It Matters To Me

"Thank you," she whispered to Jeremy as he handed her plate filled with two slices of pizza.

She bushed when he winked at her and smiled at her warmly. When he turned away, Quincy elbowed her, drawing her attention. She wiggled her eyebrows at her and made a suggestive hand gesture. Embarrassed, Em quickly swatted at her friend's hands.

"You're no fun," Quincy sighed, laughter in her voice.

Em gave her a look before she surveyed Lord Apollo's motel room. He had ordered some pizza for everyone when they arrived at this motel on the outskirts of Eden. Her eyes landed on Lord Apollo speaking to a vampire named Lawrence. Lord Apollo's amethyst eyes burned into hers for a moment in disgust and utter disappointment. For a wild moment, she wanted to explain herself even though she didn't do anything wrong. She swallowed when he broke eye contact as his smartphone went off. He excused himself to take the call outside and she watched him leave.

She licked her lips nervously before she took a bite of her pizza. She didn't know why it bothered her that Lord Apollo may have gotten the wrong impression. What had he witnessed? Did he see the exchange between her and Jeremy? Or did he only see Quincy being lewd? She wasn't like *that*. She hadn't been involved intimately with anyone that she consented to in. In her previous life, she had been a servant in a nightmarish upscale household. The vampire ton, which she belatedly realized Lord Apollo was a part of, was filled with wicked borderline evil individuals. Nobody had interested her and nobody was interested in a mousy girl except the devils that preyed upon her.

Fine. She wasn't pure. She had been *touched* and used. Her virginity wasn't intact. Apparently, the members of the ton believed they had the right to impose their will upon her without her permission. She was used at the disposal of her employers without a care and they offered her body to any of the ton that visited their residence. If it hadn't been for Lord Derrick, she shuddered to even reflect upon what her life would be like right now.

She was under no illusion that she could ever draw Vampire Lord's attention beyond use of her body. Lord Apollo had higher degree of integrity amongst most and she was quite certain he'd never lower himself to associate himself with someone such as herself. He was the type to be mated to his job and a cause.

Lawrence abruptly shot to feet, staring at his phone in disbelief. "She's here? Of all the bloody places, she..."

Wide eyed, Em watched Lawrence rush out of Lord Apollo's motel room, bumping into a returning vampire. Lawrence didn't say a word only continued on his way with Lord Apollo on his heels. Em glanced over at the others, seeing their own interest piqued. It was Quincy that jumped up to follow of them and soon they all followed one after the other.

As Em made it out upon the balcony over looking the quaint rundown 2-level motel, she saw Opal standing frozen in shock, staring at Laurence as if she'd seen a ghost. She took a couple steps closer to him with tears filling her eyes.

"Are you real?" she gasped brokenly. "Are you really here?"

Lawrence nodded his head. "I'm here. I'm not bloody letting you go, do you hear me? You're mine. Where you go, I'll always follow you. I made the mistake of letting you go once, I'll never make that mistake again."

Opal was about to protest, but Lawrence closed the gap between them and yanked her towards him. He captured her mouth with his as he pressed her body into his tight embrace. When he drew back, he gazed down into her face and she immediately wrapped her arms around his neck to bring him against her.

Em watched the beautiful but very personal moment between the two. She nibbled her bottom lip as her eyes drifted to the others. Her eyes landed on Lord Apollo and caught the small smile upon his mouth. She swallowed when amethyst eyes snapped to hers as if he felt the weight of her gaze.

Gone was the softness in his eyes and smile. Back was the serious warrior who had no time for her as he walked back into his motel room. Jeremy and Kyle quickly followed. She tried not to feel the sting of rejection or how it affected her heart. Instead, she forced herself to glance over at Quincy when the shameless lady sighed still openly staring at Opal and Lawrence.

Quincy glanced over at Em. "Don't you dare tell me you don't want what they have."

"It's not about wanting," Em whispered, shaking her head. "It's not in the cards for me. Never has been." Quincy rolled her eyes as she looked back the couple. "Especially not for someone like me."

Quincy's head snapped back to her with confusion and questions within her eyes. "Who told you that?"

They were treading a very dangerous line and breaking the rules. They were told by the Coven and Derrick to keep their past identity and any details of the past a secret. It wasn't mandatory, but it was highly recommended that they keep these details quiet.

Everything had changed though. Life got twisted and they were on the run again. Money was in their protected accounts that they earned from their jobs and the monthly allowance Derrick placed inside. She could live on that for awhile if she decided to truly venture off by herself.

"My high society employees who saw fit to whore me body out without my consent and all the vampire ton and guests who took them up on their offer."

Em couldnt believe she actually said it aloud. Had she truly admitted her darkest secrets? Her friend's eyes widened in shock at that with her mouth dropped open.

She whirled around to escape, taking advantage of Quincy being rendered speechless. She knew she would question her and she didn't know if she truly wanted to bring more of her secrets to light.

What she hadn't expected was to find intense gorgeous amethyst eyes burning into her. Shame and humiliation washed over her, she bit her lip as she quickly looked away. Had he heard her? She tried to walk back into the room, but his voice stopped her for a moment.

"Who were they?" The rage was evident in his voice. The tension in his body spoke of restraint.

She averted her eyes. "It doesn't matter. I don't matter."

When she tried to walk pass him, he grabbed her arm and pulled her close. "It matters," he told her, tilting her chin so she was forced to look in his eyes. A shiver ran through her at his touch. Something in her body recognized something deep inside of him. "It matters to me."

"Lord and Lady Roux of the House of DeClare," she whispered finally. The words drawn out of her as if he put a spell upon her.

He released her after a moment after those amethyst eyes searched hers for the truth. When he turned to move further into his motel room, she took a step after him and bravely placed a hand on his arm. He didn't turn to her, but he did pause for a moment.

"Why did you need to know?" she forced out.

He slowly looked over his shoulder. He didn't say a single word, but the hard, dangerous glint in his eyes spoke volumes. She swallowed when he offered her only a smirk before he looked away and walked off.

---

Caleb couldn't believe it. Persephone had stumbled back within his reach. All he did was watch her bank account to figure her next move and she ended up at the same hotel of all places. When he held and kissed her out there, he promised her that she'd never have to face the world alone.

Instead of insisting to whisk her off to his motel room, he brought her to Apollo's motel room, where the others still gathered and ate pizza. He knew it was the right decision, because the moment she saw Quincy standing in hallway outside of Apollo's room, she had broke down at the sight of her roommate. They had hugged and pulled Delia into their embrace when she appeared at the sound of Persephone's voice. The three ladies hadn't known each other long, but they bonded over their mutual circumstances. They had become each other's family.

"I-I thought I killed everyone," she gasped as Apollo explained everyone had managed to get out of the apartment unscathed.

Apollo shook his head. "Everyone is very much alive, but scattered about," he told her. "There were some prepared to go it alone, but most are traveling to Shale Abbey."

"Shale Abbey?" she gasped in shock. "Isn't that a myth?"

Quincy chuckled. "That's what I thought too!"

"It's not a code name for a safehouse?" Jeremy questioned, eyeing Apollo closely.

Apollo smirked at that. "It's real. It's my home." He shrugged at the incredulous expressions upon everyone's face. "I grew up there. I guess you could call it a safehouse in a sense, but it's a real place."

After they all ate more pizza, Caleb had finally led Persephone to his own room for the night. Apollo had told them they were heading to Angel's Wings tomorrow to rent a magic powered carriage to take them to a few Boroughs before they would get on the train to finish the journey to Loren Bourough. Tomorrow was filled with uncertainty, but he trusted Apollo with his life.

Persephone had opted to take a shower. After a few moments, Caleb followed her into the bathroom she was hiding away in. He didn't need to hear her sobs. He already knew she was crying beneath the loud stream of the shower. He rid his clothes and joined her beneath the heated spray of water. When he drew her into his body, she immediately wrapped her arms around him, seeking comfort he'd forever be willing to give.

"It's my fault," she whispered against his skin. "It's my fault my brother is missing and now everyone at the apartment complex is displaced because of me. I've ruined lives, Caleb, because I'm too selfish to do what's best for everyone."

He bent his head and pressed his mouth to her skin. He relished her soft sigh and held her tightly against him. He never wanted to let her to. Her wanted to comfort her until her tears vanished into smiles. Bloodly hell, he misses those smiles that reached her eyes. Her happiness and joy lit her from within like a lighthouse calling in helpless ships lost at sea.

"You're not selfish for wanting your freedom," he soothed her. "In fact, all of them want the same thing, freedom from the chains of their previous life. They wanted a chance to live a fulfilling life and they still are. They're still given that chance. *They* can't infiltrate or touch Shale Abbey. You didn't ruin anything. We all made out choices and take responsibility for them."

Persephone's body shivered against him, but he waited for her to calm down. When she had, he helped her clean her hair and body. Tonight, she needed him. She needed comfort and she needed to know he would be there for her every step of the way.

When he laid her down on the bed and gathered the bed sheets about her, she immediately reached for him.

"Don't leave," she begged softly. "Never leave me."

His eyes met hers. "I'm never leaving, Persephone. You would have to kill me."

"You promise?" she murmured, sitting up on the mattress to gaze into his eyes. "You promise this is where you want to be?"

"You ran. I chased. We found each other. I don't think it's possible to leave one another. We will always find a way back to one another no matter the distance."

Her beautiful eyes searched his before the lines in her body relaxed. "I don't want to wait another moment then," she finally declared. "Running from each other created this mess. Fate seems to tell us we belong to each other."

"We do," he whispered huskily. He cupped the side of her cheek. "We've always belonged to each other and we forever will." He drew her into a soft kiss before he looked into her eyes again. "Are you certain?"

"About you? About this?" She nodded her head. "I've needed this. My soul craves this. I've always needed you. You're home, Caleb."

He didn't need anymore words. Instead, he claimed what his soul always desired -- her. He always needed her.