chapter four

                                    

                                          
CHAPTER FOUR
calm and cruel
There was a tense silence as Elijah turned away from me and faced Rose and Trevor. I watched the scene with wide eyes and my instincts warned me of incoming danger. When nobody answered his question, he adjusted his sleeves in a casual, calm manner. But he was the furthest thing from calm.
It was clear that despite not knowing me, Elijah cared about me in some shape or form. Given that I had only spent a few minutes in his presence, I was yet to decide whether that was a good thing or not.
"Must I repeat myself?" Elijah asked in a cold tone, "Which one of you laid a hand on my mate?"
I sucked in a breath at his words. I was still trying to wrap my head around the situation. Elijah claimed that I was his mate and I was trying not to jump to conclusions. Did he believe that I was his soulmate or did he mean something else entirely?
Henrik had not mentioned the existence of soulmates to me during his explanations about the supernatural world, however, he also had not mentioned vampires. Perhaps Henrik did not know anything about either topic? After all, he had been very young when he had died.
Trevor took a shaky step forward and Elijah's piercing gaze shot towards him.
"It was I, and for that, I beg your forgiveness." he announced with a shudder.
Elijah sent him a frosty smile, his eyes utterly emotionless. I held my breath as he turned his attention back towards me. His face softened and we locked eyes as he knelt down before me. Carefully, he removed the coarse rope that bound my wrists to the rickety chair. He frowned down at the tender skin of my wrists, which had been rubbed raw. I flinched when he traced a delicate finger over the marks.
"I can heal you, if you would like?" Elijah asked softly, sensing my skittish nature.
I frowned skeptically at him, not knowing whether or not he could be trusted. My mind urged me to run but a warm feeling in my chest was adamant that Elijah would never hurt me. Slowly, in regards to his question, I nodded.
"Okay," I whispered.
Elijah smiled softly at my acceptance, a look of relief crossing his face. I frowned in confusion as I watched him, unsure of how he intended on healing me. I let out a sharp gasp when he bit into his wrist and held it out to me. I looked at the wound with horror, the sight of the blood causing me to become lightheaded.
"You must drink it," Elijah informed me, "My blood will heal you."
I immediately shook my head in denial, words failing me. Elijah looked at my pale face with concern as he nodded and pulled his wrist away from my view. He then stood and offered his hand to me to help me stand. I promptly ignored it as I stood on my own and backed away from him, attempting to brush aside the desire to be close to him.
"We have a lot to discuss," Elijah said softly, "But would you rather I take you home now? Or perhaps you have a family member or friend who could come pick you up, if you prefer?"
"I have a friend..." I answered quietly and he nodded, pulling a mobile from his pocket.
"Here," he said, handing it to me, "You can go and call your friend outside. I shall join you in a moment."
I nodded and quickly walked towards the exit, gripping the phone in my hand.
"What about the doppelganger?" Rose inquired as I left the room and entered the corridor.
"The doppelganger is of no concern to me." I heard Elijah reply, "One last piece of business and then we're done."
Curiosity got the better of me and I slowly peered back into the room. From experience, I knew that the best way to learn someone's true nature is to watch them when they are unaware of your presence. It was a useful truck that had helped me during my teenage years spent in foster homes.