Chapter 7- Frustration and Anger

I grabbed a bowl of strawberries as a snack. I've been so hungry and frustrated. It's been a month and I haven't been able to leave this place yet. Duke is hearing none of my constant protests to live freely. I had tried to escape multiple times but Duke always caught me and eventually tripled the security in the mansion.

I angrily grabbed one of the strawberries and shoved it in my mouth. It's been a month and there is still no sign of my brothers and the frustration has been building up inside me.

"What's up?" Drake sneaked up behind me, startling me and grabbing one of my strawberries.

A sound between a growl and a snarl left my throat. It wasn't the way I would usually respond but my mood isn't the greatest right now. "Put.it.back", I growled, emphasizing every word.

Drake's eyes widened in shock and confusion but he obediently put down the strawberry. "Want to explain what's going on?" he asked and I let out a frustrated and tired sigh.

"Just tired", I lied. He scoffed in a way that said he didn't believe me as he took a seat beside me and gave me a stern look, "talk".

I groaned in annoyance but explained nevertheless. "It's just, I've been here for about a month now Drake. I have a life... I have a family and they need me", I complained and somehow I let a single tear roll down my cheek despite my efforts to keep it at bay.

"I'm so sorry Cassie. If I could I would've helped you", he said in a comforting tone. He wrapped his arms around me in a side hug. I cried into his chest and he let me vent out all my frustration on him just like the good friend he is.

Drake and Anna have been there for through everything and I owe them so much. Anna is literally the only female I've interacted within a whole month excluding the little exchange of words I've had with some of the maids.

Drake's watch suddenly started to beep ruining the calm atmosphere. He stared at it and I could tell he was a little annoyed and was trying to suppress a growl. "I need to go", he said before giving me a small squeeze and quickly leaving.

My gaze landed on the bowl of strawberries that had been long forgotten. I let out a small sigh before I continued eating my strawberries. Just as I washed up the empty bowl at the sink, the door opened and the very vampire I was still mad at walked in like he owns the place.

Well, technically he does but I don't really care.

He seemed a little frustrated, well so am I and he's gonna hear a word or two from me.

"What's the big bad vampire so mad about?" I teased.

"Not in the mood Cassandra", his voice was really low and threatening but not sparing me a single glance.

Too bad I didn't care.

"If you can't deal with me then let me go. It's that easy", I snarled.

"No" he didn't even bother to look at me. "I can't".

"But I thought the mighty vampire could do anything" I mocked and began stalking towards him. "You were able to kidnap me in a forest in the middle of the night, turn me into a monster, keep me here and force me into being your 'girlfriend'!" I began to rant, not forgetting to add air quotes in the 'girlfriend' part.

"You took me away from my life and family, disrespected me and just kept me here to rot and just letting me go is an issue. I don't love you! I never will so just let me live my life and you can go burn in hell!" I screamed.

Duke might have been nice to me this past month and has treated me well but I can't quite forgive him for making my life so complicated and miserable. He has this huge house and an amazing sister and brother whereas I lost the only family I ever had. My trust can't be bought with a few flowers and some attention.

He turned away from me, completely ignoring my outburst as he made his way towards the stairs.

Oh no, he didn't!

I grabbed the back of his shirt even though I knew I wasn't strong enough to make him stop walking. He stopped and sent me warning and angry look but behind it I could see worry and uncertainty in his eyes. They flashed a deep shade of red but it was gone just as fast at it had come.

Was I seeing things? I decided to just ignore it.

"How dare you walk out on me?" I was now on full rage and running of pure adrenaline when my newly acquired claws swiped across his face.

I knew instantly that I had made a stupid move.

A very stupid move.

He let out a fierce growl that had me rethinking my actions. Some of the servants surrounded us, too scared to come close and were trying to calm us down from a distance.

"Please miss, don't anger him anymore"

"Sir, please calm down"

But we paid them no heed. Enough was enough, not everything can be bought with those gifts and sweet talk that he readily provided. His attention won't bring back my family so I don't need it.

I was about to throw an insult but before I could even open my mouth he shoved me hard and I landed on a glass table, shattering it to pieces. I knew he didn't mean to push me that hard judging by the look of surprise and small look of concern that crossed his features but I was beyond furious now.

Suddenly, some invisible force sent him flying in the opposite direction. His body got heavily slammed into a wall and he groaned in pain as he struggled to get up.Everyone gasped in shock. How did that even happen?

His bleeding nose started to heal instantly and it made me jealous that I hadn't yet developed my own healing abilities.

I got to my feet, ignoring the glass shards that pierced my back. I let out a growl of rage and he returned it. The adrenaline helped to reduce the pain and also give me some motivation to take down this blood-sucker.

The servants were now begging us to stop but we just ignored them. This had to end , it's either I leave here or I die trying.

Just as I was about to lunge at him, the door opened, "What the hell?" I looked over my shoulder to see Drake and Anna looking at us with pure shock. Anna who had been the one to speak seemed very confused and Drake did too.

Drake took a look at the damage and let out a threatening snarl that made the servants back up in fear. "What is going on here?" his voice held an authority in it that I didn't hear quite often. He shot a glare at Duke before his eyes moved to me and widened s he observed the crimson liquid running off my back and the pieces of glass on the floor behind me.

"What did you do to her?" He yelled in rage as he barred his fangs at Duke and let out a threatening snarl.

"She got what she deserved", he replied with a casual shrug and I became even more enraged. A spark was seen and the next thing Duke was flying across the room again and crashing hard into another wall. It was just as hard as the last one. Everything happened in a matter of seconds, it left everyone in complete shock.

Duke tried to get up and a few servants rushed to help him. His expression showed shock, confusion and anger. The claw marks I had given him continued to bleed and I wondered why it wasn't healing. His gaze landed on me and the anger turned to uncertainty. He seemed to be pondering something before he finally shook his head as if dismissing a thought and started to leave the room.

No one followed him. No one stopped him, not even me. Everyone was still in shock about what had just happened as they stared at the wall that Duke had flown into.

"Holy shit, Cassandra!" Anna exclaimed. I finally pulled my attention from the wall and gave her a questioning look.

"Your back", she stated in panic. As if on cue the adrenaline left me and the pain hit me like a ton of bricks. I winced now fully feeling the movements of the glass shards and the amount of pain and blood it brought.

"Don't worry I'll get you treated", she reassured as she gestured for me to follow her into a room. The room looked like a small hospital room with the signature white bed and walls. It had different type of drugs only that they looked a lot more like the potion I was given during my transformation. They were also different herbs lying around.

Anna instructed me to lay with my stomach on the bed and I did as I was told occasionally wincing in pain whenever a shard of glass moved in my back. "How did this happen?" she asked as she grabbed a pair of hand gloves from one of the drawers.

"I fell on a glass table and it broke in pieces", I replied nonchalantly and I would have shrugged too if I could move my shoulders.

"Did Duke do this?", she asked with her protective older sister tone.

"No?" I lied but then she gave me a narrowed look. "Maybe?" I said reluctantly but it sounded more like a question.

"Did you say something to make him angry?" she asked.

"I told him that I wanted to go home". More like I yelled at him to let me go and told him to burn in hell.

"Home?" she asked making me realize that she knew nothing about that night. The night when Duke had ripped me away from the world I've known for so long. She pulled a glass shard out of my back and I winced a little. "You want to call off the engagement?"

What now?

"Uh... what?" I asked in confusion. Did she say engagement?

"Yeah, your engagement with Duke", I turned to fast to look up at her making a few glass shards move and tear my skin even more and leaving me bleeding more and wincing in pain.

"Be careful", Anna reprimanded as she poured something on my torn skin which immensely reduced the pain.

"We are not engaged". Like that isn't possible. If we were 'engaged' and I have glass shards in my back, what would happen if we got married?

"What?" she seemed shocked which is expected considering that her brother had lied about his relationship status.

That is what loneliness does to people. The poor guy had to fake an engagement.

"So where is your home?" Anna asked, her confusion was as clear as day.

"The human world where life was easy and less complicated" I started "A world where I lived peacefully with my family. I just want to get back to my old life".

I lied.

Life wasn't easy in the slightest. I remembered my past which was filled with running, hiding and our struggles to survive. I remembered the flames I had caused and the screams of agony that followed. I remembered how I had sacrificed myself to save my brothers and the price that came with it. I remembered the sirens and us trying to escape them.

Is that the life I want back?

That isn't the life I want to go back to.

That wasn't the life I wanted for me or my brothers at all.

I was woken up from my thoughts by a sharp pain in my back caused by Anna who was starting to pull out the shards. "I'm really sorry to hear that. I wish there was something I could do", she sounded sympathetic but I didn't want that. I didn't want her sympathy or her worry, I just want her support.

"Can you teach me how to cope with everything and also help me control these abilities?" I asked her. "Of course I will", she replied happily. "We can work on it tomorrow".

She pulled out another shard and I bit my lip to avoid screaming. "Isn't there away to just remove this stuff with witch magic or something?" I ask her through gritted teeth.

"Yeah but it's going to be seriously painful", she answered as she pulled yet another shard out. "Ouch!"

"Speaking of magic, that force that threw Duke, was that magic?" I asked curiously. "I think so but it didn't seem like any magic I've seen before", she answered looking thoughtful.

"Where did it come from?" I asked. "No idea, but Drake has already started an investigation" she answered.

"I'm finally done", she said as I felt my torn tissues mend back together. I sighed in relief, glad that the pain was finally gone.

"I really need to learn to heal myself", I muttered as I sat up. "Don't worry, we'll work on that", she said with a bright smile.