Chapter four

"Why are you doing this to me, mother?" I asked her and she immediately dismissed my help, who walked away without fuss.

She turned to me. "What exactly do you mean, Ashlyn?" She asked. She was being pretentious and I knew it.

"This, mother. You cannot claim to be oblivious to what's happening. This forced marriage." I said to her in despair.

She walked closer to me. "Eli has confessed his feelings for you, Ashlyn, my darling. He'd love you and care for you." She replied d, holding my face so sweetly and unable to see my pain or rather pretending not to.

"What about me, mother? It takes two to tango. I do not love him and I never will." I said to her.

"You'd learn to. Love comes after marriage." She said. I took her hands away from my face.

"What happened to you, mother?" I asked her with sadness in my voice. "I'm your only daughter, yet you do not treat me like a prized possession. I'm your only replica and yet you throw me into the arms of a man not worthy of me." I said to her, anger etched in my tone.

"He is worthy of you. You should not be saying otherwise." She said, staring at me. What was she trying to say? That I was lucky getting married to Eli and I was not worthy of being with him?

"You married father out of love, mother. Why cannot I do the same?" I questioned her with pain in my heart and in my eyes.

She straightened her back and her expression was replaced with the stony look she always had on as the Lady of the Clutch. That's us, vampires.

"Eli awaits you." She said and I knew that stated end of the discussion as she walked away. I sighed and wiped a tear from my eyes. It was time to get this over with.

I walked out of my room and down the stairs and there was Eli standing by the foot of the stairs. He took my hand in his and placed a kiss on it.

"You still look as beautiful as the horizon in the sky." He said with a smile that did not reach his eyes. What a pretentious swine!

"Shall we get this melodramatic day over with?" I asked, speaking rudely to him.

His hand immediately squeezed my fragile one hard and I gasped. I felt my bones breaking. "Learn not to speak to me in such manner ever again." He said and I squirmed at the impact of his hand as tears stung my eyes.

Just then, I heard a clearing of a voice. I turned to see Darius leaning on the wall. Eli followed the direction of my eyes and the moment he saw him, he let go of my hand. Darius instilled fear in him. He turned on a fake smile.

He knew how much my brother cared for me. He knew it was best not to anger him for my sake.

"Darius," he said, charmingly. "I was just complimenting your sister on her beautiful looks." He said, his face all full of smiles.

How much more of a chameleon could he be? I wondered, rolling my eyes.

Darius raised a finger to stop him from going further. "Spare me the details," he said crudely as he walked closer to us.

Eli moved away to give us space or perhaps in fear of what Darius could do to him.

I shook my head at Darius. "I do not want to go," I muttered to him, trying to hold back my tears.

He held my face lovingly. "Go, Ash. But, I promise you, this will be your last outing with him. I'll ensure that." He promised.

"He tried to hurt me," I said, objecting to what he wanted.

"Do not go against my wishes, Ash, or do you not trust your brother anymore? Do you not believe in the brother and sister bond we share? Do you have a doubt that I cannot protect my own little sister?" He questioned with a little hurt in his eyes.

I placed a kiss on his forehead as I held his hand that held my face. I knew he'd do anything to protect me. This was now the time I was loving the fact that he was my brother. He was not like the rest of my brothers. He wanted to protect his little one and I was sure if there were two of us, he would do the same thing for us.

He closed his eyes. "Go." He ordered and I obeyed.

Eli was standing at the door when I walked up to him. He offered his hand to act like the perfect gentleman in front of Darius, but I walked right past him. I might be a weak vampire, but my self-respect mattered a lot to me. I walked towards the carriage and was helped into the carriage by one of the guards.

Yet again, I had become rude to him and only the good Lord knows if he will spare me.

"What did your brother say to you?" He asked me the moment he got into the carriage.

"You're a vampire, Eli. It would not be a shock to me if you heard the conversation between my brother and I. You must know already what he had said." I said curtly to him. I met his dangerous glare.

"I asked a question, Ashlyn, and I am not fond of repeating them. Tell me or I will force it out of you." He threatened.

I cowered a little bit, but straightened up, chin lifted, face up ahead. I was not about to let this lowlife ridicule me.

"If you must know, Eli, he promised to wipe your existence from the face of the earth completely if you do anything to hurt me more," I said to him.

From the corners of my eyes, I did not miss the shudder that went through him as he looked out the window. I curved a smile. My brother was not one to be toiled with. Once he makes an utterance, he makes it happen. He was a mean and silent killer.

It was not a lunch date, but a scenario of disaster. He literally mocked me for being a spineless vampire. All he did was want to enhance his ego by telling me what a favor he was doing for me. No one would want to be with a weak vampire. He made me understand that he was just getting married to me because of my father. I held myself strong and determined not to let this man see me cry.

"To hell with you." I spat at him and he grew angry. With one hand on my throat, he drove me to the wall.

I gasped as his hand tightened around my neck, choking me.

He smiled cynically. "Need I ask where that your brother who thinks highly of himself and threatens to wipe off my existence is if I touch you?" He asked, sneering at me. Tears gathered around my eyes. I was suffocating.

"Right here, Eli." I heard the unmistakable voice of Darius.

"Turn around," Darius said again, and I believed he was really there and I was not hearing things.

I saw a look of fear flash through Eli's eyes as he let go of me and I dropped to the floor.

He turned around to see Darius' blazing eyes and at a speed like that of lightning, Darius had him pinned on the wall. Never doubt a brother's love for his sister. I smirked.