Chapter 11

Melissa felt like her world was spinning too fast. In her head, everything seemed sudden, too sudden, like it was moving miles per hours, and she couldn't keep up with the pace. She could not believe what she was hearing, what this man with the out of this world perfection, beauty and manliness was telling her. His presence, his minty breath, all of him was an intoxicating fragrance for Melissa. "A kiss?" she repeated in her head, "why should I kiss him? why should I believe him? I can't seem to think properly with him so close to me".

            Maybe this was one of his powers, maybe he could convince everyone with his beautifulness and his velvety voice as he was doing to her right now, a voice so sweet and so inviting, that wrapped Melissa in every sound of them, every time she heard him like the most expensive silks ever made.

"Please, you are standing too close to me". Melissa said.

            At the same moment Adelrick took a step back, he did as she ordered. For more that he loved her and wanted to be near her, he would never do anything to upset her, he will never harm Melissa or forced her to do anything.

            Even so he wanted to touch her badly, he had to fight the urge to do so. Every time Melissa rejected him was like a dagger directly to his heart. "I apologize for coming to you too strong. I know that all of this is almost impossible to believe, but I assure you that everything is true".

            Trying to compose herself, to her it was difficult to look at him in the eyes and made a concrete and coherent sentence as she fought those feelings tangled inside her. "I know is true, I saw it with my own eyes, you saved me from those beasts, but I still have many questions. You ripped them apart on that train like it was nothing, and to be fair that makes you also a monster. When you are near me, I feel too drawn to you, and that scares me as well. I can't think clear just yet. I don't know until what extent you are telling the truth".

            These words made Adelrick feel worse. She had called him a monster and in reality, he was. Just another monster trapped in this world. He was empty without her, he lived only for her. He felt in love with her so many decades before this day. But he always needed to prove himself to her. This didn't bother him; he was determined to live forever waiting for her to come back to him if he needed to. He loved her, he truly loved her, and everything that had happened all this years was nothing. He had finally found her and this time he will not let her die.

"Am I in danger right now?" she asked him, lowering her gaze to the floor, looking at her feet. 

"You are always in danger. Both werewolves and vampires are always trying to come up for ways to eliminate you. That is why I must be close to you. Even if I'm not that close you are the direct contact with me you just have to call me, and I'll be here".

"Call you?" Melissa said, and her heart felt like shrinking, was she making the right decision? If she kiss him now she doesn't have to call him. But she could not let her instincts get the best of her. So, she dismissed the though immediately.

"I will need some time to think this through", Melissa finally added. "For now, I will ask you to leave".

            He couldn't believe it. In his mind this encounter had ended differently, he was hurt. She wasn't the same woman he once knew. The one jumping into him and kissing him desperately, maybe in this life she wouldn't choose him, the mere thought of this made Adelrick's heart sunk in pain, and Melissa felt this pain. "As you wish" he said, turning slowly to leave the room, defeat sinking his shoulders. 

"Wait Adel", Melissa said. His heart jumped after hearing his name, but he didn't move.

  "Adel" he whispered, "That was the name you used to call me many lives ago. When you loved me, I know you still love me. Do you even remember loving me before?" all these thoughts were like a tornado in his head. He was scared to asked that question, he was afraid that she will say no. 

            Melissa walked towards him, standing going around to face him she caressed his cheek. The touch made him stiff. What an unfair life he had lived. She could touch him as she pleased but he couldn't do the same, he always longed for her, for her touch, and this time the desire inside him was consuming him. He wanted to kiss her, to touch her, to make her his; but she has never been his. His whole body ached he didn't want to leave her, but he didn't have a choice.

"Thank you for understand me, and for saving me" she said while looking at his perfect face, his eyes were closed. This beautiful sight made her feel like she was melting inside. She let his face go and finally asked.

"I can feel someone looking at me through my room window, and I had the same feeling at the cafe before I saw you in there. Was it you?

"The ones that attacked you at the train were the same ones in the cafe, they couldn't do anything because I got there". He said clearly trying to hide his disgust, and the rage that was building inside him.

"What about the one looking at my window?" Melissa asked hoping that he was the one doing it and protecting her all the time from the distance.

"That wasn't me. I'm around you but I'm not a creep". He said, with a rage tone while looking in the direction towards the double door, raising his voice, like he was talking to someone else. He said these last words and he disappeared.

            Melissa stood there, thinking about everything that had happened until that moment. Her thoughts were like tangled vines, she was trying hard to make sense of them. "Who am I? Melissa asked while holding the temples on her head, "what is all this? I don't understand?" Melissa started to cry while facing outside. "I don't understand anything".

            Between her tears, she could make a shadow walking towards her from the clear path of the garden he was muscular, too tall for a regular human, his broad shoulders and his whole body looked brighter under the moonlight, he was walking towards her with caution. She wiped away her tears to try to make sense of the figure, when someone knocked at the door startling Melissa.

"Melissa, can I come in?" Anastasia's voice sounded on the other side of the door. 

            Wiping her tears away and looking again towards the garden path Melissa noted that the man had disappeared. "Are my eyes playing a trick on my?". She though, debating on calling Adel but a second knock brought her back to reality.

"I thought she was asleep…" said Melissa in a lower voice. "Yes, come in Annie," said Melissa.

            Anastasia entered the studio, a silver tray in her hands, tea, cookies and two painkillers "were you painting?" asked Anastasia while placing the tray on the round table.

"No Annie, I wasn't" said Melissa while sitting down on a brown chair near the table and taking the painkillers. Anastasia got to the double doors and with a menacing look, she closed the heavy curtains covering the glass doors. 

"Annie, can you tell me anything about my life before my parent's death". Said Melissa looking at Anastasia, tears flowing down her cheeks. "I can't bare this pain anymore, every time that I try to remember anything or try think about my life before my parents death. I always come empty handed. I can't recall anything. You may call me crazy, but I have been having nightmares… That someone is lurking in the shadows, watching me. I saw a guy at the cafe when last Sunday when I was with Sonya, but I felt like someone else was watching me. Then I was attacked at the train… I almost got killed you know". Melissa was ranting while her tears were flowing profusely down her cheeks.

"Why are you not saying anything Annie?" asked Melissa while Anastasia was looking at her, her face wasn't telling Melissa that she was crazy. It was almost like Anastasia believed every single word that Melissa was saying. Instead, she was looking at her patiently, it was almost pity look. She got close to Melissa, grabbing her by the face while sitting on the chair next to Melissa. 

            Anastasia with the handkerchief that she always carried with her, wiped away Melissa's tears and saying in an almost maternal voice, "I think is time that I tell you everything you need to know".