chapter five

                                    

                                          
CHAPTER FIVE
revelations 
I awoke to the sound of rain pelting against the car. I rubbed my eyes before squinting at a large building at the end of the lane. The window wipers were on the fastest setting and yet I still did not have full visibility of it. I glanced over at Henrik as he parked the car directly outside the building, which was presumably the hotel. His eyes were red rimmed and I realised that he must have cried whilst I slept.
"So," I began and Henrik jolted, only just now realising that I had woken, "Your brother is alive."
Henrik let out a long breath before nodding, "Yeah, my brother is alive."
"And he's a big bad vampire." I added.
"Apparently." he replied, keeping his eyes fixed on the steering wheel.
"Did you know that Elijah was alive?"
"No, I didn't even know that vampires existed!" Henrik told me, rubbing a hand through his hair.
"But you knew that I was your mate?" I asked, bitterness leaching into my question.
Silence filled the car for a full minute before he finally replied.
"I always knew that there was something special about you Morgana. From the first moment I saw you, I knew that you were mine, regardless of some supernatural bond."
"What exactly does it mean to be mates?"
"It essentially means that the universe preordained the person you are meant to be with. To put it plainly, it means that we are soulmates." he explained and my eyes widened in horror. 
I absolutely hated the thought that my fate was out of my hands.
"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked, a feeling of devastation rippling through me, "Surely I had a right to know?"
"I didn't want it to change the way you look at me," he admitted slowly, "You speak often about your aversion to romantic relationships and I didn't want you to feel pressured by some divine intervention. I guess that a selfish part of me thought that you would leave me if you knew."
"I'm not going to leave you, Henrik," I said softly, placing a hand on his knee to comfort him, "Yes, you should have told me but I guess that this is just something that we are going to have to get past."
"So you wish for things to remain the same between us?" Henrik asked. He didn't sound disappointed, merely curious.
"Neither of us are anywhere near ready for a romantic relationship and I don't want to lose what we have by trying." I said with a sad shrug. Truthfully, I wanted nothing more than to wrap my arms around his shoulder and kiss him. Unfortunately, however, my fear was very real.
"Okay," Henrik nodded, accepting my decision.
"What about Elijah?" I whispered in horror after a moment, "He claims to be my mate as well!"
"Morgana, you are not obligated to do anything." Henrik attempted to soothe me, "Elijah is a good man. He will understand."
"The man you remember might have been good but that man is now a vampire. He ripped someone's head off!" I hissed, anxiety filling my veins, "How do we know if we can trust him?"
Henrik smiled sadly, "We don't. All we can do is hope."
I huffed, "That sounds safe."
Henrik pinned me with a smug look, "You're forgetting that I am a powerful witch, Mor. I can protect you, even if it is from my own brother."