For disclaimer see chapter 1

Nights Of Surprises

Chapter 11

The moment she got up and the contact with her was lost, it was like putting a plug into a bathtub before the vortex even started to turn. Sebastien was so much used to doing this that the novelty of the situation as such made no difference; his system just acted automatically, mocking his previous worries that it might not work this time. Hence, when she looked over her shoulder she could see that he had already distanced himself from any kind of emotion he might ever have had concerning her or the things they shared.

He made to get up and help her, though, then grew aware of his own nudity, and despite the fact that he had no problem to move around naked in general, the thought of them both moving around in the nude was weird, verging on comical. As this was quite out of the question (no need to develop a sense of humour here), there was nothing left for it but to remain sitting on the bed and patiently wait for Jordana to return. He still wondered whether the whole complex would be safe enough, but even Jordana would not risk being surprised by unexpected sunrays and/or unhappy daytime burglars, and so he finally decided to simply trust her.

While he was listening to the heavy clunk of the shutters (it seemed that something else apart from wood added to their weight, which was reassuring), Sebastien had enough time to replay and reflect on the things that had happened. What on earth had made him do all that? He would never have dreamed of getting even close to falling in love, and of course this was not the case right now, but he might take the possibility into consideration that there existed a slight chance for him to feel that way one day…

He lay back, folding his arms behind his head. Jordana's smell on the pillow was most distracting, and he had to remind himself once again that any kind of emotion in connection with this, indeed any kind of emotion at all was a weakness he did neither want nor need. While he was finally freezing over again, which was just the right thing to do, of course, he yet managed to leave a little back door open for Jordana to get in touch with him, should the need arise. You never knew: maybe un-life was supposed to be a bit illogical at times, and for that Jordana was an ideal supply.

ooo

As she looked over her shoulder, Jordana almost made a tusking sound. She could see Sebastien had gathered himself together, and was folding away from her. However she didn't plan, now that she knew she could get to him, let that happen for long. He started to move, but then sat back, as she moved to the door. Jordana's last glimpse was of the man sitting possibly a bit stiffly on the edge of the bed.

It didn't take long for the blonde to go through the familiar routine, of shutting up the house for the day. And as she took the steps she'd taken a thousand times, her mind was on the waiting man, upstairs. Or more likely, how she could get under his skin, loosen that rigid control...again. With a last look around the dim interior, she was satisfied, and started up the stairs, already feeling that dawn was maybe an hour away.

Turning into the open doorway, Jordana stopped, letting her eyes wander over the reclining man. A smirk crept over her features, noting the way he lay with his arms folded under his head. He seemed lost in thought, but she knew that any moment he'd sense her return. It wasn't easy to sneak up on an older vampire...although it would have been fun. Amusement glittered in her eyes at the idea. "I see you've made yourself comfortable," she said, stalking to the end of the bed, where she had a better view. That's to say if Sebastien ever truly got comfortable.

The look in Jordana's eyes said trouble. And the smile on her lips agreed, as she began to climb up across Sebastien's legs, and then down beside him. "Tell me this isn't better then running back to the hotel for the day." The blonde lay against her companion, her side fully touching him skin to skin.

ooo

He had been listening to the sound of her bare feet downstairs and the busy closing of shutters, then he heard her pat pat upstairs again, and when she peeked into the room, her face bore an impish smile. From under his lashes, he watched her move through the room and towards the bed, but he was well prepared for the touch that had to follow conclusively, just because she was the way she was. Sebastien had long since made up his mind to close down for this night, though, and thus managed to not even stir when she nestled up against him.

"It is indeed more practicable," he answered her question. "I take it everything's safe for the day," he added formally. "That is most reassuring." He felt inclined to put his arm around her, but just because of good manners. While doing so, he realized that she still radiated something quite opposite to fatigue right now. Did she actually expect him to repeat the performance he had executed earlier that night? Well, if this was the case, he would have to disappoint her. "I sense a certain expectation on your side," he stated. His heart ventured one annoying beat, he could not tell why, then it stopped due to his growing endeavour to harden it again.

"Tomorrow will be an important night. We should concentrate on this fact and get some rest." He slowly grew aware that his thumb was stroking her skin while he was talking to her, betraying his words. Obviously, his body still had a mind of its own, in spite of the control he had over his brain. Well, there's no such ting as a challenge. With an effort, he stopped the treacherous thumb from moving and said to the room in general: "I like you very much, Jordana. In fact, I have never shared anything alike with anybody else. Yet I must insist that we refrain from whichever activities similar to the ones we've already been involved in tonight, no offence." He wanted to add that he just needed a break, but he could not get himself to articulate the words.

ooo

"It is indeed more practicable...I take it everything's safe for the day," She gave him a nod of her head as it rested on the pillow beside his. "That is most reassuring." Jordana only smiled, letting her fingertips trace up his arm. "I sense a certain expectation on your side... Tomorrow will be an important night. We should concentrate on this fact and get some rest."

Jordana couldn't help the chuckle. Sebastien was so predictable sometimes, and was actually quite cute when he was trying this hard to be serious. However she felt his own thumb, stroking along her skin, belaying the tone of his words. He also seemed to notice, because he quickly stopped the movement. "I like you very much, Jordana. In fact, I have never shared anything alike with anybody else. Yet I must insist that we refrain from whichever activities similar to the ones we've already been involved in tonight, no offence."

Her hand came to a stop, flat on his chest. And for a moment she was very still, not a word, or a breath...then her body began to shake. Jordana couldn't stop the laugh as it shook her entire body. Then she poked Sebastien, hard. "Don't worry, I won't ravage your pretty body anymore tonight." Leaning in Jordana gave his shoulder a kiss, then rolled away, pulling the sheets over them. "Good morning, Bastien," she said, burrowing in and making herself comfortable while still lightly touching her companion. She closed her eyes but the serene smile stayed on her lips.

ooo

When she started shaking, Sebastien was at first slightly distressed, fearing she might take it as an offence after all and start the wailing thing, but then he realized she was laughing; which did not confuse him any less. He had no idea what exactly was so amusing about the things he said, but it was, if truth be said, not the first time his words had given rise to a reaction of that kind. He had never found out why, apart from deducing the hardly amusing fact that mortals and those closer to mortality had a very strange sense of humour.

At least she did not contradict him and listened to his words. It was just like her to underline her words with manners verging on rude, too, you had to grant her that. Nevertheless, it was strange that he felt so comfortable to be by her side, and what is more, that he would actually have liked to feel her lying in his arm. Just then she turned away from him, and it was pretty cold comfort that she kept a little contact. 'And you've only got yourself to blame,' he could hear his father's voice in his mind. He made one last attempt to tell her something, but as he did not really know what, he left it at that, remaining silent.

ooooooooooooooo

The apartment was a mess: blood stains everywhere, on the carpet, on the walls, even on the kitchen table. There, in a puddle of blood lay two sharp kitchen knives, obviously used, and something else. It turned out to be unexpectedly gory; something very much like withered scraps of human skin, or similar, and when Rafe prodded it with his fingers, the whole stuff immediately decomposed to goo. Realizing what he had just been touching, he shrank back with a yell, and suddenly his heartbeat started to race, making breathing more and more difficult, while a wave of nausea washed over him. He raced past Maria to the bathroom and just made it to the basin before saying good-bye to his breakfast.

Maria was standing all alone in the middle of the room, weeping softly. She had experienced similar scenes in the past, but that did not make it any easier, and it seemed that Red Marie had outdone herself this time. A trail of blood led to the bed case, hinting at what was hidden inside. Marie had not bothered to come down to meet them, of course, instead she had just turned the key in the elevator, stepping outside again with her supernatural speed before the car moved downwards, and she had retired even before the two servants arrived upstairs. It showed how little she cared even for her own protection.

She was lying there with him. Maria crossed herself. The red she-devil had mutilated her Juanito, and now she was resting with him, the state he must be in, as if it did not matter. Sick fear and sorrow making place for fury, Maria strode towards the bed and pushed the upper part away. When she saw Juan, a cry escaped her trembling lips. He was lying beside Marie Fontaigne's stock-still body, in contrast to her still quite conscious, if you could call it that, and moving slightly when her eyes fell on him. Great parts of his skin were gone, and more (Marie had not been exactly artful), his whole body covered and crusted with blood. He tried to speak, but failed, his head lolling from one side to the other while he made an effort to focus on Maria and to keep from falling into torpor.

Mumbling a prayer, she knelt by his side to stroke his hair, but then refrained from touching him, for she could not tell if her touch might hurt him, and whatever his reaction might be, she did not want to know. Still trembling strongly, she took a deep breath and called out Raphael's name. She had to call him again before he answered. "In God's name, come here," she shouted, her accent strong. "He need you now." Raphael hurried to follow her order, but when his eyes fell on his master, all he could do was suck in his breath sharply and bite his lower lip. Fortunately, the breakfast was already gone.

Rafe shook his head, taking a step backwards. "No, no, Maria, I can't do this. He is dying." Tears were running down his face, and his voice was rough from vomiting.

"Idiota," she reproached him, stressing every single syllable. "He do not die if you help him now. He must feed." With a dangerous flicker in her eyes, and showing an astounding deal of strength, she pulled Rafe down on his knees, holding on to his arm. Without further explanation, she forced him to lean over, then inflicted a generous wound on his arm with the help of Juan's exposed canines and pressed the cut to Juan's lips. It did not take long before the Vampire started to drink.

Juan drank until Maria nodded grimly and pushed the unresisting Rafe away, and with a last hateful glance at Marie closed the bed case again. Then she took Rafe in her arms and started rocking him like a baby, singing a Spanish lullaby. She extended one arm so that her fingers touched Juan's blood that was smeared on the ground there, scooped some of it up with her fingertips and applied it to Rafe's lips. He soon came to again and eagerly licked it up. Then realization hit home, and his eyes flew open. "I can feel him," he muttered, shaking violently with the flood of sensations transmitted over the newly established link. "I can feel his pain." He looked at Maria like he never met her before, his eyes shining with a feverish glow, then he crawled away on all fours and hid in a corner, pulled his knees to his chest and started rocking to and fro as if he was still listening to Maria's cradle-song.

Maria breathed a deep sigh. There was no use in comforting him right now; every servant had to find his own way to deal with the things he experienced. Shaking her head sadly, she got up and set to work. There was a lot to clean up today, and she did not wish either Sebastien or Jordana to see any of the details. Soon the silence of the day was only interrupted by the soft sloshing of a wet floor-cloth and every now and then a sob or a sigh emerging from Rafe's corner.

ooooooooooooooo

When Sebastien didn't say anything else, Jordana rolled back over curling up against him. She let herself drift, already feeling the approaching dawn. The last thing she felt was Bastien's body next to hers...and wasn't that exactly what she'd wanted when she asked him to stay.

The day passed without incident for the resting vampires. And the sun moved toward the horizon, as it does every evening. As it slipped beyond, and the sky darkened with a purple hue, the blonde began to stir. She knew instantly that the man beside her was Bastien, and was pleased he hadn't left the bed yet. Of course this was assuming, and she had, that he was already awake. Her limbs stretched out, and a happy smile lit hr face, as her eyes fluttered open to gaze on him.

ooo

Sebastien had been wide awake for some time already. He usually awoke half an hour before dawn, his mind immediately springing to action without any pointless delay, setting up an agenda for the following night, so that, when he got up, he already knew what to wear, which orders to give to whom, where to go and in most cases also which way to dine. When Jordana looked at him, he took it as a getting-up signal, his eyes flew open, he instantly sat up and said, rather due to courtesy than anything else: "Good evening, Miss Jordana."

He was well aware that he had dropped the title the night before, but he put this down to his unusual emotional state. And whereas he pardoned himself for that little lapse in manners, he would certainly not go on spending his un-life in such a state of weak discipline. One had to stick to some principles at last, and a formal address always showed respect; which was what he felt for her, was it not.

Without missing a beat (and without waiting for an answer, either), he stretched and got out of the bed in one fluent motion, went to his clothes, and after a moment's hesitation put on the knife holsters with Jordana watching, then started to dress. "We will have to go to the Grover Cleveland to check first, then to father's place, and then we will have another meeting with dear Howard," he said – and halted, his shirt still open. The atmosphere in the room wasn't really agreeable right now, and it was a tribute to his ability to learn quickly that he actually gathered why this was so.

He stepped towards Jordana, his eyes softening for the fraction of a second. "I… would appreciate it very much if you decided to spend yet another night by my side," he said, and this time his tone of voice was almost amiable for his standard. He knew this was only half of what he should say, or at least a huge understatement, but anything else could not be put into words; not by him. Searching her face for a sign of sympathy while buttoning up his shirt, he worked his jaw, but although he was trying hard, there was nothing he found he could add to make the situation more comfortable right now; it would probably only make it worse. Finally, he gave up and turned to go. When he had turned his back to her, however, he found his words again, and said over his shoulder: "Are you coming?"

ooo

It didn't really surprise Jordana when Sebastien jumped up from the bed, as soon as she turned to him. Of course a touch of disappointment ran through her, but it was so like him, that she wasn't insulted. And knew it wasn't her that he was running from. The blonde sat up in the middle of the bed, a sheet draped around her as she watched him dress. She might not be able to touch, but she could look.

"We will have to go to the Grover Cleveland to check first, then to father's place, and then we will have another meeting with dear Howard." Bastien was making quick work of getting his clothes back in place, when he paused, then moved over to her. "I… would appreciate it very much if you decided to spend yet another night by my side." Jordana had tried to keep her features schooled into a pleasant look, as she'd watched him. But the thought that he might be attempting to get away from her, had run through her mind. And now that he asked her to accompany him, her smile turned genuine. Bastien had turned away once again, but before he stepped too far, he turned back, "Are you coming?"

"I'd love to," she said, bounding from the bed. Jordana began pulling things out of drawers, but before she disappeared into the bathroom, she turned, "Pity, you're already dressed." The blonde stepped through the door, disappearing, with her voice floating back to her companion, "You're going to have to wait for me.."

ooo

Sebastien followed Jordana with his eyes, but when she disappeared in the bathroom, he decided that this was none of his concern. He could, though, not prevent to feel a fundamental kind of joy that she answered his question positively, and of course he would be only too pleased to wait for her. It would not take all night long for her to get dressed, would it now, and in his un-life he had watched so many different people getting dressed while waiting for them that he had privately determined a mean and sometimes liked to bet with himself if the one he was waiting for was above or below average.

About to climb down the stairs, he suddenly remembered Liberty and the other servants, and the thought of them made him frown. It was strange… He had been away from them for one night and one day only, yet it felt like he had been absent so much longer. With the memory of them, the image of Juan appeared in his mind, too, and he wondered how severely hurt his father really was. To meet Howard in the state Sebastien expected him to be was out of the question. The only consequence was that his son would have to stand in for him not only to check on the servants, but also for the actual transfer. Sebastien did not like the thought. Juan expected him to do this, of course, but if anything went wrong, he usually was also the first to blame.

Well, it did not help brooding about given facts, the only thing that did help was setting about. "I will be waiting in the car," he shouted towards the bathroom door and went downstairs. Before he opened one of the heavy shutters, though, he noticed the little red light in one corner of the room: an alarm; how touching. He could probably have switched it off, after all Juan had taught him, but that would have been bad manners. So, instead he shouted upstairs: "Uh, I won't be waiting in the car… I'll be downstairs." With an inward sigh, he sat down in one of the armchairs and stared at the opposite wall.

ooo

The blonde had grabbed clothing as she moved across the room, and now she pulled the door almost closed behind her. Had Bastien wanted to follow he most certainly would have been welcome, hence the reason for the door left ajar. Jordana, however, had no illusions that he'd do any such thing. And that left her with one option, get ready to go.

She might not have liked the abrupt start to their night, but that didn't mean that Sebastien was calling all the shots. In fact, as a bit of revenge, she planned on letting him cool his heels for a while. Stepping into the shower, Jordana heard her companion call, "I will be waiting in the car," and a smirk curved her lips. Jordana began counting mentally, and it didn't take long. "Uh, I won't be waiting in the car… I'll be downstairs." Had there been a hint of annoyance in his voice? Or maybe something else.

Jordana chuckled, turning the spray on full force. She enjoyed the heated water, as it slid over her skin, warming where it touched. And when she finished, she actually picked up the pace some. She wanted to show Bastien he didn't call all the shots, but on the other hand didn't like to be kept waiting either. Besides, thoughts of Juan had finally slipped in under her steel control that had forbidden the girl from thinking about him. After it still stung that he'd pushed her aside for this bitch Marie. As Jordana looked into the mirror, her eyes sparkled dangerously. Just thinking about the situation was making her anger rise.

"No," she said out loud to the reflection, "It's not fair to Bastien, to go down mad." The blonde forced herself to take a breath, and think about last night instead, finally bringing a smile to her face. She quickly hurried, finishing her makeup, brushing out her hair, and casually moving down the stairs. Only to see Sebastien sitting stiffly staring at the wall. "I'm ready," she said, holding out her arms to prove what she said was true. She wore a pair of form fitting black leather pants, embossed with a snakeskin print. Paired with that was a dark red silk sleeveless tank. Her hair hung loosely around her shoulders, like a halo, shining in the dim light.

ooo

When he heard the shower, Sebastien figured his waiting time would be just above average, which actually made him lose his bet against himself, because he thought Jordana would be one of the faster sort. Well, maybe she made up for this by hurrying afterwards. With street kids, you never knew. He reached for the jacket he had left on the couch the morning before, and is eye fell on the cell phone. Switching it on, he instantly prepared for the bad news surely to come just to make him feel even more repentant for slackening the reins the night before. There was only one message for him, on voice mail. The phone showed his father's number. Well, this meant he was still able to talk - which was good. When Sebastien listened to the message, though, he had to revise his initial conclusion. Juan's voice was very weak – which was bad. And all he said was, "Call me back."

Sebastien deleted the message and sat back, holding the phone in both hands. Those three simple words did indeed not mean good news. It meant that Marie was still in town, and what is more, that she most probably was still with Juan. This, however, would imply that they might meet again; a nasty circumstance Sebastien had dearly hoped to avoid. He had taken into account the probability that his father would be too weak or at least too scarred to meet Howard, and of course he was prepared for that. But 'call me back' sounded like more trouble…

He narrowed his eyes and harked. The sound of the shower had subsided long since and his keen senses perceived a rustling from her bedroom, indicating that she was already dressing or something similar. A minute later he heard her footsteps on the staircase and looked up. She looked very pretty, he had to admit that, and although he would never pride himself on the simple fact that she had spent the day with him, of all Vampire, he could at least acknowledge that she was smiling at and actually talking to him. As an answer, he half rose from the armchair and bowed, thus showing his respect. Then he sat down again, as stiffly as before, still holding the phone. "Father called," he stated with splendid restraint. "I should call him back before we leave." He cleared his throat. "You might want to talk to him, too."

ooo

In typical Sebastien fashion, he bowed as Jordana hit the bottom step. She might have teased, but for the fact that he seemed to hold himself stiffly. Well more than usual. And then he spoke, "Father called...I should call him back before we leave." He cleared his throat as if there was more to come, which in fact was the case, "You might want to talk to him, too."

The blonde's lips set in a hard pout, and her eyes narrowed for a moment, clearly showing a hint of anger. But then she pulled herself back together, and sighed. "Yes, you should call him before we go." She paused, watching Bastien holding the phone in a tight grip, before continuing. "If the circumstances were different, I'd very much want to speak to him...but the only thing I want to hear right now is, that that bitch is gone."For all her bravado, Jordana knew if offered, she'd talk to Juan. Even if she was mad at him right now.

"How about you, Bastien? Have I made your night harder, by keeping you away from the hotel?" She suspected that the world hadn't fallen apart. That his people had managed just fine...now if only she could get this idea across to the stubborn man, that he could relax occasionally. Take a night off, enjoy what she had to offer him. Because he might think this was a one time only thing, but Jordana had other ideas. She gave Bastien a smile, waiting for him to make the call, as she slid into the chair opposite the one he was using.

ooo

First of all, Sebastien wondered why he had said this thing about Jordana wanting to talk to his father, too. It was not as if Juan was dying or even severely wounded, was it now. Or, he mused, maybe he did think that this time Marie had been exceptionally "profound." He would find out eventually, of course, and there was no use in brooding over reality, anyway. Maybe the happenings of the previous night had made him go somewhat soft. In that regard, Jordana was right. There would be no use in telling her, though, and he might have to face other, less pleasant things this night; things like Marie.

"I did not receive any calls from the hotel, thus I presume that everything is suave," he said in his matter-of-fact tone of voice and without another glance at Jordana pressed Juan's shortcut number. Maria, Juan's loyal servant, answered the phone; an unusual occasion that made Sebastien narrow his eyes once again. When he asked for his father, she replied with her usual kind politeness, but her voice was nonetheless very tense. And then he heard Marie's voice in the background, saying something nasty. He closed his eyes and tried to stay composed. The red devil was still there and all his hopes for a quiet night gone.

"Yes," Juan's voice finally rang out. "Bastien, how good of you to get back to me." He sounded tired and weak, yet something in his voice was at the same time vibrant, almost electrified, as if he was on drugs, and if Sebastien was not very much mistaken, this was worse than anything else. All he could do was force himself to business mode and pull it through. Before he could answer, though, Juan went on talking to him. "I hope you had a pleasant night with my Jordana. Is she with you right now? Yes, but of course she is. Please tell her… no, wait, I'll talk to her. Listen, Bastien, I want you to come to my apartment tout de suite, but make a little discourse via the hotel and take Giorgio with you, do you hear me. I need him. Then, we will talk."

Sebastien confirmed this with a short reply and handed the phone to Jordana. While watching her take it, he had a strange sensation, yet another emotion unknown to him before. It felt a bit like when she had looked at him at the of the previous night, before they went upstairs, only stronger, and a bit like someone was pouring liquid metal down his spine. Fascinating, it really felt very much so. He wondered if it showed in his eyes and to be on the safe side looked down at his hands when he leaned back in his armchair.

ooo

Jordana's gaze wandered over her companion as he answered her statement about the hotel. A sly smile slid over her face, as soon as he turned away punching in a number and putting the cell phone to his ear. She wouldn't say 'I told you so', however there was no one to tell her she couldn't think it. She continued to watch while someone talked on the other end, wondering what had been said, as Bastien closed his eyes. From her viewpoint it seemed to take some effort for Sebastien to remain unmoved.

The blonde could only hear Sebastien's side of the conversation, which for several minutes consisted of him listening, with little in the way of talk on his side. Well, really if she'd tried hard Jordana knew she could have picked up some of what was being said, but that would be dishonest to Bastien. And after what they'd shared, she didn't want to cross those boundaries.

Of course Jordana couldn't keep her mind off the man at the other end of the phone. Juan. She wondered what he'd been doing with that witch, last night. And hoped, in some bitchy part of her mind, that it hadn't been as exciting as he'd anticipated. There was a moment's hesitation, as Bastien handed her the phone, without so much as a word. But the girl took it, putting it to her ear. "Hello?.. Juan?..." All hope that he'd been miserable without her was dashed at the tone of his voice, with the first word he spoke.

ooo

Juan's voice did not actually sound cheerful, or even content, yet it bore a strange quality suggesting that he was – at least temporarily – oddly changed; it also showed weakness and had a certain hoarse quality. "Jordana," he said, pronouncing her name the Spanish way once more, and when he recognized her, he sounded affectionate, and almost remorseful. "By God, it's you, corazoncito. I am so glad you stayed with my little Bastien, kept an eye on him." He gave a throaty chuckle. "Or maybe two eyes and more…"

There was a short pause while an extremely sweet and low, yet at the same time artificial and utterly bored sounding voice said something French in the background; this was Marie's voice. Juan replied something, equally in French, and in contrast to the way he talked to Jordana, it sounded neither affectionate nor courteous, but rather the way a brother talked to his sister after a quarrel. Then he continued talking to Jordana. "I cannot repeat often enough how sorry I am for this unsuitable interruption of our blossoming friendship, honey. But as I already promised, I will make up for that any way you like, as soon as I am able to do so.

"Just one thing. I take it you will come here with Bastien, which would really be desirable. I honestly long to see you… How shall I put it? We will not be entre nous, my dear, if you grasp the profound meaning of my words. The… lady… decided to stay another night. You will not ever be friends, as far as my role as a fortuneteller goes, but you could at least try to ignore her, yes? And I will see to it that no harm will be done. Just to know you're safe, honey." Here a melodious laughter rang out from the off, and it sounded as if he was actually holding his breath. Then he added: "Ignore her. Please."

ooo

Jordana must have made the right responses, because before long Juan had told her he'd see her soon, and hung up. The blonde looked at the phone in her hand like it had sprouted two heads, standing still for several seconds, before snapping back to life. "He said one night," she growled, tossing the offending phone back to Bastien. "But she's still here...I heard her in the background, and it didn't sound as if she was remorseful about toss our lives around."

The blonde stood up stiffly, then began pacing across the room. She was trying to get a hold of her temper before it could flare to monstrous heights. "He wants me to...ignore her." Jordana's teeth were gritted together as she spoke, and her eyes glittered dangerously as she turned to pin a look on her companion. "Bastien...?" the name came out with deceptive softness, "Do you think I can ignore that bitch?"

Jordana wasn't sure if Sebastien would answer her or, even if she were looking for an answer. She wanted to vent, rail, tear the house apart, but knew if she took one step she wouldn't be able to control the beast. It hadn't been fed yet tonight, and now was close to the surface.

ooo

It had been easy for Sebastien to guess that the conversation between Jordana and his father would not turn out nicely, at least not for one party of the two. He watched her talk to Juan, that is, react to the things he said with some small commonplace utterances in-between that hardly showed what was going on inside of her, while her expression spoke volumes. Had she been able to hide her emotions quite well up to then, she now showed that she could not change the way she was made, and finally had to let out some of her temper.

Sebastien caught the phone and slipped it back into his jacket. In a way, he was relieved that, although Jordana's composure was remarkable, his theories about hot-blooded girls were not totally proved wrong. And although he had decided long since to stay loyal to her as long as she did not turn against him or his father, it was a proven fact that the more he found out about someone, no matter who that someone was, the more he could prepare himself for the eventualities to come; even events that might be highly unlikely, or that he did not even want to think about. Fixing his eyes upon her, he listened to the things she said and confirmed them with a nod.

Remorseful… well, that was one of the many words Marie had never learned, and Sebastien doubted if she had ever been able to grasp the meaning of it, either. "I daresay," he put his thoughts into words when Jordana made a break. "Marie has a tendency to mix up the syllables as soon as a word length amounts to more than two or three segments. Consequently, 'remorseful' would most certainly stretch her too far." He was not at all aware of the irony.

He remembered the first time he set eyes on her. He was still a boy and living at Javier's, which was fortunate, because otherwise he might not have survived the night, back then. She said she liked children, and it was only decades later that he came to learn she meant this quite literally. When he saw her, back then, she was beautiful and smiling sweetly and constantly and singing with a fairylike voice, and he could not understand why Javier would not allow her in his house. After their first direct contact, decades later, though, he instantly knew why. It had taken him weeks to recover from standing in her way.

Breaking free from the flashback, he worked his jaw around something sensible to say to Jordana. Her tone of voice when she called him by his name was deceptive, but the emotions she radiated were strong enough to be read even without any special skills. In other words: he could easily sense that she was close to splitting a seam right now, and he felt obliged to do something about it, not only because he owed her and Juan, but also because he did not like to see her lose face.

Still looking at her with a solemn stare, although it took him some pains to do so just because her glance was so utterly piercing right now, he made a few steps towards her, coming to stand face to face with the blonde. He felt that it would not do any good if he touched her. Maybe this was a trait they shared, and maybe she needed just the same he himself needed in times like this: something logical to hold on, to get back onto the rational level. "Of course you cannot ignore her," he said. "I tried several times, believe me, it is quite impossible. What we can do is, to concentrate on the work that has to he done, and to let us not be distracted by non-essentialities like her. Her task is performed, and Juan and I will see to it that she leaves town by the end of the night.

"It would be…" he looked at her even more intensely "… a waste of time and energy if you got involved in fighting her, for her only aim is to destroy, and that she did and that she will do wherever she finds an opportunity, and I do not want you to be destroyed." He stopped, opening his mouth in surprise. He had no idea where the last sentence had come from, and he could not remember having had the intention to say anything close to it. And yet, while speaking it out loud, he realized that this was what he had had in mind all the time.

ooo

Jordana's hands had been clenched into fists at her sides as she spoke to Bastien. But now as he began talking, in that calm demeanour he had, she grasped her bare arms, her nails digging into the smooth flesh. The blonde really didn't want to hear about how this strange woman had a past with either man. But Bastien was trying to calm her, and so she tried to concentrate on his words. "Of course you cannot ignore her...I tried several times, believe me, it is quite impossible. What we can do is, to concentrate on the work that has to he done, and to let us not be distracted by non-essentialities like her. Her task is performed, and Juan and I will see to it that she leaves town by the end of the night."

Her eyes begged for him to promise. Promise Marie would leave. Promise this would all end tonight. But Jordana knew better then to say the words aloud. She didn't know when Sebastien had stood up, or when he'd stepped up in front of her. But suddenly there he was, "It would be… a waste of time and energy if you got involved in fighting her, for her only aim is to destroy, and that she did and that she will do wherever she finds an opportunity, and I do not want you to be destroyed." She saw the shock on his face, moments before his mouth dropped open. And that in itself was enough to bring her back to her senses. Her fingers relaxed, leaving five little crescents on each arm that welled with blood as soon as she released them, perfuming the air around the pair.

"Thank you, Bastien." Reaching out a hand Jordana touched his arm, "I-I think I need to feed before we get to Juan's...otherwise I'm not sure I'll be able to keep from ripping that woman's hair out." She gave him an almost normal smile, letting him know her temper was cooling.

ooo

The hand that gently touched his sleeve smelled of her blood. The subtle smell was enough to get Sebastien back on line, but not enough to react to her touch. He had been watching her reactions, sensed her temper going from red hot towards comparatively normal again - fortunately, and perhaps due to that little speech of his. When she made the remark about ripping Marie's hair out, though, he replied: "From my point of view, you would not stop at the hair." He looked at her hands. "Yes, I am quite convinced that you would be content with no less than her heart. If you had a chance against her, that is, if I dare say so." Again, he was not aware of any humorous proposition his words might bear, because to his mind this was simply a matter of fact, and he wanted to share his knowledge.

Relieved that this was settled, then, he looked at the door. "You can feed on Jacqueline, and I will have some of Liberty's. The sooner we get to my father, the better, and he needs all of Giorgio." His glance flickered from the already healing little wounds on her arms to her eyes and back. The smell was nevertheless tempting, enticing, but he knew that drinking such a young vampire's blood would be one of his less intelligent ideas, especially before meeting Marie, and he would not want to risk a bond at any rate. In secret, he had to admit that he could not definitely tell if any kind of exchange had taken place by the end of the other night…

He realized that he was staring at her arm. Looking up slowly, he narrowed his eyes, then turned away. "I would be obliged if you turned off the alarm now, so that we can open the shutters," he said, almost as steadily as usual. "I need to get to… the car." He could have told her the truth, that he first of all needed to get some fresh air that would wash away the blood odour, and then would like to hurry to the hotel to get a good mouthful, but the soothing truth was: she probably knew, anyway. This was so special about Jordana: He did not need to explain himself to her (something he rarely did, in any case), and although they were so different from each other, she always seemed to understand his motives.

ooo

She knew as soon as she lay her hand on Sebastien's arm that he wasn't comfortable. And Jordana bit back a sigh as she listened to his take on her comment. A quirk of her lips was the only reaction to indicate he was right...yeah the woman's heart squeezed in her hand would be satisfying, but even with her reckless spirit, the blonde knew she was no match for the older vampire.

"You can feed on Jacqueline, and I will have some of Liberty's. The sooner we get to my father, the better, and he needs all of Giorgio."

Bastien's words brought back the situation with a rush of almost guilt, because Jordana had done her best not to think about him since he sent her away. However Jordana hadn't moved away or dropped her hand from her companion's arm, when she noticed he was staring at the self inflicted wounds. As soon as she noticed, Bastien also seemed to notice, and he pulled his eyes away looking at her for a moment.

Her temper had been cooling, but as their eyes met other things began to heat up in the girl. 'God, I'd like taste of you,' she thought, but allowed him to pull free, without a word. Jordana knew she should be happy with what he'd given, but it just wasn't enough. "I would be obliged if you turned off the alarm now, so that we can open the shutters, I need to get to… the car."

"Sure...you're right. We need to get going." Jordana glided across the floor, and did as he'd asked, watching as he opened the door and stepped outside. 'Run away for now Bastien...but you can't run far enough to get away from yourself,' she thought, stepping out behind him and shutting the heavy door. "Let's go," was all she said out loud.

To be continued...