"At that moment, you would have." Brianna glances to the sky for a moment,
the realization setting on her like a thousand bricks - she'd been trying
to tell herself that he wouldn't do such, that there was something there, a
feeling for her.
He'd obviously wanted her safe, because he had brought her here, had stayed with her when they had been in California.
There needed to be some shred of decency, some sliver of humanity, for him to do that.
Or perhaps he could feel the hum in her veins that drew most others. Had made the one who attacked her almost drunk as it had washed down his throat, as she lay there, completely helpless...
The memories were starting to make their way through gossamer filtering, cobwebs that had been placed there by a subconscious desire to simply forget.
"Bri..." A tortured look flashed in his eyes as he watched her, watched the fear that sparked in lovely dark eyes. The way her fingers moved to run through damp chestnut colored hair...
True beauty...
Yes, the obsession was still rather healthy in his mind.
The draw of this prey...
Angel...
Brianna.
"It's not important what I would have done, Bri. I didn't..."
The silence drives through again, the conversation jerky, awkward.
He stops.
She keeps walking, head lowered.
"Listen to me, please. Just..."
His words fall on deaf ears, and it was beginning to become more than a touch frustrating.
It showed in his movements, which were becoming hurried, steps quicker until he stood before her, making sure the girl couldn't move any further forward.
Fingers curled under her chin, tilting her face up - the stars in her eyes were dim, her countenance a bit paler than he would have liked to see.
It'd taken a lot out of her, the attack had. Taken more than he'd beem willing to notice firsthand.
He still thanked god that it hadn't killed her. Or worse.
"Listen to me. Tell me. Bri, if I don't know..." A shiver passed through his touch, playing over Brianna's skin as she seemed to catch the feeling.
She knew he meant what he said.
Or maybe - she was lying to herself.
"You can't help me. That's what, right?" Luminous gaze watched the vampire again, and her fingers reached up to meet his hand, pulling it away from her face. "He...I couldn't...it felt like you, but I knew it wasn't."
The feeling made her sick; the snarl that tremored in the night air brought goosebumps to fragile flesh. He knew what she was talking about, that was for certain.
The dangerous glint in blue eyes was enough to tell her that, even if no words were spoken.
The steps away from her, the need to collect himself before he went mad...
"Tell me." Edge's voice was eerily calm, but in places there were signs of strain.
He wanted to kill something tonight.
Her answer would give him all the reason he needed.
"He said..." The witch tries to remember, tries to sift through the abstract shards of the moment, piecing them together into something that would help. "He just came in, I was sleeping...and he said..."
"What." No question.
"It was a favor to you. It..." Brianna shook her head, already feeling her memories starting to fog. "He said you would have killed me yourself, if..."
"If I wasn't so damned...aware." A long sigh, and his fingers curled around hers, tugging her absently back in the direction of the apartment - he knew it probably wasn't a place she would feel safe now, but he didn't want to keep her in the rain like this.
"I used to be a very bad person, y'know? I just...did things. Without thought. Because I could. Because playing with people was fun, and watching them suffer meant that I'd won."
He didn't necessarily kill sometimes, but - maiming was a likely prospect for every victim. At the very least.
"After so long, Bri...it just...you either realize, or you fall into a frenzy so deep you care about nothing but your own survival. Most..." He needn't finish.
Most didn't care what happened to the people they once were. Not after everything they knew was ravaged, taken away...
"I'm not even going to try to explain how I got to the here and now, though. Would take too much. Just know..."
Again, he watched her - the way she moved hesitantly to follow him, knowing that even by doing such, she was defying all logic and reason in the world. Defying all that would keep her safe.
Not that safety was possible, anymore.
"I'm always capable of falling again."
He'd obviously wanted her safe, because he had brought her here, had stayed with her when they had been in California.
There needed to be some shred of decency, some sliver of humanity, for him to do that.
Or perhaps he could feel the hum in her veins that drew most others. Had made the one who attacked her almost drunk as it had washed down his throat, as she lay there, completely helpless...
The memories were starting to make their way through gossamer filtering, cobwebs that had been placed there by a subconscious desire to simply forget.
"Bri..." A tortured look flashed in his eyes as he watched her, watched the fear that sparked in lovely dark eyes. The way her fingers moved to run through damp chestnut colored hair...
True beauty...
Yes, the obsession was still rather healthy in his mind.
The draw of this prey...
Angel...
Brianna.
"It's not important what I would have done, Bri. I didn't..."
The silence drives through again, the conversation jerky, awkward.
He stops.
She keeps walking, head lowered.
"Listen to me, please. Just..."
His words fall on deaf ears, and it was beginning to become more than a touch frustrating.
It showed in his movements, which were becoming hurried, steps quicker until he stood before her, making sure the girl couldn't move any further forward.
Fingers curled under her chin, tilting her face up - the stars in her eyes were dim, her countenance a bit paler than he would have liked to see.
It'd taken a lot out of her, the attack had. Taken more than he'd beem willing to notice firsthand.
He still thanked god that it hadn't killed her. Or worse.
"Listen to me. Tell me. Bri, if I don't know..." A shiver passed through his touch, playing over Brianna's skin as she seemed to catch the feeling.
She knew he meant what he said.
Or maybe - she was lying to herself.
"You can't help me. That's what, right?" Luminous gaze watched the vampire again, and her fingers reached up to meet his hand, pulling it away from her face. "He...I couldn't...it felt like you, but I knew it wasn't."
The feeling made her sick; the snarl that tremored in the night air brought goosebumps to fragile flesh. He knew what she was talking about, that was for certain.
The dangerous glint in blue eyes was enough to tell her that, even if no words were spoken.
The steps away from her, the need to collect himself before he went mad...
"Tell me." Edge's voice was eerily calm, but in places there were signs of strain.
He wanted to kill something tonight.
Her answer would give him all the reason he needed.
"He said..." The witch tries to remember, tries to sift through the abstract shards of the moment, piecing them together into something that would help. "He just came in, I was sleeping...and he said..."
"What." No question.
"It was a favor to you. It..." Brianna shook her head, already feeling her memories starting to fog. "He said you would have killed me yourself, if..."
"If I wasn't so damned...aware." A long sigh, and his fingers curled around hers, tugging her absently back in the direction of the apartment - he knew it probably wasn't a place she would feel safe now, but he didn't want to keep her in the rain like this.
"I used to be a very bad person, y'know? I just...did things. Without thought. Because I could. Because playing with people was fun, and watching them suffer meant that I'd won."
He didn't necessarily kill sometimes, but - maiming was a likely prospect for every victim. At the very least.
"After so long, Bri...it just...you either realize, or you fall into a frenzy so deep you care about nothing but your own survival. Most..." He needn't finish.
Most didn't care what happened to the people they once were. Not after everything they knew was ravaged, taken away...
"I'm not even going to try to explain how I got to the here and now, though. Would take too much. Just know..."
Again, he watched her - the way she moved hesitantly to follow him, knowing that even by doing such, she was defying all logic and reason in the world. Defying all that would keep her safe.
Not that safety was possible, anymore.
"I'm always capable of falling again."