…
And I'm hypnotized
Petrified
Every time you walk by
And I can't get you
Out of my
Mind
[Aqualung – Can't Get You Out Of My Mind]
...
The first she sensed when she came to, was her hammering head – which wasn't surprising, as the pain was always present if she hadn't taken painkillers (which was something she avoided as long as possible).
What indeed surprised her a bit, was the coolness she felt on some parts of her body. It was a sensation she had come to associate with sleeping next to Godric – something she had missed badly the last couple of days.
Still quite dozy she moved her hand over the cool surface it was lying on, to feel if there was indeed a vampire resting half under her. Obviously she had shifted her body in her sleep and ended with one of her arms wrapped tightly around his torso, gripping his shoulder with her hand. Even one of her legs had slipped over him, clinging to his hips as if she had tried to keep him in place in her sleep (as if he had been able to move while he was dead for the day anyway...).
Her fingers were just gracing the skin of his biceps, where she would have seen his wave-tattoo if there had been any light source in the room, when she suddenly realized, that there was something odd.
She moved her leg carefully for a few inches, but she couldn't for the life of her sense fabric underneath her thigh, where definitely should have been fabric. If anything, she merely felt the soft tickle of hair – could it be, that Godric was naked?
Her eyes widened, staring slightly shocked into the dark and she was sure, that also her heartbeat had increased. Slowly her hand worked its way down from his upper arm, over his elbow and the side of his stomach to his hip – where she should have felt the waistband of his boxers.
But there was no waistband.
Gulping, she hesitated for a moment, before her hand trailed even lower, down his hip to his upper thigh – there could still have been a chance, that his shorts just had slipped a bit down.
"Are you looking for something specific?", a dry voice ripped her out of her musings and she immediately pulled her hand back as if she had burned it.
"Well yeah – actually I was", she answered mockingly as soon as she had recovered from the first shock and stared at where she supposed his face to be. A second later the light was turned on and she could see Godric's not very amused face, looking at her with a cocked eyebrow.
"You're naked", she stated then and bit her lip as soon as the words had passed her mouth. Why the hell had she said that?
"Very acutely observed, Laura", he noted with such an arid voice, she felt the urge to gulp and averted her gaze embarrassedly. "I had not expected you to show up in the morning."
"Do you always sleep naked?", she asked surprised, her eyes scurrying back to seek his curiously. Well that would have been an interesting information...
"Yes."
Strike!
"Is that why you wanted to go back to sleeping in separate beds? – Because you had to wear shorts beside me?", she asked him and couldn't suppress the hopeful tone in her voice, "You don't have to do that, you know. I have absolutely no problem if you prefer to sleep naked."
Godric's eyebrows rose in surprise at this obviously unsuspected statement. "You do not?", he asked confused and eyed her as if he wasn't really sure if he could believe her, "I thought it would deter you..."
Laura just chuckled and laid her hand on his chest, tracing his pectoral tattoo with her fingertips once again. "Why would your nakedness put me off?", she asked, still amused and shook her head disbelievingly, while her eyes followed her fingers, "It's not like you're ugly, Godric. I'll probably blush if I ever see you naked, but as long as your male parts are hidden by the blanket, I'm fine."
When she looked up again, she was surprised to find him smirking mischievously at her. "I like to see you blush, Laura..."
Her eyes widened at that statement and she immediately backed away. "Oh no – you won't-"
"Mr. DeGaule, Ms. Freeman – we will come in to land soon. It may get a bit bumpy when we touch the ground", Laura was suddenly interrupted by a loudspeaker announcement – which saved her further embarrassment.
They both dressed in silence, Laura with her back turned to Godric. When she dared to look at him again, he was still smirking at her, while he deliberately closed the last buttons of his shirt. When exactly had he gotten so impish?
Though she had to admit: it suited him in some way...
"There will be someone welcoming us at the airport", he told her gently, but she couldn't fail to note the warning tone in his voice, which caused her to eye him worriedly, "She will help us to stay unnoticed by the King of the Southern Regions for now. I do not exactly like her, but I trust her, as she is a loyal underling of a very influential friend of mine."
"So – essentially you're saying it's possible that she'll be impolite, but I should just ignore it?", she asked carefully, trying to figure out why he told her about this person.
"Exactly – and I apologize a priori for everything she might say", he confirmed and sighed heavily. It was around eight o'clock and they where sitting on the couch again, when the plane hit the ground – which happened very careful and caused Laura to inwardly bless Anne's skills.
She was just concentrating on her steps and trying hard to block her hammering head out, while Godric lead her down the stairs, when an unfamiliar voice caused her to lift her head.
"Well – who would have thought, that Death had gotten himself a pet."
A beautiful woman with gorgeous black hair was standing at the bottom and looking up at Godric with a provoking glare. Laura immediately had a bad feeling when she saw her, but it was probably just because she was so extremely good looking...
"Do not address her like that, Sahar!", Godric demanded in an unusually harsh tone, "She is not a pet – not mine and not anyone's! Have I made myself clear?"
The woman's beautifully curved eyebrows rose in surprise while she watched them descend the last few stairs. Laura could hear Anne's and Gerry's steps behind her, but she didn't dare to avert her eyes from the female vampire in front of her.
She didn't trust her an inch...
Her blood-red dress accentuated her curves almost blatantly, but to Laura's pleasant surprise, Godric didn't seem to take notice of her well-formed body. Actually she had never seen him look after any woman, no matter if beautiful or not.
It was odd, now that she thought about it. There had been several really pretty ladies at the ball they had attended, but he had never even taken a glimpse.
Was he even into women? He was over 2000 years old – back then things were different and she was sure she had learned at some point in school, that at least in Greece homosexuality hadn't been something exceptional, but rather customary.
But she hadn't ever seen him look after any men either. Maybe she should simply ask him sometime – when they both weren't eyed by a creepy female vampire that is...
"Of course. If Death says she isn't a pet, she isn't a pet – I got it", she chimed and smirked devilishly at Laura, "But this poses a question: is she claimed?"
Godric's expression darkened noticeably and his grip on her hand became almost painful after that statement. What the hell did 'claimed' mean anyway? She wasn't just a toy someone could have bought or something...
"No, she is not – and she will remain unclaimed as she is under my protection", he clarified in a dangerously low tone, that made Laura shiver uncomfortably. "Would you please concentrate on the task I asked of you now?"
"Of course", the woman answered and bowed her head submissively, but the smirk still remaining on her face didn't go unnoticed by Laura. "You will be staying at my residence, as it is the only place I can guarantee is not under surveillance – the King very well knows that Jaromar would consider that as an affront."
About half an hour later, her 'residence' turned out to be a little palace. The building was geometrically structured around a beautiful, green courtyard in its center. Inside every single wall was adorned with ornate mosaics, leaving Laura baffled by their creator's skill.
To her surprise, Godric told the dubious female vampire that they would share a room – so either he had changed his mind and 'trusted' her as much as she did now, or her revelation that she wouldn't mind if he slept naked had tipped the balance. Either way, when the woman showed them their room, Laura was once again stunned by the beauty of their accommodation.
The tiny tiles of the mosaics were held in white, blue, yellow and orange tones, showing rough waters – supposedly the Mediterranean Sea – in the setting sun. Two big windows made for fresh night air in the room and a huge four poster bed of dark, carved wood stood in its center.
The only thing that bothered her a bit, was the fact, that there was obviously no bathroom attached to their sleeping quarters, but she supposed she'd find out where to bath and do her human deeds soon enough...
Godric took her out to the Topkapı Sarayı, the Sultan-Ahmed-Mosque and the Ayasofya the same night. He had put a hooded sweater on to disguise his appearance, as he told her it might get unpleasant if the wrong people got wind of his current location. It wouldn't really get dangerous, he assured her, but still it would be better to avoid a confrontation...
They started their tour with a walk through the Palace where Laura marveled more at the artistically embellished buildings and beautifully painted tiles than the exhibition pieces themselves (though they were oftentimes fit with huge jewels and crafted of only the most expensive materials).
Before they moved on to visit the Ayasofya right next to the Topkapi Palace, they stopped at a little restaurant nearby. Laura's stomach had made itself felt quite loudly, so they took the time to sate their hunger – both of them. Godric only drank True Blood, but she was happy that she hadn't been required to beg him to this time.
Though in tiny steps, they at least made progress...
By the time they went inside the Ayasofya it was nearly two o'clock in the morning and when they finally arrived at the Blue Mosque it was well past three.
Both buildings had been impressive in their own way – the Ayasofya because of its age, the Sultan-Ahmed-Mosque because of its breathtaking architecture and beauty. Laura didn't mind that they had visited them during the nighttime, as she considered it improbable, that it could have looked more beautiful during the day.
The lighting had been amazingly well done.
Particularly bright spots that provided a sun-like light where directed at the huge windows from the outside, while only dim chandeliers lightened the buildings inside. It looked like it would have in daylight, Laura supposed. If not, it at least couldn't have been much better – and having Godric as her guide, telling her everything about those sights, was definitely worth some deductions.
The only thing that had bothered her a bit, was that Godric seemed tense the whole night, examining their surroundings every few minutes, as if he thought someone had been following them.
When they finally returned to their residence that night, Laura's feet felt heavy like lead and while her headache had subsided after she had taken an analgesic, she had troubles to keep her balance again. It was only a matter of time, till she'd have her next seizure...
As soon as they entered the front door to Sahar's little palace, she was at their side smirking devilishly as ever at them. "The Hammām is ready for you", she told them with a syrupy voice, "I can also call for the Tellak if you need his services, but I suppose you'll prefer to wash each other..."
Godric's piercing glare was almost murderously directed at her when he growled a "The Tellak will not be needed" out between his gritted teeth. The female vampire didn't seem intimidated at all and merely smiled synthetically at them, while she took the lead to wherever they were heading.
Laura had absolutely no idea what a 'Hammām' or a 'Tellak' was, but it obviously had something to do with bathing, so she supposed she'd finally show them the bathroom.
When they entered the room that was apparently their destination, a wave of hot, damp air hit her before she could even have thought of inspecting her surroundings. When she had recovered from the first shock, she could glimpse a nice little pool in the back, but in the rooms center – and therefore supposedly more important – a round pedestal jutted out of the ground like a little plateau.
As every other room, this bath was completely coated with mosaics – even the platform in the center. But though she intently looked for them, Laura could neither spot a shower, nor a bathtub – the pool in the back couldn't really have had that purpose, could it?
"I'll grand you some privacy now", she heard the woman tell them, before she turned to watch her leave, shutting the door behind her. Laura stared at it for a few moments, before her gaze slowly wandered back to the towels, obviously prepositioned for them.
"I have absolutely no clue what's going on here", she admitted confused and sought Godric's gaze, hoping for a reaction she could have gotten an idea from. But he only sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose in a frustrated manner, closing his eyes in that process.
"This is a Hammām – a Turkish bathhouse, Laura", he explained with still closed eyes and a slightly trembling voice, that indicated he had troubles controlling his anger. She just wondered why he was so upset...
"It is an important part of Turkish culture", he told her, a bit calmer now and opened his eyes to look searchingly into hers, "Usually a Tellak – a bath keeper of sorts – is responsible for the washings. He forms a soaped towel to a pouch and swings it until foam emerges through the fabric. Then he rubs the bodies clean with this foamed towel – I can show it to you if you want."
A bit surprised by this offer and not really understanding the process entirely, Laura nodded, curious how exactly he intended to show her.
He immediately zipped to the towels then, grabbing one and vanished for a moment, only to appear beside the sinks on the other side of the room, where he obviously rubbed the soap into it. When he returned to her side, he had already formed it to the pouch he had talked about and after he had swung it for a moment, she saw the foam appearing on its surface.
"The towel has a peeling effect, while the soap cleans. Afterwards the body is washed with either hot or cold water. Some people ask the Tellak to give them a massage then, but that is not a must", he explained and held the towel out to her, so she could touch the fluffy foam. After she had tipped her finger onto it, a bit stuck to it and she examined how the tiny bubbles slowly burst one after the other.
"So – does this Tellak see many naked people then, or is there some sort of attire to wear?", she asked, while she still watched the foam vanishing from her skin. Only when she heard Godric chuckle softly, she lifted her gaze to look curiously at him.
"Usually people are clad in a towel. Women normally only allow him to wash their backs and attend to their front themselves", he explained with a smile.
"This towels?", Laura asked curiously, while she approached the piles that had been laid out for them and lifted one of them, unfolding it.
"Yes – those towels", he confirmed and tilted his head, looking searchingly at her. He seemed to hesitate for a moment, before he continued, "If you wish me to leave, I can bath later – the sun will not rise for about two hours, so there is still plenty of time."
Laura looked at the towel in her hand for a moment and thought about his phrasing. It indicated, that it wasn't truly his intention to leave, so he obviously wanted to bath with her.
A smile played around her lips at that thought and she turned her head to face Godric again, who still looked expectantly at her.
"You seem like a very competent 'Tellak' – I'd be an idiot if I blew my chance of a thorough washing, wouldn't I?", she quipped and winked at him, before she changed to a serous tone, "But you'll have to promise me not to sneak a peek while I change!"
"As you wish, Laura", he stated, but the faint smirk adorning his lips when he turned around deliberately, didn't really reassure her.
She glimpsed a few times over her shoulder, while she unclothed and during the process she simultaneously tried to hide her body with the towel nonetheless. But when she checked for the fourth time if he kept his eyes directed at the opposite side of the room, she blushed deeply.
He had obviously decided to change for himself and just when she had looked over her shoulder, he had slipped his shorts down, allowing her an unrestricted view of his perfectly shaped backside.
She hurriedly concentrated on draping the towel around her body, but didn't dare to turn around or say anything when she was finished, as she certainly was still beet red.
"You may look at me again – I am covered now", she heard him chuckle and couldn't help but roll her eyes at the situation. Of course he must have realized her faux pas – the universe would have been too kind to spare her that embarrassment...
Reluctantly she turned around – with surely still red cheeks – and approached the platform Godric was gesturing at. "Lay down", he told her gently and nodded towards the pedestal in front of them.
Hesitantly she climbed on top of it and looked over her shoulder to seek advise if she did something wrong. But when Godric just nodded reassuringly, she positioned herself on all fours before she lowered her body onto the quite warm tiles.
"Try to bare your back now", he ordered with a soft voice and without hesitation she loosened the towel around her body, until it was loose enough to push it down to her hips. As she was lying on her front, he wouldn't see it anyway. When she rested her head on her crossed arms, she watched him approach, hopping on top of the platform as well until he kneeled over her.
When the towel first touched her, it was very soft and felt more like a caress than the peeling he had talked about. But after a while Godric used more pressure and the washing got an almost massaging character. She couldn't suppress a soft sigh when he rubbed he fabric up her spine. It felt so soothing – and hell had the last few weeks been troublesome at times! She was in dire need of some relaxation.
When she heard something click, she didn't even bother to open her eyes, as she was currently on cloud nine and not even sure if it hadn't been her ears, playing her a trick again. What could have clicked there anyway?
"Your muscles seem tense", Godric's low voice reached her ears and though it sounded as alluring as ever, she wasn't really able to appreciate it, as she still concentrated solely on the fabric brushing up and down her back. She just hummed affirmatively and hoped it would be enough as a reply to his statement.
As she felt warm water being poured onto her back, she inwardly cursed. This probably meant the washing procedure was over already...
"Would you like me to massage you?", he asked and because she could neither feel the towel nor warm water anymore, she supposed he expected a real answer this time. "Oh yes – please", she almost begged, missing the feeling of the towel on her back and before she really comprehended what she had said, the rough fabric had been replaced by strong, schooled fingers.
Now her sighs started to almost sound like moans, but she was too fuzzy-headed to give a damn. It felt so good...
"Your fingers are warm...", she muttered between two of those moan-sighs and relished the feeling of his skilled hands kneading her tense muscles.
"Our bodies absorb warmth quite fast – they usually have the temperature of our surroundings", he told her with a soft voice and for a moment she had the impression, as if his words had sounded a bit lisped. But clouded as her thoughts were she didn't elaborate on that particular one overly much...
She didn't realize that he had opened her towel completely, until she felt his hands kneading her buttocks – and even that information took some time to sink in, as it felt even better than the massage of her back had!
"What are you doing?!", she asked shocked and pulled her torso up on her elbows, looking at him over her shoulder. And that was exactly the moment where the details she had peripherally gathered during her treatments, suddenly formed the bigger picture like puzzle pieces fitted together. The click, the lisping…
It was the first time she saw his fangs – and she was mesmerized.
Godric's expression seemed as shocked as hers had been, when he finally met her gaze and he immediately let go of her. "Please forgive me, Laura", he whispered, "I should not have crossed that line."
But she didn't give a damn about her naked butt right now. Her eyes were still glued to his fangs and before her head could have held her back, she had moved in a crouching position right in front of him and was examining them up close.
"They're beautiful", she whispered in awe and lifted her arm to trail a finger down one of his canines. But before she really could have touched it, Godric's hand had wrapped itself around her wrist, keeping hers at bay.
"They are deadly. And very sensitive...", he countered and stared at her with a look she couldn't really interpret. His eyes seemed much darker than usual, as his pupils were dilated and they stared at her as if he didn't dare to look anywhere else.
"They may be deadly, but only if you want them to", she pointed out and tried to wiggle her hand out of his grip to complete her task, but he wouldn't let go.
"I think you do not understand, Laura", he growled and averted his head, his expression giving away, that he had to force himself to do so, "I am already on the verge – especially now, with you in this position. If you touch my teeth now, I am afraid I would-"
"Oh my god!", Laura cried out in shock when she finally realized the state she was in and tried to cover her body as effectively as possible with her hands, until she had draped the towel around it again. "I'm so sorry Godric – I didn't think. I was so dazed by this pleasant massage that I completely forgot that I'm naked..."
"You do not need to apologize. I have to."
Only when Laura dared to look at him again, she recognized the pained expression on his face while he stared at his balled fists. She carefully put her hand on top of one of them, gently loosening his fingers one by one, while he only kept staring at her movements.
"You don't have to apologize – I enjoyed it. I was just a bit shocked, that's all", she told him while she reached for his other hand, repeating the procedure again. "I think I owe you a washing and a massage – you should make yourself comfortable on the tiles, their warmth is really soothing and you look like you'd need some relaxation..."
She was just about to get up, as she wanted to prepare a fresh towel for Godric, when he gently gripped her wrist again, holding her back.
"Take the same I took – there is still plenty of soap on it", he told her and picked said towel up to hand it to her. She accepted it with a surprised expression, but nodded affirmative before she gestured him to make himself comfortable.
Like her before, he laid his body flat on the warm tiles of the platform and crossed his arms to rest his head on them. She doubtfully looked at the towel in her hand for a moment, but when she imitated his movements from earlier, the foam soon appeared on it's surface and a smile spread on her lips.
At least this part had been easier than she thought.
A bit hesitantly she positioned herself beside Godric, crouching over him like he had done, and touched the fabric to his back carefully. First she soaped his shoulders, then she slowly trailed down his spinal tattoo before she attended to his sides. When she finally dared to wash his shoulder blades as well, she deliberately left the scar on his back out. She supposed it wouldn't hurt him, as it had obviously healed a long time ago, but she wasn't sure if it wouldn't still be unpleasant for him.
"You can brush over the branding as well, Laura. I do not mind", his gentle voice ripped her out of her musings and when she looked up at him, she realized, that he examined her out of the corner of his eye. She just nodded with a caught expression and bit on her lip, when she trailed the towel featherlight over said part of his skin.
When she found that she had rubbed his back thoroughly enough, she grabbed the carafe beside the platform, Godric had obviously used to wash the soap off her skin. She tentatively sticked a finger into the water to see if it was warm enough and when it still felt warmer than her body temperature, she slowly poured the water over his back.
"Do you want me to massage you too?", she asked hesitantly, "I'm surely not as skilled as you, but I would try my best."
"If this is an offer, I will gladly accept", he muttered and his voice sounded dazed like she supposed hers had in the same situation. His eyes were closed again and he seemed to be on the verge to falling asleep. She grinned and started to work her thumbs down his spine in circling movements, applying pressure but not too much.
"You never told me about the tattoo on your back", she stated matter-of-factly and looked up at his face to see if there was any reaction.
"It's a sea-serpent", he muttered and moaned when she reached his lower back, which caused her to pay extra attention to that spot then. He seemed to be particularly tense in that region, but after she had massaged his muscles a while, she felt them relaxing and moved up his sides.
"Does it have some meaning too?", she asked carefully, while she trailed the outlines of his shoulder blade, applying a bit more pressure to get under the bone. "Just strength", he mumbled, obviously not up for lengthy speeches and Laura just smiled at the effect her fingers had on him.
Never before had she seen him so extremely relaxed. It was nice to know how to get him into such a state, if she wanted him to...
"I suppose this one was not something you received voluntarily", she whispered when she brushed her fingers tenderly over the scar she had tried to ignore before. Though it had long been healed, it still looked painful...
"It means that I was a slave once", she heard Godric say then and looked up in surprise to face him. She hadn't suspected him to tell her about it, as she supposed it had something to do with the part of his past, he tried to forget. At least she would try to forget having been branded...
His head still rested on his arms, but his eyes looked intently at her. The dazed state he had been in was obviously gone already...
"I wish someone would have been as tender as you back then", he stated and averted his gaze, looking in the distance with a blank expression. "It would definitely have hurt less."
"I wish I could have been there for you then", she told him honestly, but in such a low voice that he probably wouldn't have understood her if he hadn't been a vampire. She caressed his scarred skin a last time before she withdrew her hand and bit on her bottom lip for a moment. "Do you feel relaxed enough now?"
His eyes immediately scurried back to her and suddenly there was an impish sparkle in them, as if her question had just brought something to his mind. Did she say something wrong?
"Yes, but I think it is time to cool down now, do you not agree?", he asked with a grin, while he shifted his body to the side, leaning his head on his elbow. Fortunately he had wrapped the towel tightly around his hips, but though she had already spend some days beside him – in his half naked glory – she hadn't really become accustomed to even the sight of his gorgeous torso yet.
When Laura only nodded hesitantly his grin grew even wider, causing her to worry a bit. What the hell was he up to?
"Would you like to tick one of your scores tonight?", he asked further, but as Laura still didn't understand what he was getting at, she simply lifted her eyebrows, eyeing him confused. He just gestured to the side and when her gaze followed his arm, it reached the little pool.
"I still don't get it – you want to swim?", she tried to figure his statements out and looked back and forth between the water and his face.
"You told me you wanted to go skinny dipping", he reminded her and sat up like her, his grin still present but almost a smirk now, "And someone told me it does not count if you do something like that alone – so I volunteer as your witness!"
She blushed deeply, when she finally realized what he was getting at and her mouth automatically fell open. "I had more thought of a lake – at night – maybe in heavy fog...", she muttered, when she had recovered enough from her shock to respond. She cringed at the thought of exposing her body in front of him again and averted her head, unable to look into his eyes at the moment – this situation was much too embarrassing...
When she heard him chuckle, she bit on her bottom lip and just wished the earth might open up before her. She really would have liked to have an escape plan that actually would have worked with a vampire...
"I already saw you naked, Laura – just about forty minutes ago, to be precise", he reminded her gently and closed up to her. Even before she felt his fingers on her chin, she knew he would force her to look at him, but that knowledge alone didn't spare her the embarrassment to face him again.
"I will not forget that sight so easily, therefor a repetition will do no further harm", he tried to reason and her already red cheeks turned an even deeper shade.
"Please Godric, stop it", she whispered, "I've embarrassed myself enough for one night..."
He still held her chin lifted upwards, but as her eyes were stubbornly directed to the side, she managed to avoid looking at his face nonetheless. Shortly after she heard him sigh, he let go of her and backed off again, which she instantly used to avert her face once more.
"I do not see it like that, Laura", he told her in such a low voice, she involuntarily leant towards him, to hear him better, "But I understand that you do not wish to do this with me."
When she whirled around to face him again, a bit worried by the slightly hurt tone in his voice – or maybe she had just imagined that? – she saw him smiling at her. But it was a fake smile, that didn't reach his eyes – she almost felt offended, that he obviously thought it would convince her...
"No – that's not it!", she immediately clarified, but stopped a moment to contemplate how she should explain herself, before she simply opted for the simple truth, "I'm not ready for that one yet – simple as that. And I really would like to do this in an actual lake, you know..."
She had always had a lake in mind, when she had thought of that particular score on her list – and besides, she really didn't want him to see her naked in such a well lit room and unprepared as she was...
"Very well, then a lake it shall be", he answered gently, the corners of his lips twitching slightly upwards, indicating a real smile now, "But I still need to cool down."
Before she could have protested or covered her eyes, she heard a splash and looked startled to the pool, where an astoundingly boyish looking vampire leant over its edge. Drops of water ran down from his wet hair over the smooth skin of his face.
"It is pleasantly refreshing – you should try it too" he suggested with a grin and winked at her. This sneaky vampire – trying to coax her into following him into that oversized tub...
"Thanks, but I've always been on the easily freezing side – I prefer warm and cozy!"
When they returned to their room – after Godric had cooled down enough – the old-fashioned window shutters had already been closed, providing the dark environment a vampire'd need to rest.
As Laura didn't really trust Sahar, she made sure that they would remain closed, by sliding two of the ribbons she sometimes used to bind her braids through the handles on the inside and knotted them together tightly. She had tried to do this as unobtrusive as possible, but as it took her a few movements on each window shade, Godric had taken notice of her doings and was at her side with a cocked eyebrow, when she pulled on the fourth ribbon to make sure it would stand some pressure.
With a sigh she turned to the still half naked vampire beside her and explained, what was anyway obvious in her opinion. "They probably wont hold if anyone tries to forcefully open them, but the attempt alone will hopefully be loud enough to wake me – so I could at least pull the blanket over you, before trying to put up some resistance..."
During her little speech she had realized how idiotic her idea sounded and averted her gaze in embarrassment, blushing deeply. Trying to avoid his response as long as possible, she hurried to her duffle bag, her path only lit by he little lamp on the bedside table, where she frantically searched for a simple shirt and fresh panties.
Only because of the shadow he shortly cast on her and the sound of fabric being moved, she recognized that Godric had obviously decided to go to bed already. She was glad that he refrained from commenting on her dump move to keep him save – after all he trusted Sahar, so she should probably do the same...
Again Laura sighed deeply, before she took a glimpse over her shoulder to make sure that he wasn't looking into her direction, before she quickly pulled the panties up her legs, the towel still covering her body. As it was in its right place, she checked on Godric again, but when his back still faced to her, she loosened the towel and let it drop to the floor, before she slipped into her shirt hurriedly.
Happy about how smooth this had worked, she rounded the bed and crawled under the blanket. Other than she had thought Godric was still awake, eyeing her every move, his intense gaze even sticking to her, when she had found a comfortable position.
"You should not worry so much about me...", he whispered suddenly and lifted his hand to cup her cheek, caressing its skin with his thumb. She was a bit taken aback by that action and just eyed him surprised, until she realized that he probably referred to her attempts at securing their room.
"Don't you worry about me as well sometimes?", she asked carefully and robbed a bit closer to him, which elicited a soft chuckle from him.
"Of course I do."
"Then don't be a hypocrite!"
He seemed surprised by her response for a moment, but wrapped an arm around her, pulling her even closer. Immediately her hands found their way around his body as well, hugging him back as if her life depended on it.
Not worrying about him? What did he think he was to her?
The next evening Godric was already sitting fully dressed beside her on the edge of the bed and gently shook her shoulder to wake her, when she came to.
"I am sorry to disturb your slumber Little One, but I would like to leave this city behind rather sooner than later", he apologized and helped her getting up before he urged her to put the lazy pants on, he had prepared for her. Still quite dozy, it took a while for his words to sink in.
"So there really had someone been following us yesterday?!", she realized when they left their room and hurried through the building. Obviously their luggage had already been taken care of, because she had neither seen it in their chamber when they left, nor did Godric seem as if there was anything else to do – beside leaving the building as fast as possible.
"Yes indeed, Laura", he admitted before they walked through the front door and got into a car, that obviously had already been waiting for them. After he had instructed the driver to head to the airport, he continued to explain in a low voice, "I am sorry I did not mention it yesterday, but as soon as we reached the surroundings of Sahar's residence, our follower was gone – so I believe she spoke the truth and the King really respects her as one of Jaromar's underlings. I did not want to make you worry, but thought it best, if we left the city as fast as possible. Mr. and Mrs. White are already waiting for us."
And really: as soon as they had sat down in the seating area of Godric's comfortable jet, she felt the plane speed up, before it took off. They were obviously flying east, as she could see the still slightly brighter sky, where the sun had set in the opposite direction.
"So we're going to fly a loop to Greece now?", she asked to figure out, if Godric wanted to take the route they initially had planned. As far as she remembered they had intended to stay a few more days in Istanbul, but if it would cause them trouble it was definitely better to leave.
"I am afraid not", he sighed, visibly uncomfortable with the situation and glanced out of the window, down at the brightly-lit city beneath them, "As you told me Greece had not even been on your list in the first place, I thought it was better if we skipped it. It is part of the Southern Regions as well and unfortunately the King of those lands is not exactly fond of me – we had a few arguments about the meanings of 'mine' and 'his' and he never accepted that I had had the final word back then..."
Laura just nodded understandingly and took a glimpse out of the window as well, spotting Istanbul in it's nightly glory and the well-lit suspension bridge, connecting the European with the Asian continent. She had to admit, that she was a bit sad, that they hadn't had the time to make a little boat trip or visit some places on the Asian side – just so she could have said she'd been in Asia already – but if they weren't safe here, there was no sense in staying.
"It's really no problem for me, if we skip Greece, Godric – please don't look so very disappointed", she tried to cheer him up and smiled the most reassuring smile she was able to give him at that moment. It caused her to shudder when she thought about the things, a person like the King might do to others, if he was upset about something. To her, he sounded like a little kid with too much power, so she probably had to thank Godric that he tried to avoid him as much as possible.
"Are we flying directly to Odessa then?", she asked curiously and continued with another question that had arisen the night before, "Is 'Jaromar' the one you're going to meet there? – I'm sorry if I'm too nosy, but I'd like to know a bit more about him, as he seems to be a fried of yours, you really trust in..."
The quite uneasy expression on Godric's face turned to a more relaxed one immediately and when he looked back at her, there was even a small smile playing around his lips.
"You're an attentive listener, Laura", he stated and shifted in his seat, leaning his arm on the backrest and facing her fully, "We will indeed be paying Jaromar a visit – I am already curious how you two will get along. I hope you will like him, as he is one of my oldest friends – one that actually dared to express his displeasure about some of my actions... But we will fly to Odessa tomorrow – we still have something to do here, as the city of Istanbul was not the reason why I brought you to Turkey."
"It was not?", she asked baffled and lifted her eyebrows in surprise, "Mind to fill me in why we are here then?"
It was kind of cute of him that he tried to surprise her whenever he could, but slowly it started to make her feel a bit clueless – and that was not exactly a feeling she fancied much. But when she saw the mirth shining in Godric's eyes, she couldn't help but forget about her little huff and smiled at him instead.
How could a simple glance at him change her mood so drastically? Her hormones were obviously getting the better of her – it should have been a crime to be so good-looking. How was anyone supposed to keep a clear head beside him?
"We will be ticking one of the scores off your list in the morning", he told her with a smile and a funny feeling spread in her belly when she became aware, that this smile was solely for her.
His words on the other hand, made her feel a bit uneasy. Did this mean they were going to a lake now? Would she have to go skinny dipping with him?
Apparently he recognized her distress, because his soft chuckle ripped her out of her musings. "It has nothing to do with the conversation we had last morning", he assured her with a wink, obviously reading her easily like a book, "Cappadocia is a very special area on the Turkish territory. It is known for its characteristic, craggy scenery – which is why it is such a popular place for balloon trips."
Her mouth immediately formed a surprise 'oh', before it imitated Godric's, giving him a bright smile. She definitely hadn't seen that coming – and it was a really pleasant surprise, she had to admit!
"Wow, that sounds exciting – so I'll be hovering above Cappadocia in the morning?", she asked hopefully, to make sure she'd understood him right. When he simply nodded reassuringly, she continued babbling about the scenery she would be able to capture in the slowly appearing sunlight, with long shadows and orange and red tones where the light touched the rocks...
The landing was as unspectacular as their next residence was, though she supposed this impression was due to the beauty of their previous one. It was a light-tight room in the basement of one of the hotels in the area and somehow reminded her of the suite in Hotel Carmilla. But all that really mattered for Laura, was that Godric would be sharing a room with her again – if was almost childish how happy that simple fact made her...
They spent the night mostly attending to Laura's needs – first eating a fancy dinner at the hotel's restaurant (well she was eating, he was drinking), then strolling to a nearby village, they had heard would be selling fruits and spices during the night as well, as there was a growing clientele of vampires interested in the scents of these goods.
When they returned to their room to wash the dust off, a night spent outside in this arid area entailed, she had to admit that her thoughts trailed longingly back to the 'Hammām' in Sahar's residence, while she soaped her skin with the luffa she always used. It had been a really pleasant experience to be so close to Godric...
By the time it was half past five, they had arrived in a place called 'Goreme', where Anne had already readied a balloon for them. Laura was a bit worried when Godric stepped inside the basket with her, as he had told her she would see the sun rising from above. But she supposed he knew what he did.
Maybe they'd make a little stopover on one of those mountaintops – or he was indeed able to fly by himself, as he had mentioned the day she better not thought about...
Gerry was nowhere to be seen when they took off, but Laura supposed he had had enough flying for one day already. She absentmindedly wrapped her jacket a bit tighter around her body, when the morning breeze made her shiver slightly, but enjoyed the view they had in the gradually brightening atmosphere.
Both of her camera bags were positioned to her feet, while both cameras were already dangling from her neck. She would definitely not let this opportunity be waisted and only start searching for her equipment, when the scene would have been perfect already. She'd be ready when the right moment would arise – like her grandfather would have been!
"I hope you will like it", she heard Godric whisper in her ear and shivered again – this time because he was so close, she felt his breath on her skin. Did he know how much he put her off her stride? He definitely wouldn't be able to overhear her erratic heartbeat, that much was sure...
"It will be the greatest present anyone ever made me", she assured him softly, deliberately trying to ignore the fact, that he had put his hand around her waist. When she took a glimpse at his profile from the side, he was looking into the distance with a soft smile on his face.
"It already looks so beautiful", he muttered, obviously more to himself than to her, "I wonder what it looks like in daylight..."
Laura didn't respond anything to that, as she supposed everything would have been the wrong thing to say. All she dared to do was reaching for his other hand, which rested on the basket's railing and softly squeezing it reassuringly. She couldn't imagine what it was like, not having been able to see the sun rise for over 2000 years, but she supposed it sucked...
When the horizon started to turn the first shades of orange, she spotted a hawk flying beside them, which seemed to stick to them. He even rested on the basket beside Anne once, before he lifted his wings again to spy on the area beneath them, never leaving their side. Laura took several pictures of the beautiful bird and though neither Anne nor Godric seemed to be overly impressed, she was very happy that she had gotten an animal like that in front of her lens.
"I think it would be better if you returned to the hotel soon", she suggested worriedly, when she became aware of how bright the sky already was. It was just a matter of minutes until the sun would appear on the horizon in its bright glory.
Godric nodded, with one of these unnecessary fake smiles plastered on his face and hopped onto the basket's railing. Laura had watched his action with a shocked expression, until she reminded herself, that he had mentioned something about being able to fly.
"I'll be waiting for your return", he told her and caressed her cheek with the back of his fingers, before he jumped off the edge. Hadn't she seen his blurry silhouette heading south in a speed she wasn't able to follow with her eyes, she would have thought he'd jumped to death.
After she had taken a deep breath to calm down from this momentary shock, she immediately activated her father's camera and set it to video-mode. Godric wouldn't be able to witness the sunrise in person, but at least he would be able to see it at all!
Laura asked Anne to assist her, holding the digital camera still, whenever she used her grandfather's to take photographs. She could never be sure if it had been a good shot until she got the film developed, but she supposed this uncertainty was one of the factors, why analog cameras were popular up to this day.
If she was being honest, she had not really had the time to enjoy the sunrise, as she should have been, because her only concern was, if she held the camera still enough or if she hadn't paned to another spot accidentally, while handing it over to Anne and concentrating on her grandfather's for a moment.
When the first yawn escaped Laura's mouth, the woman beside her just smiled sympathetically at her and pulled on one of the strings, dangling from above. As it appeared it opened a vent in the balloon, because the soon lost height and descended to Goreme again.
"Did you enjoy the trip Laura?", the always so very polite blonde asked her carefully, while she helped her putting the cameras back into their bags.
"It was beautiful – the scenery reminds me of stalagmites somehow – erupting out of nowhere", Laura admitted with a chuckle, but continued in a serious tone after a moments hesitation, "I just wished Godric could have seen it too..."
Anne put her hand on her shoulder motherly and softly squeezed it. "I am sure Mr. DeGaul will be happy about your recordings as well", she assured Laura, her blue eyes somehow reminding her of her fathers, as they fixated her with this convinced expression, "And if I may remind you: he did not initiate this for himself, but only for you."
Laura involuntarily blushed at that statement and was happy that they landed in that moment, because Anne was too busy to catch it. By the time she helped her climb out of the basket, she realized that a car was already waiting for them.
Back at the hotel, Gerry – who had been their driver – and Anne wished her a good rest and disappeared upstairs to their room, while she descended absentmindedly to hers.
She was a bit nervous to face Godric again, as she hadn't been able to get the previous morning's events out of her mind, since she had been showering. It somehow felt odd to be near him now, as she had caught herself more than once longing for his touch again.
She knew she'd fallen head over heels for him, quite some time ago. This experience the morning before – feeling his gentle touch, being allowed to touch him as well – had been something she'd first considered as a precious gift of sorts. He had even told her about the branding on his shoulder blade, something she hadn't dared to hope he would ever talk about...
But the more she thought about it, the more she wished it had never happened. How would she be able to maintain this charade in the future, if she longed for his closeness every wake minute? How should she play the 'friend' when she wanted to be so much more to him?
Sighing heavily, she approached the door to their room and stopped in front of it for a moment. She had to pull herself together before she faced him.
He was an over two millennia old vampire – for God's sake! There had certainly been much prettier and more intelligent women – and men – in his life – and none of them had managed to keep him interested in them to this day.
He'd never see her the way she wanted him to. She had known that from the beginning and had thought she'd be able to deal with it. If anything he'd only pity her, maybe even meet her desires just because he felt sorry for her – a pathetic little human, preparing herself to die...
But she wouldn't need his pity.
Inhaling deeply, she tucked a strand of her unruly hair behind the ear before she entered the room. Godric was sitting on the foot end of the bed and eyed her almost suspiciously, probably aware that she had been standing a few moments in front of the door, before opening it.
"Are you feeling alright Laura?", he asked concerned and was at her side immediately, lifting her head with the usual gentle grasp on her chin. She bit on her bottom lip for a moment, but nodded hesitantly.
"Everything is fine – it was beautiful Godric", she told him and made an effort to smile at him, but it probably looked as faked as it felt, "Do you want to see it?"
He eyed her searchingly for a moment, but let go of her chin then and nodded silently. Glad about the opportunity to distract her nagging thoughts, Laura immediately hurried to the flat screen opposite the bed and plugged the necessary cables into the connections of TV and camera, before she pressed the play button to show him the video she had recorded.
When she peeked over her shoulder to watch his reaction, he seemed surprised for a second, but the familiar emotionless mask fell into place soon after that. With his eyes glued to the screen, he slowly approached the bed again and sank down on it's edge.
Laura closed up to him hesitantly, making herself comfortable beside him and watched the video with him, as she hadn't really paid much attention to the beautifully changing sky when she had really been there.
Every once in a while, she sneaked a peek at him from the corner of her eye, but he sat there like an ice statue, staring at the screen without so much as batting his eyelashes even once.
When the recording had ended and the TV showed it's usual blue screen, Laura sat silently beside him for a few moments, not really aware how to react now.
Had he liked it? Or had it been some sort of affront to record the sun rise and show it to him? He was a vampire after all – maybe there was some sort of etiquette guide she hadn't been aware of – like 'Photographs are OK, but recordings are not' or something...
His face still didn't reveal the slightest hint of what he was thinking and she was becoming uneasier by the minute. Was he angry at her now? Had she accidentally insulted him?
"I know it's nowhere near the real experience, but I thought you'd like to see it...", she muttered apologetically. Her eyes were directed at her interlaced hands in her lap and she bit hesitantly on her lip before she continued. "I'm sorry if it-"
"Stop it", he demanded gently and put a single finger to her lips, making her shiver again. How those gentle fingers had felt on her bare back – and on her bottom... When she dared to lift her head, she finally became aware of the warm expression in his eyes and felt relief embracing her. "It was wonderful. You are wonderful."
She could have sworn her heart had skipped a beat at that sentence and caught herself holding her breath. Had he really just said she'd be 'wonderful'?
"Thank you, Laura."
When his face suddenly started approaching hers, her heart obviously tried to compensate for the lost beat, by accelerating its erratic throbs. She felt herself panic when his lips where only inches away from her own and a hundred thoughts bubbled up inside her head – was this really just happening? How should she react? Would it be too much to wrap her arms around his neck?
But when he suddenly changed direction to plant a chaste kiss on her cheek, this anticipating excitement immediately changed into utter disappointment.
Of course he'd just kiss her on the cheek! Why the hell had she thought for even one second he would go for her lips?!
AN: Hey there - I should have learned for exams tomorrow, but I was much too motivated to write this chapter ;) I hope you liked reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it :D
thanks to Royal Ember, Jmck22, downbelowgirl, galwidanatitud, WinchesterGirl2975, jcanderson33, Arenola, isis. mama and LittleMissNaive for your lovely reviews! You're responsible if I fail the examinations because your motivating words almost forced me to write ;)
Wow - this story is over 100k words now o.O I'd never thought it would take on such scales - even when finished - and I'm still nowhere near the end ^^' I hope you had as much fun reading as I had writing it and will keep following the story, as it probably will still take some time to finish it ;)
Thanks for reading and till the next chapter ;)