Forced Bride Of The Vampire Lord

"Which place is this?" asked Anne as she looked around. It was somewhere in the middle of the woods.

Men and women were sitting in a group and dancing and singing with merriment. She had thought that after the burning of the black market, there would be panic in the commoners but it did not look like the case.

"They are commoners who belong to poor areas. They have lived in fear of being sold in the black market for a long time.

But now that the place was burnt and closed, they finally have the courage to come out in public.

This was their first time to be collected as a group and enjoy themselves. So, they are having a small bonfire feast." he explained as he held her hands and brought her near the small seat that was made by cutting a large tree from the middle and used it as a bench.

Many looked in their direction and nodded as if Declan was an old acquaintance of theirs.

Declan smiled back as he nodded at many. His eyes were soft and smiling that made her comfortable too. She had thought that she would feel uneasy among the crowd, but surprisingly she found herself smiling at them too.

"I have been poor too. I have grown up with many of them. But then i got the chance when i came in the merit list of the empire.

I got a scholarship in the academy and learnt freely. But that was not the case with all of them. They have stayed here and worked as laborers.

But I am glad that they did not have any fear now." he smiled as he sat beside her while still looking at many of them. "You will realize that they are kind and merry too if you talk to them."

Anne didn't have any doubt. She didn't like the ranking system and species determination from the start.

But she never has the power to stand against it. But when she looked at Declan, she felt that she had never tried enough or it would not have been that difficult.

"Thank you , they are free birds now. I could have taken you to a different place but I wanted to see you how you have changed the future of so many people.`` He held her hands and then rubbed them with his thumb while he looked at others instead of knowing that she was staring at him.

"You may have other reasons but your actions have saved many and i know that no matter how many times did i thank you, this would never be enough." he had a painful smile on his face as if he was haunted by the memory of the past but soon his face burned clam again as if the chaos were never there.

He finally turned to look at her and brought her hands closer to his lips and kissed it gently.

"If only i would have met anyone like you sooner, then my life would have been changed too." his eyes were so deep and calm that she felt a strange desolation just by looking at his face.

But before she could ask him what he meant, he misled and then stood up pulling her with him.

She was forced to stand up on his feet so suddenly that she toppled a bit.

"You are too clumsy." he laughed as he held her hands tightly and then started twirling her.

"You would never be a part of the dancing feast if you will not dance by yourself." he said with a peal of laughter that she soon found herself laughing with them.

In the past, Anne has never felt that she belongs with a group because of the constant domestic violence she had seen at her house.

Though she was never part of it, it did not mean that it did not affect her. She has stopped believing in love and relationships at a point of time.

Unconsciously, she had started to stand away from everyone without even realizing that her heart had turned cold and numb.

But now that she had met Declan, she had felt that he was breaking all the walls around her and making his way in.

When she stared at his face, it had a strange sweetness and kindness that touched her heart and made her feel alive again.

He laughed, noticing her love filled gaze at him. He pulled her closer to his chest and her feet were on his feet.

Their bodies were enveloping each other as they swayed their bodies slowly with the music. It was a heartwarming scene that an unconscious smile formed on the face of Anne who closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment.

If possible, she wanted to freeze the time so that this moment would never pass and she could bask in its warmth.

Her face had a smile but at the same time she felt a bit surreal. Everything between them was happening so fast that she could not believe that it was true.

He leaned closer to her when she held her breath. He nudged her nose with his and then cupped her cheeks.

Their lips were just an inch away and she could feel his breath ticking hers. It was the smell of sandalwood.

"Anne, i know that it is too early but i like you and if you like to too i want to take a step closer to our relationship." His words tickled her ears and she felt a pinch in her heart.

Her heart skipped a beat as she nodded her head and felt his hands tightened around her back.

"Thank you! I knew that you would not reject me but still I feel that I am the luckiest person in the empire." he said with a smile as she kissed her cheeks.

Anne raised her brow. Is that how he should be kissing her?

"Tsk! It looks like I have to take the initiative in this too."