Another chapter! A bit more serious... More soon! Thanks for all the reviews!

Chapter 4

Fresh and Frantic

Canada, 1850

Victor carried Jimmy into the cottage, following the woman. She lead him into a back room with a single bed in it, and bade Victor lie Jimmy down.

"Is he suffering some ailment?" she asked.

"No."

"Why is he so weak?"

"He doesn't grow very fast. Get's tired quickly," Victor grunted, keeping his eyes fixed on her.

"Perhaps some good food will help him. Would you like some?"

Victor nodded, still unsure if the woman could be trusted. He could usually smell if someone was lying, or trying to deceive them, but he couldn't smell anything of the sort on her. She seemed to want to help them, but he was wary of letting his guard down.

When she wandered out into the main living area, he sat down on the bed, shaking Jimmy awake.

"Where are we?" Jimmy asked, his voice cracking slightly.

"The woman who lives here caught us. She's making food. Not sure how long we can stay though," Victor replied.

"Is she nice?"

"Nice? She could turn us in at any time, and you want to know if she's nice?" Victor growled.

Jimmy shrunk back a little and lowered his head. Victor felt bad for being angry, but he hated having to be constantly on guard, watching over his younger brother, making sure they always had food and shelter.

Victor kept his eye on the door, waiting for her to return. He could hear her preparing the food, moving pots around. Nothing he heard he could attribute to anything suspicious. Until he heard footsteps approaching the door. They moved quickly, kicking open the door and startling them. Victor shot up, his claws lengthening as he prepared to defend them.

"Could you help me?" the woman said, pushing open the door fully with her behind as she balanced a large wooden tray in one hand and a large jug of water in the other.

Victor retracted his claws and took the jug from her as she set the tray down. She handed Victor a bowl of steaming broth and took another to Jimmy, smiling as he wolfed it down. Victor shook his head at Jimmy's enthusiasm, and started on his own, enjoying the generous amount of meat.

"My name is Eleanor," she said to Jimmy.

"James H…"

"Jimmy. His name's Jimmy," Victor interrupted, before Jimmy could mention his full name.

"And you?" she asked, turning to Victor.

"Victor."

Canada, Present Day

Áine threw off her clothes and dumped them in the wash basket. She knew that he could barge in at any moment, but she was so angry and frustrated, that she hardly cared.

She turned on the shower and stepped inside, all the while, thinking about how she could hit Victor where it hurt. She felt so humiliated and used. She felt angry at herself for simply letting him use her, and weak for not being able to fight him, despite how aroused she was.

She was still aroused. No matter how much she tried to think about kicking him between the legs, her crotch throbbed insistently, demanding attention. So, she finished washing and let her hands glide downwards.

She had only just begun to tease herself, when the door burst open.

"Told you not to touch that pussy," Victor said, grabbing her arm and yanking her out of the shower.

"Hey!" she screamed at him, mortified that she was naked, and still very aroused.

Victor simply laughed and threw a towel at her; though not before letting his eyes roam her body. Another man might describe her as curvy or even voluptuous, but Victor simply thought 'fuckable'.

He grinned as she wrapped the towel around herself, as tightly as she could without cutting off the blood supply to her upper torso. She glared at him, her bright blues flashing dangerously. Victor wanted to laugh again. He'd never been intimidated by anyone, but he had to admit, it was refreshing not having a woman cower in front of him.

"Am I gonna need to tie you up again, or are you gonna be a good little frail?" he said, dragging her down the stairs by both wrists.

Áine rolled her eyes as she stumbled to stay upright. Unfortunately, her stomach decided to answer for her, and growled loudly.

Victor simply laughed again, and it only made Áine angrier at him as he pulled her into the kitchen.

"You want food? You cook for both of us. No healthy shit either. I want meat, and lots of it," he demanded, letting her go.

Áine contemplated running again, but knew that she wouldn't get far. Besides, she knew her stomach wouldn't thank her for running into the woods, without anything to keep her going. No. She knew if she had any chance of getting away from him, no matter how alluring he could be, she'd have to do the most unpredictable thing she could think of.

She busied herself with cooking breakfast, mainly sausages, bacon, eggs and toast. She didn't bother to include any mushrooms or beans. She knew they would only be a waste.

She slammed a plate full of sausages and bacon down on the breakfast bar and glared at him when he sat down. She ate hers quietly but quickly, resisting the urge to comment on how he ate like an animal, open mouthed and without cutlery.

"It's over-cooked," he said as he ate the last sausage.

"You want it another way, cook it yourself," she said through gritted teeth.

Victor bolted around the bar and flung her against the sink, causing the edge to dig painfully into her back. He gripped her throat, making sure to lengthen his claws just enough to press into her soft skin.

"Thought I told you not to get cute with me?" he whispered dangerously.

Áine kept her mouth clamped shut. For the first time since he had broken into her house, she felt real fear. The thought that he could slice open her neck was very sobering. However, her stubborn pride meant that she would not try to beg or retract what she had said.

Victor could smell her fear. He'd fully intended to scare her into submission, but now that he had gotten what he wanted, he didn't like it. The scent was cloying and bitter. It almost masked her usual sweet, seductive scent. But, he wouldn't have anyone try to brow-beat him.

"Don't back-chat again, or I'll cut out your tongue as a souvenir," he said, letting her go.

Áine closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She'd never felt so small and helpless before, and it unsettled her. She'd never been a small, fragile woman, needing some man to take care of her, so the fact that Victor had managed to incite such frailty into her, made her feel weak.

She tried to busy herself by washing up, but the thought that he could so easily end her life played on her mind. She'd been aware of his dangerous nature the day before, but she'd not felt so threatened, not even when he grabbed her as she tried to escape. She didn't know how to deal with it. She didn't want to be afraid of him. She was comfortable being angry and frustrated, but her frustration had completely vanished.

Victor lounged on the sofa, watching the TV, though he wasn't paying attention. He left Áine to her own devices in the kitchen, hoping that it would dispel some of her initial fear. He could still smell it. She hadn't expected him to react so violently, and it had scared her. He wanted to alleviate her fear, without actually showing any concern. He wasn't concerned. He just didn't like the stench. Or so he told himself.

Normally, he got off on people's fear of him. He liked the power he could hold over someone. It gave him a rush of pleasure, and could often arouse him, particularly if he could smell it on a woman. He couldn't understand why he wasn't getting that same rush from Áine. She was a woman, and he'd scared her. He felt no pleasure from it. The only rush he'd felt so far, was when he'd pleasured her earlier. He wondered if her aroused scent had gone to his head.

"I'm stepping outside. Don't even think about leaving," he said, looking at her as she cleaned.

Even before he'd said it, he knew she wouldn't. At least, not while she still worried if he'd threaten her again.

Without another word, he unlocked the door and left, leaving Áine to ponder what he was up to.

A/N: I hope it was okay! A bit short, but it developed not how I initially expected... Plot bunnies are fuunny things...