Chapter 5

Confessions

I followed Dex out the back door, ready to sprint to the mountains that surrounded the town of Ridgeway, Colorado, when Stacy grabbed my arm.

"Are you sure about this Christopher? I know I joked before, but please if you're not serious about this girl, and you don't think you'll get serious, don't go down this path." She looked at me imploringly.

I know she had a point; it would end badly for all if I was not careful. I stood there for a moment between my sister and Dex. I thought of Aubrey's sweet voice and her beautiful eyes.

"Come on man," Dex said hitting my shoulder. "Or you won't make it back in time for your date."

"Don't you encourage him," Stacy said her voice getting angry.

"Oh please, Christopher is a big boy now and he wants to hang out with humans, deal with it." Dex spat back.

Stacy threw him daggers before softening towards me. I knew she just had my best interest at heart.

"Don't give in to his peer pressure, you decide Christopher." She rested her hand on my shoulder, she could be very motherly at times.

"You know what," I spoke after a few seconds. "I feel like it is the right thing to do, getting to know Aubrey could be good for me." I smiled at Stacy and hoped she could understand.

"Ok," she said quietly removing her hand. "Then I just ask you to be careful with what you say and do in front of her."

I nodded in response. I knew I would have to be careful, and though limiting myself was always an annoyance I did not mind when it came to Aubrey.

"Good." she said her tone finalizing things. "Well then get out of here; I'm going to go see what Chris is up to." She kissed my cheek and was gone.

"Thank goodness she's finally gone." Dex said laughing. "She can be such a bitch sometimes."

"Oh Dex, I know you love her." I said slapping him on the back before sprinting out the door."

"No I don't" I heard him yell from behind me as he tried to catch up. I was always faster than Dex, though Stacy had always been faster than me. I didn't stop until I reached one on the grassy hilltops. I spotted a small herd of Elk grazing lazily just as Dex came to a halt next to me. I just had to take down the biggest one; that would fill me up enough for the night.

"I do not!" He whispered as to not startle our prey. I just grinned at him before pointing to the one I had chosen for myself.

"On three then." My voice barely audible, he nodded. "One.., two…, three." We sprung into life; our prey didn't even notice that we were upon them until it was too late. I tackled the largest one and brought him to the ground sinking my teeth into him. I felt a hot gush of blood flow into my mouth, it was no where near the sweetness of human blood but it was something that I had come to appreciate over the years. I glanced over to Dex; he had taken two of the females down at once and was just finishing off the first one. I may be a faster runner then Dex but he is definitely a faster eater. I turned back to my prey savoring him until the last drop.

When I had finished I saw Dex washing off his hands and face in the tiny stream about twenty yards away. I flitted to his side and followed suite.

"Dude," He said looking up at me. "How do you always get blood all over you?" I looked down and saw my baby blue shirt soaked by the crimson fluid. I examined Dex's shirt, he had two or three miniscule spots.

"I have no idea," I shrugged off my shirt and rinsed it off in the stream. I watched as the blood mixed in with the water and floated away with the current. "I try to be neat, but when I am in that mindset cleanliness comes second. " I wrung out my shirt and slipped it back on. I stood up and went to the edge of the cliff. There was a big tree that was generous with the amount of shade it provided and the sun, which had started to peak out behind the clouds, could not reach me. Dex strolled over to me at a human speed.

"So tell me about last night. The date with Cassandra, where did that come from, why her? Explain please." I looked out at the mountains and the town below. The sight was sort of beautiful.

"Well I bumped into Cassie at that local home goods store." He started and smiled at the perplexed look on my face. "My weed whacker broke and those suckers were getting big. Anyway when I went to pay she was my cashier. I mean she was just standing behind the register in her tight red shirt, her hair in two braids; she looked like Pippy Long Stockings, only blonde and hot. I dazzled her and she flirted with me. Naturally." He and I exchanged looks and laughed, it was not unusual for women, human or vampire, to throw themselves at Dex. "She was so cute I thought I would give the dating a human thing a try. I would have never dragged you in on it but she said there was no way she could go out on a Saturday night and leave her friend alone. Well lucky you, you're the only friend I got. At least the only one who I know wouldn't eat Aubrey." I laughed at that, Dex did have some friends who ate more naturally then we did, but they did not come around often.

"Why could you not give me a heads up?" I asked mocking irritation.

"Because man I knew you would have said no, you saw Cass, would you have given up a chance to get a piece of that…"

"I would have at least given you a heads up, maybe had a little faith in my friends to help me out when I asked for it." I said cutting him off, I was not exactly sure how much I wanted to know about his relationship thus far. I saw him shake his head out of the corner of my eye.

"Right, but I know you. You would not have shown if I had told you Aubrey had a pulse." He had a point.

"So why her?" I asked again, he had said that she was hot and that she had flirted with him, but nothing as to why he would choose her out of all the other humans he has interacted with in the past.

"I guess," He furrowed his brow thinking. "I guess it was because when I touched her she didn't pull away and then I flashed my teeth, not in a dazzling way in a threatening way, and she didn't flinch. I figured that meant I could be more myself with this human." A light breeze blew by and Dex inhaled deeply through his nose no doubt smelling everything that I did, from the tiniest Dandelion, to the bear one hundred and fifty yards away, to the Apple pie fresh out of the oven a town over. "And the sex…" He began again.

"Dex to be honest," I interrupted again. "I'm not sure I want to know, and I think Stacy is right. You should not have been intimate with Cassandra last night; you were taking advantage of her." I looked at him sternly. Dex viewed his existence as one big party and sometimes he forgot to be a gentlemen, I took it upon myself to remind him from time to time that it is still necessary to treat women, human and vampire, with respect.

"I know I got a little more carried away than I meant to, but she was so willing." He smiled apologetically. "And I know you said you don't want details but you should know, making love to a human is amazing. It's more work than with a vampire because they are so fragile, but that is part of the beauty in it. Something so fragile and willing in your arms." He closed his eyes and reminisced about the night before. After thirty seconds I punched his arm. The sound echoed and caused a small flock of birds to sly from their tree.

"Come on Dex, let's head back." I readied myself to sprint again. He opened his eyes and flung out his arm to stop me.

"Wait." He looked at me. "I told you why I picked Cass, why did you pick Aubrey."

"I didn't pick her, you did." I said simply.

"I know that was the initial reason, but what about tonight."

"I can't say actually." I had my theories, but to say them out loud. "I have not decided yet if she and I will even be friends. Right now I just get a vibe from her. A good one." I readied myself to sprint again, hoping my answer was satisfactory. Apparently it was because Dex nodded and got into position too.

"Ok," He said looking forward. "This time I'm going to beat you." He took off before I could argue. I just laughed and chased after him.