I want somebody who cares for me passionately

With every thought and with every breath

Someone who'll help me see things in a different light

All the things I detest I will almost like

,~V~,

The month that followed was strange but welcomed. I spent the days getting to know the woman who invited me into her house. I offered little about me, opting to keep my distance for now. I sometimes accompanied her when she went out at night. I made sure to get my fill of blood while we were out too. It wasn't that I didn't want her blood, because I did, all the time, but I felt that as her protector I needed to stay fully fed and that required more than what one person could give me. But the few times she didn't go out at night I missed out on those opportunities. That left her with the task of feeding me. In those situations I always took from her arm and made sure that I didn't take too much, covering the rest with New Blood.

I never thanked her for anything but she had this annoying habit of thanking me for sticking around. She said it was kind of me even though I was ordered to. I just rolled my eyes and ignored her but she didn't mind. With the end of the month now behind us I laid down next to her as I did every night and waited for the sun to drive me into my dark slumber. When I was ready to wake up the first thing I became aware of was something brushing my nose. I stayed perfectly still and let my senses help me understand. Soft fingers returned to my face, tracing over every angle before running through my hair. The hands were warm and made me sigh which caused the curious human to gasp and pull back. I smirked.

"Having fun there?" I asked Tori, silently wondering what she was doing.

"I'm sorry! I th-thought you were still asleep," she stuttered. I opened my eyes and took in her nervous expression. She was sitting right next to me, nibbling at her bottom lip. I always found it attractive when she did that.

"It's fine. It must still be weird for you to have a vampire taking refuge in your home twenty-four seven," I mentioned.

"Well, not really. I had a friend who was turned. I knew him since high school. He was turned recently and left to find his maker but he was living with me for a while before he decided to go," she shared.

"Oh, well, then hopefully he isn't the possessive type because I'm here to stay until Willa comes back for me," I told her, rolling on my side to face her and propping my head on my palm.

"What if she doesn't come back?" she asked.

"She will," I answered certainly.

"What if it's a long time until then?" she questioned next.

"Then I'll stay as long as is needed," I said with an easy shrug.

"You will?" she replied uncertainly.

"Yes. I'm your protector. I'm here to make sure nothing like that night can ever happen again," I replied, determined.

"Yeah, I can't believe I stupidly tried to walk home alone," she mumbled, a hint of embarrassment in her voice. I watched her carefully, examining her face as I always seemed to do, and suddenly had this urge to tuck back a lock of her soft chestnut hair. So, I reached out and brushed it back delicately. She blushed and looked away.

"Jade?" she began. I hummed a reply, my eyes still studying her beautiful face.

"D-do you happen to know the side effects of giving me your blood?" she asked, her voice unsteady.

"Yeah, Willa told me we have some kinda bond. Whatever the fuck that means," I replied carelessly.

"Did she tell you about the dreams? And the…urges?" she forced out. That caught my attention.

"No. She didn't," I answered with a slow shake of my head. I listened to her breathing and heart rate accelerate. Her scent seemed to enhance. She smelled so good.

"Well, there were a few nights when…I had dreams about you," she went on, bashful and almost as red as a tomato, clearly visible despite her natural tan.

"Go on," I encouraged her, interested.

"I've never had another vampire's blood before so I'm not sure if it's normal, but I had dreams about us…together," she tried to explain. My smirk grew and I sat up to lean closer to her. She sucked in an unsteady breath when I got close enough to her neck. I inhaled what I came to realize was the smell of her arousal. My fangs descended as my own body reacted to her.

"I think that's normal. You know, for the situation. Not so normal in general," I told her, voice light and teasing. I leaned away and her eyes went to my smirking mouth. I knew she was eyeing my fangs.

"I, um, you smell really good," I muttered, locking eyes with her.

"Have you eaten recently?" she questioned. I realized what she would offer and quickly refused.

"No, yeah, I'm fine," I told her. She nodded and moved to leave but I grabbed her wrist. She stopped and looked back at me but I wordlessly buried a hand in her hair and urged her lips onto mine, following the impulse to feel her against me. She groaned lightly and I kissed her a little harder. Her own hands grabbed a handful of my shirt and pulled me closer so I pushed her back so that she lied down. I straddled her waist, keeping our lips connected, and ran my hands up under her shirt. She groaned again and I smirked against her mouth. My tongue sought out hers and her hands tightened on me. I couldn't keep my body from responding to her so that soon I was rolling my hips into hers. She broke off the kiss just as her body did the same and then her head tilted back to moan, low and sultry.

"Vega," I whispered in her ear, my nickname of sorts for her when I was feeling particularly happy. I nipped at her ear before traveling down to her neck. I bared my fangs and brought the tips to her smooth skin when I sensed someone in the house. A growl tore from me and an answering one was returned. I sat up to glare at the intruder.

"Andre," Tori addressed him, still out of breath. I removed myself from her to stand at the ready, just in case. He must be the friend she was talking about. How else would he be able to come in so easily? She had to have already given him permission to enter before.

"What are you doing here?" he said, distrustful eyes on me.

"I'm her protector. Have you seen the news lately? Every human needs a vampire guardian, and I'm hers," I responded in a matter-of-fact tone.

"I saw the news, but you aren't her guardian. I am. So get going," he countered, stepping closer to try and intimidate me. It wasn't working.

"Yeah? And where were you when she was attacked?" I spat, getting in his face. He backed down and a look of concern graced his face.

"You were attacked?" he asked Tori to make sure. I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms.

"Yes, but I'm fine. Jade saved me," she acknowledged with a nod to me. He frowned and turned on me again.

"Thanks, but you aren't needed anymore. I'm back now," he stated.

"I can't leave. I was told to stay and protect her," I repeated. He was pissing me the fuck off. I hated repeating myself.

"And now I'm telling you to leave," he retorted.

"You don't get it. I was commanded by my maker to protect her. I'm sure you know what that means," I hinted, my tone sharp now. He growled and shoved me to the door but I grabbed him and tossed him into the hall. He jumped back to his feet just as I advanced on him, Tori yelling at us to stop but going unheard. He grabbed me by the neck and slammed me back against the wall, cracking it. I smacked his hand away and punched him in the face followed by the gut. Suddenly the fight escalated and we were moving at high speed, trying to outdo the other. When not enough physical damage was being dealt we resorted to biting and tearing at each other. Hisses and snarls fell from our lips from pain as well as anger. He might have been stronger than me had we both been human but I could feel that my strength topped his own by just a little because slowly I gained the upper hand. I threw him back towards the wall by the door and kept him down with a kick to his jaw. I quickly grabbed him by the neck with both hands. My nails dug in and I was seconds from ripping his goddamn head off his shoulders, my fury carried on by blood lust, but Tori's shout for me to stop froze me. She cleared me of my rage and I reflexively dropped him.

"Andre, just go," she demanded, tears in her eyes. He looked up at her and then glared at me, planning to attack again.

"I rescind your invitation," Tori stated. His face registered shock before he was forcefully thrown out of the house. I didn't bother trying to apologize for attacking her asshole friend and instead brushed past her to clean up in the bathroom. She didn't go looking for me. She waited for me to find her in her room. I took one look at her saddened features and sighed but didn't own up to anything. And why should I?

"What the hell was his problem?" I asked simply.

"I should have known. He liked me all this time. That's probably why he came back. Do you naturally get possessive over someone you like?" she wondered.

"Men seem to claim it as their right, but a vampire? Well, we're naturally possessive as well as territorial. He's both a man and a vampire. Good luck there," I replied, walking over to stand in front of her.

"Did you fight him to defend yourself, because you were told to protect me, or…or for me?" she suddenly questioned. I quirked a brow and thought about that.

"Is there a D, all of the above?" I teased, a smirk in place. She chuckled and looked up at me with a smile that quickly fell.

"Geez, Jade. I'm so sorry," she apologized.

"Why are you sorry? He's the one who should drag his ass back over here and apologize to both of us," I replied, dropping my tense stance when she stood up.

"You're a mess. Why aren't you healing?" she observed, her fingers lightly brushing over a bite at my shoulder. I shivered under the warm touch and held her inspecting hand in mine.

"I must have lost a little too much blood. I'll heal eventually," I remarked, moving to go back to the bathroom for a shower so I could relax.

"Hold on," she implored. I stopped to glance back at her. She gathered her hair and brought it to one shoulder then reached out to pull me closer by the wrist.

"Here. Just enough to heal," she cautioned. I nodded and held her chin at a tilt with my left hand. My right brushed over her neck, admiring her tan skin, before my fangs slid out and buried in her flesh. She whimpered but held still as I drank. My arms wrapped around her to bring her closer and her hands gripped tightly at my shoulders. I pulled away after a few seconds, licking my lips, my body feeling energized. Her eyes fell to my shoulder where I knew the wound had healed. With her warm body in my arms I couldn't help stroking her back slowly as I leaned in to clean up the spilled blood. I then bit my wrist and let her take some so that she could heal. She watched me the whole time with hooded brown eyes. Before I knew it her lips were on mine again and her hands moved up over my shoulders so that her arms wrapped around my neck. I picked her up and dropped her on the bed then crawled over her. She quickly pulled me into another kiss, her hungry lips leaving mine to travel down my neck. Her hands fumbled with my shirt but managed to remove it and I rushed to get her pants off. We switched so that she was tugging at my pants and I yanked off her shirt, my eyes skimming over her toned form.

Now that more skin than clothes were in contact she seemed to become desperate. She breathed heavily in my ear and her hands gripped at my back. Her hips rose impatiently, searching for friction and making me chuckle. I lifted away from her, gaining a whine that I silenced with an open mouthed kiss. Only then did I give her what she wanted. Our mouths separated in a pleasurable groan. I rubbed against her and let my hands learn her body while she writhed and lost control under me. My leg pressed into her just as my hands tossed her bra to add to her pleasure. Soon she was moaning my name, close to her release, but I wasn't done yet. I slipped off her panties and teased her until she yanked me to her and bit into my shoulder hard. I growled, my arousal increasing, and slipped into her. Her body jerked and her legs shook. She cried out against my shoulder and eagerly began matching my thrusts. It didn't take very long for her body to shudder with her climax. When it passed she relaxed with a content sigh. I kissed her stomach and then worked up to stop at her jaw before waiting for her to initiate a kiss on the lips. She pulled away panting and hastily rolled us over.

"How the hell did this happen?" I wondered idly. She just giggled and molded our lips together. She made short work of stripping me bare. Her hot hands seared trails over my body, working diligently, applying a little more force sometimes while other times she stroked and caressed. She bent down to lick all the way up my stomach and then left love bites back down until she was nipping at my hip. Her mischievous gaze flicked up to me before biting down on my inner thigh. I hissed my pleasure and my hips rolled. I slid my hands in her hair, urging her on, and she complied. Her tongue slid out to press flat against me then dragged up with a flick. I growled low and tightened my hold on her. She chuckled and then she was back to pleasuring me, sucking, licking, and sometimes returning to my thighs to nip teasingly.

I let my appreciation be known through various satisfied noises. Without warning her tongue slid down to enter me and I bucked. She forced me to lie still, her tongue now removed so that her fingers could replace it. Her tongue moved up to work on my already highly sensitive bundle of nerves, her fingers still pumping at a steady rate. A loud whimper left my mouth and then I was falling over the edge, clenched teeth holding back a satisfied snarl of pleasure. When my body came down she crawled over me to press our lips together one more time. My tongue forced its way into her mouth, dipping in to tangle with her own, tasting myself on her. It mixed with the taste of blood and I couldn't help but enjoy the resulting flavor. When we parted she rested her forehead on mine, panting slightly.

"I'm sorry. I just…after drinking your blood I've been having this overwhelming need that kept rising inside me. I had those dreams and-gosh, I really am sorry for jumping you," she babbled, moving to hide her face in the crook of my neck. I brushed her hair back and made her look at me before kissing her softly.

"Don't be. I loved every minute of it," I mumbled, stroking her cheek. She made me want to show her as much affection as I could. I would have found it sickening but I just couldn't with her. She smiled in relief and relaxed on top of me. I held her and stared up at the ceiling.

"I'm starving now. Mind if I find something to eat?" she spoke up. I tightened my arms around her, rolled us over, and nuzzled her throat.

"Yes. I want you to stay here all night so I can continue to have my way with you," I growled lightly. She laughed and I smiled at the pleasing sound. I snapped at her playfully before getting up to gather our clothes into separate piles on the bed. We got dressed and Tori left the room when she was done. I laid back in bed, inhaling her scent. Minutes later the smell of food I didn't care for anymore wafted through the house. I listened to her sing softly as she cooked. I joined her right as she was busy cleaning the few dishes she had used.

"I wish I could still eat so I could have what you made," I commented when I walked into the kitchen.

"What a flatterer," she replied with a smile. A crooked one fixed to my face as I leaned against the counter by her.

"No, I just miss eating. You're food isn't exactly what I'm looking for," I jested. She shook her head but her smile remained.

"An offender then," she corrected. I chuckled and shrugged.

"Maybe that's closer to the truth," I allowed. She continued to wash the dishes and I looked around. My eyes landed on a pair of scissors put in a rack with the knives. I pulled them out and twirled them in my hands fondly.

"Have a thing for scissors?" she asked, drying her hands on a rag as she turned to face me.

"I used to. I guess I still kinda do. I have a pair I always used to carry around but I can't touch them now so the first chance I got I stashed them in the studio apartment I sometimes crash at. Now they're sitting in a case, never to be used again," I shared for no apparent reason.

"You used them on people?" she questioned, an eyebrow raised. I nodded.

"Defensively of course," I said casually, purposely sounding unconvincing. She rolled her eyes and brushed past me to return to her room. I followed her.

"Tired?" I asked her, smiling smugly.

"Yes," she answered as she flopped in bed. I laughed and laid next to her.

"Could you show me your apartment sometime?" she wondered, voice muffled by her face pressed in the pillow.

"Can I trust you?" I responded, glancing at her. Her nose wrinkled somewhat.

"You are offensive," she decided.

"I have my reasons. I trusted someone once and was burnt by it. I tried to forgive but it didn't work out. I'm much less forgiving now. You on the other hand, it's hard not to trust you. I've always relied on my instincts, both when I was human and now. You were never a threat and I feel like I can trust you but at the same time I tell myself not to. Old habits, you know? It shouldn't be this easy to trust someone so it makes me a little apprehensive," I tried to explain. I closed my eyes and sighed but they opened again when her warm hand traced my jaw then turned my head so that I was looking at her.

"I don't really know what happened when you shared your blood with me Jade, but ever since that night I've felt connected to you. I trust you and I want you to know that you can trust me too. I'm naturally a trusting person so take your time, but remember, I'm always here for you," she told me, her palm now cupping my cheek.

"Ok," I accepted. She smiled, leaned in to kiss me, and then curled up closer. She stayed up a little longer talking to me, sharing random things about herself. I sometimes commented and offered a little bit about myself but for the most part I listened. She had family but she lost touch with them a long time ago after they all went their own way and she was left with the house as she wasn't looking to leave the city like they were. Each of them had their own worries and hadn't checked in on each other yet so she hadn't heard from them in a while. She fell asleep half past midnight and I tucked her in before turning around and falling into my thoughts. I began to worry about Willa and whether I had strong feelings for Tori, which I was still unsure I wanted. My thoughts got progressively darker and more hopeless but then Tori wrapped me in her arms, almost like she sensed my distress. I let her warmth relax me and I found focus again. With Tori against me, and the sun appearing, I let my defenses drop. Soon, I was asleep.

,~TB~,