Under the vampire Lord's protection-Chapter 92: To ashes

Fingers periodically tapping the surface of table, Lady Persephone sat ready to greet her son long before the knock reached her ears. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

"Come in," with a soft and stable voice, she’d uttered.

Silas gracefully pulled an envelope out of his vest right after the gentle click of the door closing resounded behind him.

"Evening mother," he said.

"And to you as well," a faint smirk appeared on her lips upon laying eyes on the letter, "They were quick, weren’t they?"

"I see you were already made aware," he approached her, "Word travels fast. Sometimes faster than I’d like it to,"

"It always has," her composted chuckle ripped a little twitch out of his eyebrow, "Please take a seat so that we can discuss this,"

Her posture and attitude alone proved his prediction right. Persephone had her mind already made on the matter. A discussion about it would have been nothing but a formality at that point.

She extended an arm and kept her hand open until he placed the letter in it.

The rustling of paper conquered the space momentarily before silence came to claim it back. Silas watched her irises as they darted from top to bottom between the lines.

She sighed profoundly before folding the letter into the form it’d arrived in, "I assume you’ve already informed her of this situation," the Lady half asked.

No verbal answer was needed.

"How did she take it?" she added.

"It is better to give her a moment," he finally took a seat, "And I assume you shall go along with this," all the while his sparkling diamonds never left her.

"Well, the sooner we get this off our plates, the better it will be," his narrowing eyes prompted her to elaborate, "For everyone’s sake,"

Silas’ attention fell on Reubon’s letter again, laying on the table where Persephone put it.

Despite not saying a thing, his mother read through him like an open book, "You disagree with me," once anew, her intonation sounded closer to an interrogation than a statement, "Would you have rejected his proposition?"

"He is not of the kind I particularly wish to associate with,"

"Make no mistake here, Silas," her tone rose a tad more stern, "As much as I loathe the idea of Reubon Sterling crawling at even towns of distance away from my property, it is with a heavy heart that I have to entertain him," her words lingered as short lived echoes around the room momentarily, "We both know why he truly wants to come here but he’s already gone and gotten himself a permission and an official escort our way. Turning down a mere meeting now, even one as thinly veiled, may result in future complications for us,"

While her words got no visible reaction from him, beneath his skin however, he fought a different battle.

On one hand, knowing full well Persephone was right but on the other admitting it out loud stung too much.

"I understand the council’s desire to erect stronger bridges with the other half of the kingdom, but does she have to see him?" his eyes traveled towards the balcony window.

"Not if she refuses to," the reply came short and dry, "Although from the very little I’ve seen of her, I doubt she’ll say no,"

"That might be an issue. Don’t you think?"

"One that we can solve in due time, son," and with that, she stood up, leaving him in place, "And one more thing," right before exiting the room, Persephone stopped at the door and looked back at him, "Please do not try to sway her decision. Whatever it is. Even if you believe it would be for her own good,"

She’d raised him after all. How could she not know how her own son would react in that situation?

"When will you receive him?"

"The earliest I can this week,"

Once alone after her departure, Silas picked Reubon’s letter and traveled back to his own room.

The first action he’d undertaken was to hold the envelope carrying the message over a burning candle.

The instant it’d caught on fire, he deposited inside a small silver tray, making sure to avoid littering his surroundings with cinder.

The vampire admired the flame that devoured its body bit by bit, atom by atom. The speed at which it withered into smithereens of ash, served as a harsh reminder that matters can devolve quicker than it ever took to build them.

The crevices carved into the canvas facing him came to life thanks to the flickering shadows across every line and split his hands had crafted.

And for some reason, in the face of all odds that once stood clear, the thought of welcoming their sworn enemy, the pompous man that still rubbed the long since dead glory of his ancestor against any ear that would listen into their home, was easily overshadowed by Arabella’s earlier cries in her room, or the look of terror in her eyes when he’d broken the news to her.

The gears in his head spun back to the very first time the young woman had sat foot in his room.

That radiant smile her lips had on when she examined the canvas. The way she had to keep her fingers from grazing the wood from excitement. Little things so easily brought her delight, it was endearing. He couldn’t say that about many people. Not the ones he crossed paths with, at the very least.

What wouldn’t he do to bring that smile back?

For the rest of that night, Silas did no carving on the wood. Instead, he thought long and hard about a way to invite joy back into her eyes.

In the end, something held a large chance at fulfilling that purpose. Something he’d promised her but hadn’t found the time to make happen just yet.

When the sun of the next morning rose, he had everything already figured out and settled. All that was missing for the day to truly begin was Arabella.