I was still just waking up when I bounced my way down the staircase. I was halfway down when the scent hit me. Then I heard the low voices. Company? Two voices, both male, one definitely my Puppy. The other smelled human. Had Puppy brought me a snack? I felt myself smile. That wasn't like him. He seemed happier the less he knew of my eating habits, but you never know. Maybe he thought he owed me a special treat. He knows how much I adore surprises. But I wasn't dressed for company, so I made my way back upstairs to dress and clean up.
Having made myself presentable, I following the sound of the two men's chatter. I stopped in the doorway, eyes half hooded, a hesitant smile touching my mouth. I'm not usually one for making an entrance, but I didn't want to be rude to my potential dinner guest. I waited to be noticed. I wasn't kept long, which is good. I'm not very patient. Puppy would wholeheartedly agree with me there. Maybe it's not so kind of him to do so, but it's a fault I can't deny with a straight face. For that fact, I'll let the insult slide. But back to more interesting matters. Our guest was about to give me his attention.
The strange man, or boy really, for he couldn't have been any older than twenty, looked over at me. His youthful face was open and friendly. He smiled over at me with the kind of broad grin that shows off your dental work. I smiled back, but without the porcelain display.
I don't look very fearsome. Not for a human, certainly not for a vampire. I'm an average enough height at 5'7", 125 lbs, and a slightly athletic build. I've got one of those hourglass figures, but that's really just a polite way of saying I have hips and a chest. I'm not all that well endowed though. Lucky for me, Puppy is a leg man. I'm pale of course, but I'd been pale even as a human. My hair is a lightly golden blonde, which I usually wear straight because I can't be bothered with it. It's pretty, or so people tell me, but it's long and gets in my way. I cut it off once, but being what I am, it just grew back again while I slept. I was relieved, but I'll leave it at that and won't tell you that I cried after I'd cut it. Anyway, I appear no older than the boy did. I was only nineteen when I stopped aging. I'm often mistaken for being younger. I don't mind so much, but it's annoying when you want to be taken seriously and someone asks you if they can speak to your mother. I blame it on my eyes. They're big and dark blue, and make me look innocent. Overall, I guess this kind of makes me look like the girl next door. Not the girl next door to my own neighbors of course. That girl is a vampire, and she's more dangerous than she looks. I mean the generic girl next door. The one who looks like me. The sort to make a stranger feel comfortable. The sort to make some men feel protective, as if I need to be saved. The sort to make some men feel predatory, as if they can prey on me. Right then I turned those hooded blue eyes on my husband, Michael Karrde. My Puppy. I arched an eyebrow in question. That question, in case my rambling has caused you to forget, was... "For me?"
Now, I know Puppy can't always guess how I'm going to react to things. Even after nearly a decade of marriage, I sometimes surprise him. It's not always in a pleasant way. So he couldn't be sure how I'd react to the young man sitting in our living room.
"Hun, this is a friend of mine. Alex." He said, putting a little emphasis on the word friend.
Alex, huh? And I wasn't allowed to eat him. I was disappointed, if not surprised.
"Alex?" My smile didn't falter, but the corner of my mouth twitched at the name. Only knowing me as well as he did, could my husband see this as a sign that I wasn't happy. But I continued to smile as I turned to the young man. I wouldn't throw a temper tantrum. I could be a good girl. I could see some of the tension in Puppy's shoulders release, but he still kept his eyes on me and looked a little wary. I wasn't sure if this should please me or irritate me.
Alex stood up and grinned at me in a friendly manner.
"Mike's told me a little about you. Still can't quite get over it. I think you're the first vampire I've met. Malkavian, right?"
The little toad! I gave the air a little sniff, but he still smelled human. For obvious reasons, humans generally aren't supposed to know about us. My husband isn't human either. He's Garou, or a werewolf if you like. I was left to assume this Alex must be kinfolk. That meant he was related to Garou, but while he carried the genes, he was basically human. No shifting into a big furry monster for this guy. But that's not what pissed me off.
"I most certainly am not! I am Ventrue." I spat, teeth bared.
Rude, rude, rude! Asking me if I'm a Malkavian is like asking if I'm crazy. Polite people don't go around asking new acquaintances if they're loony tunes. Especially not in their own homes.
Alex turned to Puppy, clearly confused. Puppy simply shook his head and shrugged with a look that said the kid had brought this one on himself. That irritated me even more.
"I'm sorry," Alex said, "I guess I misunderstood?"
He most certainly had.
"What clan are you babe?" Mike asked me, wiping a hand over his mouth to hide his smile.
I saw the smile, but I let that go. It was a silly question. I giggled, then curled up next to him on the sofa.
"Malkavian, of course," I purred at him. It was true. I can admit it. I'm not ashamed. But for the record, I did believe at one time that I was Ventrue.
Puppy shrugged at Alex. I didn't listen as the two picked up their conversation again. I was still annoyed, but kept a relaxed posture, leaning against Puppy on the sofa. The light drumming of my fingers on his knee was the only outward sign that I might be bored or otherwise displeased. I can fake it with the best of them. Who ever "them" is.
I was still a little disappointed that the young man wasn't meant for me, especially since he'd insulted me. Ripping into his throat sounded like a lot of fun. I really couldn't be surprised though, it wasn't as if my Puppy had ever brought me anything to nibble on before. And he seemed to count him as a friend. At least he'd called him one, though he hadn't explained who he was. But he annoyed me. And so I waited for a good excuse to step away. It would have been rude for me to have just left without excuse or explanation. I had my excuse when Puppy finished the bottle of soda he'd been drinking. I snatched the empty bottle from his hand, kissed him quickly on the cheek, and swept out of the room without a word.
Are you disappointed to learn a werewolf prefers something as mundane as soda? Get used to it. It runs in his veins. Believe me, I've tasted it. He only touches alcohol when it's deemed more appropriate for him to do so, like at a fancy dinner party or something. Myself, I'd love a glass of red wine. While I might order one on the very rare occasion Puppy takes me to a restaurant, I can't drink it. Some of us can. I'm not so lucky.
On my way to the kitchen, I could still hear the conversation from the living room. Even those in the know tend to forget that my kind can hear better than normal. Some of us anyway. We don't all come out of the box with identical accessories, you know. I came out of the box with heightened senses. It's not so fun in a smelly alleyway or the bathroom after Puppy's eaten spicy food. But that's my nose. I'm talking about my ears. The point is, I can hear you when you think you're whispering. Got it? Sometimes I can even hear you when you haven't said anything.
"Damn, is she always like that?" I heard Alex whisper to Mike.
But I was hurrying towards the kitchen and didn't pause to hear Puppy's response. My hearing does have limits.
Like what, though? I wondered. I had been perfectly pleasant. I hadn't felt pleasant at all, but I'd acted completely civil. Jackass.
In the kitchen, I gathered what I needed and grabbed another drink for Puppy. I didn't bother to see if Alex wanted anything. If he could be rude, so could I. Returning, a lazy smile playing on my lips, I handed Mike his drink. Rubbing against his legs as I passed him, I tried to look nonchalant. I kept my eyes on Alex.
"Oh Puppy, I forgot to get your friend something. Why don't you go get it?" I suggested. Getting him out of the room would be helpful. I was feeling naughty, and not at all in the sort of naughty way he would enjoy. It was much more the kind of naughty that would make his face go all red while he yelled at me. It's pretty funny. He used to spank instead of yell, but it was never very good as a punishment. I enjoyed it too much. As long as I can keep myself from giggling and I try to look abashed, the yelling makes him feel like he's made his point.
"No no, I'm fine." Alex insisted, smiling pleasantly at me.
I wanted to smack him. Instead, I sat down next to him. His smile turned a little awkward, like he was uncomfortable. I slid a little closer. The smile looked a little more forced.
"Babe, why don't you come sit over here, next to me?" Puppy asked me. It wasn't a question. He was telling me, not inviting me. But I was annoyed, and not feeling entirely accommodating. So, I just stared flatly at him for a moment, then turned back to Alex. I smiled, far more friendly than I had before. And in an instant, I'd pulled a butcher knife from my waistband, and held it close to Alex's throat. Now you know what I'd been doing in the kitchen. Surprised?
Alex had barely time to utter an oath before Puppy had my wrist in an iron grip. With his free hand he removed the knife from my hand and tossed it behind him onto the sofa. Damn.
"What is the matter with you," he asked me, angry. He shook me slightly, I guess to get my attention because I was still glaring at Alex.
I pouted, my chin down, eyes wide as I turned them up to his face. I added a little tremble to my lower lip for affect as I said, "He stole my name".
Puppy sighed. I think this was one of those times I'd surprised him. I wanted to laugh, but something told me it wasn't a good time. It may have been that he still had my wrist caught in his fist.
He slapped me on the button, just once. It was a good, hard slap and it made me jump.
"Be nice," he growled at me.
The sound of his growl would be enough to make most any person, vampire or not, shake where they stood. But I simply smiled up at him and rested my chin against his chest. "Yes Puppy," I cooed. Giggling, I nipped at his chin. I love it when he growls at me.
He kissed my forehead, content with the certainty that I would behave myself now, and took a step back from me. He really should know better.
"Put that thing away," he gestured to the knife. I snatched it up, humming to myself and bounced out of the room, pausing only long enough to stick my tongue out at Alex.
No. I would call him Alexander. I was Alex. Well, Alyx. But I used to be Alex.
Alexander was looking a little sick. Good.
"You gave the knife back to her?" I heard him ask Puppy after I walked away.
"Should have known she'd pull something, but she won't bother you again." Puppy said.
Silly Puppy.