Tyra's POV.
When I open my eyes, at first I forget where I am, my head feeling cloudy still, and then I remember the painful swan dive I took down the store room staircase, and Eric saving me from the injuries that probably would have killed me. And then before I have time to ponder any further, he lifts his head and smiles down at me.
'Hello' he whispers, hand stroking my cheek while I smile back up at him, something feeling very, very different with him, like something has formed yet melted away at the same time. 'How do you feel now?' he then asks me, still stroking my face while instinctively rather than consciously I reach up and curl my fingers around his forearm, gently stroking the hard muscle beneath the cold skin. He feels lovely, just cool in temperature is all. How could I ever find him a turn off just because his body temperature is lower than mine? And why are we suddenly acting like this with one another? And why do I really, really like it?
'Better, tired still, but better' I reply, watching him nod.
'You will do, a fractured skull tends to do that and you probably did crack it when you fell' he tells me. 'You'll be fine though, don't worry you'll be fine' he then assures me when I pull a worried face. I just smile in reply, while I feel my insides slip into a kind of euphoria, and I just turn over onto my side, him doing the same as he lies back down, and I just curl up against him, feeling him wrap one hell of a powerful arm around me. Apparently this is how some people do feel after drinking vampire blood, but why is he acting how I feel? Is my blood doing things to him? You know, I don't care right now. All I care about is that he stays here with me. I don't want him to go.
'It's just occurred to me, I never asked you what part of Sweden you were from?' he suddenly says, while I think it funny but still, nice of him to ask. Random too.
'I'm from Oskarshamn, what about you?' I reply and ask, my hand resting on his chest, nails stroking that crease between his pectoral muscles.
'Oland' he replies, as I feel his hand idly begin to stroke my lower back.
'Aka the windiest place on earth, I used to visit it a lot as a child, my grandmother lived in Borgholm, where my mother was originally from so we used to get the ferry across to visit her, and we'd go down to Oland a lot. I don't remember much of it because I was so small at the time, but I remember it being very beautiful' I reply, the comfortableness of talking to him like this, more intimately, feeling so wonderful.
'Very beautiful, and yes, draughty' he replies. 'You know, I helped build one of the first roads that ran between Oland and Borgholm. It took three years, I started out a child of ten and finished a man of thirteen, as I'm sure you know Vikings were considered men at thirteen' he replies, while I nod. I did know, I take a big interest in the history of my country and its people; one of whom I'm lying in the arms of right now. But yet somewhere in my blood fuelled haze, this tranquil, high plane I feel I'm on with him, I know it isn't real. It feels like a dream, not real life. At any moment now, I'm expecting him to snap back and leave me up here in bliss by myself...except it doesn't happen. We just lie here, talking, swapping little pieces of information about each other, until against my will since I don't want to go back to sleep, I begin to yawn and can't stop.
'You need to go back to sleep, and I think I do too' he says, moving his arm from around me and wiping a spot of blood that's just about to run from his nose.
'Why is your nose bleeding?' I ask him.
'It's called the bleeds, it happens when a vampire doesn't rest, and I didn't rest at all today' he replies, while I glance at my watch and see the time is 11.46pm, meaning since I was just about to leave at six thirty I've been down here with him for almost five hours. 'I'll be back in a minute, I have to fetch you something appropriate to wear to bed. You cannot sleep in bloodied clothes' he tells me, sounding efficient yet caring at the same time, smiling and taking my hand to kiss my fingertips, and then getting up and walking through the apartment and out of the door. And as soon as it's gone, even in my haze I lay there and try and ponder all of this, why we're acting so closely, but not sexually at all. It's...affectionate. It's strange too, but before I can think on how strange it is any further, Pam enters, carrying a small neatly folded pile of clothes in her arms.
'These are to sleep in, and these are for the morning. The bathroom is just back there, go get changed and have a wash, and then bring me back these dirties when you're done' she tells me, tugging at the sleeve of my blood soiled grey top. She then takes a simple thin black cotton top, and a pair of pants and passes them to me, giving me a gentle push in the back to help as I get up slowly, stretching before picking up my bag too and heading for the bathroom, where I find the biggest free standing bathtub in existence, in a gorgeous bathroom suite made from black marble, with a white sink, toilet (even though he doesn't need one being a vampire and all, but I guess it just comes with), HUGE shower in the corner and said massive bath providing a stark contrast. It's nice though. I wash my face quickly, removing the trails and streaks of dried blood that were there, also cleaning a little that ran into my hair too, managing to comb the rest out since it's dried, and then tie back my hair, throw my comb back into my bag and pull out my small tube of hand lotion, using it for both my hands and face since I have nothing else with me (and am just about on even mental keel enough to make myself do this) before taking off my clothes and changing into the ones donated to me, before heading back out again, Pam holding her hands out for my pile of clothes I've wrapped up in a bundle and putting my bag down at the side of the bed, pulling out a small bottle of water I nearly always keep in there and taking a few gulps.
'You rest now, he'll be back soon. See you tomorrow' she tells me, surprisingly being more affectionate than usual by kissing her fingertips and pressing them softly to my forehead. In terms of affection, that's big for her. And so I get in under the covers, loving the feel of how soft the cotton is against my skin and guessing they must be Egyptian like mine, except way more expensive. And I bled on them, and he didn't shout. I turn the pillow over and lie down on my back, blinking heavily and trying to keep my eyes awake and wide, so I can see Eric before I fall asleep again. And then, like I called him silently and he heard, I hear the door open and close, and then see him standing at the side of the bed, undressing to a pair of tight fitting black boxer shorts and getting into bed next to me. I turn onto my side and he moves closer to lie behind me, wrapping an arm around me, and giving my shoulder a kiss.
'Sleep well' he tells me, and I try to answer him, but the allure of sleep is just way, way too strong...
Since the lamp in the very far corner of the apartment was left on last night, when I wake up I have just enough light to look at my watch and see its 6.15am, and I'm still lying under Eric's arm, which, like the front of his body at least, is warm to the touch. Apparently if a vampire spends enough time next to a heat source they retain warmth too. Like if you put a stone in front of an open fireplace, the cold exterior would be warm to the touch and stay warm as long as you left it there. It feels nice, and I feel much better, more myself and less off with the fairies, all spaced out on vampire blood.
And so I move his arm carefully and slide out of bed, gathering the clothes Pam lent me and picking up my bag, taking my bottle of water off the night stand and adding that to my bag before making my way to the bathroom quietly to dress and wash my face, then stuff in a few sticks of gum and chew heartily to wake up my mouth since I have no toothbrush with me. I then stuff everything back into my bag, including the top and pants Pam gave to me to put through the wash for her, and head back out of the bathroom again, sliding my feet into my shoes and just standing by the side of the bed for a few moments, looking down at a sleeping Eric and wondering, if not hoping a little, that the kindness he showed me last night will last. Because, as hard as it is to admit to myself, I liked it; but I'm scared to like it. Somewhere in the back of my head, I have that 'it's all too good to be true' feeling, one that I suppose will be confirmed to me to be true or not since he's just opened his eyes.
'Are you leaving? Why?' he asks me, moving over to the side of the bed my body once occupied and reaching out for me, his hand stroking my inner thigh. I guess I have my answer then.
'I need to get home, my cat needs to be fed and I have so much else I need to do too. But I'll be back later on' I tell him, watching him smile and nod.
'Until later then, by the way you'll need a key to let yourself out, there's one on an orange tag behind the register in the bar, use that and put it back when you come back later' he tells me.
'I will. And Eric? Thank you again, you saved my life' I tell him, so grateful to him for acting so quickly, and looking after me so well after my accident too.
'Don't mention it. You look beautiful this morning by the way' he compliments me with, while I bend down to his level and lay a kiss on his forehead, feeling his hand stroke my cheek.
'Thank you, until later then' I reply, echoing his words to me before I turn and leave quietly, letting myself out of his apartment and heading upstairs, locating the key he told me about from behind the bar before opening the front door and letting myself out into the bright spring March morning, and heading over to my car feeling like a new woman. Eric's blood is certainly healing, and even though whatever else it did to me has worn off a little now, I still can't help that 'dancing on air' feeling I have that something about me, be it my blood or otherwise, has changed him in his demeanour considerably. I cannot help but feel a little special because of that. And to be honest, I can't wait to see him later either. I don't know what's happening between us, but it just feels so different now. Mainly because not once all through the night, did he try one sexual advance with me, and I just didn't feel anything like that either. Even at the sight of that body, so beautifully rippled with muscles he looks like a Greek god, did I feel any wanton aches of lust for him. I was just so happy he was by my side, as he seemed to be with me too. But even still, no matter that he was just the same when he awoke before I left, I still somehow get the feeling this is all too easy, all too good to be true. I guess only time will tell.
As soon as I'm home I throw all of Pam's clothes into the wash (the red shirt and black pants she gave me to wear today wouldn't have needed the wash, but I ended up spilling a takeout coffee I brought en route home all down myself) and change into a new pair of grey sweats I brought whilst out shopping with Anna and baby Myra (who, even though I don't like babies, is very beautiful) last weekend and also a cropped vest top, and do some stretches and a few gentle aerobic exercises before getting down on the floor to do my normal morning routine of two hundred sit ups, before I get up, give Poon some food (or rather lay it out in wait for her, she's not home from her nightly escapades just yet), and then take my house keys again and zip them into my sweats pocket once I've locked the front door again, firing out a quick apology text to Lafayette for standing him up last night, and explaining that I will visit him later to explain why I was a no show for dinner, before calling up the music player on my i-phone, plugging in the earphones and sprinting off into the forest for a nice long morning jog. Last night I nearly died, multiple fractures wrecking my body, and now just twelve hours later here I am running hell for leather through the beautiful forest, nothing hurting, and nothing aching. Vampire blood is remarkable stuff. It's just a shame that the vampire who gave it to me doesn't stay as remarkable as I remember him to have been to me though, when I see him again eleven hours later...
'Here you are, all freshly washed' Pam tells me as she comes into the office, placing my neatly folded pile of clothes down on the desk as she sits opposite me, while I pick up the carrier bag containing hers and pass it over to her.
'Snap' I reply, watching her take the bag from me with a little smile.
'So you're all fully rested and recovered now?' she asks, checking over me with curious eyes.
'I am' I reply, watching her begin to smile a little more.
'And...I'm dying to know, you spent the night with Eric, did...' she begins before I cut her up.
'No Pamela!' I begin. 'He kept his hands to himself, as did I. Actually, he was the perfect gentleman' I reply, while Pam tries to not look as surprised as she does by my revelation.
'Oh, that's...strange' she says, looking quite baffled.
'I know, weird huh? But kind of nice too, to see a different side of him' I reply, watching her nodding, and looking thoughtful before she looks at me, and then looks away, and then right at me again, like there's something she wants to tell me, but like she doesn't know if she should.
'Tyra, be careful' is all she manages in the end, giving me a look that says way more than her words before she gets up and leaves. And I know I can trust Pam with this, at her age she hasn't totally forgotten her human emotions, and I see that in her being a friend to me, warning me like that. Because it doesn't take me very long to see how right she was when she told me to be careful...
I'm just a few sums away from being finished when Eric comes into the office at 6.15pm. I look up and smile at him, and receive not a flicker in return; he just folds his arms and stares at me.
'Are you going to be long?' he asks, his tone cold, crisp, the usual again.
'About ten minutes, then I'm done for the week' I reply, not looking away from the computer screen.
'Well hurry the fuck up, I have business to attend to, and you're in my way as per usual' he replies with a sneer. Oh yeah, Eric's back, that lovely vampire who held me in his arms all night long a very long way away from the one standing in front of me, arms folded across his broad chest, the chest I spent so long stroking last night.
'Of course' I reply, suddenly every urge to be sarcastic and stand up for myself in front of him just gone. I can't be bothered to battle him, but maybe I can appease him. I quickly finish and then unhook my hard drive from the computer, gathering my belongings and then pulling something from my bag, a thank you present for him if you like.
'Here, these are to replace the ones I ruined, and also to thank you again for saving my life' I tell him quietly, while I pass him a packaged bundle of Egyptian cotton sheets that I couldn't really afford, but decided to buy earlier today anyway. He takes them from me, looks them over, sniffs, and then picks up the trash bin and dunks them straight in it.
'I don't like cheap rubbish' he tells me spitefully.
'They weren't cheap at three hundred dollars a set' I reply, my insides prickled at his actions.
'The ones you ruined cost three thousand, so yes, they are. Idiot' he replies, in a matter of fact tone.
'Fine, since you won't be needing them I might as well take them back' I reply, reaching over, snatching them back out of the trash can he's holding, and storming out, absolutely furious at myself that I even dared to think anything could be different. How fucking naive am I? He's a cold, nasty, manipulative vampire, and whatever he was last night, he isn't about to return to that any time soon, so I might as well just forget about it, that Eric is long gone. And the one who's come hurtling back, well, he doesn't mean very much at all, so why bother getting upset? But, on the drive home as I listen to the radio for a change, I hear a song by a girl called Nelly Furtado (whoever she may be, I don't follow mainstream music at all), and I can't help but be struck by some of the lyrics of the song she's singing, thinking of Eric as I listen...
In the day
In the night
Say it right
Say it all
You either got it
Or you don't
You either stand or you fall
When your will is broken
When it slips from your hand
When there's no time for joking
There's a hole in the plan
Oh you don't mean nothing at all to me
No you don't mean nothing at all to me
But you got what it takes to set me free
Oh you could mean everything to me
I can't say that I'm not lost and at fault
I can't say that I don't love the light and the dark
I can't say that I don't know that I am alive
And all of what I feel I could show
You tonight you tonight
Oh you don't mean nothing at all to me
No you don't mean nothing at all to me
But you got what it takes to set me free
Oh you could mean everything to me
From my hands I could give you
Something that I made
From my mouth I could sing you another brick that I laid
From my body I could show you a place God knows
You should know the space is holy
Do you really want to go?
...but if he means nothing to me, then why does it hurt so much right now? But, as it happens, I don't have to deal with Eric again for a while, since on Monday at 6pm, I receive a text message from Pam, which reads the following-
'Tyra, don't come back to work, do not come anywhere near Fangtasia at all until either Eric or I contact you. Do NOT contact us at all until you've heard from one of us first'. I don't know what that means exactly, but it sounds very important, and secretive too since she sent me the text all in Swedish. And I just hope Pam is okay...Eric I really couldn't give a shit about though. At least that's what I tell myself now...
Authors note - Thank you very much for the continued interest and reviews! Keep them coming girls, and I'll keep the chapters 'a rolling! x