Chapter 9

I woke up with a pounding headache. I slowly got up, only to find myself on a soft mattress. The walls of this room were a soft powder blue. The furniture was white and beige. It looked like a children’s room. I tried to get to my feet, but my whole body felt wobbly. I fell back onto the mattress, trying to catch my breath.

“Don’t try to get up.” Elroy appeared beside me. I jumped, seeing his face so close to mine.

“Jeez.” I pressed my hand to my chest. “You nearly gave me a heart attack.”

“And you almost got yourself killed yesterday.”

“Yesterday?” I asked, my mind still a little fuzzy.

“I told you not to leave the house. This is the only safe place until Quin comes back. I tried to tell you that, but you didn’t listen to me, did you?”

“I didn’t believe you, I thought you were some kind of madman,” I admitted, feeling a little guilty.

“Well, you’d be wise to heed my warnings in the future.” He advised. “Now, I have to take care of your injury. This might hurt a bit.” He suddenly yanked off the bandage on the side of my head.

“Ow!” I exclaimed, flinching as my temple throbbed. “A little warning would’ve been nice.”

“I did warn you.” He said, a smirk playing on his lips. Before I could say another word, he dabbed a cold, wet cloth against my head that made it sting. I pushed his hand away. “Do you want this to get infected?” His words cold and fierce.

“Let me do it.” I grabbed the cloth and pressed it against my head. “What happened anyway?”

“You fainted and hit your head.” He said, matter-of-factly.

“Right…” I whispered, the memory suddenly replaying in my mind. “What happened to the woman?”

“I killed her.”

I was thrown off by his brutally blunt answer. “Just like that?”

“She was going to kill you.” He explained. “And if Quin marked you, he obviously has feelings for you. I couldn’t let you die in my care.”

“Are you friends with Quin?”

“Nearly brothers. We were turned into vampires at the same time. Long ago, we angered the leader of a clan and his subjects overwhelmed us. We had no idea what he was, what they were… That makes us blood brothers in a sense I suppose. We stuck together ever since.” He sounded nostalgic before he looked down at the first aid kit he had brought onto the bed. “You humans are so fragile…” He commented as he started to prep another bandage.

“I’m sorry that I’m not some bloodsucker, but by the looks of it, you guys aren’t as immortal as legend says.”

“We’re immortal, not invincible, there’s a difference. We still feel pain and can still die like any other creature.” He sighed. “If she had been stronger I might have died to protect you.”

His words brought me back to the present as I looked up at him. “You would’ve died for me…?” I asked in disbelief. Up until this point, he had seemed so cold and distant but now, as I looked into his eyes, there was warmth there. A sense of humanity I hadn’t seen before.

“I can understand why Quin marked you.” He looked away, his bangs falling over his eyes. “You’re very beautiful…” A soft shade of pink covered his cheeks and I giggled, finding it cute.

“Are you blushing?” I teased him.

“No.” He answered immediately, his eyes once again cold. “I don’t blush.” He folded his arms over his chest.

“But your cheeks are all red.” I reached out and poked the side of his face in a playful manner. He pushed my hand away, but the moment our skin made contact something clicked. It was like a spark had ignited inside of me and I could see the same happening to him. There was a light in his eyes that hadn’t been there before. Slowly, I raised my hand again, brushing away his hair, exposing his face and smiling. “See. You are blushing.”

“Vampires don’t blush.” He said again.

I laughed. “Maybe not, but they’re certainly very stubborn.” I shook my head, letting my hands fall away, but the lingering sensation was still there, slowly making its way through my body and into my heart. It made a home for itself inside one of its chambers.

Elroy busied himself by working on the bandage, finally placing it against my injury. “There. From now on, please do as I say and stay inside, okay?”

“Okay.” I smiled at him and this time, he replied with a shy smile I found rather endearing.

***

Quin was gone for nearly a week and having to spend all that time with Elroy was difficult. Anytime we came in close contact, I felt goosebumps forming over my skin. Could it be that I was attracted to him? That I was slowly falling for him in the same way I had fallen for Quin? No. How could I possibly love two men at the same time? I wasn’t that type of girl. Was I?

As I battled with these thoughts, Elroy came into the living room. “Are you hungry?” He asked, his voice soft and mellow. His cold demeanor had melted away with the passing days and now, we were getting along quite nicely.

“Sure.” I got up and followed him into the kitchen.

“What should we make?” He asked.

I walked up to the refrigerator as if I had lived in this house all my life. Inside, large hunks of meat lined the shelves. Most of the bags were filled with blood that had pooled at the bottom. “Elroy?” I stood up and looked at him, suddenly making the connection.

“Yes?”

“You two don’t feed on humans, do you?”

“No.”