Chapter 318: Interrupted
Silas wasn’t all that keen on spending their precious time together speaking about Edgar, but he, nevertheless, answered her question, "According to his chart, Edgar was caught stealing from the already unfortunate,"
Her furrowed eyebrows were a clear indicator Arabella’s curiosity wasn’t yet satiated and so Silas elaborated.
"Where he comes from, Edgar had been appointed guardian in a not so well funded orphanage back in Regalis and based on his chart, he was caught abusing his power by poaching resources from the already drying pool of funds,"
"Lustris is run by people like that," she whispered to herself more than to him, but of course, being a vampire, he caught the words without much hassle.
"Some of them do get caught in the end,"
"No, of course, that is a given but...," she bit down on her bottom lip, "Tell me frankly, do you believe Edgar capable of such an act? He’s lived under your roof for the past six years which is six years before I got to meet him and even I have doubts on the matter,"
Silas marched forward, past the chair and straight towards the open window behind it.
"I can safely say I’ve had less conversations with him than you did since your arrival,"
"Still, in your heart of hearts, how do you feel about him?" her eyes were on his back, awaiting for the answer.
"I don’t make decisions about people based on feelings," he stated simply.
"Now, you and I both know that is not true," she shook her head.
When he turned around to face her, she had that odd simper, reminiscent of a stubborn squirrel that has no idea on which land they were stepping.
"You almost ended Katherine based on a feeling," she added, pressing her lips together and pulling them into a thin line to fight a smile that threatened to peek through.
"That was quite different," he cleared his throat.
"And you were quite harsh on Edgar when you were still jealous of him,"
He simply could not believe her audacity... She spoke the truth but still... How dare she throw it like that in his face?
At a complete loss of words, Silas merely stared back at her, mouth a little agape.
Seeing his reaction, the young woman burst into a fit of untamable giggles, arm across her stomach for support.
In response, Silas clicked his tongue against his palate once then spun around to face the moon again.
"But seriously," Arabella was finally able to breathe, "When I asked about your feelings on the matter, it isn’t exactly what I meant. In a way, I suppose I was asking about your assessment of him as weak as you may think it is,"
"My mother trusts him and that is enough for me,"
And that answer was enough for her as well...
"What about the others? Like Ada for example," Arabella stood up and moved closer to him.
Silas took a deep breath when sensing her warmth nearing his body, "Ada has a different story which I believe is better heard from her mouth instead of mine,"
Her hands first landed flat on his back, very gently before gliding around for her arms to wrap around him.
Instinctively, he raised both of his arms out of the way, allowing her access to his chest.
She did not put her full weight on him but rested her face on his back.
A short moment of peaceful quietude followed after that where the two of them just enjoyed basking in each other’s warmth.
"I am still a bit in the dark as to why you broached this subject," he admitted, his voice a lot smoother than before.
"Like I said, I’d like to be more involved in the tribute auction event," her words reverberated through his chest, "I wish to know the reason why your mother is passionate about it as well,"
"All I know is that my father volunteered to host it and my mother is carrying the torch, but if you care for the details, you’re going to have to ask her yourself," with his hands, he cupped hers and drew soft, little circles on them with his thumbs.
She didn’t say a thing and after a few seconds, Silas wanted to see her face again, so he slowly turned around and took her cheeks between his palms, leaving her with no alternative but to look up at him.
The glint of the moon reflected in her eyes and for a moment, Silas just basked in the coziness of the fact that... She truly was alive.
It was not a cruel farce or a mirage. She was alive. She’d come back from death to be there.
As reluctant as he was about the tests to be done on him, he wished to learn of all the ways his blood could be used to help heal or save her in various circumstances.
Very slowly, he began to lean forward, closer to her, bringing his lips near hers while gauging her reaction.
When Arabella did not object, he took it as consent and moved in for a kiss but halted right before touching her.
His expression froze which tipped her off that something was the matter.
"What is it?" she quizzed without blinking.
His eyes darted to the side, straight for the door as the rest of his muscles remained locked in place.
"Is someone coming to the room?"
"No," he straightened his stance, "We need to go," he took her hand and walked around her.
"Where to?" her lips wouldn’t close as she trailed behind him.
"To the dungeons," he stated coldly, "We can ask my mother what the matter is when we get there,"
The dungeons?
The only person she knew of that sat there at that moment was Edna. Did he hear her speak or perhaps cry and call for help?
She dared not speak and simply allowed him to guide her steps, hoping everything was alright and that no other tragedy struck them.