Lilith
"You went to the cemetery!?" Luke exclaimed, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Have you lost your freaking mind, Lilith?"
I rolled my eyes at him, because as always, there was no talking to him, just like there was no talking to Father.
"If you're going to give me that speech, you can go away," I frowned. "Father has already given it to us both."
This time, Luke turned to Cassandra, who was seated in a small armchair, with our kitty Penelope in her arms, purring softly.
"Why would you let her do this?" Luke demanded, pacing about the room like a caged tiger. Only, it didn't suit him. I'd never imagine him as a wild animal of any kind. He just didn't have that quality about him.
"I don't need anyone's permission to do anything," I grunted heavily, getting up from the sofa and walking over to the window.
As I gazed out the window, my eyes fixated on the distant horizon, where the vast expanse of the world unfolded before me. The view stirred within me a deep longing for freedom and adventure, beckoning me to explore beyond the confines of my familiar surroundings.
The open sky stretched out like a canvas, painted with hues of blue and golden sunlight. It whispered tales of uncharted territories, of hidden wonders awaiting discovery. The wind carried a melody that whisperedof distant lands, foreign cultures, and untold stories waiting to be written.
That was what I yearned for. A life outside the confines of this castle, where everything had to be programmed, justbecause I was the king's daughter. I'd never felt truly myself, but always someone's daughter, and now, someone's future wife, although that was the last thing I wanted to do. But Father had assured me that I would not be able to find anyone better than Luke.
In a way, he was right. With this thought in mind, I turned to Luke and gazed at him. I'd known him since we were children. We played together. We scraped our knees together. We shared secrets together. But that was exactly it. We had become friends. We never thought we would be partners in any other way.
Then, we were told that for the good of our kingdom, I had to marry him. A part of me felt relieved that I would be married to my best friend. But another part of me, the one that longed for adventure and love beyond any human comprehension screamed against this. Slowly, I managed to suffocate that voice and now we were here, counting the days until the wedding.
"Lilith," Luke suddenly approached me and took my hands into his. Then, he brought them to his lips, kissing them tenderly. This wasn't what we used to do. I felt like little by little, he was trying to transform our relationship, while we agreed that we would not push anything, that we would just let things stay as they were and if something changed, then we would see where it might get us.
Before he could continue, I pulled my hands away from his as if his touch scorched me. He pretended not to notice.
"You could have been hurt," he told me.
I sighed heavily. "No. Because I have a bodyguard."
"I know," he admitted, scratching the back of his head.
"Wait… what?" I frowned, tilting my head a little. "You knew about this?"
"Well… sort of," he shrugged.
"What do you mean sort of?" I demanded of him. "Why wouldn't you tell me?"
"Because I knew you would react like this," he explained. "And to tell you honestly, knowing how… adventurous you are, I agreed with your father that it was for the best."
I looked at him incredulously. "I remember a time when you were just as adventurous as me."
"We were kids, Lilith, come on," he scoffed. "We're adults now and we need to act like it. You can't just disappear in the middle of the night. You know better than that."
"Obviously, I don't," I pouted.
"It's not because of you, Lil," Cassandra suddenly interfered, and we all looked in her direction, waiting to see what else she would say. "You know it's the vampires. And the situation has gotten much worse in the past couple of years."
I didn't say anything to that, but the truth was that she was right.
"Cass, we can't be helpless damsels in distress all our lives," I reminded her boldly. "I don't know about you, but I don't want to be that. I don't want to be daddy's little princess."
"But… what's so wrong about that?" Cassandra asked somehow sadly, and I realized that I'd offended her without meaning to.
"Cass," I said softly, walking over to her. She refused to look up at me, instead focusing on the sleeping kitten in her lap. "You know I didn't mean it like that."
"How did you mean it?" she wondered, finally looking up at me. "Not everyone wants adventure. I like being safe. I like being comfortable. And I was very frightened last night. I, for one, am grateful for your bodyguard who saved us."
As always, Cassandra knew how to disarm me. I didn't know what to say to that.
"You're right," I did what I always did when I wanted to end a conversation. I would agree even when I didn't mean it,just so the conversation wouldn't go on. But this time, I felt like a simple agreeing wouldn't suffice.
Instead of saying it was alright, as she usually did, she got up, the kitten still in her arms. "I'll go to my room. I'm a little tired."
"Cass, come on," I quickly told her. "Don't be like that."
"I'm not like anything," she turned to me to reply. "I'm just tired. It's been a long night."
She cut me off with her gaze. It was the first time I'd seen her like that, and I knew that it was better not to say anything that we both might regret later on. I watched as she left the room and closed the door behind her.
I sighed upon being left alone with Luke.
"She's right, you know?" he said, breaking the silence which felt more comfortable than the sound of his voice. In fact, I started to feel that the more time passed, the less I liked to hang out with him. This forced marriage was becoming more and more real with each passing day, and I started to like it less and less.
However, I couldn't say anything, especially not to Father. I'd already agreed to everything. The wedding date was set. Truth be told, the preparations were still ongoing, but everything would be ready for the due date. Nothing could change. Everything had to go according to plan. Father was counting on me. I couldn't let him down.
"I really don't want to talk about this right now," I frowned.
"I'm not your enemy here, Lil," Luke reminded me.
"I know," I inhaled deeply, raking my fingers through my hair. "I just feel like I don't have control of my own life and I don't like it one bit."
"Of course, you do," he assured me, walking over to me and taking my hands into his once more. This time, I allowed it."You and I are getting married. I know it might feel weird at first, but we can make it work. I promise. We've been friends for such a long time. I doubt there is anything we can't agree on."
If I thought about it for a moment, I had to agree that he was right. I knew him and he knew me better than anyone else, except maybe Cass. He would know what I needed and when I needed it. So, what if our marriage wouldn't be romantic? Who wanted romance in their life?
I did.
I wanted it all. I wanted romance. I wanted adventure. I wanted to be in control and out of control at the same time, if such a thing was even possible. Nonetheless, I wanted to try it and see what that would feel like.
"Maybe you're right," I sighed heavily, still not completely convinced, but I wanted him to believe that I was on the way there. Because this was something I needed to sort out on my own, without anyone's interference.
"We all want the best for you," he continued. "Cass, your father, me. But we can't do what is best for you if you keep disappearing in the middle of the night, taking your sister with you."
Sometimes I wished that Cass and I were like other sisters. Usually, the older sister was the one setting all the rules. With us, it'd always been the other way around. She was the shy introverted one, while I was the one causing mischief. Father said it was our mother's trait, which was a little too accentuated in me. I'd always been especially proud of that.
"Just promise me you won't put yourself in danger like that again," he urged me.
It was a promise I knew I wouldn't be able to give, even to my father if he had asked for it. But he knew better than that.
I inhaled deeply, staring Luke right in the eyes. I smiled. "I won't."
I wouldn't put myself in danger like that again. That was the part I gave my promise to. The rest of the sentence was open for interpretation, because I knew that I needed to find out more about this other world, about the world my bodyguard belonged to.
My heart fluttered at the thought of him for some reason. Was it his commanding presence or the way he protected us so fearlessly? I tried to banish whatever that was from my mind. He was a vampire, and he didn't belong in our world. That was the only one reason why I was shocked that Father hired someone like that to protect Cass and me. But if my father trusted him, that meant that he was worthy of trust.
Still, there was something about him, something that both thrilled me and frightened me at the same time. I wanted to know more about him. I wanted to know to what extent he was connected to the vampire world, and how he kept control over that part of his being, that he could function so easily amongst humans.
Everything about that man was mysterious, and I loved a good mystery. That of course meant only one thing. I needed to go out that evening as well, knowing full well that he would follow me. But this time, Cass wouldn't be with us and that would make all the difference.