* * * *
Deacon sighed angrily to himself as he sat in front of a computer in the basement. He had copied down the symbols from the pages of the book of Arabus and was now desperately trying to translate them but nothing he did seemed to work. The computer couldn't find a match to the long dead language or anything remotely close to it. It frustrated him to no end. It also frustrated him that he couldn't take his mind off the vampire hunter locked in his apartment on the top floor.
He kept seeing her in his mind; her long legs, her dark hair and blue eyes. The way she had trusted him so completely in the shower and he hadn't been able to do the same in return. He didn't want to be thinking about her but he was and his mind refused to let him block her out or wander to another topic. It wanted to think about Tina and only her.
With a growl deep in his throat, Deacon turned off the computer and hunched down into his chair. Had he made a mistake in taking Tina as insurance? Would she really turn out to be useful or would she just turn his life into a confusing mess? As he thought about his options, there was sharp rap at the door beside him and Quinn stepped in a moment later.
"Deac, man, I have to talk to you about that chick you've up got in your place."
"What?" Deacon asked, his eyes still ahead.
"Well, she clubbed me in the head with her fucking cast," Quinn said.
Deacon's eyes widened and he turned around in the chair to see blood smeared on one side of Quinn's face. His lip was split and a huge bruise had spread over the side of his cheek. Deacon knew he would heal quickly, but the other vampire was obviously angry.
"What did you do to her?" Deacon asked, his amusement evident in his voice.
"Nothing man!" Quinn exclaimed. "I swear to God Deac, I just went in there to get something and I walked by her and she just clubbed me."
"She's chained to a fucking chair Quinn, you had to have been pretty close to get whacked upside the head," Deacon responded.
"Fuck you man, I don't do shit!" Quinn yelled, then stomped angrily from the room.
Still smiling, Deacon rose from his chair and went to the elevator. He had to see Tina and whatever it was Quinn had tried to do to her.
* * * *
The elevator doors slid open and Deacon stepped into his apartment, prepared for the tirade of angry words that were sure to come from Tina's mouth. He had let Quinn enter his apartment so it was partially his fault that the vampire had tried to pull something on her. Instead though, the apartment was silent. The lights had been turned off in the living room and Deacon frowned.
He entered the room and flipped the switch on the wall, revealing exactly what it was Quinn had tried to do. Tina was barely conscious, the shirt Deacon had given her was unbuttoned and the jeans were unzipped. Long scratches marked her chest and belly, marks made by the very light pressure of a knife.
That wasn't the worst. The worst was Tina's face. Whatever Deacon had done to her the night before, Quinn had magnified ten times. Her eye was swollen shut, the bruise around it almost black in colour and thick abrasions decorated her hairline. Where her skin had split when Deacon had slapped her, Quinn had decided to rip back her skin. Blood was still streaming down her cheek, soaking into the shoulder of the shirt she wore.
"Oh shit, Tina," Deacon went to her and took her face in his hands. "Tina, can you hear me?"
"I fucking hear you Deacon," she murmured, staring at him through the eye that wasn't swollen shut. "Take a look at what your lackey did to me. He wanted to get some from me and when he couldn't he got a little pissed off."
"Oh shit, I'm sorry," Deacon said, unchaining her hand and lifting her out of the chair. "I need to get you clean again, changed and then I'll leave you in the bed. I'll fucking kill him Tina, I swear I will."
"Why? Isn't this what you wanted?" She coughed, then stared at him. "Didn't you send him?"
"No," Deacon placed her on his bed and stared back at her, "I didn't know he even came up here. He found me a few minutes ago and said you hit him so I came to see why. I had no idea, you have to believe me."
"You're a fucking vampire," Tina said tiredly. "Why should I believe anything you say?"
Deacon couldn't find anything to say to that and went to work cleaning her once more instead. He didn't know why he wanted her to believe him so badly, but he did. He wouldn't have sent Quinn to hurt her, he would never have hurt her this badly himself no matter what he threatened.
He laughed quietly at himself. *You're going soft Deacon,* he thought to himself. *You're going fucking soft.* And even as he searched his mind, he couldn't explain why.
* * * *
Deacon sighed angrily to himself as he sat in front of a computer in the basement. He had copied down the symbols from the pages of the book of Arabus and was now desperately trying to translate them but nothing he did seemed to work. The computer couldn't find a match to the long dead language or anything remotely close to it. It frustrated him to no end. It also frustrated him that he couldn't take his mind off the vampire hunter locked in his apartment on the top floor.
He kept seeing her in his mind; her long legs, her dark hair and blue eyes. The way she had trusted him so completely in the shower and he hadn't been able to do the same in return. He didn't want to be thinking about her but he was and his mind refused to let him block her out or wander to another topic. It wanted to think about Tina and only her.
With a growl deep in his throat, Deacon turned off the computer and hunched down into his chair. Had he made a mistake in taking Tina as insurance? Would she really turn out to be useful or would she just turn his life into a confusing mess? As he thought about his options, there was sharp rap at the door beside him and Quinn stepped in a moment later.
"Deac, man, I have to talk to you about that chick you've up got in your place."
"What?" Deacon asked, his eyes still ahead.
"Well, she clubbed me in the head with her fucking cast," Quinn said.
Deacon's eyes widened and he turned around in the chair to see blood smeared on one side of Quinn's face. His lip was split and a huge bruise had spread over the side of his cheek. Deacon knew he would heal quickly, but the other vampire was obviously angry.
"What did you do to her?" Deacon asked, his amusement evident in his voice.
"Nothing man!" Quinn exclaimed. "I swear to God Deac, I just went in there to get something and I walked by her and she just clubbed me."
"She's chained to a fucking chair Quinn, you had to have been pretty close to get whacked upside the head," Deacon responded.
"Fuck you man, I don't do shit!" Quinn yelled, then stomped angrily from the room.
Still smiling, Deacon rose from his chair and went to the elevator. He had to see Tina and whatever it was Quinn had tried to do to her.
* * * *
The elevator doors slid open and Deacon stepped into his apartment, prepared for the tirade of angry words that were sure to come from Tina's mouth. He had let Quinn enter his apartment so it was partially his fault that the vampire had tried to pull something on her. Instead though, the apartment was silent. The lights had been turned off in the living room and Deacon frowned.
He entered the room and flipped the switch on the wall, revealing exactly what it was Quinn had tried to do. Tina was barely conscious, the shirt Deacon had given her was unbuttoned and the jeans were unzipped. Long scratches marked her chest and belly, marks made by the very light pressure of a knife.
That wasn't the worst. The worst was Tina's face. Whatever Deacon had done to her the night before, Quinn had magnified ten times. Her eye was swollen shut, the bruise around it almost black in colour and thick abrasions decorated her hairline. Where her skin had split when Deacon had slapped her, Quinn had decided to rip back her skin. Blood was still streaming down her cheek, soaking into the shoulder of the shirt she wore.
"Oh shit, Tina," Deacon went to her and took her face in his hands. "Tina, can you hear me?"
"I fucking hear you Deacon," she murmured, staring at him through the eye that wasn't swollen shut. "Take a look at what your lackey did to me. He wanted to get some from me and when he couldn't he got a little pissed off."
"Oh shit, I'm sorry," Deacon said, unchaining her hand and lifting her out of the chair. "I need to get you clean again, changed and then I'll leave you in the bed. I'll fucking kill him Tina, I swear I will."
"Why? Isn't this what you wanted?" She coughed, then stared at him. "Didn't you send him?"
"No," Deacon placed her on his bed and stared back at her, "I didn't know he even came up here. He found me a few minutes ago and said you hit him so I came to see why. I had no idea, you have to believe me."
"You're a fucking vampire," Tina said tiredly. "Why should I believe anything you say?"
Deacon couldn't find anything to say to that and went to work cleaning her once more instead. He didn't know why he wanted her to believe him so badly, but he did. He wouldn't have sent Quinn to hurt her, he would never have hurt her this badly himself no matter what he threatened.
He laughed quietly at himself. *You're going soft Deacon,* he thought to himself. *You're going fucking soft.* And even as he searched his mind, he couldn't explain why.
* * * *