The Vampire’s Servant novel Chapter 45

45 /182

[Echo]

Harmony was holding me tightly when I woke up. I couldn’t remember a time when I got to sleep in the same room, let alone the same bed as my sister. We were always close, but never got the chance to really be together.

There was some movement behind me. Val had snuck into the room before we fell asleep and laid down with us. His arm was draped lazily over us as he cuddled me from behind.

I thought about what the witch said and I believed her. We were three parts of a whole and I could feel that connection with them more than I had before. I wasn’t trying to keep myself back from them. I was finally free to love them and I couldn’t be happier.

“Good morning, Miss Wiggle.” Val chuckled.

“Are you always awake and this full of energy in the morning?” Harmony groaned.

“I didn’t realize I was wiggling.” I replied, embarrassed.

I hadn’t meant to wake them up. I was just so used to waking up and starting my day. I needed to learn to be less intense with my schedule. I wanted to learn to be more like Harmony.

“How are you two feeling this morning?” I asked, changing the subject.

“Hungry. Mercy is grumpy. She loves you, but the smell of werewolf and vampire on you had her feeling nervous all night.” Harmony said.

“I feel about the same.” Val answered.

“Maybe I should take a shower. I’m sure Victor would prefer if I didn’t smell like werewolf when I went home.” I told her.

“Why does he hate werewolves so much?” She asked.

“When he was alive, he was attacked by one. It nearly killed him. He would have died permanently if his sire hadn’t found him. Plus, werewolves and vampires don’t usually like each other.” I explained.

“Does he regret becoming a vampire?” Val asked.

“I don’t know. He seems to be happy now that his territory is coming together. It’s not like he can change it without dying forever.” I hated that idea.

Victor dying would kill me. I needed to have him with me forever. I felt safe and loved with him. I didn’t want to lose him.

“You smell different now. This is so weird. You don’t look any different from when you said that but now you smell… scared?” Harmony whispered.

“I can’t lose Victor, Harmony. He’s my best friend.”

“Mercy said you lied. It smelled bitter. Don’t lie to me, Echo. You need to always tell us the truth.” Harmony scolded.

My eyes widened. She could smell when I lied? That meant other werewolves could smell when I lied. I thought of all the lies I told over the last week.

“Echo’s falling in love with Victor, Harmony. I saw it while I was with her yesterday and on Monday. It’s okay to feel strongly about him because he saved you, Echo. I just don’t want you to confuse gratitude for something more. Especially with this whole mate situation with Gray.” Val said.

“I wish I could just be friends with him without that.” I muttered.

“Gray wants you to be healthy. He wants you to give him a chance. I want you to not think about relationships at all and work on becoming healthy and strong. You need to work on yourself before you can truly be happy with someone else. That’s why I keep turning girls down.” He admitted.

“I don’t understand how you can resist the mate bond. When Cam holds me I love the feeling of the sparks on my skin. It’s like happiness dancing over me.” Harmony sighed.

“I didn’t feel them until yesterday. I like hugging Gray, but I like hugging Victor too. I don’t feel like I need to love him because of it. The goddess made a mistake when she made me his mate. I don’t know him. How can I love him?” I asked.

“You don’t know Victor, either, but you’re falling in love with him. Mercy says ‘the goddess doesn’t make mistakes’. I know that Cam is perfect for me in every way. Gray needs to grow up a little, but he’s perfect for you too. I know he’ll give you everything you want and need. Victor just wants you to be his servant. He doesn’t love you like Gray does.” She insisted.

I pulled away from my sister and looked in her eyes. She was really serious about this. The smell of the room became stronger with forest and animal scents. She looked angry. It made me nervous.

“Sorry. Never mind. I don’t want either one if it’s going to make you mad at me.” I replied quietly.

“Harmony, it’s not our place to tell Echo where her heart should go. Maybe it wasn’t a mistake when they were babies. Can you really be serious about a spoiled brat like Gray being perfect for Echo? She would just become his servant in a different way. She’s not as strong as you. She needs time to come into herself. I say, no boyfriends until she’s thirty.” Val stated firmly.

“That’s such a dad thing to say. She’s not your daughter, Val. She can date when she wants to. I just want her to give Gray a chance. I don’t think she’s planning on even thinking about it. She’s just shoving him into the friend zone and sealing the door. That’s not fair to him and it’s not fair to her. What if she rejects him before she has the chance to know him? She’ll lose out on someone who loves her for more than just what she has in her blood.” Harmony argued passionately.

I sat up and looked at both of them. They were acting like they were in control of where I settled my heart. I couldn’t believe they were trying to decide my future without asking me.

Val seemed to be thinking of me more than Harmony was. It was like she was entirely on Gray’s side. She was supposed to be on my side.

Getting off the bed, I gathered my things and went to the bathroom in Harmony’s room. I needed to shower. I had to get the smell of Gray off of me. I wanted to go home.

Tears fell as I scrubbed and used Harmony’s shampoo twice, just to be sure Gray’s scent was off of me. I wanted to be happy, but I was letting too many things take over for me. Maybe I was mixing up gratitude and love.

Victor said he loved me, but maybe he was picking up on my own emotion. I couldn’t be connected with a wolf and a vampire at the same time. They would never be able to get over their dislike of each other.

I wouldn’t live in a battlefield. Maybe I should take Marius up on his offer and go live with him. Then I wouldn’t have to think of love or men or anything but training.