* * * *
Deacon returned to his apartment, a smile still on his face from his encounter with Quinn. He turned off the lights as he walked through the living room and entered the bedroom. His body was calling for sleep, something it rarely needed but he wouldn't deny it. He stripped off his shirt and pants, then crawled into the bed and pulled the sheets over his body. He had just barely drifted off when Tina moved next to him.
"Deacon?" She asked.
"Hmm?"
"Did you kill Quinn?"
"No," he replied. "I hurt him though. You won't ever have to worry about him again."
"Oh." She was silent for a long moment, then sighed. "Are you sure? I mean, I could take him out normally, but now my wrist is broken and being tied up usually doesn't help."
"Tina, for Christ's sake, you're safe." Deacon turned onto his side to look at her and cringed inwardly at the terrible wounds on her face. "I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"Letting Quinn touch you." He reached forward and brushed his fingertips over her forehead. "You're going to have a scar."
She smiled. "Don't worry about me. I heal well."
They both fell silent and Deacon stared at her, knowing that even in the dim light, her eyes were a stunning blue. They reminded him of the ocean he'd never again see in the sunlight. She fidgeted nervously and tore her gaze away from his. It was in that instant that Deacon realized what was so different about her, why she was always on his mind. He was falling in love with her.
"Impossible," he murmured.
"What?"
"Nothing," he said. "Just talking to myself. Go back to sleep."
Tina grinned. "Promise you won't kill me in my sleep?"
"Don't know if I can do that sweetheart," he said, then smiled at her. "Promise."
Her eyes closed slowly and she drifted into a restless sleep as Deacon watched. The thought of love whirled through his mind and drove him crazy. He was a vampire, he couldn't love a human, he didn't have the capacity to do so. He wanted to have sex with her, he had admitted that to himself from the moment he had laid eyes on her, but falling in love? That wasn't possible, not for him.
Deacon firmly made up his mind and closed his eyes, trying to sleep. He didn't love her, his sexual desires for her were taking over, that was all. He couldn't love her. She was human. He could only love another vampire and even that hadn't happened in all his years. Love for a human was strictly left for humans.
His eyes opened unconsciously and he found himself smiling at her sleeping face. He didn't love her at all.
* * * *
Deacon awoke the next evening to see Tina sitting up on his bedroom, trying to reach the controls for the window. The arm she had chained to the headboard made it difficult for her to move very far and the vampire smiled slightly.
"Feeling the need for some sunlight sweetheart?"
Tina chuckled and shook her head. "It's past eight Deacon, the sun is down. I just wanted something to stare at until you woke up."
He grinned and threw the covers off his bed. "I'm not good enough to stare at?"
Tina turned toward him and grinned back. "Not bad. I like you better with clothes though."
Deacon went to his closet and pulled out a pair of dark pants and a white shirt. As he buttoned it and flipped the collar down, he turned back to her and shot a smile in her direction. "Better?"
Tina shrugged. "I suppose. That is, if you consider a vampire good in the first place."
"You're funny, anyone ever tell you that?" Deacon asked, going to the window and touching the controls to raise the shutters. They rolled up slowly, revealing the darkened night sky, cars racing below and sirens howling in the distance.
"So, what do you plan on doing with me?" Tina asked. "I mean, what am I going to do all day and all night? I might get bored."
Deacon sat beside her on the bed and stared at the sky. "I don't know. I usually go out, but I can't exactly take you with me to a club now, can I?"
"Not unless you want half the club dead," Tina said.
"And I don't want to leave you here by yourself. You'd get bored." He sighed. "And I'm still not too sure about letting Quinn know you're anywhere by yourself and vulnerable."
"I'm not vulnerable," Tina told him. "Or at least I wouldn't be if you wouldn't leave me chained up."
He shrugged. "Sorry sweetheart. I kind of can't risk having you loose in this building. That could cause me a lot of damage."
"Look, I have to head downstairs quickly to talk to a guy . . . a familiar," Deacon said. "I'll take you with me, give you a quick tour and then we'll just hang out. I think some people are coming over later anyway. We'll have fun."
Tina raised her eyebrows in his direction. "Some people? Fun? I'm assuming you mean vampires."
Deacon nodded. "Well, yeah. Who did you think I hung out with?"
She shrugged. "I'm just not so sure I want to spend the night with a group of vampires."
Deacon turned toward and touched her face, examining the marks Quinn had left on her. "You were right, you do heal well." He smiled and dropped his hand. "How about if I promise that we won't be rowdy?"
"Can you promise that?"
He shrugged. "I can try."
"Not good enough Deacon. If you're having a party, just leave me here. I'll be fine," Tina said, leaning back on the bed.
"Hey, I'm not letting you bore yourself to death." Deacon sighed. "Tell you what, I'll take you into the living room, you stay for an hour. If you hate it, I'll bring you back in here for the rest of the night."
Tina sighed. "Half an hour."
Deacon nodded. "Okay, deal. But I have a feeling you're enjoy yourself."
Tina rolled her eyes and stared at the ceiling. "I have a feeling you're very wrong," she murmured. She smiled and shook her head, watching Deacon prepare himself for his party. Tina sometimes thought he knew so much about her, but other times it was as if he knew nothing at all. She hated admitting it to herself, but she enjoyed spending time with the vampire. He wasn't as bad as she had expected him to be, he treated her with respect most of the time.
It drove Tina crazy to admit as much to herself, but sometimes she even found herself attracted to Deacon on some primal level where she just wanted to tear into him. It was easy to restrain herself, especially being handcuffed like she was but every so often she wondered if she really wanted to restrain herself.
* * * *
Deacon returned to his apartment, a smile still on his face from his encounter with Quinn. He turned off the lights as he walked through the living room and entered the bedroom. His body was calling for sleep, something it rarely needed but he wouldn't deny it. He stripped off his shirt and pants, then crawled into the bed and pulled the sheets over his body. He had just barely drifted off when Tina moved next to him.
"Deacon?" She asked.
"Hmm?"
"Did you kill Quinn?"
"No," he replied. "I hurt him though. You won't ever have to worry about him again."
"Oh." She was silent for a long moment, then sighed. "Are you sure? I mean, I could take him out normally, but now my wrist is broken and being tied up usually doesn't help."
"Tina, for Christ's sake, you're safe." Deacon turned onto his side to look at her and cringed inwardly at the terrible wounds on her face. "I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"Letting Quinn touch you." He reached forward and brushed his fingertips over her forehead. "You're going to have a scar."
She smiled. "Don't worry about me. I heal well."
They both fell silent and Deacon stared at her, knowing that even in the dim light, her eyes were a stunning blue. They reminded him of the ocean he'd never again see in the sunlight. She fidgeted nervously and tore her gaze away from his. It was in that instant that Deacon realized what was so different about her, why she was always on his mind. He was falling in love with her.
"Impossible," he murmured.
"What?"
"Nothing," he said. "Just talking to myself. Go back to sleep."
Tina grinned. "Promise you won't kill me in my sleep?"
"Don't know if I can do that sweetheart," he said, then smiled at her. "Promise."
Her eyes closed slowly and she drifted into a restless sleep as Deacon watched. The thought of love whirled through his mind and drove him crazy. He was a vampire, he couldn't love a human, he didn't have the capacity to do so. He wanted to have sex with her, he had admitted that to himself from the moment he had laid eyes on her, but falling in love? That wasn't possible, not for him.
Deacon firmly made up his mind and closed his eyes, trying to sleep. He didn't love her, his sexual desires for her were taking over, that was all. He couldn't love her. She was human. He could only love another vampire and even that hadn't happened in all his years. Love for a human was strictly left for humans.
His eyes opened unconsciously and he found himself smiling at her sleeping face. He didn't love her at all.
* * * *
Deacon awoke the next evening to see Tina sitting up on his bedroom, trying to reach the controls for the window. The arm she had chained to the headboard made it difficult for her to move very far and the vampire smiled slightly.
"Feeling the need for some sunlight sweetheart?"
Tina chuckled and shook her head. "It's past eight Deacon, the sun is down. I just wanted something to stare at until you woke up."
He grinned and threw the covers off his bed. "I'm not good enough to stare at?"
Tina turned toward him and grinned back. "Not bad. I like you better with clothes though."
Deacon went to his closet and pulled out a pair of dark pants and a white shirt. As he buttoned it and flipped the collar down, he turned back to her and shot a smile in her direction. "Better?"
Tina shrugged. "I suppose. That is, if you consider a vampire good in the first place."
"You're funny, anyone ever tell you that?" Deacon asked, going to the window and touching the controls to raise the shutters. They rolled up slowly, revealing the darkened night sky, cars racing below and sirens howling in the distance.
"So, what do you plan on doing with me?" Tina asked. "I mean, what am I going to do all day and all night? I might get bored."
Deacon sat beside her on the bed and stared at the sky. "I don't know. I usually go out, but I can't exactly take you with me to a club now, can I?"
"Not unless you want half the club dead," Tina said.
"And I don't want to leave you here by yourself. You'd get bored." He sighed. "And I'm still not too sure about letting Quinn know you're anywhere by yourself and vulnerable."
"I'm not vulnerable," Tina told him. "Or at least I wouldn't be if you wouldn't leave me chained up."
He shrugged. "Sorry sweetheart. I kind of can't risk having you loose in this building. That could cause me a lot of damage."
"Look, I have to head downstairs quickly to talk to a guy . . . a familiar," Deacon said. "I'll take you with me, give you a quick tour and then we'll just hang out. I think some people are coming over later anyway. We'll have fun."
Tina raised her eyebrows in his direction. "Some people? Fun? I'm assuming you mean vampires."
Deacon nodded. "Well, yeah. Who did you think I hung out with?"
She shrugged. "I'm just not so sure I want to spend the night with a group of vampires."
Deacon turned toward and touched her face, examining the marks Quinn had left on her. "You were right, you do heal well." He smiled and dropped his hand. "How about if I promise that we won't be rowdy?"
"Can you promise that?"
He shrugged. "I can try."
"Not good enough Deacon. If you're having a party, just leave me here. I'll be fine," Tina said, leaning back on the bed.
"Hey, I'm not letting you bore yourself to death." Deacon sighed. "Tell you what, I'll take you into the living room, you stay for an hour. If you hate it, I'll bring you back in here for the rest of the night."
Tina sighed. "Half an hour."
Deacon nodded. "Okay, deal. But I have a feeling you're enjoy yourself."
Tina rolled her eyes and stared at the ceiling. "I have a feeling you're very wrong," she murmured. She smiled and shook her head, watching Deacon prepare himself for his party. Tina sometimes thought he knew so much about her, but other times it was as if he knew nothing at all. She hated admitting it to herself, but she enjoyed spending time with the vampire. He wasn't as bad as she had expected him to be, he treated her with respect most of the time.
It drove Tina crazy to admit as much to herself, but sometimes she even found herself attracted to Deacon on some primal level where she just wanted to tear into him. It was easy to restrain herself, especially being handcuffed like she was but every so often she wondered if she really wanted to restrain herself.
* * * *