We are getting closer to the end of the story… sighs Ah well, I guess it could be worse. At least I have all you wonderful reviewers (hint, hint).
Chapter 9
"Why didn't you just kill me?" She looked serious. Sitting in a chair, the long, pale legs stretched out in front of her, the dark, curly hair pulled back into a messy ponytail. The eyes mesmerizing.
This was the first time we talked. Really talked.
I didn't really know how to act.
"I… I don't know." She nodded, slowly. Like she already knew that, like it wasn't a surprise to her.
"I thought so. You killed him, didn't you? The one who slaughtered my family?"
"Yes. It is what I do."
"I know." Now I was surprised. She saw it, and smiled a little smile that wasn't really a smile.
"I overheard you talking to your… friend." Tiny wrinkles appeared between her eyebrows. "He doesn't like me, does he?" She was speaking slowly, her voice a little hoarse. Like she had half forgotten how to do it. Talking, that was.
"He isn't very fond of humans."
"Neither are you." I flinched a little. It was true. Or, had been true, before.
How much had she seen, while I thought she was too wrapped up in her own sorrow to notice anything at all? How much did she know that wasn't meant for her ears?
"It is true." I felt awkward. Kaia smiled again, for real, this time. The grief was still here – probably always would be – but this time, there was happiness, to.
And a little mockery.
I could handle that.
"I know. I want to thank you, for taking care of me, all this time." A lock of hair had come loose from the ponytail and now touched her cheek. I wanted to put it back in the ponytail, wanted to gently stroke it back from her face, but I didn't dare to. She was someone else, now. Still Kaia, sure, but suddenly, she was an intelligent being. No longer just a scared little human.
That scared me.
I was pretty sure she was a lot smarter then I was. Vampire or not, she was still capable of fooling me. And I could see something, deep, deep in her eyes… Strength. She would survive, for the mere reason that she had tried to kill herself and it hadn't worked out. Now she had tried to walk down that path and decided not to.
She had chosen it. Not I. And all along, I had thought I had been the one to save her, when, in fact, it had been her choice.
I was a little embarrassed, since she probably knew what I had been thinking.
"It is nothing to be thankful for."
"Don't even try it." She raised an eyebrow. "You could have killed me – fed on me – and you didn't. For that, I thank you. For taking care of me, all this time, for letting me live here, I thank you." She was very formal. I sensed there was something else she wanted to say… Something just beneath the surface. We were talking, yes, but this was not what she wanted to talk about.
"What is it you really want to say, Kaia?" I asked, softly. She froze. This was, after all, still Kaia. It didn't matter if we had spoken before or not. I knew her. No matter how intelligent she had proven to be, this was still the girl I had held in my arms for the whole night. Comforting. It was morning, now, the sun making her hair shine and my eyes burn, but she was still the same girl.
I could see it in her eyes, smell her. It was Kaia, and I loved her.
"I don't want to leave" she whispered, and I understood.
She thought I was going to kick her out.
She thought I was going to kick her out, now that she had healed. That she would loose the few things she had gained.
Did she really think that? About me?
It was such a human thing to do. Fear. Vampires did fear, yes, but not in the same way humans did. We feared in a distant sort of way, not the overwhelming, suffocating way humans did. They felt so much more then we did. Hate, passion, pain, courage.
Love.
I loved Kaia, but it was a different kind of love. Something between a vampire and a human emotion. A burning, obsessive feeling. I wanted to own her. But, I wanted her to be happy, as well. The humans had a saying about that… Something about letting things go, because if they were yours, they would come back to you.
I could never do that.
I wouldn't be able to. My love was a selfish one. No matter the circumstances, I was, in the end, a vampire.
"Kaia. You can stay. It's okay." She turned away. She wasn't crying, but she didn't want me to see her face.
"Thank you."
"You have thanked me enough, Kaia" I tried to joke. She half-laughed, still a bit upset.
"I… I don't…" Again, she faced me. Her lower lip trembling slightly.
I couldn't resist it anymore.
I pulled the elastic out of her hair, watching it fall over her shoulders, and kissed her.
At first, she didn't react, just sat there. But then, slowly, she started to kiss me back, her soft lips moving against mine.
And, finally, I knew. I knew what was going to happen. It had been decided all along, by someone else, just waiting for me, for us, to realize it.
That night, she came to my bed again. And this time, it wasn't for comfort. When she did, when we, together, peaked, I bit her. And she didn't resist. She didn't fear me.
(Only one chapter left!! :'( sobs Ah, well, I have another story going, so when I've finished this one, I'll publish it. Please please please please read it? :P
And don't forget to review!
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Yours truly,
Mickasala)