Chapter 21

A/N: Wow…it's been a while…forgive me! A few of you said you felt a fight coming on…and you were right! Kind of. But not the kind you were thinking of. Hope you like this one, and please review if you read it!

"I find myself a bit of a mess.

Life just isn't fair, is it?

I miss the years when we were young,

Innocent and so naïve.

We can dream but I can't stay.

It's a small world.

But I'll still sail much too far away."

This Providence, "An Ocean Between

Jager and I go to a human bar to hunt, and we are a couple for strategy's sake. We slide up to the bar and share a beer (which does nothing whatsoever to either of us) while I scan the room. "Hey," I whisper in his ear. There is a young woman looking at us—or rather, at Jager. She looks too young to be in a bar, let alone drinking shots. I send the image of her into his mind along with the words She'll come. I'm going to the restroom. He bares his teeth and nods.

I disentangle myself from him and walk away, purposely leaving him free to entice the girl to approach him.

I give him a few moments to seduce her while I stand in a bathroom stall, laughing silently at the words carved into the cheap metal walls. It reminds me of my high school bathrooms; of the way girls would scream "Slut!" in writing on the peeling blue doors. Then I send him a thought. Ready?

His voice is amused. Meet me outside.

I wash my hands deftly for show, make my way through the crowd to the door that will let me out of the rank, noisy bar. When I slip outside into the chilly, dark air, I spot Jager and the girl immediately. She is pressed up close to him, and he is whispering in her ear while she smiles and tries to reach up to kiss him (without success). Despite knowing that this is a hunt, an act, I feel a small twinge of jealously, one I stifle immediately. I stride over, meeting Jager's eyes over her blonde head, and crush her mind under my power. She falls limp, her eyes wide and trusting. And although she is clearly drunk, when he and I reach our heads forward and meet opposite sides of her neck at the same time, her blood is sugary, perfect. We drink until she has nothing left, then release her. Jager catches her body before she falls to the ground, drags her into an alley and leaves her ungraciously in a dumpster. I almost feel bad for her. Almost. And so I close her eyes before we leave.

He pulls me close when we exit the alley and kisses me with lips still reeking of blood. "I love you," he murmurs. I smile and take his hand, tug it slightly.

Let's go.

He looks at me, his eyes laughing under arched brows. "Where?"

I shake my head at him. "Los Noches. Where else?" He nods and we leave, melting into the darkness outside of the human bar.

Jager reaches for me protectively when we appear in front of the nightclub's doorway, and I instinctively know that he spoke to Fala. I slip my hand into his when he brushes my arm, and he glances down to grace me with a rare smile. "Something wrong?" I can still taste the sweet hint of blood in my mouth from our hunt.

He shakes his head and holds the door open for me. We head to the bar, where the blood-bonded bartender smiles at us and immediately hands Jager an unidentifiable bottle. He takes a sip while my eyes roam the room, my fingers absently rubbing the dark, glassy counter. He hands me the bottle after a moment and I smile distractedly, holding it in my hands while I think. Neither Moira nor Fala are here, and I can't help but wonder if Moira got what she wanted, if Fala has gone back to her. The bottleneck beneath my fingers is dark and smooth, slightly chilled by whatever liquid is inside. Shaking Moira from my thoughts, I bring the bottle to my lips and swallow down Jager's favorite drink. It is bitter but sweet at the same time, and I clear my throat, hand it back to him. "It's good," I say, repressing the urge to cough.

He opens his mouth to reply but doesn't get the chance to say anything because at that moment, Fala and Moira saunter through the door. Fala has her arm hooked around her lover's waist, and Moira rests her head on her shoulder. I smile and lock eyes with Jager; do I imagine the longing expression or is it really there? He leans forward and kisses my open mouth, perhaps to hide whatever I wasn't supposed to have seen. It is difficult, but I manage to push him away with another smile. I want to watch them for a minute, I tell him silently, and he nods, turns back to the counter and his drink.

Moira and Fala make their way to a corner, where they share a seat, speaking in either low or silent voices to each other. I watch them kiss, watch as Moira murmurs something and strokes Fala's cheek, runs her hands through the other vampire's hair. Biting my lip, I turn back to Jager and press my fingers into his palms. "Okay," I whisper, "now you can kiss me." He grins and obeys, pressing his lips to mine. I revel in his beautiful scent, in the feeling of his lips on mine. You are—

Whatever else Jager says to me is drowned out by the sudden noise erupting from Fala and Moira's corner. I break away from Jager in time to turn and see a cringing Moira dodge the chair Fala kicks her way. "How dare you?" Fala snarls, walking closer to her lover. Moira's dark hair hangs in front of her face and she is doubled over as if in pain. "Fala…" she whispers, digging her fingers into her own arms. "Fala, I didn't mean anything—"

"Bullshit!" Fala yells. "You meant everything by it! I come back to you, treat you as you begged me to since the first time you left me, and this is what I get?" She grimaces and Moira suddenly cries out in pain, falling to her knees. I realize a second later that Fala had attacked Moira's power. I watch in horror as Moira actually cries, her hair clinging to her dark, beautiful skin. "I'm sorry…" She sounds like she is begging, and I almost expect her to crawl forward and plead to Fala on her knees. But she doesn't.

I glance back to where Jager is sitting but find no one there. Where did he go? Jager?! I feel his presence in my mind, feel him shake his head, tell me not to speak to him. I'm in my room. Come to me later. Not now. The severity of his voice convinces me, and I sigh, turn back to Moira and Fala.

Fala is looking at Moira strangely, almost as if she regrets acting out. Had Moira said something that I missed in my preoccupation with Jager? Or were they conversing silently? I decide it doesn't matter, but stand up, walk to the door, instead. As I slip out, I turn back to glance at the fighting couple and find Fala in Moira's arms, her face hidden in the girl's hair.

I shake my head and turn my back to them, stepping out into the rain pouring from the night sky.