"It had to have been something in your drink," I whispered, "That's how he got me too."

"I figured that out too late," he replied, looking at his feet, "Once I saw you tonight I knew it was all a lie."

I looked over his shoulder to see uncle Harry looking at me with a worried expression. I put a finger up to let him know I was coming but it would be a few minutes. He nodded and got in the car with Sonya.

"I just think we need some time to figure everything out," I said, "I know we still have our bond; uncle Henry told me it's near impossible to sleep with someone else once the bond has been completed." I looked up at him and saw the slightest glance of regret.

My heart sank to my feet. "Unless you were able to do so?"

"No," he answered quickly and quietly, "I have to be honest with you-"

"Please do," I snapped, a sudden feeling of anger bubbling inside of me.

His eyes went sad and he took a deep breath. "No, I didn't sleep with anyone else. I couldn't. It's like when that point was coming, my body and mind just wasn't there for it, if that makes sense. When I felt your presence there tonight, I tried even harder with Heidi and I just couldn't. It was like this sickening feeling came over me."

"Yeah," was all I could say. I put my hand on my mouth and rubbed my lips before I crossed my arms gently across my chest. "Listen, let's just take our time with this. Everything will be okay, I just need some time to process everything."

"What do you mean?" He asked, taking a small step towards me. I stiffened my stance slightly as I looked deep in his eyes. "I saw you and her in our bed the night I escaped. When I saw you two, it's like my actual heart was ripped from my body. The pain was so unbearable I nearly flung myself off of your window balcony." His expression softened even more and he peeled his gaze from mine, unable to hide his tears welling up in his eyes.

"I'll go home to my apartment at uncle Harry's for now," I said, "Get my number from Maya and we can slowly work through this." I stepped slowly up to him and placed my hand on his arm, causing a hum in the air around us. "It's going to be okay Erik. I promise. We have both just been through a lot but we will be back where we were before you know it. I love you, and I will always love you." I leaned up on my tip-toes and gently kissed his cheek. He gave me a sad smile before I walked to the car and got in.

My tears began to fall as we pulled out of the drive. Sonya placed her hand on my leg for reassurance and I smiled gently at her, wiping the tears from my face.

The drive back to the apartment was silent. When we pulled into the drive I grabbed my phone and slowly got out after the car stopped. I was walking up to my door when uncle Harry cleared his throat. I turned around and gave him my best smile, even though we both knew I was dying inside.

"Call me if you need anything," he said, "Anything at all."

"I will," I managed to get out before my voice broke. He nodded and headed toward his house before I unlocked the door and went inside my apartment. I began taking off clothes as soon as I locked the door behind me, leaving them wherever they laid.

Once I was undressed I washed my face in the bathroom as the tears mixed with the soap, stinging my eyes. I took my hair down and slugged into the bedroom.

I fell into the bed and clutched my chest as my sobs drifted me to sleep.

I woke up the next morning with the worst feeling in my stomach. It was all in knots, my head was pounding, and I felt hungover even though I only had a few drinks. I went into the bathroom to wash my face and try to get the crusted tears from my eyes. I dried my face and looked in the mirror.

I didn't sleep well at all, and my face showed it. My eyes were red from crying, my dark circles in place, and my lips chapped from mouth breathing. My nose was raw from wiping it.

I sighed as I forced my feet to move toward the kitchen. I fixed a cup of coffee and decided to sit on the porch to get some fresh air. I grabbed my phone off of the counter and groaned when I saw all of the texts and missed calls from Maya. I sat down on the small step on the porch and began to scroll through the messages.

Mel, where r u? Did u leave?

Mel, what the hell? You didn't even say bye.

R u ok

Plz answer me!

So Erik asked for ur number. He said u told him to get it from me, so I gave it to him. Hope thats okay!

Did u make it home ok?

Just call me back!

Fine. I'm going to bed. Call me when u wake up.

Don't do anything stupid tonite plz.

Mel!

Wake up!

I rubbed my temples. I knew she was worried about me, but damn at all of the missed calls and texts. I dialed her number and of course it only took two rings before she picked up.

'"Mel!" She exclaimed, "What the hell happened to you last night? I figured you would have came home with Erik after I saw ya'll dancing."

"Long story," I said, sighing, "We decided that it would take some time to get back to where we were before." There was a long pause before I heard some rustling on the other end of the line.

"Well," she said with a grunt, "I think that's probably best. He needs to get back to reality before you jump in feet first."

"Yeah," I chuckled, "He wasn't the same last night, that's for sure. I don't know if it was because he was drunk or what, but I don't want to rush things."

"Are you okay?" she asked gently, "I mean, I know it was a lot to take in. And you're probably not feeling the best."

"I'll be fine," I answered, "I know everything will eventually get back to normal again, but it will take time."

"Just keep me in the loop this time, okay?" she said with a laugh, "Because I'll beat his ass if you need me to."

"I'll keep you up to date," I replied, "Don't worry."

"Bye, Mel," she said softly, "Talk to you soon!"

"Bye," I said, hanging up the phone. I set it down and took a sip of my coffee. I sighed and let my head hang back as the sun peeked over the tops of the trees across the driveway. I sat like that for a while until I heard some grass crunching under feet. I looked over to the right and saw Sonya walking over toward me.

I smiled as she sat down. "Good morning."

"Good morning, Mel," she said, sighing, "I wanted to come check on you. You didn't talk after we left."

"Yeah," I replied, looking down at my cup, "It's just...I don't know. It's all just a cluster."

"How so?" she asked, turning to face me.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I'm glad that Erik knows the truth, and that I finally have him back. But something was so different about him. I know he went through a lot mentally while I was gone, but something else is off. I just can't figure it out.

"Not to mention I have the whole issue with Queen Iris wanting me to unite the kingdoms somehow. I don't know how to do that when I don't even have my soulmate with me." I put my hand on my forehead. "He was there with me every step of the way with the whole ordeal with Malachi, and now I feel so alone without him. I told him last night it would take time for us to be back where we were previously in our relationship. I know that hurt him, and it hurt me too. But I just can't shake this feeling about how quickly he moved on trying to push me out of his mind."

There was a long pause before she cleared her throat. "With having a soulmate, I will be honest that most people think it is just the easiest thing in the world; you have the one person you are destined to be with forever and that's the end of it. But there are so many emotions that come with that bond. And I imagine with all of the powers and emotions that you have alone it makes what you are going through even harder.

"Your uncle Harry and I had our fallouts, that's for sure. We always made up a few days later, but it didn't make it any easier when the hard times were there." She looked up to the sky. "I think the bond between soulmates is what makes the relationship so difficult at times because you are so connected you are pulling those feelings from the other person at the same time that you are feeling your emotions." She put her hand on my leg. "Just know that it will all work out, no matter how long it takes. And he may not understand everything you are feeling, because he doesn't have these crazy powers like you have."

I looked up at her and was blown away by the wisdom that she was giving. I knew that she would understand how I was feeling, but I would have ever guessed that she would be this deep with it.

"And in regards to Queen Iris," she continued, "I think the first thing you need to do is talk to the council. You know they will always be on your side, no matter what. They still don't know the real reason as to why you were with Johnathan, and I believe that if you tell them that will be a good start to your journey."

"I just don't know," I mumbled, "I mean, how in the world does she want me to unite kingdoms when there are hundreds of them?"

"You'll figure it out," she answered with a smile, "You are going to do great things, I have no doubt about that. You already took care of Malachi, so now you have the rest to worry about. And you just take it one at a time."

"Starting with Johnathan," I added, feeling a little better about everything. She nodded and patted my leg. "Just bring it up to them gently. Don't go starting a war or anything."

"I just worry that Johnathan will," I said, "He's the kind that would hunt me down and find me again."

"But you're the one with ancient blood in you," Sonya said, taking my face in her hands, "No one can defeat you, Mel. You have got to understand that. Iris gave you your powers for a reason, and it wasn't to tuck tail and hide. The other night when you put on that crown I saw a fire light in your eyes unlike any other I have seen. You were in your element. You need to take that deep in your soul and hang onto it while you complete your destiny." We sat like that looking at each other for a long time before my phone dinged with a text message. Sonya let go of my face and I glanced down and saw it was an unknown number.

"I'll let you have some alone time," Sonya said as she stood up. I grabbed her hand before she walked off and smiled up at her. "Thank you. For everything. You're amazing and I'm glad to call you family."

She beamed down at me. "Anytime, sweetheart. You know we are always here for you, no matter what." She then began walking back to the house. I grabbed my phone and empty cup and walked inside, locking the door behind me. I turned on some movie on VH1 and curled up on the couch.

I took a deep breath before I opened the text message.

Hey, it's me. I know last night we didn't end on a good note, but I'm ready to talk whenever you have the time.

-Erik

Damn, already?

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