Chapter five

"What did you say about me, Eli? What did you say?" Darius asked him in anger.

"Nothing, Darius. I swear nothing." He replied, like the coward he was. His panicked voice almost made me laugh.

"He tried to kill me, Darius. I swear he did and I promise I was good." I cried out to him.

Darius dealt him a hefty blow and his face fell sideways and when he angled his head back in position, blood had formulated round his teeth and he had blood coming out from his nostrils.

"It would take me nothing to drive a stake into this poor wretched heart of yours." Darius said to him.

"You would not dare." Eli finally spoke, finding his voice. He had the nerves to speak back at Darius.

In flashes, Darius dealt him several blows and he fell to the ground.

I held Darius. "Desist from disfiguring his face, Darius. Remember the groom must look very charming for the wedding." I said to him in sarcasm.

He stared at me with a confused look and then he understood my sarcasm. He let go of Eli.

"I promise you Eli, I shall cut off any relationship you intend forming with my sister. As long as I am alive, you'd never get the opportunity to wed my sister and not to imagine bedding her. This is a vow a brother is making to his sister." He said in anger.

Heat crept my cheeks at his words 'bedding' and disgust crept my skin at the thought of Eli touching me. Never.

Darius held my hand. "Come now, dear sister. We must prepare for tonight's feast." He said sweetly and I nodded walking alongside with him. Oh, how I love this man! Not in the sense of romance, but in the sense that he was my brother who had my back while others did not.

•

How did your date go, my child?" Mother asked as we got closer to her. She had seen us walk in together and was full of smiles. Did she perhaps think Darius came to pick me up from Eli's?

I immediately forced a smile. "It was indeed a delightful afternoon." I said to her.

Her eyes brightened. "I'm so glad to hear that. You must have seen the qualities.." She began to say, but stopped as she narrowed her eyes. "What happened to your neck?" She asked with a frown.

I touched my neck. Eli's fingers must have been imprinted on my skin. "Like I said mother, it was a delightful afternoon." I said still using a sarcastic tone. I did not care that she noticed the scar on my neck. What was the point of noticing my physical scar and not my emotional one?

"Indeed it quite was and not only did Ash see the great qualities of a husband in Eli, I also did, mother. I saw it all." Darius said to her, also being sarcastic. She frowned at him. He held my hand again and brushed past her.

I turned back to look at her and she had a worried expression on her face. Getting into my bedroom, Darius closed the door.

"I believe you have a plan so I do not have to go through with this wedding." I said to him and he nodded.

"Do not worry your head, little sister. It is my promise to you that you shall not marry Eli and I'll ensure it." He assured me and I went closer to him and hugged him. If it were not for him, my voice would never be heard in this family.

"I know you'd always protect me no matter what." I said, holding back my tears of joy.

He stroked me in a brotherly way. "Now you must prepare for father's feast and watch the drama unfold." He replied as we pulled apart and I nodded and watched him leave.

I removed the pins in my hair wondering what my brother had in mind. I had no idea that tonight would change my life forever. Tonight, I'd take a new course in another direction.

At the struck of Nine, I walked down the stairs. The house was indeed beautified in various ways and explicitly exquisite. Such decorations that I have not seen for many years and it all happened due to mother's watchful eyes.

The house was packed with people. Vampires, travelers, tourists, but mostly vampires. The humans were desert for the occasion.

Some were seated while others stood and engaged in small talks. I still wondered what tonight's occasion was all about.

Soon, I saw father standing before everyone and as soon as he did, the whole gathering became as silent as a cemetery. That was the impacts father made around people and I believe he thought he could command such submission from the Lycanthropes.

He cleared his throat as he began to speak. "Tonight is a special night," he said and I paid no attention to him as I sought for my brother.

I found Otis beside a blonde. He looked bored of the occasion and I knew he could not wait to compel this lady, feast on her and commit fornication with her. He's my brother and I knew what most of his thoughts were.

At the other side was Josh, sipping whiskey. I did not see Darius. I turned to go in search of him when father's voice stopped me.

"The official engagement of my daughter, Ashlyn Ambrosia and Eli Manning." He said and I stopped moving. I was frozen on the spot.

I was terrified and horrified. They did not tell me about this. They knew if they did, I would have escaped. I would have been anywhere, but here. I turned around and father's eyes met mine.

He smiled. "There she is." He said and the gathering turned to look at me and applauded.

Joshua had a smirk on his face as he raised his glass at me in form of a toast. A toast?! I almost shrieked. How could he be raising a toast to me at this crucial end point of my life?

"Come up here, daughter." Father said, more of a command that I dared not disobey. Meekly like a lamb for sacrifice, I walked to where father was

"And you, Eli, my son. Come up here." Father gestured to Eli who smiled radiantly. The wounds Darius inflicted on him were healing. Perks of being an hybrid. He walked towards us. His father had huge smiles plastered on his face. Now he would be rubbing shoulders with the masters. How pathetic. Father smiled. I was sure he was glad. Not glad that I was getting married but glad he was getting rid of me in a flimsy excuse of a marriage.

He would need not bother about my well-being any longer. My inability to act like a vampire will be less of a problem to him. He was handing me out. Practically, I was being sold to this pretentious pervert of a vampire.

"Tonight, I am glad to announce to y'all of this engagement that I am well pleased with. I'm sure with all the fatherly love in my heart that Eli will be a good husband to my Ashlyn." He said and the gathering applauded again

Fatherly love? I scoffed. Fatherly love indeed. He could not even see my pain or feel it. Worse, he was ignoring it.

Where was Darius when I needed him the most?

I forced a smile as father held my hand. "Tonight, I give my blessings and join my daughter and Eli inna..."

"Stop!" Darius voice echoed loudly as he interrupted father. Sweet relief washed over me. I've never felt this much glad to see my brother.