Chapter 20: Chapter 20
Chapter 20: Reasons for Separation
Lancelot’s P.O.V:
I watched Keith help Anna lift a heavy box off the floor and place it in the middle of the conference table and curled my hands into fists.
Did he think I didn’t notice how his hands stayed on Anna’s long enough to be more than just a friendly gesture, or did he think I didn’t notice the eye contact he had with Melinda just before doing the act? Melinda has a way of brainwashing people that they won’t even know they’re being used until the very last moment, and Keith Simons was well and truly under her spell.
Maybe this was the right thing. Keith was human and Anna had already been with him for more than three years. They were a perfect match. But for some reason, whenever I thought of that outcome, I wanted to rip Keith Simons into tiny little threads.
“How do you like the progression?” Melinda’s voice snapped my attention from Anna to her.
“It’s progressing as it should. I paid you extra so you would finish my work early.” I told her curtly.
“Oh, come now. Is there any need to sound like a brooding boyfriend?” Melinda folded her arms under her chest so that her breasts nearly spill out of the catsuit she was wearing in a vibrant purple color. Her hair was tied up in a neat ponytail and she wore gigantic silver hoops that could easily be used as bangles. “We both know I don’t need the extra cash. This is just a side job.”
“Melinda, you keep forgetting that not only am I the future King, but I’m also a member of the Dark Council.” I reminded her with a smile. “If I wouldn’t know the condition of your poor family, then who would? After all, that’s why you’re working with humans as a last resort. You even changed your name and compelled one of your former lovers to treat you as his daughter. Why would you, Melinda Valentino, Daughter and heir of the Noble Clan Valentino, go to such lengths if you weren’t desperate enough?”
In reality, the Noble clan of Valentino suffered a great setback when Diego, Melinda’s father, died due to starvation. Diego had fallen in love with a human and despite already having a wife; he’d kept on having an affair with the woman who had ultimately died of old age. When everyone had thought that his obsession with the mortal would finally be over, he had starved himself of the life energy that was necessary for us Incubi to survive, and slowly faded to nothing.
Melinda’s face turned into a scowl and instead of answering, she turned and walked away in the other direction.
I waited a few seconds before walking out of the conference room and went back to my room to take care of paperwork from Reefwood HQ. If I stay another second with Anna and Keith, someone will die. And I didn’t have time to deal with such nuisance right now.
Anaya’s P.O.V:
Later that evening, I took a long hot shower in my suite; in the Jacuzzi I had in en-suite my bathroom. For the past three weeks, we’ve been working non-stop throughout the day and that was why the hotel was nearly ready to open. In fact, work was progressing before schedule.
Trevina had been surprisingly patient with all the staffs, considering they hadn’t know about half of the materials she ordered, and Trevina always ordered the best, mind you. Not only was the Reefwood West Babylon division going to be one of the best in the country, but it would also be one of the costliest…considering that Trevina had made sure to furnish it like a palace and make a huge dent in Lancelot’s pocket.
Speaking of Lancelot…I don’t see much of him these days and sometimes, I don’t see him at all. He’s been working alongside everyone to bring the building into shape and not only that, he’s been taking care of work all on his own these past few weeks. Truth is I’ve been trying to avoid him as much as possible. Why get your hopes up when there’s no way we could work out. At least that’s what I keep telling myself.
Seeing him every day, right in front of my eye is painful. Especially when I see him with a female worker, I can’t be blamed if my mind keeps wondering on what he’s doing with her. I know that for him, sex is him method of feeding, but for most humans, sex is an intimate gesture between two people who have at least some feelings for each other.
I can’t help but keep on wondering what he’s been doing all this time in his room. We do share a common living area but I usually stay out all throughout the day and Lance often stays in to work from his laptop. But even as I try and keep myself busy, I still notice how tired he looks, how there are deep shadows under his eyes and how Trevina always seems to float around him like an annoying little fly.
Being near Keith has helped a lot. It’s like we’ve never been separated for the last five years. We’re back to being best friends and even though I know that being with Keith would be the best option for me, I no longer feel that attraction that I once felt with him. My heart doesn’t skip a beat when our eyes meet, I no longer feel all warm and fuzzy when he touches me casually; it’s like the only thing left between us are memories of a distant life and my entire being had now become sensitive to only one man.
I got out of the tub when my hands began to prune. I dried off, put on a pair of silk pajama pants in a light blue color with a matching top, and let my hair down to dry out naturally. My eyes went straight to the balcony door but I debated going out. Lance hadn’t been inside when I’d come in, but he might have come back by now.
But the hotel had a spectacular view of the Great South Bay and I really wanted to have a look at the sea right now. The beach would be lit up at this time with street lamps and bonfires and the sea would be calm and quite. I walked over to the glass door and carefully removed the curtains to look out at the veranda. It was empty.
Sliding the doors open, I let the cool evening air blow dry my hair for me and came to stand at the railings facing the sea. It was a beautiful evening.
“You’ve been avoiding me.”
Startled, I looked behind me to find Lance standing at the doorway to his suite. Nothing could have prepared me for the impact I had as soon as my eyes met his.
The golden orbs looked like they were lit from within, the color as bright as a predator’s eyes glowing bright in the middle of the night while it tracked its prey. I was mesmerized by them, held captive by the sheer intensity of them.
But then the spell was broken by the sound of tires screeching somewhere in the distance, and I averted my eyes back to the view in front of me. I should leave, I thought to myself, get as far away from him as possible; protect my heart. But still I stood at the balcony, clutching the railing with a white knuckled grip as I heard him walk closer.
“You didn’t answer my question.”
The words were spoken from right behind me, his warm breath fanning my right cheek, and it made me gasp and turn around to face him. Bad move. Because now I was trapped between a railing and a hard muscled body with no route of exit.
“I-I…I…w-was….” I cleared my throat and mentally cursed myself for stuttering. “I t-thought you were busy with the p-preparations.”
“So now you’re blaming it on me?” Lance trapped me in further by placing his hands on either side of me.
“No, I-I mean, I was busy with work.” I changed my words quickly.
“Anna.” The hard note in his voice silenced me immediately. “Admitting to something doesn’t make you weak. Three weeks ago, we had a discussion. And I’ve know you enough in these past few days to know that you always act when you think something’s wrong.”
“And your point is?” I frowned, not liking the fact that I was being pushed into a corner.
“The point is why haven’t you acted yet?” He asked, and I finally looked up into his eyes and noticed just how bad the bags under his eyes had gotten. “You see Trevina hovering around me all day and yet, you just stand and watch.”
“That’s because she’s an Incubus and your ex-girlfriend!” I snapped at him.
“And Keith is a human and your ex-boyfriend.” He snapped back, finally making me realize where this was going.
“Is that what this is all about?” I asked him finally. “You’re jealous of Keith.”
Lance cursed under his breath and let go of the railing, whipped around and started walking in the direction of his room. But I wasn’t about to let him go. I ran after him, trying to catch up with his fast pace and reached his room just in the nick of time before he made an attempt to shut the door.
“No!” I walked past him and turned so I was facing him with his back against the veranda door. “You don’t just get to walk away from this, Lance! Why would you be jealous of Keith if there is no future for us? ”
“There isn’t. I didn’t lie to you about that.” He said through gritted teeth.
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes to calm my nerves, I was going to do this yet again, I was going to open my mouth and open my heart to him yet again and hope that he doesn’t trample on it once more. “You just said that admitting to something doesn’t make you weak and here you are, refusing to admit that you were jealous of Keith. Lance, I’m lost here! I don’t know what to feel anymore. Yes, you were right, I was avoiding you. You want to know why? It’s because I couldn’t help but to think that every time you were out of my sight, or every time I saw you with a woman, that you were planning to feed from her.”
Lance stayed quite the whole time and I turned around to hide the tears that were threatening to fall down my cheeks.
I didn’t know how long I stood there, but it wasn’t long before I felt arms engulfing me in an embrace and pulling me close to the hard warmth of his chest. And then he made a confession that I wouldn’t have expected of him in a million years.
“I haven’t fed in the last three weeks.”