LOGINShare
CONCERNED OR RELIEVED?
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56CHAPTER EIGHT
“There are moments when I wish I could roll back the clock and take all the sadness away, but I have the feeling that if I did, the joy would be gone as well”
NICHOLAS SPARKS
GUINEVERE
He was right, I was not his wife and would never be, so why was my heart beating in such painful ways and why was I blinded with tears as I fled his presence.
Did I want him to love me?
I shook my head at the thought, I barely knew him and while I found the Duke attractive, he was a vampire and he only wanted to kill me.
Words my mama had told me flew into my heart as I fled, she had been right. I was nothing to the duke but food and he was going to marry me out of pity for my parents so I did not die without the name tag "marriage"
I walked into my room and flopped on the bed before pulling the blanket over my head. I must have dozed off for a bit as I did not notice the maid enter my room, I only heard her moving about singing under her breath.
"What pray tell are you muttering about?" I asked her raising my head
"Apologies my lady, I did not mean to wake you from your slumber. I am merely here on the duke's insistence to check up on you."
"You can tell him I am quite alright and I do not need him to bestow me his sympathy." I snapped
The maid looked at me like I had lost my head and then scurried out, no doubt to inform the duke of my condescending manner and tone
I sighed dramatically and laid down again, covering my head, how dare he ask a maid to check up on me, he should know how I was feeling as he had spoken to me in such a rude manner earlier.
"Arrogant fool" I screamed into my pillow
"Whom pray tell do you speak of, Guinevere"
His voice washed over me pricking all hairs on my body, he was here and I had just called him a fool! I pretended not to hear trying desperately to still my racing heart
"I know you are awake, I can hear your beating heart. It is quite fast for someone who is asleep." He said again
"Pardon me, your grace but I do not wish for anyone's company at the moment." I squeaked from where I was hiding.
"If that is your wish, I shall wait here until you are ready to accept someone's company" he responded
I groaned in frustration, my ears pricked up trying to discern where he was at the moment and if he actually was in the room with me. Not knowing any of these details and already frustrated, I raised my head from under the blanket and met his stare from across the room.
"You are up" he said simply, his eyes boring into mine
"Yes my lord"
"You are being so formal." He said again
"I shall address you as you should be addressed, a lord and nothing more." I muttered, glaring at him from across the room
"Is that the conclusion you drew up while asleep?"
"No, it was quite foolish of me to believe that there was anything more than being food to you. Forgive my naivety."
"You are more than food" he whispered and then cleared his throat like he had made a mistake. His voice washed over me again, there was something about the way he spoke. It was alluring and I was drawn to it, like a mouse to a trap filled with cheese.
"Of course I am more than food, you want to find out my relationship to your dead wife before you kill me."
"I am not going to kill you, whoever gave you that idea." He smirked
My eyes closed as I groaned and when I opened them, I gasped; he was standing in front of me.
"I did not hear you move." I stuttered
"I am a vampire, Guinevere. I do not move”
"What do you do?" I whispered suddenly aware of his cold presence, my nipples stood pushing against the fabric of my dress.
He bent to my eye level and gazed into my eyes, I was entranced. My hand moved of their own accord to his face, he was warm to touch and that startled me.
"You are warm" I said simply
"Yes" he whispered, his eyes darkening
"Aren't vampires supposed to be cold blooded." I breathed
"What books have you been reading, dear Guinevere."
"Well I needed to know what kind of person you are." I muttered indignantly
"You could always ask"
"Can I?" I said, my hand moving to touch his hair
He caught my hand in his and kissed it, his eyes closing. When he opened them again, they were red just as before at the dining and at my family's manor.
"Your eyes... they are red, again"
"Yes" he drawled dropping my hand.
I opened my mouth to say something else but couldn't as his hand reached my face, tracing the contours of my jaw
"No difference" he mumbled
I knew he was talking about his dead wife, Katherine but made no move to counter him. I just sat as he traced the lines of my face, running his fingers back and forth over my lips.
"Katherine" he muttered in anguish and my eyes filled with tears.
It would never be Guinevere eliciting this emotion from him, it would always be Katherine. I would always be a shadow of his dead lover, he was never going to see me.
The tear dropped and rolled down my cheek before I could stop it. He caught it in his hand and brushed it away.
"Why do you cry?" he asked, a frown appearing on his forehead
"Nothing, the wind I guess.”
There was no wind obviously but none of us pointed that out. The moment was broken as he straightened his back and stood, letting go of my hand.
"I am sorry you heard what you heard."
"Of course, your grace."
"Drogo"
"Pardon?" I asked clearly confused.
"My name is Drogo, you can call me that." he said again
"I would never think to call you your name, your grace." I said, although my heart was beating ten times faster
"I did not take you to be so submissive." He smirked, staring down at me
"I am not!" I glared
"There, that is the girl I met nine years ago." He said, the corner of his lips turning up in a smile
"You remember" I breathed
"I never quite forgot you, little Guinevere. Your scent is one of a kind… now if you will excuse me." He said and left my room.
I stared at his retreating back, he glided with a grace that I had never seen. He was dangerous and I was enthralled, I was going to do everything within my power to make him see me and not his dead wife but first, what did he mean by my scent was one of a kind
Related chapters
Her Reincarnation PLEASURE AT HIS DISCOMFORT
CHAPTER NINE“Energy is the essence of life. Every day you decide how you are going to use it by knowing what you want and what it takes to reach the goal and by maintaining focus”OPRAH WINFREYTHE DUKEI had almost let myself be consumed by her… I had watched her try to hide from me because I had hurt her. I wasn't one to feel sympathetic or sorry about anything but I was sorry I had made her cry. She was of the idea that I was going to kill her, I was but she did not need to know that.The only reason I had Guinevere over at my place was because she looked like my dead wife, their resemblance so uncanny that if someone from that time saw her right now, they would mistake her for Katherine and have her killed right on the spot."Arthur!""Yes your grace, you called for me.""Send a carriage to the account of Hemishire, let him know that the duke requires his presence.""Am I to escort him myself, your grace.""There will be no need for that, he is capable.""As you wish" Arthur bowe
Her Reincarnation ALLURING
CHAPTER TEN“Luxury lives in the finer details. It is a cloth napkin at a dinner table. It is a mint on your pillow before bed”IGGY AZALEAGUINEVEREWe arrived at the house of my papa with the duke and I not talking to one another. His eyes were closed just as it had been when he had taken me from my papa's house and his hands fisted by his side. At that time I had wondered at why he kept his eyes closed but now I could imagine it was because he did not want to be involved in a conversation with me which was for the better because it gave me ample time to think about what I shall do immediately I become his wife and how I could avoid whatever experiments he had planned for me.I was deep in thought when the carriage came to a stop in front of my papa's manor, the duke opened his eyes and turned to me."You should go inside first, I have something I need to take care of first.""I shall wait here for you and then we shall go in together." I told him.I did not want to go into the hous
Her Reincarnation MORE CONFUSION
CHAPTER ELEVEN“Find out where joy resides, and give it a voice far beyond singing. For to miss the joy is to miss all”ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSONTHE DUKEI was smiling...I was alone in my bed chambers and smiling which did not bode well. The thoughts of the evening replayed in my mind, her father trying to get me to cancel the wedding with his daughter and Guinevere's eyes pleading that I do not believe a word he was saying.Humans were funny creatures and although I had been one myself, I could hardly understand how their mind worked. Did he really think that I was going to cancel the wedding because of a baseless rumor such as that? Of course he had no idea that his daughter was the exact replica of my deceased wife, hence the lies.I smiled again shaking my head at the look on Guinevere's face when I had asked if she wanted me to confirm her status, she had thought I was serious. Well, I was serious but she was not ready for any intimacy with me and I wasn't ready until I was sure o
Her Reincarnation AN UNAVOIDABLE TRUTH
CHAPTER TWELVE“The most common emotional defense is avoidance [an ineffective coping skill for any stressor] as expressed through denial [e.g. that wasn’t really bad, I barely remember it]BRIAN LUKE SEAWARDTHE DUKEI tried to avoid her for days till the arrival of my friend, the witch turned accountant but I could not. It was as if she always knew everywhere I was or maybe it was me seeking her out against my will. She wasn't speaking to me, I noticed. Whenever we met, she just bowed and hurried away like she had just seen a demon. I wasn't supposed to feel bad about it, I had caused it and I wasn't human so why have human feelings? But deep down I noticed I was having some discomfort about the silent treatment I was receiving. The next day was to be our wedding, was this how it was going to be permanently between us? What exactly did she want from me and even when I asked our butler to ask her to join me for dinner, she always refused claiming she was ill.It wasn't that I could n
Her Reincarnation THE DUKE AND I
CHAPTER THIRTEEN”I would argue that nothing gives life more purpose than the realization that every moment of consciousness is a precious and fragile gift”STEVEN PINKERGUINEVEREMy mama took so long in arriving at the modiste and so I browsed through the materials she had to make dresses and I made a mental note of some I considered beautiful and would go well with my skin tone and eyes. I was not going to let Calista ruin a good day in my life even though as I went around, the thoughts of what she had said was threatening to have me thinking about how exactly the duke had considered me pretty enough for marriage or was it because I was like the one percent of the ton that would not be missed should incase anything happened to me.It was highly unlikely that that was the reason he had chosen me as his wife. I shook my head dispelling the horrible thoughts. Greta must have noticed the internal struggle I was going through because she came over to stand beside me and placed her hand
Her Reincarnation LAUGHTER AND LOVE
CHAPTER FOURTEEN“They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do and something to hope for”TOM BODETTTHE DUKEShe was happy to see me, I realized as her face broke into a smile and her eyes lit up in amusement. It was a very beautiful sight to watch."I did not hear you come in." she said and then realized how stupid that sounded because she blushed and hit her forehead."Why are you here?" she asked again looking up at me with childlike wonder."Well, I was bored so I came to see how it was going with you. The house can get dead silent and creepy sometimes." I said taking a seat beside her."You are one to talk! When I arrived I thought you probably killed people in there and that was why it was so dark. I have managed to light some candles and when we are properly married, I will make sure to banish any speck of darkness in that house.""Then you might have to banish me too." I mocked, seeing that the joke did not go dow
Her Reincarnation REALIZATION...OR NOT
CHAPTER FIFTEEN“Explain your anger instead of expressing it and you will find the solutions and connection instead of arguments”NOTSALMON.COMGUINEVEREDid he think he could scare me? The arrogantly impossible man, how dare he try to act all childish in public. I was trying to get myself worked up so I could be angry at him but I could only smile at the absurdity of it.The grand duke had tried to scare Calista for me; it was sweet and although he had tried to cover it up with scaring me also, it was sweet. I was sure Calista was probably wherever pulling her hair out in pure mental delusion, last I saw her she was crawling on all fours and screaming like a banshee and if I wasn't intent on the vampire who had caused that, it would have been comically satisfying to watch. I had made him laugh too, maybe there was hope for he and I without the ghost of his dead wife threatening to disrupt anything."Let me have him, please." I whispered with my eyes closed hoping she was somewhere wh
Her Reincarnation A STRANGER
CHAPTER SIXTEEN“Trust the wait. Embrace the uncertainty. Enjoy the beauty of becoming.”MANDY HALEGUINEVEREI could hardly concentrate on what my mama was saying, it was like I wasn't in the shop anymore but back at the duke's manor. I was thinking about if it was proper to ask him why he had stopped getting dresses for her and if it had any relation to meeting me nine years ago, there was no way it was just a minor coincidence and I knew there was no way it was because he had fallen in love with me then. Had he been watching me this whole time? Had he been watching my family...was that how he found out about my dad and his silly deal with the cosa nostra. If it was then I was going to call off the wedding, because it literally meant I am something he needs for his dead wife. I did not know how I knew that but if he had been watching me this whole time... I was never going to go through with the marriage, damn my father and whatever consequences there was.I could feel a throbbing i
Latest chapter
Her Reincarnation CHOSEN
THIRTY TWO"Love is like a sudden flame; it springs up in the heart and often consumes the whole being in a moment." HONORE DE BALZACTHE DUKEWe walked stealthily to the place we had seen in the vision, I could see that it had been made into a garden and in the garden were two cottages. I signaled on Henry to follow closely behind me as I did not want to alert them of our presence.We hid watching when we saw somebody come out of one of the cottages, I instantly recognized her as the new maid the one that worked personally for GuinevereSo it was she who had stolen Katherine's body, I thoughtWe watched her until she had gone into the second cottage before advancing to the first and true to what I thought Guinevere was tied there, her eyes closed at first and I thought she was dead until she moved, opening her eyes. I rushed over to meet her but she was looking beyond me at something or maybe someone.It was then in dawned on me that I had walked into a trap, there was a man standin
Her Reincarnation TAKEN
THIRTY ONE"I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear." NELSON MANDELAGUINEVEREThe torturing had been going on for quite a while now and every time I was cut I healed back, it almost seemed like I was healing quicker with every cut. I did not understand this and I was pretty sure neither did my captors who were…well looking at me with a look of surprise and concern on their faces.I felt every pain inflicted on me but it was almost like I was feeling it from another body, there was something wrong with me and it had to do with Katherine. I knew they did not want me dead if not they would have driven a stake through my heart already; they wanted answers I could not provide and I also wanted damned answersI wondered why I was being loyal to the Duke, was he even looking for me? Did he even care enough? Why was I trying to protect him what kind of loyalty was I feeling
Her Reincarnation WHERE IT ALL BEGAN
THIRTY“Courage is the resistance to fear, mastery of fear not absence of fear”MARK TWAINTHE DUKE"We need to all calm down." Henry started as he watched me.He could already tell that I was revising a means to save Guinevere"We need to go after her." Damien said, he could never sit still so he was pacingI still was in a world of my own thinking about what had just happened and its correlation to Katherine; I had not seen who had killed her then but what if it had a correlation to what happened today"I believe they thought she was Katherine, hence the kidnap." Henry continued sayingI wasn't paying any attention then; I could only think about was why they had taken her and what they wanted"They knew who she was” I finally spoke up… “They knew she was not Katherine and I believe somebody very close to us is messing with us right now. I don't think we are going to find out where she is except they invite us over.""So what are you trying to say, we wait?" Damien asked, incredulou
Her Reincarnation TELL ME THE TRUTH
TWENTY NINE“The realization of ignorance is the first act of knowing”JEAN TOOMERGUINEVEREHe was staring, waiting for me to say something to support my claim about his love for Katherine. I took a deep breath, hoping I had not just gotten myself into trouble before saying"I just was thinking about everything and why you have decided to tell me of this story; one between yourself and Katherine and I think it is pretty obvious, I did not just want to see it. You loved her and she did not return your feelings, is that it? She preferred the duke to you and that was what had fueled your actions from then till date”"That is not true but great job in trying to decipher why I am doing what I am doing. Katherine loved me; we were childhood sweethearts but this was before she turned the duke or at least her father did. He was her first kill, her father made her do it and then they became inseparable. She had only felt pity for him of course because he was a coward and no other person wante
Her Reincarnation A TRUTH UNTOLD
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT“Love is a reciprocal torture”MICHEAL PROUSTGUINEVERE"Before you guys begin torturing me, I think I need to state that I am not a vampire, I am human like you and if you killed me right now I'm actually going to die for real.""Then you found your way to make yourself human or you lying like you always do. We have been trained not to ever believe a word Katherine says so if this is your ploy to push us off our mark, you are desperately failing." The girl smirked"Oh this is no ploy I assure you, how exactly do I have proof to you that I am human and not Katherine without killing me of course” I said in exasperation."Of course silly, there are ways to check, we just have to cut you and then if you heal you're lying but if you don't that is a whole new thing we have to explore and that is how you are now human, Katherine." The lady said pointedly"For the last time I am not Katherine, I am Guinevere Berkshire, my father is Sir Collins Berkshire and his Lord of
Her Reincarnation A BITE FROM THE UNKNOWN
TWENTY SEVEN"Often, what seems like an impossible climb is just a staircase without the steps drawn in."PAULO FREIRE THE DUKE"She is going to see her family?" I echoed scratching my jaw."Yes my lord, I will be accompanying her, she is waiting downstairs as we speak.""Do not bother, I shall accompany her myself." I said, rising from my seat"Really? We have a lot to discuss" Damien interrupted, rising with me."It will have to wait till I am back, make yourself at home. Henry, please watch him like a hawk for me, will you? I don't want him touching things he isn't supposed to.""I will watch him." Henry said smiling.Damien rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue at me; he had always been a child.Arthur followed behind me, his head lowered. I knew immediately that something was wrong, the carriage sat on its own outside the house but I could feel a very strange energy around it, an energy I hadn't felt in a very long time. I raced to the carriage and as I feared it was empty, Guine
Her Reincarnation DEATH OR NOT
TWENTY SIX“The world is vast, beautiful and fascinating even awe- inspiring but impersonal. It demands nothing of me and allows me to demand nothing of itHERBERT SIMONTHE DUKEI walked out of the shadows and headed towards him just as Henry walked in stopping in his tracks"Yes I know you both are glad to see me and I'm glad to see you both also" Katherine's brother said smiling"How are you alive?" I asked"I honestly have no idea too. Just last week I woke up with no memory of myself nor of my life." He said scratching his head"What kind of bullshit is this?" Henry started"You have been dead for centuries Damien; there is no way you would wake up with no memory of yourself.""Oh, you are talking about the purge, I did not die then. I escaped and then I wandered about and then I met a girl. It is a long story but I was wandering ever since up to the time of my death...again, I believe I died but how am I alive?." His voice trailed off as he considered this turn of events"Is th
Her Reincarnation A BLAST FROM THE PAST
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE“Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get- only with what you are expecting to give- which is everything”KATHARINE HEPBURNGUINEVEREHe is an unbearable bastardI screamed this aloud as he disappeared from my bedchambers after bringing me to heights I never knew existed. What we just shared was something I knew I was never going to have with anybody forever; I was his through and through.There was no strength left in me to cry and so I lay, curled up in a ball thinking about how much I wanted to die. Maybe if I died, maybe then he would finally see me, I thought smiling cynically.Of course not, it would always be Katherine no matter what. I was just a person that looked like her and a puzzle for him to solve, I was never going to be someone he cared anything for.But he was everything to me, I mean how could I be so attracted when I barely know him barely know what is going through his head. How could I be so utterly attracted to a man who consi
Her Reincarnation DEFINITELY LUST
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR“Everyone suffers at least one bad betrayal in their lifetime. It is what unites us and the trick is not to let it destroy your trust in others when that happens; do not let them take that from you”SHERRILYN KENYONTHE DUKEShe was cryingWhy the hell is she crying, I thought to myself as I walked stealthy to her room"What is the matter? Is your stomach still upsetting you?" I asked, looking at her, she must know that I know that there was nothing wrong with her stomach and there was some other reason why she was crying"Yes yes, I'm just under the weather thank you so much for asking." She said sniffling"What is the matter, Guinevere; Talk to me you seemed happy this morning. What changed?""Can we not do this right now? As you can see I am not in the proper state of mind for this.""Does it have anything to do with last night? Are you regretting allowing me to touch you, if this is what it is about, I am sorry and I shouldn’t have" I told her"No please, do n
