“So what do you intend to do?” Pristine asked curiously.
“I will use the last way which will definitely work,” he replied to Pristine. “Even after this, if I don’t get the potion, it means Becca doesn’t even have the potion.”
“But Phil, I did proper resea—”
“I appreciate it, Pristine,” Phil said in between, “But I have to do this on my own. I don’t have any more patience left in me.”
“What is the way, Phil?” Alexander asked, not liking Phil’s words at all.
“I have to kiss Becca tonight.” As soon as Phil said that, Alexander’s head snapped in Phil’s direction. “That is the only way left to take the potion from her.”
“Kiss?” Becca mumbled and glanced at Alexander, who was still looking at his brother in shock.
Chapter 33: Sabotaging Jealousy
The assembly hall, where the vampires used to hold their opulent balls, was packed with Phil’s trustworthy followers and his closest rivals. It was decorated beautifully on the occasion of Phil getting the throne of the king tonight.
Meanwhile, Becca was dressed in a beautiful long-sleeved purple gown with the help of Vanessa and Pristine. Even though she didn’t fancy the idea of kissing Phil, she had to do what she had to. She couldn’t back out from her words now. Yet, the thought of anyone but Alexander’s lips on hers made her skin crawl in disgust.
Becca was pacing in her designated room back and forth when there was a soft knock on the door. “Come in,” she hollered, and Alexander entered her room.
Alexander didn’t look very pleased either. When his brother declared that he was going to kiss his soulmate right in front of his eyes, Alexander went silent. His mind stopped functioning, and before he realized it, all the preparations were done. He had never protested against Phil. How could he do that now of all times?
When Becca saw Alexander, without a second thought, she went and hugged him tightly. “Alex, isn’t there any way around this?”
“I don’t know,” he mumbled quietly, hugging her back as if she would disappear if he didn’t hold her right then.
A thick silence fell over the room as Becca listened to his heartbeat which was beating for her sake.
After a moment, there was a knock on the door and Pristine hollered from outside, “Becca, come outside. It’s time to make our way to the ballroom.”
Becca pulled apart from Alexander and took a sharp breath. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be getting cold feet right before the crucial moment. It’s just a kiss, not a wedding.” She prepared her heart to face whatever awaited her and went out of her room without looking back at Alexander because she knew if she looked into his green eyes again, she would back out.
Becca followed Pristine to the assembly hall and got nervous when she saw a pack of vampires staring at her. She had never been the one to get so many glances at once, so she kept her head low and went near Phil who was standing on the dais.
Soon, Alexander appeared in the assembly hall and stood beside his twin in the corner of the dais.
“Ready to watch your soulmate kiss your beloved older brother?” Vanessa teased in hopes of making Alexander stop all this nonsense. After all, she didn’t want Phil to be king.
“Of course. Why wouldn't I be?” Alexander said, jealousy bleeding into his tone.
Vanessa decided not to tease him any further because he looked really pissed.
But after a few seconds, Alexander spoke up on his own as Becca neared Phil. “Why does he have to try kissing her? How is he so sure that kissing her is the only way of getting the vampire potion? What if it's not?” he let out.
Vanessa let out a nervous chuckle, not knowing exactly how to respond. She has never seen Alexander talking like this. Maybe she should try to calm down the fire rather than fueling it this time. “Chill, Alex. It’s just a kiss.”
“Just a kiss? How can kissing Becca be just a kiss? Can you imagine some other girl kissing Sebastian?” he pointed out.
Vanessa’s nose flared in anger. “Never in a million years.”
“Exactly. What would you do if you were in my place, Ness?” Alexander asked.
“Simple. I would sabotage the whole thing,” she answered casually.
As nothing came into his mind at that moment while Phil inched closer to Becca to place his lips on hers, Alexander snapped his fingers and made the windows fling open, letting heavy gusts of wind blow, which broke the light bulbs and distinguished the candles. The whole assembly hall was covered in darkness.
Alexander nudged Vanessa to say something. “Oh, no. It’s so dark. How will the kiss happen now?” Vanessa exclaimed dramatically.
“Too bad. Maybe we should get the light bulbs fixed first,” Alexander added.
“There’s no need. We all can see in the dark,” Phil said.
“But I can’t,” Becca spoke up, knowing that it was Alexander’s doing as she was staring in his direction from the start.
“Okay, fine,” Phil grumbled. Then he turned towards the crowd of vampires and said to a certain vampire, “William, use your power to illuminate the room.” With that, instantly, the room illuminated with strange light balls, making the assembly hall look prettier than before. “Now, I can proceed,” Phil smirked.
“I think you just made it worse,” Vanessa told Alexander who was gritting his teeth for the past few minutes.
On the other hand, Becca squeezed her eyes shut when Phil’s lips were only an inch apart from her lips. That wasn’t how she pictured her first kiss. Just as his lips made contact with hers, someone shouted, “Fire! Fire!”
Becca took the chance and moved away from Phil. Then, her eyes fell on the huge fire which had evolved the curtains along with the carpet, spreading wildly.
“How did it catch fire?” Phil growled, extremely frustrated at the obstacles that were coming his way, preventing his kiss with Becca.
“Someone must not want you to be the king, Phil. That’s why nothing is going right. Otherwise, how can the curtain catch fire when there are no candles anywhere in sight?” Alexander pointed out.
“If that’s the case, then I won’t stop,” Phil declared and pulled Becca close to him by her arm. Just as he was about to force a kiss on her, Alexander pulled Becca towards himself, making her back clash with his chest.
“It’s not working, Phil. You have already pecked her lips. Don’t you see kissing her won’t get you the potion?” Alexander spoke up.
“But, Alex—”
“I’m taking her with me. It’s dangerous out here,” Alexander interrupted Phil and started walking away with Becca, leaving a furious Phil behind.
Alexander took Becca to the furthest corner of a corridor. Becca breathed an air of relief and let out, “Thank goodness, Alex. You saved me. I really didn’t want my first kiss to be with Phil.”
“First kiss?” Alexander wanted to be sure whether he heard her clearly or not.
Becca said, “Yes, first kiss. How would I have been kissed before when all my father did was lock me in the house like Rapunzel?”
Alexander felt like punching his brother for forcing Becca to kiss him just for power. He never even thought of hurting Phil before, but now, he wanted to strangle him. After all, Becca was his soulmate, not that Phil knew that, but he should have some consideration for Becca’s feelings.
“Alexander?” Becca called out slowly as Alexander was lost in his thoughts.
“Yes?” Alexander replied absentmindedly, his eyes locked on her lips.
“What are you thinking?” she asked.
“I’m thinking who you want to kiss since it’s not Phil,” he whispered, inching closer to her, snaking an arm around her petite waist.
Becca’s breath hitched while her cheeks heated up, yet she whispered back, “What if I say it’s you?”
Alexander barely restrained a smile from taking over his lips as she reciprocated his feelings and desires. He placed his other hand on her cheek and leaned in to kiss her soft lips. Ju
st as his lips were to touch hers, someone hollered in the corridor, “Phil is calling for you two.”
Alexander moved away from Becca as he would be labeled as a traitor if he were to kiss her, knowing she possessed the vampire potion. But taking the potion was the last of his concerns, it was only Becca’s safety that he was concerned about. Yet, he cursed the man who interrupted their kiss.
While they were making their way to Phil, Becca clutched Alexander’s hand out of anxiety. “What will happen to me now, Alex?” she asked fearfully. What if Phil killed her since he didn’t get the potion from her?
Alexander gave a squeeze to her hand and replied sadly, “You might have to go back to the human world.”
Chapter 34: Decisions
“I tried to kiss Becca, but it didn’t work,” Phil announced, standing in front of Becca, Alexander, and Vanessa.
They were in the living room, away from the ballroom and other vampires.
Phil noticed that Alexander and Becca were holding hands but didn’t say anything.
“So, what do you want to do now?” Vanessa asked Phil in annoyance. “Will you make out with her or fuck her to get the potion?” She was pissed off at Phil’s insatiable thirst for power.
Becca tightened her grip on Alexander’s hand in fear while he gave a light squeeze in return, assuring her that he wouldn’t let that happen.
“I mi—” Phil was interrupted by Pristine, who barged into the living room. “Pristine, why didn’t you knock?”
“I am sorry, Phil, but you need to see this. A bat sent me this message,” Pristine breathed out rapidly and handed a piece of paper to Phil, who took it.
Phil started to read the paper, where it was clearly written that Becca didn’t have the vampire potion because if she did, she could’ve given it without any hurdle. Also, there was proof attached in the paper stating that the vampire potion was actually in the vampire world. He folded the paper and put it in his pocket, gritting his teeth.
“What is it?” Alexander asked, noticing Phil’s expression.
Phil glared at Pristine and said, “Apparently, Pristine’s research was wrong. Becca doesn’t have the vampire potion and the potion is actually in the vampire world.”
“But my theorie—” Pristine was roughly cut off by Phil.
“How can the vampire potion be in the human world, Pristine? For God’s sake, admit that you made such a big mistake.”
“But if Becca doesn’t have the potion, what about the poison in h—” Alexander stopped midway when he felt someone stomped on his foot with a high sharp-pointed heel. He snapped his head towards his right, where Vanessa was standing.
“Just stay quiet,” Vanessa hissed as Phil scolded Pristine for quite some time.
“So, I don’t have the potion?” Becca asked, making Phil glare at her too.
Phil took a few steps towards her and uttered while looking at her, “You are absolutely useless to me. You wasted so much time which I could’ve used to find the potion. If any other vampire finds it before me, I will give you the most painful death.”
As soon as Phil mentioned her death, Alexander stood in front of Becca and said politely, “Phil, you can look for the potion now instead of wasting more time.”
Phil nodded his head. “I will, Alex.” He ordered his younger brother, “Abort the task I gave to you. I will look for the potion and you can go back to your usual lifestyle, but you cannot leave the vampire world. If you do, there will be some strict actions taken by me, Alex. Also, send Becca Hertford back to the human world.” With that, he stormed out of the room, Pristine following him.
“Okay, so we have to return to the human world then,” Becca said, heaving a sigh in relief. It meant no more drama. She could go back with Vanessa and Alexander. “Let’s go.” She looked at the Insworthe twins, who shared a look.
“Becca, I have to take you to the human world,” Vanessa said softly, afraid of Becca’s reaction.
She furrowed her eyebrows. “Why?” She glanced at Alexander and asked, “Will you come to the human world after a few days?”
“I am not returning to the human world, Becca,” Alexander announced, making Becca lose her grip from his hand.
“Umm… I will give you guys a minute, I’ll be waiting for you at the gate, Becca,” Vanessa said and decided to give them some privacy.
“What do you mean you won’t go, Alex?” Becca questioned him. “We are soulmates, so you cannot leave me. I don’t want a sad ending.”
“My task was to make sure that Phil gets the potion, and since you don’t have it, I don’t have any work to do in the human world,” he informed her.
“Then keep me in the vampire world with you,” she reasoned out. “Let me stay with you.”
Alexander shook his head in denial. “It’s not possible, Becca. You are a human and I am a vampire. We have our respective worlds. We cannot merge these two worlds.” No matter how much his heart wanted to be with Becca, he knew nothing good would come out of it.
“Alex, we can make it work, please,” her voice quivered as she spoke.
Alexander kept his posture rigid and said sternly, “My brother ordered for you to go back to the human world, and he told me to go back to my old lifestyle. He forbade me to go to the human world otherwise he would take action against me. I cannot disobey my brother.”
Becca was shocked at his response. “That doesn’t mean you will leave me, Alex. I like you,” she confessed, her eyes becoming teary thinking she had to leave him and might never see him again if he didn’t return.
He was surprised at her sudden confession. He wanted to say that he liked her too and pull her into a kiss, but he knew it wasn’t possible. He couldn’t deny Phil’s orders, and even if he did, one day Becca would die since she was a human and he would live with that pain. It was better to end it all for good.
“Alex…”
“Becca,” he called her name, wiping a tear that slid through her eye with his index finger. “Go back to where you belong. Don’t make this hard, please. If you don’t go willingly, Phil will force you to go back and I don’t want to see that.”
“Alexander, pl—”
He hushed her by placing his finger over her lips. “I like it when you call me Alexander. It sounds soothing coming from your mouth.”
A few more tears poured from her eyes.
Not being able to withstand her tears, Alexander turned to face the wall and said, “Goodbye, Becca Hertford.”
Becca hugged his back, holding onto him with all her might, not wanting to go away. “Please, don’t do this, Alex.”
Alexander hated seeing her beg like this, but he had to do it. She could find a better life in the human world where people valued each other, unlike the vampire world. Therefore, he pushed her hands away. “Go, Becca.”
Becca knew that he wouldn’t move from his words. However, she wished that he would stop her. She waited for a few minutes, and when he didn’t even turn to see him, Becca ran out of the living room, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.
She went to the gate where Vanessa was waiting for her.
Noticing the tearstained trails on Becca’s face, Vanessa placed a hand on her shoulder, comforting her. “Let’s go, Becca.” With that, she opened the portal and took Becca to the human world, leaving Alexander in the vampire world.
Chapter 35: In Love
Becca cuddled with Seniha after writing five chapters for her new vampire love story. After that, she couldn’t bring herself to write about vampires anymore because it made her writhe in pain. She lied to her father saying the college was on break once again due to some issues which Sebastian wrote in the fake email.
Since she came back to the human world, all she had managed to think about was Alexander Insworthe. Even though he broke her heart by pushing her away, he was all she wished for, more than anything else in her life.
She kept replaying the moments she spent with him in her head. Sometimes, she would just burst out crying
in the middle of the night. She could barely sleep nowadays, yet she would not get dark bags under her eyes. She had also lost her appetite to eat anything, that’s why Shier would literally have to force her to eat.
The weather around the Atrickvic Street had been gloomy for days, and whenever Becca would cry, it would start pouring down from the sky as well. Sometimes, lying down on her bed, she wished that she had a photo of Alexander or any other memento that would serve as something she could use to remember him forever. After all, she would never see him again.
As the end of winter neared, Becca still couldn’t forget Alexander. It was as if she only met those piercing green eyes yesterday. It was proof that she was deeply in love with Alexander. That’s why it hurt, even more, to not have him by her side.
Before she knew it, the winter was over, and spring semester was underway. Unwillingly, she went back to the dorm. Vanessa gave her a sad look when Becca entered their dorm room. Without saying a word, Becca laid down on her bed, forgetting to set an alarm for the classes the next day.
When Becca opened her eyes the next morning, she was already late for her first class. She hurriedly finished her morning chores and dressed up in a black top and tight jeans before rushing to the campus to attend her class.
As she arrived in the poetry class after twenty minutes, Mr. Risorito threw her a glare and said, “You are late on your very first day of the new semester. Great way to kick things off. Please take a seat, ma’am.”
Becca lowered her head and muttered a quiet apology before making her way to the last bench. She knew she had to spend her days at the university alone, now that Alexander wouldn’t be there anymore. Lucas had to go back because his father was sick so Becca was lonelier than before. Vanessa was only her roommate and they didn’t have any classes to attend together. She even lost her will to make any new friends.
Once she sat on her seat, she could feel herself tearing up again as this was where she had her best times with Alexander.
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