February 23th, 2025
Sunday; morning
Amazingly, it appeared that even in her sleep, a Certain Someone refused to let Ethan go.
The hours they have spent entangled together saw her grip slacken - morphing from that possessive grasp of an obsessive lover who feared rejection above everything else to a comfortable embrace of one who had found true solace.
With her right hand and head resting peacefully on his chest, her left hand still kept the man that had apparently stolen her heart closer, ever craving for his body's heat.
Sensing all that even before he had opened his eyes, Ethan relaxed his lips into a smile of comfort and contentment. How fortunate he was to share a bed with such a caring and loving wife… his Mia…
That same smile was swift to twist into a peculiar grimace - induced by a barrage of conflicting emotions, however, as the recollection of yesterday came to the forefront of his mind.
That was not his wife he had spent the night with. That was not Mia that was cuddling so lovingly with him on this beautiful Sunday morning.
Opening his eyelids, Ethan saw all the confirmation he needed. Long locks of red hair, cascading down his chest. Limbs with skin of alabaster, entangled with his own - somewhat tanned, ones. And if there were any doubts about the monstrous origins of the woman in his arms now, they would easily be dispelled by taking a single glance at the upper left corner of her forehead, which was dominated by a horrific, crater-like scar. The very same spot where a Cadou parasite was implanted, so long ago.
Still, once again, Ethan found himself only drawn more to this strange creature as he gazed into her scar. Far from being repulsed, the man felt a peculiar sense of comradery and kinship over their shared suffering. Moreover, he would be a liar if he claimed that he drew no comfort or pleasure from their current state of entanglement.
Warm and soft, Daniela's body felt so damn right in his arms. The way she calmly breathed in her slumber; the way she so lightly snored; even that earthly scent of hers, mixed with fading peony – it all felt right to Ethan's myriad of senses.
Sure beats the lonely weeks of nobody but myself to warm the bed…
And Ethan was swift to realize how wrong it was of him to enjoy such a forbidden proximity to a woman other than the one he was married to – regardless of her origins.
What would Mia think, if she had walked in right now and saw them like this? Would she merely cause a scene and demand for Daniela to vacate their house? Would she immediately press for divorce, instead? Would she take Rosie away from him?
One horrible thought beget another, and soon Ethan had to contemplate what exactly would happen if Rose herself were to enter his bedroom right now – a far more likely scenario than his wife doing the same – who was likely hundreds of miles away from them, by now.
What would he say, were he confronted by the pair of inquisitive eyes his little angel possessed? How would he explain himself, once he saw confusion blooming on his little girl's face?
Moreover, while a bright child, especially for her tender age, Rose was still hardly well-versed in the ways of the world, and would indubiously pass the proof of his infidelity along to that one person who could never know about it. Causing a cold sweat to bead on his forehead, Ethan could vividly imagine a scenario – a couple of weeks from now, with just the three of them having a nice family dinner and Rosie suddenly blurting out, "Mommy, who is this other woman daddy is sleeping with?"
The horror of the thought was enough to shake Ethan wide awake. He could not allow such a scenario to come to pass and that meant getting ahead of the situation. Carefully disentangling himself from the sleeping redhead, Ethan, nevertheless, was not deaf to the sigh of disappointment Daniela let out as his warmth left her. Gazing down at her slumbering form, Ethan had to stifle a gasp at the sheer cuteness the vampiric girl exuded in the moment.
They must have lost the blanket sometime before Ethan had woken, and now, without it or him to cling to, Daniela slowly but surely started to curl into a ball, with her knees pressing to her chest and her arms encircling her own legs.
Beyond merely seeking warmth, it appeared to Ethan that comfort – provided by a human touch of affection - was the most prized commodity and the most valuable currency of Daniela Dimitrescu's life.
Tenderly putting the blanket back over her slumbering form, his next move was surprising even to himself. Without thinking too much, the faithful husband leaned down to place a chaste kiss upon her cheek. It felt as smooth as it looked and the man wanted to seriously consider what it was that compelled him to perform such an affectionate gesture, yet its immediate effects drew all of his attention, instead.
As if drawing reassurance that she was loved from that simple gesture, as well as with the warmth returned to her, the stormy clouds that were slowly gathering around Daniela dissipated in an instant – with the chill-induced frown marring her perfect face relaxing into a carefree smile of contentment.
Shamelessly admiring the soft and youthful features of her peaceful face, with all of its smooth contours and pleasant angles, Ethan could not suppress a smile of his own from blooming, once again.
Daniela Dimitrescu was a complex creature, of that there was no doubt. Yet her desires were not so. She merely wanted to love and to be loved in turn… and everything else was of secondary concern.
Again, Ethan's smile shifted to an uneasy frown as he caught himself on a dangerous thought that he wished that he was able to give Daniela what she wanted.
Once upon a time, Ethan's biggest concern regarding Daniela was how exactly he was to survive his encounter with her. A simple lever turned out to be the answer, back then. Something told him that this current predicament would not have such a straight-cut solution.
Regardless, now Ethan had two options.
He could get her to leave - preferably the way she came - through the window. Rosie would be none the wiser with whom her daddy spent the night with and they all could pretend this never happened.
But that wouldn't exactly be fair to Daniela, would it? In a way, her outing into his house was a glaring reflection of his own invasion of their family castle, four years ago. Sure, he had a really fucking good reason to do that, but still - Daniela proved to be a shockingly amiable host, once they had reached that peculiar accord of theirs. She had provided priceless aid, in addition to rest and respite to the weary father, and now Ethan felt like it was only fair to return the favor in full.
So came the second option. Which was to introduce Daniela to Rose… as someone from their shared past, just without the gruesome details.
Initially, the very notion of introducing a bloodsucking, murdering bug-monster to his innocent baby girl appeared revolting to Ethan's mind, yet the father was quick to come to a startling conclusion that Daniela would never harm Rosie. Rationally, he wasn't even sure from whence he drew such certainty, but emotionally he just couldn't imagine the sweetheart that Daniela was intentionally hurting a defenseless child such as Rose. True, the redhead could be violently unstable, but - judging by their past interactions - there was a certain predictable pattern to her behavior that Ethan's keen mind was not blind to. While she was definitely capable of murder, Ethan felt like one had to provoke Daniela for her to become truly dangerous.
Moreover, it wasn't quite fair to Rose to keep one person that was instrumental to her salvation away from her. He did want to talk with her about Daniela, one day, didn't he? To actually allow them to meet was an opportunity that Ethan knew he would regret missing.
With his course plotted, Ethan quietly dressed for the day, never quite leaving one eye off the slumbering redhead still snuggling in his bed. Perhaps against his better judgment, the father found himself determined to treat Daniela with compassion and kindness - regardless of her past crimes and monstrous nature. There was more than just a speck of humanity in her soul, that much was beyond obvious at this point.
Satisfied with his pleasantly casual outfit, Ethan started to slowly edge towards the bedroom door - intending to have a little chat with Rosie, before pausing upon spotting a curious object resting on a drawer next to an open window - Daniela's most likely entry point.
Ethan could not suppress a light chuckle as he gazed at that very same pink winter hat Daniela had earlier - the one she had used to hide her scar, in addition to its primary function of keeping her head warm, presumably.
Tenderly grabbing the headwear, Ethan gave the object a cursory examination, genuinely curious as to how the reclusive Romanian vampire would come to possess something like that.
The beanie hat felt soft and fuzzy in his hands - the material it was made of was clearly expensive and likely comfortable to wear. On its back, the hat had a small but rich 'D.D.' engraving, implying that it was hand-knit specifically for Daniela… or that she had simply happened upon it in a clothing store and got enamored by it.
"Mama had it made for me."
Daniela's voice was soft, yet it stole the breath from Ethan's lungs, nevertheless, thanks to the sheer shock value of the unexpected. For a moment, the startled man's heart leapt up to his throat as he had to force that primal instinct - that called for him to turn around and swing his fist with all the fury he could muster - down. Having suppressed his violent, flight-or-fight induced urges, Ethan still had to let out an admonishment, "Jesus, Dani! Don't sneak up on me like that!"
"Sorry…"
The apology sounds sincere, so Ethan forced the rest of his vexation out of his system before slowly turning around to face the redhead. As he did so, he simply had to note how sneaky the vampiric girl was - one moment, she was peacefully resting on his bed, while entangled in blankets - another, and she was standing right beside him, all without making any noise whatsoever. Clearly, Daniela was a stealthy one…
As Ethan took in her apologetic features, he had to also admit something that he had already mentally noted, several times - to his chagrin.
Daniela Dimitrescu was cute… staggeringly so.
Bathed in the gentle winter sunlight, Daniela's ashen skin appeared nearly ethereal in its beauty; almost glinting as it reflected the soft rays of the early day sun. Moreover, the way she nibbled on her lower lip while refusing to meet his gaze lent the vampiric redhead a particularly alluring, innocent appearance. The source of her currently skittish expression became clear as she mumbled out another meek-sounding apology.
"I am so sorry for barging on you like this, Ethie…" the nibbling on her lip intensified, "did you hate every single moment of it?"
She still kept her eyes pointed to the side, avoiding his own. To Ethan, however, the inquiry was baffling. Indeed, he had been quite startled and - truth to be told - scared shitless when she had shown up in his bedroom unannounced, in the middle of the night. But fear gave way to surprise, then to resignation and finally to peaceful acceptance and a calm, pleasant slumber. But hate? Hate was never in the equation. Strangely, the eloquence must've abandoned Ethan in that moment, as the man mumbled out a very simple, yet very decisive answer.
"...I did not hate it. Not a single moment."
The truthful statement must have been enough to reassure the fidgety redhead, as her nervous nibbling ceased and her gaze finally connected with his own. And Ethan felt like he could get lost in these large, expressive eyes of hers. Simply staring into her molten gold orbs left the man unprepared for a sudden and fierce, yet at the same time seemingly tender hug he found himself enveloped in, soon after.
"I am so glad…"
Her whispered words left a shiver of forbidden pleasure rushing down from his earlobe, all the way throughout his body.
Ethan proceeded to return the affection by gently rubbing Daniela's back. At his reciprocation, the woman leaned even harder into his frame, with her grip becoming even more possessive - lending Ethan a thought that she was more than ready to go all the way down into that rabbit hole of theirs, were he to permit it.
Ethan had no desire to be forceful, but he felt like he had to to dislodge the redhead off him, so he attempted to focus their mutual attention back on that seemingly inconspicuous yet clearly important object that was still clutched in his right hand.
"So your mom had knit this hat?"
Ethan could not suppress a hint of incredulity from creeping into his voice at the very notion. Simply imagining the colossal noblewoman doing something as inoffensive as knitting a hat was bedazzling. Not to mention that little fact that the mental image of Alcina Dimitrescu trying to craft a small headwear with her enormous fingers was more than a little humorous, forcing the man to let out a stifled laugh.
Perhaps sensing his mirth, Daniela finally broke their morning embrace - which Ethan somehow both hoped would and would not become their routine - before resting her gaze on her beloved pink hat. Ethan could see that her whole expression relaxed into one of a fond reminiscence - with her already soft facial features mellowing into a true visage of solace. Now it was Ethan's turn to nibble on his lower lip as he admired this stunningly beautiful young woman that had so brazenly come to share his bed in the night.
"Mama always said how important it is to stay warm… I remember one day we were both visiting the Duke's emporium in our castle, and he had a hat that looked just like this one - and I couldn't take my eyes off it." Pausing for a second to let out a sigh of contentment, Daniela proceeded to place one dainty hand right above the headwear - in a way that saw her delicate digits softly caress Ethan's own wrist, right over the veins. The man had to resist a shiver of pleasure from the feather-light contact.
"I've never said anything, but mama must have caught my gaze, because the next day, after I've returned to my room - there was this beautiful little hat, just waiting for me…"
The raw love and affection was positively radiating from Daniela as she whispered the words with gentle familiarity of an adoring daughter. In a way, it was a particularly stunning moment of clarity for Ethan, as the man was not even aware that these creatures could possess such love for one another… yet the emotions seemed genuine enough, making Ethan gulp as a dark thought crossed his mind - the notion that he would've happily cut them all down in the pursuit of his admittedly righteous goal. Perhaps there was some credence to that saying that the road to Hell was paved with good intentions…
"Later I learned that it was actually Aunt Donna who had knit the hat, but in a way, that only made it better - it was a gift that connected all of us… we freaks have to stick together, you know?"
Now, Daniela's suddenly mischievous orbs were locked with him once more, as she concluded her story about the hat. Her dainty hand migrated further down his arm, only to bathe his forearm with unbridled affection with softness worthy of a lover's touch.
For Ethan, however, the evocation of that name brought a moment of misery, as he so painfully vividly recalled his brief tenure to her accursed manor.
Donna Benieviento was indubiously the strangest Lord Ethan had run afoul of and the survivor was more than sure that the only reason he had ever managed to escape her wicked games was the simple fact that she had been toying with him from the start.
Even now, four years later, Ethan would often wake up in the middle of a night, drenched in cold sweat, as that horrific abomination of a baby that had chased him through Beneviento's basement would come for a nightly visit to instil nothing but terror in his weary heart. The painful recollection caused by evoking Donna's name caused Ethan's whole body to tense, before the man could force himself to relax by closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.
Unfortunately, having completely forgotten about the pink beanie in his hand, Ethan allowed the headwear to fall to the cold floor from his fully relaxed fingers as he attempted to regain control of his body and mind.
Like that of a hawk, Daniela's piercing gaze followed her beloved hat, even as her soft features started to adopt a slightly harsher outlook. The tender ministrations on his forearm ceased in an instant. Before she had even opened her mouth, Ethan knew that Daniela was not happy about the carelessness with which he had treated her possession.
"You know, Ethie, normally, I don't really appreciate other people touching my stuff…"
That well-honed survival instinct blared akin to a siren in Ethan's head as he took on her swiftly-morphing expression. The way her seemingly neutral sentence was positively laced with venom, or the way her expressive eyes narrowed to vicious slits. Even her tender grasp shifted to an uncompromising one, as the gentle caressing with her digits' ridges against his skin started to tighten into a wicked hold. Her delicate fingers, that had previously shown his skin nothing but affection, were now pressed hard against his veins, almost painfully so, with sharp nails all but digging in.
Perhaps by combining and analyzing the stimuli received, Ethan found himself certain of one thing.
Daniela Dimitrescu - that same cute girl that clung to him with so much affection - was more than ready to murder a human being in cold blood over her cherished hat - the same hat his calloused fingers had just allowed to fall to the floor.
Ethan knew that Daniela was far stronger than she appeared, but the peculiarity of her hold on his wrist would allow him to escape the grasp easily enough, were he to attempt it. But that could potentially serve to spur her to further violence, and that was the last thing Ethan wanted. Therefore, ignoring his discomfort, the man stalwartly remained stock-still as he gazed into her narrowing eyes - determined to amicably resolve this situation with calm words alone.
Seeing that she had his full attention, Daniela continued her earlier thought, "But you, Ethie? I trust you. I trust that you will treat my humble possessions with care and respect they deserve. Surely you won't break my trust?"
The way Daniela emphasized certain words in her seemingly softly-spoken sentence left Ethan's rampant imagination with plenty of gruesome material. Adding the fact that Daniela was glaring at him right now, with her nails all but embedding themselves in his skin - Ethan was sure that if she pressed any harder, she would draw blood - Ethan was more than a little afraid. Suddenly gone was the sweet girl that craved for naught but affection, and in her place stood a vicious, murderous creature, drenched in blood of the innocents and for whom tearing a man limb from limb was just another Tuesday. Moreover, considering her unyieldingly scrutinizing gaze, she clearly expected an answer.
Even as he gulped in fright, contemplating the possibility that apparently he was a single wrong word or act away from being eviscerated, Ethan still spoke from the heart, as he never had any intent of violating her possessions in the first place.
"Of course you can trust me, Dani… I am your friend, remember?"
In a heartbeat, the positively murderous expression the redhead treated Ethan to morphed into one of carefree mirth, as the girl let out a charming little giggle that utterly shocked the man with its sheer contrast to her vicious state a mere second ago. In the same moment her nails ceased their near-violation of his skin and her soft fingers were rubbing his wrist with mind-numbing tenderness, once again.
Clearly, the danger has passed, but Ethan would be a fool not to take note of the redhead's violent and sudden mood swings. Beyond her sweet veneer lay a dangerous creature with potentially dozens of victims under its belt and he would be wise to never forget it.
In an attempt to show that he meant no harm, Ethan slowly picked up the discarded hat, carefully brushed some imaginary dust off it, mumbling, "here…" before putting it on her head and gently pulling it down until it concealed her scar, once more; with Daniela's curious gaze never leaving his own eyes, all the while.
"It looks really good on you." offered the man. Again, that was an undeniable truth, as the pink beanie hat did lend a certain look of carefree youth and innocence to Daniela, adding even further to her natural charm. But beyond that, however, Ethan was not blind to the fact that her deep scar was a very glaring feature that most people would immediately pay attention to - unwelcome attention, in all likelihood. If Daniela was to survive in this land of humans that wanted to do nothing more than to pretend her kind never existed, she had to keep a low profile. And despite their near-altercation just now, Ethan was determined to keep the vampiric girl safe.
Perhaps understanding both his stated and unstated points, Daniela smiled and nodded - a carefree expression of giddy joy somehow being mixed with tired resignation of her monstrous nature. Before he could pull his hands away from her, however, Daniela's own soft palms were swift to intercept his, once again entangling their hands into that pleasantly warm interlock. Amazingly, that simple gesture was enough to completely dispel the lingering gloom of the near-altercation, fully putting the man at ease and making him note how perfectly her smaller palms fitted into his; how right they felt.
But Daniela was not done with her display of tenderness, as the redhead slowly inspected his right wrist - which now had several angry lines marring it, left by her nails. Letting out a quiet gasp of regret at the sight of the damage she had inflicted, regardless of how minor it was, Daniela brought his wrist right to her lips, before placing several feather-light pecks right on it; her large eyes never leaving his own - with remorse plain in them. She said nothing, but her actions spoke loud enough - she never wanted to hurt him, perhaps she never wanted to hurt anyone.
Ethan, in turn, was all but frozen by her mesmerizing gestures. Somehow, her loving kisses felt better than Green Gel on his damaged skin.
Surely even her violent impulses are the products of her troubled past… and she clearly wants to move past it… But can I help her? I want to help her…
The peaceful moment of silent embrace and contemplation was interrupted by a sudden growling, coming out of Daniela's stomach, immediately putting a beautiful red tint on her ashen face.
Clearly embarrassed, the girl turned her gaze away while breaking their interlocking hands, but let out a meekly-spoken inquiry, anyway.
"Ugh… I am starving… What's for breakfast?"
Perhaps Daniela was truly able to move past troubling subjects with startling ease, but Ethan had just a tad more difficulty in that department. Her seemingly innocuous - perfectly ordinary, really - question managed to put Ethan at alert, once again. He could still recall the feeling of her sharp fangs breaking his skin in their desire for his warm man-blood, during their first encounter.
Immediately noting his discomfort, Daniela let out an unbearably cute chuckle, before tilting her head to the side and offering a word of comfort.
"Oh, no man-blood on the menu for me today, don't worry!" the girl paused, before fluttering her gorgeous eyelashes at him in a provocative way and amending that thought in a particularly sensual way that made Ethan's skin tingle, "unless you're willing to offer some..?"
Giving a nervous chuckle of his own, Ethan had to dismiss that notion, "Uhm, not really. Maybe some other time?"
Far from being distraught, Daniela gave him a wide smile, before trailing a single delicate finger across his chest and mumbling out a flirty-sounding line, "Mhm… I'll hold you to that, Ethie…"
Ethan had to consciously resist the desire to shudder at her tender ministrations. But again, showcasing her rapid mood swings, Daniela was swift to leap from a seductive marriage-breaker to a bubbly ball of joy, "But to address your earlier obvious concern," she even waggled her finger at his face at that, as if he was an open book she could easily read, "we can totally eat normal human food, in addition to our more… ahm… exotic cravings."
"Oh, that's good to know." truthfully responded Ethan, understandably happy to know that Daniela was not going to subsist entirely on a diet of blood and tears during her stay in Valencia. "We don't really have that much here, at the moment, but I suppose I can whip out an omelet or some corn flakes, unless you'd want something else? Can order pretty much anything, these days."
"Hmmm…" Daniela's index finger was quick to migrate to its place next to her lips, as the girl adopted a pensive expression that appeared next to humorous to Ethan. After several seconds of seemingly-serious contemplation, Daniela simply shrugged her shoulders and settled on the first presented option, "An omelet sounds fine, though I have to warn you, Bela has spoiled us rotten with her delicious cooking, so my refined palate is hard to satisfy!"
Another casually dropped name from his past that did nothing but chill the man's blood in his veins. The memory of the blonde witch's insane face, as she leered down at him with wicked hunger in her psychotic eyes was still fresh in his mind, despite the time that has passed since then.
"Mhmmm… the very thought of Ciorba de Porc or Sarmale de Peste prepared by Bellie makes my mouth water… Oh, but her Three-Flavored Mititei is to die for!" continued Daniela, momentarily unaware of Ethan's suddenly fidgety state, though quickly wisening up to it as she glanced his way. "What, not a fan of my beautiful big sister?"
The question was not loaded, as Daniela gazed at him with mirth in her large eyes, allowing Ethan to make a valuable observation - it appeared that Daniela's truly dangerous lapses of control were preceded by visible expressions of anger. Musing on that bit, and how he could turn that to his advantage in his dealings with this erratic creature, Ethan responded with a straightforward and honest answer.
"She really didn't give me any reason to like her."
Daniela only grinned, before playfully booping Ethan on his nose with her delicate index finger, which seemingly served so many different purposes for her arsenal of expressions. What she said next, however, was quite a shock to Ethan, even if it was something he suspected all along.
"I can give you one. Who do you think treated your wounds when you had so unceremoniously passed out in my armchair, hmm?"
Bela Dimitrescu tried to kill him, didn't she? Or, at the very least, drain him of his life-blood to satisfy her wicked cravings…
"Why the hell would she help me?" gave voice to his confusion Ethan and now it was Daniela's turn to giggle at his pensive grimace.
"Because I asked her to, silly! Duh!" Daniela responded with no short amount of enthusiasm, yet the way that she turned her gaze away implied a certain withholding of full truth - another habit Ethan was quick to pick on.
"Because you asked her to?" tried to confirm the man, not bothering to hide astonishment from his voice.
In turn, the redhead started to nervously bump her index fingers, before meekly offering, "Very nicely..?"
It was a real struggle for Ethan to amass enough firmness to call her out on it - she was just that unbearably cute in the moment.
"Daniela." He still managed to.
Huffing in frustration, the girl nevertheless gave in under his partially scalding/partially amused glare.
"Fine, there was also that little thing of Bela hating on Miranda and since you've technically bested all three of us, she thought that you really stood a decent chance of putting that nasty hag in the ground for good in your heroic quest of saving precious Rose. There, happy?"
Like a puppy looking for affection, Daniela focused her large eyes on Ethan, as she finished blurting out a fateful truth that would likely see heads roll, were it to reach the wrong ears.
In turn, momentarily dazed by the revelation that the Dimitrescu family appeared to not be as loyal to the deceased priestess as he had originally thought - even apparently having had plotted her demise themselves - Ethan merely gaped like a fish for a couple of seconds, opening and closing his mouth, unable to find words. The man couldn't help but consider whether the things would've gone differently between them were he to attempt to employ diplomacy during the encounter in Alcina's bedroom.
Probably not, since they would not have taken me seriously before I had proven my worth… 'little man-thing', 'man-blood' and all that…
"Anyway, do you mind if I go check out your library? I am dying to know just what kind of literature you are into, Ethie! Perhaps we could read together!?"
The animated series of rapid, enthusiasm-laced questions, taking their morning conversation in yet another unexpected direction, put a definitive stop to Ethan's private musings on 'what ifs', with the man focusing his disbelieving gaze on Daniela, instead. It took a further moment for him to come up with an appropriate answer.
"Uhm, hate to disappoint you Dani, but we don't have a library here. Most people don't, in fact."
Immediately adopting an expression of horrified disbelief at his apparently outrageous response, Daniela let out a mortified gasp before covering her wide open mouth with a pale hand.
"No library..?"
The whisper was laced with incredulity, as if the very notion was unfathomable to its speaker. Which could make some sense to Ethan, as he imagined that she naturally didn't get out that much during the years spent under Miranda's thumb. It wasn't that far-fetched to presume that her own library - the site of their first encounter - was one of the primary pillars of her very existence.
With that in mind, the following apology that left Ethan's mouth was not laced with mockery or contempt… yet it still felt lackluster to his own senses the moment it came to exist.
"Sorry…Mia has some books lying around, though… maybe they will be to your liking?"
Predictably, Daniela remained unimpressed as she leveled a judging glare his way, "What about your books, Ethan?" A beat of silence passed, as Ethan considered Daniela's potential familiarity - or lack of it - with electronic books; he did lack in the way of physical literature, not counting the numerous PTSD self-therapy books - and Daniela was unlikely to take an interest in them…
Then again…
Perhaps considering his lack of timely response as an admittance of being an illiterate bibliophobe, Daniela let out another shocked gasp before accusingly pointing her digit right into his face and, with indignity in her voice, making a half-statement, half-question.
"Do you… hate books!?"
The accusation was full of disappointment, bordering on dismay. Ethan could spot wetness starting to glint in the corners of her large eyes, making him mentally curse. Not willing to let her vivid imagination paint him as some kind of book-burning philistine, Ethan found himself resolute to reassert himself.
"What? No, of course I don't!"
The girl opened her mouth to let out a word of protest, no doubt, but Ethan would not give her a chance. Swiftly maneuvering around the redhead, Ethan grabbed a simple E-Reader device from its spot on a nearby shelf, talking all the while.
"True, I am not the most avid of readers, but that hardly means I haven't held a book in my life. Moreover, in our day and age there is simply no need to have a fully stocked library, as modern technology gives us plenty of alternatives. Like this one." Ethan waved the E-Reader, "Dani, this is what we call an E-Book. Are you familiar with this concept?"
"An E-Book?" the girl tilted her head to the side, as her tongue savored this clearly foreign to her word. Smirking at her confused state and feeling like he could get ahead in this conversation, Ethan gently patted the simple device before explaining. Digital world was his forte, after all and Ethan suddenly found himself back in the saddle.
"An electronic book. A book publication made available in an electronic form…" Seeing the lack of comprehension in her eyes, Ethan paused for a second, thinking on the best way to explain the concept to someone who had seemingly just stepped out of the early 20th century.
"There are some tricky details, but basically, from this little device, I can read almost any book in the world."
Astonished, Daniela immediately stepped up to Ethan, with her curious amber orbs never leaving the E-Reader. "But how?" she mumbled, when she saw nothing but a black screen on it.
Only too eager to demonstrate, Ethan flicked the device on and Daniela was free to peruse the latest novel he was in the process of reading.
"A Song of Ice and Fire, huh?" Daniela's hungry eyes roamed all over the device, which Ethan was only too happy to pass along to her waiting hands. "The Duke did mention that he would procure it for his inventory once the series was complete, though he had expressed concerns about the increasing likelihood of the author succumbing to the Long Night before finishing his great work…" momentarily done with her monologue, Daniela glanced from the E-Reader to Ethan, who could not resist the desire to snicker at hers and Duke's peculiar take on the aforementioned author and his series of epic novels.
"Anyway, is it any good?" inquired the eager redhead, even as she continued carefully fidgeting with the E-Reader, showing the little thing far more reverence than Ethan ever had.
"It's better than the sho…" started Ethan, before recalling the simple fact that Daniela likely had no idea about any of it, "...it's really good."
Nodding along, but apparently putting it in the back of her mind for now, Daniela was completely absorbed in the inspection of this previously unseen device, rotating it around and scrutinizing every inch of it. Seeing the girl struggling with turning a page, Ethan helpfully provided assistance, "It's an old reader, you have to be pretty firm with it." The faithful husband felt a bit of a blush creeping in, once he realized that he had just put his own palm over her smaller hand - or, more precisely - when he realized how exceptionally warm and soft it was and that he did not want to let go.
A cheerful "Thanks, Ethie!" was followed by a light peck at his cheek, not helping his suddenly waning composure. Somehow feeling like a lovestruck schoolboy, flirting with his first paramour, the man, nevertheless, let out an awkward sounding chuckle, before offering, "You're welcome, Dani… just wait till I introduce you to the Internet… I think you will love it…"
"I am sure I will, if you're the one doing the introductions…"
Her sensually-spoken response, combined with an incredibly charming smile - showing her pearly white teeth and directed his way was enough to momentarily daze the man, as he once again was struck speechless by her ethereal beauty and seemingly endless amounts of joy that somehow made the whole world just a bit brighter.
Against all odds, the man found himself genuinely happy that Daniela Dimitrescu turned out to be his newest neighbor. Moreover, Ethan was giddy at the prospect of all the mischief they could potentially get up to. While his horror-filled past left the man deeply satisfied with his peaceful life, after four years of stability and prosperity, there was a small part of him that found it all slightly… stale. That same part of him, perhaps permanently damaged by his life-changing experience, craved adventure and thrill - something that he could surely find in the company of this erratic creature. Finally, the man was not blind to the fact that Daniela herself lusted for very much the same thing - adventure and companionship.
Perhaps together, they could nurture and mend her shattered psyche while tempering the violent impulses that sometimes visited her mood. If that to be the case, Ethan was sure that they both could have an unforgettable and joy-filled vacation - something Daniela both needed and deserved to have, after her long years of loneliness, stagnation and deathly chill.
As he gazed into her gorgeous eyes while still savoring the warmth of their unbroken hand-contact, Ethan wondered if she was thinking the same thing. And perhaps she did, since her previously toothy grin shifted into a peaceful smile, while her amber orbs relaxed into a visage of contentment.
There were no further words exchanged between them - they were not needed in this moment of peace and comfort. For a moment the whole world seemingly faded away, leaving just two deeply damaged individuals, who drew endless solace from one another.
So consumed was Ethan in her depthless amber orbs and the charming smile, that he failed to note the door to his bedroom creaking open.
Only a shocked gasp - feminine, but lower in pitch than Daniela's; that of an adolescent teenager - was enough for Ethan to break eye contact with Daniela and to direct his attention to the doorway, where two pairs of eyes were glaring at their nearly intimate pose.
These deep sky-blue eyes of his beloved daughter, gazing at them with confusion, as the young girl could, understandably, not even begin to guess who this strange redheaded woman in her daddy's bedroom was.
The second pair was that of soft brown eyes - now almost comically wide open, as they glared at Ethan and Daniela with nothing but horror in them. Laura, a 16-year old neighboring girl and a babysitter to Rose… of whom Ethan had forgotten completely. A kind-hearted and good-natured blabbermouth… but a blabbermouth nevertheless.
Oh shit…