Chapter three

"Oh," I exclaimed softly, having a guess where this conversation was heading. "If this is about my inability to feed on humans then," I began, but mother waved it off.

"This is not about that," she said rather impatiently. Sometimes, I wished father had never turned her. She was the perfect, gentle, and understanding mother. We were very close until her dark side broke us and drifted us apart. She was no longer understanding about my weakness. She wanted me untamed. Untamed to be a cruel vampire. That is what we vampires were all about. We were something beyond the extraordinary.

"Let's get to why this assemblage is for Ashlyn," Otis said, getting impatient too. I knew he could not wait to get upstairs to continue his feasting and fornication with the touring ladies he had gotten hold of and that were in his room. Feasting and fornication. To Otis, that was life.

"We have decided to get Ashlyn married." Mother dropped the bombshell, keeping us out of the suspense that had grown.

"What?!" We all exclaimed.

"Who am I going to pick on when she leaves?" Joshua asked, and I stared in dismay at father and mother trying to force back the tears that had sprung up and wanted to drop.

I was so emotional. I even hated that about myself.

"You cannot do this," I said to her.

"Who is she getting married to?"Darius asked calmly.

"Your father's second in command son," Mother said indignantly.

"Oh." Otis huffed, making jests of me.

"You cannot do this to me, mother. How could you plan such a ridiculous thing with father?" I asked her in anger and fear. I hated Eli Manning for everything that was in me. He walked in the air with his feet never touching the ground.

His ego was the biggest I have ever seen in young men. His pride was like that of a thousand peacocks and indeed more!

"It has been settled. Eli has even displayed a likeness to you." She tried to justify her outrageous decision.

"She cannot marry Eli Manning," Darius said in the same authoritative voice as father that strikes fear in the heart of anyone before him.

"Why?" Mother and Otis questioned at the same time.

"Ash is no longer a child to be told what to do. If she does not want an intimate relationship with Eli, no one shall force her." He replied, and I breathed a sigh of relief that at least someone in this house had my back.

"Ashlyn needs an iron fist to mould her into her real self." Mother said. Now I understood what this was about. They were shipping me off to Eli, so I would no longer be their problem to handle. I felt like a cartel about to be sold off.

"Mother is right. When was the last time Ashlyn drank blood? It's been almost a year." Joshua said, dangling a cup of blood in front of me as he continued. "Look how pale you are, sister. You're getting weaker by the day. Have a taste of blood, hmm?" He said, smirking. He was right. I was trying my hardest to stay away from blood to see if I'd get hungered and then drain every source of life out of a human, but I was failing in that too.

"If she could not develop vampire characteristics under father's iron fist, what then is the guarantee that she'd bend over Eli's will?" Darius asked, getting upset. An heated argument ensued due to Darius's words.

"Enough!" Father's voice thundered in our ears and we kept quiet. He had been quiet since mother brought up the discussion and now, he demanded to be heard.

"This marriage shall take place and that's final," he said. He stood to his feet and walked away and mother followed.

"We always have to gather for stupid things," Otis said, rising up on his feet too. How could my younger brother be this cruel to me too? In a flash, he was out of the room.

"Goodnight, Mrs. Manning," Joshua said with a smirk and a mocking bow. In a flash, he was also gone.

I burst into tears and went up to Darius. "Please, don't let them get me married off. Please, Darius, please." I pleaded and he held me amidst my tears without saying a word.

•

The thoughts of wedding of Eli Manning still rang in my head the next morning and the tears that had dried off at Three AM this morning started afresh. The hate I had for Eli ran deep in my blood. A hatred that a young woman should not possess, but I could not help it. He disgusted me. Why? Eli was very rude, proud, egocentric like I've seen before, and worse than Joshua. If I could not possibly tolerate Joshua, my own brother, how can I tolerate a man like Eli? He was also very disciplined. Too strict to the core. I believe he can beat up women. He was such a brute.

One of the maidens assigned to me walked in and I quickly wiped my tears. My tears of blood. One rule I followed was never to let the commoners see you cry.

"What brings you here?" I asked her.

"The lady asked me to get you ready." She said, looking down.

There was no friend in this house. Mother did not want any one of us close to the helpers and so different helpers were assigned to attend to us every day.

I once liked one particular vampire who attended to me every day and when mother found out, she fired her. Her penalty was death, but with my constant pleading and cries, she was let go. Never to return.

I believe mother thought I was in the act of lesbianism. That I had suddenly joined the ladies that were sexually attracted to only ladies, but I was not. Mother's thinking was tinted. I would not blame her either for that.

"For what?" I asked her.

"Lunch with the noble commander's son," she said. I frowned. Eli Manning. I took a long look at the clock. It was only Ten AM. What was the need to go out and have lunch with Eli? Was mother having human thoughts again? What would we be doing when we cannot eat like normal people? My vampire side was suppressed due to my restraint on blood and I could hold food in my stomach for a long time, unlike Eli who was very active at bloodsucking. He'd throw up the moment the food got into his stomach.

"M'lady?" She called and I turned to her.

"Take your time," I said to her. That was me agreeing to get prepared. I knew better than to go against mother's orders.

I was dressed in a white flowing satin dress with long sleeves that were curved out at my wrist.

I stood in front of the mirror. I was looking like a lamb dressed up for sacrifice.

Mother walked into the room with a smiling face. "You look beautiful, my princess. Eli will marry you once he sets his eyes upon this beauty." She said. I shrieked in horror. I did not try to mask my anger and sadness towards this engagement.