"Eric, stop! Let him go!" Ashlyn half yelled, half screeched. Eric growled at Caleb, opening his mouth wide. He tilted his head back slightly and then forward again and bit down. Ashlyn wasn't his intended victim. She had jumped behind him and put her hand over his mouth, receiving the bite that was meant for a defenseless and terrified Caleb. It hurt like hell. Eric let go of Caleb and he dropped to the ground in a heap, struggling for breath. Her blood was like nothing he'd ever tasted. It was amazing. Sure that he wouldn't be able to stop, Ash jumped to the other side of the room.
She screamed, "Get the fuck out of my house Eric. I take back my invitation."

Eric hurtled backwards and out of the house. "Ashlyn, don't! I didn't mean-"
"Save it Eric. How dare you come into my home and attack my friend." She was pissed and he knew it.
"His hands were all over you. He had no right. You are mi-"
Ash laughed, cutting him off again. "Are you shitting me? He had every right. I wanted that! You had no fucking right. I am not yours. You left me high and dry. You ignored me for over two weeks. You don't deserve me. You're just like the rest." She held out her now blood-soaked hand, "You fucking bit me. Get the fuck off my property before I wrap a silver chain around your dead fucking throat."

Eric looked hurt, but Ash didn't care. She slammed the door in his face and tended to Caleb.
"Caleb, I'm so sorry," she said as she squatted beside him. He grimaced and flinched when she touched his neck.
"Don't. I'm leaving." He said coldly.
"But Caleb, wait. I-"
He cut her off, "and you can keep the CD."
"I'm so sorry," was all she could manage as he walked out the door.
He glanced at her one last time, holding his neck, limping. "Vampires? What the fuck is wrong you?" Ash could hear the venom behind his words.

She watched him drive away, closed the door and lent against it. Her back slid down until she was siting, holding her face in her hands and cursing repeatedly under her breath. She hoped to hell that Caleb hadn't seen her jump. He was so worked up about vampires that she was sure he hadn't. Realizing her hand was still bleeding and that she'd smeared blood on her face, she headed towards the bathroom. After a quick shower she inspected the wound; it wasn't too bad. Two small circles an inch apart in the center of the palm of her hand. It looked like nothing, but it was painful. She wrapped a bandage around her hand, each movement stinging a little. Eric must have taken a fair amount of her blood because she felt slightly light headed. She drank a glass of water and ate a few biscuits, then headed to bed.

Beep. Beep. Beep.
Ashlyn sat up in bed immediately when her phone went off. It was a reminder that she was supposed to be meeting Sandra in half an hour for brunch. She'd overslept by four hours, missing her job interview at the local newspaper. Not bothering with makeup, she ran a brush through her hair, brushed her teeth and put on the first clothes she picked up. Light blue jeans with a few small tears and a plain red v-neck shirt. She should have made the effort with makeup. Heavy bags under her eyes were tell-tale signs of a long night. If she could jump to the cafe, she would have. But Sandra didn't know about that, so she had to drive, leaving no time for makeup.

When she arrived, Sandra had already ordered their food. Coffees were being brought to them as Ash sat down.
"So sorry I'm late, San. I forgot to set my alarm last night." She even sounded tired.
"Oh no problem babe. You look like you could do with more sleep! Caleb keep you up all night?" Sandra winked and grinned widely.
"No, no. He left around 11. He had to get going." Determined not to linger on it, Ash drew attention away from herself, knowing Sandra would be dying to talk about her night. "So did you and Dave have a good night? You left us early!"

As Ash suspected, Sandra was happy to talk about her night and totally forgot about everything else. They chatted a while after they finished eating. After they were done, they went their separate ways. Ash headed home, not feeling like doing anything more but sleep.

It felt like she'd only been asleep for a moment when she heard the doorbell ring. It was almost six o'clock. She got up lazily and slowly. It rang again as she stepped off the stairs.
"I'm coming!" She yelled. "Keep your panties on!" She opened the door to find Caleb holding a small bunch of flowers, grinning at her last comment.

"Sorry, I don't wear panties," he teased.
"Caleb, hi." She couldn't think of anything else to say. The vibes she got from him told her he was about to apologize. He handed her the flowers with an awkward smile. "They're beautiful Caleb. Thanks."
"I just wanted to stop by on my way to my sisters school play to say I'm sorry about last night. I know it wasn't your fault. I just acted on impulse and I shouldn't have treated you like that. I think I was just frightened." He trailed off.
"No, it's fine. You had every right to act like that. That fucking fanger was going to.." She didn't want to say it out loud; they both knew. "I am really sorry. I understand if you don't want to see me again."
"Ash, I just brought you flowers. I think that means I do wanna see you again," he said with a cheeky grin. They both laughed a little.
"Oh! If you're on your way to see your sister then let me grab that CD for you. One second!" She raced back into the kitchen and picked up the CD.
"Thanks Ash. She'll love it. I better get going. Don't wanna be late or even this," he held out the CD, "won't save me. I'll call you tomorrow?"
"I look forward to it. See you, Caleb." Ash watched him leave again and called out as he got in his car, "And don't worry, that bastard won't be coming back around here again."

He drove away with a smile on his face. Ash, too, was smiling. She suddenly felt more refreshed. She was in a good mood now, and for whatever reason she started to feel the need to apologize to Eric. He deserved everything he got last night, but she still felt a little guilty about how harsh she was. Knowing he probably wouldn't come over uninvited anymore, Ash sent him a short text, not wanting to speak directly to him just yet.

We need to talk. Come over at 8 tonight if you can. Ash.

Eight o'clock came and went. Annoyed that he had blown her off, Ash decided she would just go to his house. If she had to stake some of his guards, well that was too bad for them. She opened her door to leave and not paying any attention, didn't notice Eric standing there. He had flowers in one hand, which Ash walked into and squished a little. His other hand was an inch away from her doorbell.

"Sorry," Ash mumbled and took a step back. Eric handed her the flowers. "I'm sure they looked a lot nicer before you got here."
"They certainly did. But they still look better than those," he gestured to the flowers already on the table near the door where Ash had just set his down; the ones from Caleb. Ash decided to ignore his comment because truthfully, they did. Eric's bouquet was twice the size and filled with all her favourites.

"May I come in?" Eric knew the answer already.
"No."
He chuckled as he said, "it was worth a shot," then continued more seriously. "First off, sorry for being late. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find those particular flowers together in one bunch?" He paused, waiting for a response that never came. "I assume you asked me here to talk about last night?"
"I did. I wanted to apologize. I'm still pissed at you for what you did to Caleb. But I am sorry for being so harsh about it. I could see that I hurt you. I was just so caught up in the moment, so angry." She stepped outside and lent against the wall adjacent to the door, keeping a good distance from Eric.

"You don't need to apologize Ash. You're right, I was out of line." Ash was glad to see that Eric knew the boundaries he had over-stepped. He continued, "this is your home, we are not together and you may see whomever you like."
"I'm not seeing him, Eric, not yet anyway," she laughed.
"So the flowers?"
"Uh, after you left he got a little mad and left too." Why she was telling Eric this, she didn't know. She hadn't realized, but Eric had edged closer and closer and he was now standing right beside her.

"So, if you're not seeing him," he said with a smug look on his face, "does that mean I can do this?" He was in front of her now, his lips touching hers. After a few seconds, Ash turned her face to the side, breaking the kiss.
"No, Eric. It doesn't mean you can do that." She was still majorly pissed at him.
He smirked. "Why not?" He kissed her jaw, then her neck.
"Eric.. mmm.. stop!" Damn him! He found that spot on her neck that sent chills down her spine and caused her to let out a small, involuntary moan.
He put his lips to her ear and said softly, "you know you're enjoying it. Why don't you make me stop?"

But she couldn't. He moved his lips back to her mouth and she couldn't force her lips to stay closed to keep his tongue out. It just felt so good, working in rhythm with her own. Ash let her hands wander over his body. First his sides, then his back, followed by his hips. He pressed his body against her tightly, his own hands working their magic; from cupping her face to sliding up under her shirt, he had it covered. His cold hands made her shiver, which she oddly enjoyed. Eric enjoyed the warmth of her skin against him too. He pushed his hips lightly against Ash, the slight bulge in his pants making her moan yet again.

"Eric.. Stop.." She managed between small moans. Of course he didn't though, and Ash couldn't bring herself to stop it either. Her brain shouted no, but her body screamed yes. He slid his hands down to Ash's ass, giving it a nice long feel before pushing her up higher against the wall. She wrapped her legs around Eric's ass, and now that their hips were in line, Eric ground his into hers, slightly harder than before. His pants grew tighter still and Ashlyn's heart was pounding, her soft moans becoming more frequent. They were both extremely turned on and caught up in the moment that neither of them noticed Caleb standing there.

"And don't worry, that bastard won't be coming back around here again." Caleb said mockingly. Ash instantly let herself out of Eric's grip.
"Caleb, it's-" she started, but he cut her off.
"It's not what I think? Yeah fucking right. I saw the whole thing. Heard it too." His voice was filled with hatred and disgust. He laughed almost sadistically, "Fuck you Ashlyn. You can both rot for all I care."
Eric was in front of him in a second, careful not to push his luck this time.
"Don't you dare talk to her like that," he said ferociously and popped his fangs out. He opened his mouth to speak again, but Ash spoke first.
"Both of you fucking stop it!" She shouted much louder than she had expected and it seemed to startle both men.

"Whatever. I'm done with you, you lying whore." Caleb's words cut like a razor. Ashlyn was no whore, she was just stupidly caught in a bad situation. He turned to walk away and Eric moved to go after him. Ash grabbed his wrist tightly, and Eric understood that he needed to let Caleb leave.
"Yeah that'd be right," Caleb scoffed as he turned around near his car. "Holding onto the dead fucker's arm while I'm still fucking here! You really are a piece of work Ashlyn. If I never see you again it'll be too soon. Go and fucking die. Can't believe I thought for even a second I might be falling in love with you already." With that he got in his already running car and sped away.

Ash was hurt. For the first time in seven years, she cried. She sank to the ground, head on her knees just crying. She'd lost someone who she knew would have been very important to her if given the chance. All for a stupid moment of lust with a fucking vampire. She wanted Eric to get the hell away from her, but she couldn't manage to say the words. He was sitting with her, holding her while she cried. He didn't know why she was crying, nor did Ash; it's not like her and Caleb were even together. Human emotions weren't his strong point, but he knew that Ash just needed someone to care right now, and so he cared.

He held her bitten hand and unwrapped the bandage. His fangs slid out and he pierced his own finger, rubbing the blood onto the two small holes in Ash's hand. In seconds, they vanished; completely healed. He wiped his blood from her with the bandage, not bothering about his own finger as it had already healed. He stroked her hand.
"I am so sorry, Ashlyn Flowers."