...
"Magic settled on the floor
And there she lived forever more
Turning minutes into hours and days
Stumbling tumbling on
Nothing can be the same as it was
I know
I know"
[Aqualung – Everything Changed]
...
Of course, he had heard Laura. Her lovely voice wishing him a good rest, still rang in his ears – thanks to his total recall – and he had been tempted to at least wish her the same. But he feared that would have lead to her spending the night beside him again and that was something he could not handle at the moment.
He just could not figure her out. Whenever he started to think he did, her actions contradicted whatever conclusion he had drawn and he had to start anew. And this kiss preyed on his mind as well...
Her accelerating heartbeat when they neared the bridge she had deemed the Pont Marie and her disappointed demeanor when they passed it, had betrayed him into believing she really wanted him to kiss her. To be fair, she had immediately reacted when he had done exactly that, leaning into his touch and moving her lips in rhythm to his – but that was it.
No arms wrapping around his neck. Not a single moan escaping her throat. Nothing along those lines...
It was obvious, that she had only reacted because it was expected – maybe even because she thought her wish would not come true if she did not.
Did she seriously believe in such nonsense?
A frustrated growl escaped his throat when he turned to the other side. He was laying awake in his bed for almost two hours now, but sleep still had not had the mercy to come over him. All he had done since he heard Laura retreat to her room, was brooding over the previous nights events.
His son had been deeply disappointed by him when they had parted, but he knew time would mend that wound. They had overcome much bitterer differences in the past, he would soon forgive him again – at least he hoped so.
Since Laura came into their lives, nothing was the same...
He was keenly aware that Eric's – at first – merely grateful emotions for this special young woman, had shifted to something deeper ever since the incident on the rooftop of hotel Carmilla.
One of those turning points had been the moment she offered him her blood to heal. The other had been when she had accepted his in return.
In between, their relationship had gradually developed, as if they stood in close contact all the while – which actually was exactly what Godric suspected for some time now.
Though he tried not to listen into her private conversations with her family and friends, he happened to do so nonetheless from time to time – involuntarily of course – and had overheard her talking to Eric as well on several occasions.
He had been especially tempted to listen into these discussions, but he had forced his curiosity back. If it would have been the other way around, he would not have forgiven her easily, if she had eavesdropped on him...
But it still bothered him that he had absolutely no idea, what they talked so much about. Maybe he would forget his decency for a moment and listen into their phone call the next time – she would not have to know...
He just released a long, unnecessary breath, when he suddenly heard a whimper and immediately sat up in alarm. The sound had definitely come from Laura's direction and it had with certainty been her voice – he would recognize it everywhere!
With a start he had leapt up and rushed out of his room to burst her door open without another thought – but he immediately regretted his thoughtless actions.
Laura sat on her bed, wrapped into her blanket and had almost jumped in fear, when he barged into her sleeping room. Her beautiful blue eyes were red rimmed from crying and looked frightened into his direction. It apparently took her a few moments to process what was going on, but she calmed down as soon as she realized that the intruder was just him.
"I am sorry that I startled you, Laura", he apologized while he hesitantly stepped towards her bed with slow strides, "I heard your whimper and could not help but check on you..."
She hurriedly tried to get rid of the tears that still stuck to her cheeks and just muttered a meek 'it's nothing' before she took a deep breath. "I am sorry if I disturbed your slumber...", she apologized in return and looked up at him with embarrassment written all over her face.
"It cannot be 'nothing' if it causes you to cry, Laura", he noted softly and sat down on the edge of her bed, eyeing her concerned, "If you want to talk about it, do not hesitate. Someone once told me that dreams usually have a meaning and that talking about problems often helps..."
When he heard her chuckle slightly, he felt his own lips twitch into a small smile as well. Why did it feel so very satisfying to elicit even just that little sound of her?
"I just had a dream", she admitted reluctantly and stared at her tucked up knees, "It was an embarrassing blend of 'seductive Eric' and 'brutal vampire prince' – I suppose that would be his title as the son of a King, wouldn't it?"
Godric merely nodded and released a sigh. It would probably take her a while, until she would be able to cope with this experience. If he had only realized earlier what was going on – he could have been there before this imbecile sank his teeth into her throat and she would not have to bear these dreams! … Or at least not the brutal part of them...
When he saw her reaching to her purse on the nightstand, he already feared she would have another seizure and his eyes involuntarily widened in horror at that prospect. He already wanted to assist her, when he realized what her intention really was.
Never before had he been so relieved to see someone retrieve a paper tissue.
But to his surprise she did not use it herself, as he would have thought, but hesitantly stretched her hand out to him. She obviously wanted to clean his face of the blood that had started to drip from his nose and ears some time ago, but she stopped a few inches off his skin. Her hand hovered there, with the tissue gently grabbed between her fingers and apparently waited for his permission.
Again he only nodded, a bit taken aback by that kind gesture, and allowed her to gently brush his blood away. Only a few days ago she had done the same with her fingers, but it felt as if this rather had been years ago...
She thoroughly cleaned his face, starting with his ears and throat and moved on to his mouth then. Her eyes were glued to her hand, monitoring her movements accurately while her face showed a concentrated expression that almost could have been mistaken for a grim one.
Her normally rosé colored lips showed a much lighter shade because of the pressure she applied to them and her eyebrows were slightly furrowed, forming this distinct line between them, Eric had brought to his attention.
When she was done with her work, she hesitated a moment, touching the fifth and still almost clean tissue to his upper lip before she retracted her hand. He was painfully aware that her gaze was still glued to his mouth, but that was probably due to Eric's blood playing with her hormones...
Only when he coughed slightly, it seemed to rip her out of her trance and her cheeks immediately turned a lovely shade of red.
"I'm sorry, I was lost in thought...", she muttered, obviously embarrassed and averted her gaze, biting on her lip at the same time. Was she even aware how tempting this made her mouth appear? Probably not...
"Thank you, Godric – for coming here and checking on me", she muttered and he immediately got her message. Without another word he stood up, ready to leave, but she grabbed his wrist before he could have stepped away from her bed. "Could you please stay – just for a while longer? I can't sleep just now..."
For a moment he examined her baffled, but nodded when he saw the pleading expression on her face. She tugged gently on his arm, which was still in her grip and pulled him down beside her onto the bed again.
"I didn't even thank you for this wonderful gondola trip tonight", she stated and he felt her thumb brush along the skin of his wrist towards the back of his hand, before she let go of him altogether. Her eyes had been glued to her movement, but wandered towards his face as soon as she retreated her arm.
"I already stole a kiss from you – did I not?", he replied before he realized what he had said. Her eyes widened in surprise and even her eyebrows rose a fraction.
"I wouldn't call that 'stealing', Godric", she muttered and he noticed how her eyes scurried to his lips again. Was she really thinking about kissing him now? "I responded to the kiss, didn't I?"
He felt his own eyebrows twitch upwards for a second, before he gained control over his features again. "You did...", he admitted, an unspoken 'but' hovering between them. His reply was obviously not to her liking, as she bit on her lip again – not in embarrassment like it was usually the case, but almost upset.
"But it was not to your liking?", she whispered, her disappointment clearly showing on her face. Why she suddenly felt that way was beyond him!
With a frustrated sigh he pinched the bridge of his nose with two fingers and closed his eyes for a moment. She had been the one who had reacted only halfheartedly! Why was she even surprised, that it was not exactly what he had hoped for?!
"You did not respond the way I thought you would", he simply stated, his face forced into the impassive expression he had worked centuries on. He observed how her eyebrows furrowed in concern while her mouth formed a small 'oh' before she found her voice again.
"How should I have reacted then?"
He could not suppress a low growl after this question and immediately averted his gaze, embarrassed by the way he had lost his temper.
"I take it we should change the subject then...", she muttered and paused for a while, obviously thinking of another topic to talk about. "Where will our journey go next, Godric?"
Thinking about her question, he kept his gaze glued to the floor for a while before he turned his head to face her again. "As I see it, there is no place in Europe left, you would really like to see – at least none we could actually go to", he pointed out and when he received a simple nod from her, he continued, "Then I suggest we fly to Iceland before we go on to China. Its untouched nature and beautiful landscape will be to your liking – and we would have a safe place to stay as well, as I own a house there."
"That sounds lovely, Godric", she told him with a smile, until a thought seemed to dampen her mood. "But I'm afraid I have to buy some warmer clothes before we start. At this time of year it'll surely be quite cold there..."
He had to admit that he had not thought about that, but of course, she was right. It was already mid November and even in Paris the temperatures were quite cool and Iceland was way farer north. She would probably need at least a down coat...
"I will inform Mrs. White to get you those, so we can start at sunset", he told her gently, remembering her remark about being a 'warm and cozy' type. He had to smile at that thought, not able to suppress his delight. This was the best idea he had had in a long time and he already ached to see her reaction, when she realized what he had planned...
"I hope they aren't still at the airport?", Laura asked meekly, looking shyly up into his eyes while she almost ducked her head.
"No. They are not", he stated dryly, though he had trouble not to let his mirth show, "I called them while you showered."
Laura nodded understandingly and leaned back against the pillow she had put in front of the headboard of her bed. Her eyes examined him for a moment, but when she seemed to realize what she did, she immediately turned her gaze to her tucked up knees instead.
Silence settled between them, but it was not the comfortable, familiar one that usually appeared after their initial conversation come to an end. This was an awkward, uneasy silence none of them really enjoyed, but neither did anything to stop it.
It pained him, that they had obviously lost the ability to simply enjoy the others presence without saying anything. He had always cherished those moments where he could simply concentrate on the rhythm of her breath and heartbeat. Those two distinct distinct sounds always had such a pleasantly calming effect on him...
But now it constantly felt as if he should be talking, as if he should force a conversation on her. It was unsettling...
"How do you feel?", his voice finally broke the silence, causing her to lift her eyes again. A confused expression was written on her face when she tilted her head in a questioning gesture. "How is your headache and what about your vertigoes? Did they subside since you accepted Eric's blood?"
"Oh", she voiced softly, before she bit on her lip and looked down on the blanket he was sitting on. "Both is nonexistent at the moment. You have no idea how wonderful it feels to be pain free again...", she told him in a low voice, glancing up at him every now and then, but generally sticking to the comforter for the most part. "I'm really-... I mean I-...", she started but stopped mid-sentence both times, causing him to arch his eyebrows in confusion.
"What are you trying to say?", he inquired carefully and leant to the side, to look at her from another angle in hope to get a glimpse of her face. She had bent her head and her untamed hair did not only cascade over her shoulders, but also blocked his view of her face. When she realized, that he indeed had managed to look at her still, she glanced up at him with an almost caught expression.
"I am really sorry, that I allowed Eric to claim me – I didn't know what it exactly meant and I at least should have asked a few questions before accepting his offer", she began gently, still holding his gaze, but not lifting her head, "But though I know how much I hurt you – and I'm deeply sorry for that! – and though I regret it somehow I simultaneously can't help but feel glad that I accepted it... Its immediately noticeable effect really gives me hope, you know..."
He nodded understandingly, but he supposed he was not able to fully mask the sorrow her words caused him to feel – if her terrified expression was any indication. "I'm so sorry I said that Godric – I just –... argh!", she suddenly groaned in frustration and boxed into the mattress with her balled fist. But only moments later, her hand and arm relaxed again and she released a deep sigh.
"I would have loved to accept your blood, Godric – really! I would've preferred being bonded with you – whatever that may implicate. But I–... I just can't let you in like that – it would be too embarrassing for me and our relationship would probably have suffered even more, than it already has... I just couldn't risk that – you mean too much to me..."
"You seem to misunderstand me Laura", Godric clarified, when she had ended her speech, which caused her to lift her gaze up at him again, with a confused expression on her face. "I am not offended – I am sorry. I am deeply sorry because I know with certainty, that his blood will not heal you, li-", he explained and the nickname she despised so much almost slipped out of his mouth, but fortunately he realized it in time, "ljusstråle."
A smile played around her lips then, but her eyes betrayed how disappointed she really was. "I feared you'd tell me something like that... You wouldn't have put so much effort in finding this woman otherwise – would you?", she asked with a faked laugh and dropped her gaze to her knees again. They sat there like that for a while, neither of them uttering a word, but the things she had said earlier were still on his mind.
"I can not understand your logic...", Godric muttered after some hesitation and when she looked questioningly up at him he continued to elaborate his thoughts, "You say I mean too much to you, to risk whatever this is we have – but you trust Eric enough to share this same feelings you try to hide from me. In which way should that make me feel better?"
"I've never seen it that way...", she muttered and sighed heavily while her eyes wandered to her knees again, obviously deep in thought. She seemed to contemplate his question for a while, but he was not really expecting her to have an answer.
"Are there not some things you try to keep from me as well? Information about your past for example?", she asked him softly while her gaze slowly traveled back to him, fixating on him from beneath her lashes. But her question was obviously rhetoric, as she continued without waiting for his answer, "There are many people who know what you did back then – but whatever it was, you don't want me to know, right?"
He grudgingly had to admit that she had a point – he saw what she was getting at and nodded reluctantly, when she kept staring at him as if she waited for his confirmation.
"I understand now...", he muttered while he felt how the first drops of blood seeped out of his ear again. With an annoyed movement, he flicked it away with a single finger, once again cursing his body for being so weak during the day.
"I'm a horrible friend! – keeping you from your well deserved rest...", Laura suddenly exclaimed a bit embarrassed and bit on her lip while she eyed him with concern, "You should probably go to bed, I don't want you to suffer because of my sleeping problems – I'll just go and watch TV or something..."
"You should not worry about that – it is merely annoying...", he assured her and sighed before he stood up, "But I am afraid you are right – I should at least lay down for a while. But that should not be a problem, watching TV, no?"
A sincere smile spread on her lips then and she almost jumped out of her bed in enthusiasm, but still showed some sort of grace, he would not have thought possible in such a hurry. He just shook his head in slight disbelief and followed her into the living room, a small smile playing around his lips as well.
Laura had already opened the blanket that always lay neatly folded on one side of the couch and gestured him to lay down first. He silently did what she had asked for, making himself comfortable with his head resting on a pillow and his back against the backrest, so he would leave enough space for her to lay down herself.
Still smiling brightly, she sat down in front of him, draping the blanket she had held the whole time carefully over his frame before she slowly lowered her body to lie beside him. Her eyes briefly met his and though her decisions had hurt him and although he had intended to distance himself from her for a while, he could not help but wrap an arm around her body, to eliminate the last inches that parted them.
Before she could have had one of her embarrassed moments because of their closeness – moments Godric admittedly sometimes very much enjoyed – she reached over their heads with one of her hands and grabbed the remote control that lay on the armrest. Without hesitation she turned the television on and started to zap through the channels until she found a movie that obviously caught her attention.
He immediately tuned the annoying, mechanic sound of the TV out and concentrated solely on Laura instead. The beautiful curve where her neck merged into her shoulder. The infectious rhythm of her heartbeat. The intoxicating scent she constantly emanated without knowing.
Though it was mixed with Eric's at the moment...
Swallowing his pride with gritted teeth, he closed his eyes and tried to think of something else. How the fabric of her simple cotton shirt under his fingers felt, for example. How much he longed to lift that very shirt. Or how much he ached to touch the skin of her belly underneath it...
Surprised and also quite irritated about these inappropriate thoughts he felt his eyebrows twitch. He should not allow his mind to head in that direction – it was not healthy...
He sucked a deep, unneeded breath in – and that was exactly the moment his eyes shot open in pure shock: the reason why these specific thoughts had come to his mind hit him like a train at full speed.
She was aroused.
He gulped hard and had to muster all of his self control to restrain his body from reacting to this tantalizing scent. Breathing was fortunately not a necessity, otherwise he would have had a problem...
His eyes wandered over her form, intently observing her to determine why on earth she would suddenly feel that way – because she was obviously not asleep. Dreams about his son could be ruled out then...
Her breath was a bit heavier than usual and she was biting hard on her lip once again – no, she almost chewed on it. Oh what would he give to-... No, none of those thoughts! For centuries he had been known for his legendary self control – that could not have been for nothing! This was something she did at least five to ten times each night, he should already have become accustomed to that for fucks sake! He had to calm down – and better fast...
When he tore his gaze from her lips again, he realized, that her lively grey-blue eyes where glued to the screen and he decided to follow her glance, watching the same scenes she was practically absorbing at the moment.
Now he partially understood her state.
There was a woman, blond hair, obviously torn by conflicting emotions, and a younger man who seduced her, working his hands all the way up over her inner thighs to her crotch – but not really touching her, as she halfheartedly tried to keep him from doing so.
The scene ran its course and needless to say that the pair ended up having intercourse – quite ridiculously so, if he might add. But apparently Laura did not think so, as her breath started to come in spurts and her heart rate accelerated.
He observed her reactions with amazement and – to be honest – also a certain amount of lust, only briefly checking the screen to see what had her react which way. But when it later showed the blond – obviously enjoying the fact that she was being fucked hard against a wall, without any proper pretreatment – he just could not keep quiet anymore.
"This is ridiculous...", he muttered, but a few seconds later he regretted the statement.
Laura's body immediately tensed and her head spun to the side to look at him in shock, the expression on her face not only startled, but downright horrified.
She hurriedly grabbed the remote control and turned the television off before she tried to jump up and flee to her room.
She tried. But of course she was not successful.
"Why do you want to run from me, Laura?", he asked in a low voice, his lips almost touching her earlobe. He could hear her gulp at that question and though she still lay there with her back turned towards him, he could clearly see how she closed her eyes tightly.
Oh how much he wanted to seduce her now... He was quite positive that he would have been successful if he tried it in this moment, even without his vampiric charm. But what afterwards? What if it would stand between them like an insurmountable obstacle? Was it worth their friendship?
…rather not.
"This is just too embarrassing...", she muttered, more to herself than to him, as it seemed.
"I do not think so", he told her honestly and made this purring sound she had liked so much, when she heard it the first time. Fortunately it had the estimated effect, as her heartbeat decreased to a normal rhythm and she slowly turned her head to the side to look at him again.
"I thought you were already asleep...", she admitted and bit on her lip before she turned her head to look in a different direction again, apparently still uncomfortable.
"I am glad I was not. I would not have wanted to miss that..."
"Miss what?", she asked alarmed, eying him suspiciously now, with her eyebrows slightly furrowed in concern.
"You being aroused", he told her, emphasizing the 'aroused' and could not help a smirk spreading on his lips, "Though I have to admit that I am slightly surprised how easily that happened. But I suppose it was – at least partly – due to Eric's blood."
"What?", she shrieked and tried to bring some distance between them, wiggling in his embrace, but not really able to even part a few inches from him, "I'm not-... I wasn't-"
"Shhh...", he tried to calm her, before he continued in a casual tone, "Do not try to deny it – I can smell it." He inhaled deeply to get his point across, causing her to widen her eyes in horror and she immediately hid her face in her hands, muttering something about 'god' and how 'embarrassing' this was for her.
Humans...
"I can not understand why this would be embarrassing", he tried to calm her, "This is a totally normal bodily reaction. I was just surprised that those unrealistic scenes had such an effect on you."
She hesitantly turned her head and shifted her fingers to be able to take a glimpse at him through them. "What do you mean?", she asked meekly, still hiding her face in her hands.
"I mean those scenes. They were quite unrealistic – especially the last one...", he told her with a low chuckle and started to caress her side to ease some of her discomfort. As subtly as possible he applied a bit pressure from time to time, in the hope it would animate her to turn on her back – but of course it was to much to hope for... "Do not tell me you thought otherwise?!"
He quietly watched her, while she lowered her hands again, not breaking eye contact with him the whole time and slowly gave in to his silent request. She lay on her back now, her face displaying a slightly irritated expression and she coughed before she answered. "How would I know. I've never had sex – I thought you were aware of that?!"
Godric felt his eyebrows rise in honest surprise. How did she know that he knew? Had Eric told her about it? Or his grandprogeny? … No – it had probably been Annabelle, she had always been a magpie...
He shook his head in frustration. It did not matter who told her. Nor did it matter that she knew.
"Of course I am aware of that", he admitted in a gentle voice, still trying to soothe her. His arm was now loosely wrapped around her body while his hand moved gently up and down along her side. "But even so, you know how unrealistic this restroom scene was – I mean you are a woman yourself! You know that it could not be as satisfying for her as she pretended – without any form of stimulation beforehand!"
He could almost feel the heat emanating from her suddenly red cheeks and could not help but smile. Though he did not like the fact, that he obviously had an exceptional talent to make her feel embarrassed, the blushes really suited her...
"Well – I don't. Could we please leave it at that?", she asked dryly and shifted her weight to the side to face him fully. Her eyebrows were slightly furrowed in annoyance while her lips formed a pout.
"What?", it slipped out of his mouth, totally ignoring her request, "Do not tell me you have never pleasured yourself?!"
He would not have considered it possible, but her cheeks turned an even darker shade of red after his indecent question. With wide eyes she stared at him for a moment, before she shook her head and inspected the pillow their heads lay on instead.
"I'm not totally prude – of course I tried...", she admitted reluctantly while her finger drew invisible patterns on the pillow's fabric.
"What does 'tried' exactly mean in this context?", he inquired but scolded himself inwardly as soon as the words had left his mouth. Her eyes rapidly moved to his face again and there was suddenly an irritated, almost angry expression on her face. No – forget that – she was furious!
"I surely won't tell you how exactly I tried to pleasure myself!", she spat in his face and attempted to free herself from his grip again, but he would not let her go so easily.
"Forgive my imprecise question – I merely meant: why did you say 'try' – did it not work?", he explained, eyeing her with what he hoped would look like a confused but sorry expression.
"Oh...", she just muttered and immediately stilled again, relaxing her face as well. "I'm sorry I shouted at you... But do we really need to talk about this now?", she asked and sounded tired all of a sudden.
If she was indeed tired – which could of course have been the case at such an hour – or if she was merely tired of this conversation, he did not know. But he was positive, that he would not let it go that easily.
"Yes, we have to", he simply stated and when he saw her frowning at him he first just responded with a small smile. But when she obviously showed no intention of elaborating the matter they had been discussing he continued. "If 'tried' means, that you never have felt what it means to be sexually satisfied, it should definitely stand on your list...", he suggested gently and brushed a strand of her hair out of her face absentmindedly.
"Huh..."
"What does 'huh' mean?"
"Nothing...", she muttered and slightly shook her head as if she wanted to get rid of an annoying thought. He eyed her suspiciously while she reverted to brushing her finger over the pillow below their heads.
Only when she briefly looked up at him, she seemed to realize that he had kept staring at her the whole time and managed a tired smile.
"It's just the fact that it's actually standing on my list...", she gave in and finally told him what this sound had been about. He felt his eyes widen just a fraction, surprised by this new information, but forced his face into a less revealing expression. She would probably be uncomfortable if he showed her, that this surprised him.
"Hm..."
"What's 'hm'?", she inquired now, just as he had only a minute ago and arched one of her eyebrows. He could not help but chuckle about the unintentional humor of this situation, but soon reverted to his calm demeanor.
"It just came to my mind that I could instruct you how to do it right...", he suggested and though his sentence trailed off he hoped she had realized that this was indeed an offer, not a joke.
"What?", she whispered sharply, her eyes wide in shock, but showing neither anger nor embarrassment, as he had feared. She seemed merely surprised.
"I have more than 2000 years of experience, Laura", he told her casually, but in a low voice that caused her to shiver – hopefully not because she was disgusted by this hidden implication... "Trust me – I know exactly how to cause a female body to feel pleasure..."
She sucked a sharp breath in, as if someone had spit a bucket of ice cold water on her and just stared at him for a few moments.
"What-...? Why do y-...?", she started to stutter but obviously had a problem to voice her thoughts, as the confused ant totally baffled expression on her face showed blatantly. After she had blinked perplexed at him for a few times, she forced herself to calm down with a deep breath and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she seemed to have regained her composure, as her gaze was calmly settled on him now.
"Is that an actual offer? - and if so: what exactly do you have in mind?!", she asked him with a stern look, but her slightly wavering voice betrayed that she was not as cool as she tried to appear.
Thinking about her question for a moment, he let his gaze rest on her face while his hand still traveled up and down her back in circling movements.
He honestly did not know how far he could go with her. He would have loved to show her personally how much a simple touch on the right position, applied in the right angle and the exactly right pressure could do to her body. But unfortunately that would probably be too much to offer right now...
She saw him merely as friend and so far he had done nothing to change that. Maybe this was the right moment to start...
"Yes – it is an actual offer. As for what I have in mind: this could go from simply instructing you how to touch yourself to however far you would like to go..."
If it was even possible, she looked more baffled at him than she already had, her mouth forming a silent "oh", while she stared at him wide eyed.
"You can't be serious...", she whispered, as soon as she found her voice again and frowned at him. She looked almost a bit angry with her furrowed brows.
But why would she be angry now? He could have comprehend it, if she would have been confused and though it would have hurt him, he would even have understood if she despised the idea or would have been horrified. But angry?
"I am afraid, I am being totally serious", he admitted with a calm voice and tried to appear unfazed by her reaction. She had not told him off yet. Maybe she was just so confused that her face displayed the wrong feelings. Or he misinterpreted them – it was not exactly the best time to demand efficacy from his brain...
"What? I mean – how can you say that?!", she exclaimed angrily and shoved his shoulder back before she wiggled out of his embrace – successfully this time. He did not dare to hold her back any longer, but other than he had expected she did not return to her room. She merely paced back and forth in front of the couch and he propped his head on his elbow, observing her movements until she finally stilled again.
Her hands were on her hips, leaving her in a reprimanding posture and her gaze was so piercing that even he – who had centuries over centuries of experience in intimidating his opposite with only a simple glare – started to feel uncomfortable.
Why was she so upset all of a sudden?
"You can't just offer something like that, Godric!", she told him in a raised voice, not really shouting but definitely above her usual level.
"Why not?"
"Are you serious? There are thousands of reasons why you shouldn't!", she told him with a stern look and her hands waved frantically through the air while she talked. She always did that when she was upset or angry and confronted the responsible person. He would have enjoyed her emotional outburst, had the situation not been so serious, but being the one her anger was directed at, he could not bring himself to find the situation humorous...
"Then name one!", he retorted challenging, slightly offended by her statement and his request caused her to start pacing again. She could not really have so many reasons, could she?
He felt his mood dampen drastically at this thought and brought his body in an upright position, expectantly eying her, while he silently hoped that she would not be able to find any.
"First: we are friends – we can't do that!", she started and though the way she phrased it, indicated that she was not finished yet, he immediately interrupted her.
"We can not? Is there not this common term nowadays – how was it called? – ah, I think it was 'friends with benefits'?", he pointed out and arched one of his eyebrows in a challenging manner. He could not help but feel a bit relieved, that he had overheard Isabel and Stan arguing about that term, otherwise he would not have known it existed and was a fairly tolerated practice at this time.
Human ways had changed so often during the centuries, he had stopped to care. What had been custom in one time was punished by death in another – or another land. It was much too confusing to keep track of human mores throughout the centuries, even for a vampire.
"What?", she almost shrieked and stopped in her movement, whirling around to face him full on. She just stared at him, while he slowly stood up to approach her. Only when there were merely a few inches between them, he stopped and allowed this situation to sink in.
Laura had never seemed to mind if he was near her – on the contrary, sometimes he even had the suspicion she enjoyed it almost as much as he did. But now he deemed it a better idea to give her at least some space.
"You are really serious...", she whispered after a while, her face blatantly displaying how very surprised she was. It stung a bit – the fact that she obviously had never given this possibility a thought. Her reaction after their kiss had been contradicting, but still he had hoped she would be interested in him on another level than just as a friend.
What had Eric warned him about? – That he should take care she would not 'friend-zone' him, or he would get 'cock-blocked'? Well, he should have heeded his son's advice for once...
"I'm sorry Godric, but I don't think I'm emotionally stable enough for something like that...", her whispered words ripped him out of his musings and he immediately concentrated his attention solely on Laura again.
Her head was bend down which caused her hair to block his view of her face like a curtain. For some reason her hands were balled to fists, trembling slightly as if she applied too much force to her palms.
"Of course, Laura. I should have thought about that – please forgive me...", he immediately muttered, while his fingers gently wrapped around her wrists in an attempt to ease some of the tension.
He should have thought about the fact, that she had been attacked only three nights ago. If he had not interfered, who knew what this bastard would have done to her. No wonder that she reacted that way to his offer, he had been more than tactless...
His fingers slowly slipped down to her fists and loosened hers one at a time until her hands lay in his.
"I'm glad you understand, Godric...", she muttered tiredly, still refusing to look at him. It always made him feel uneasy when she did that. He was used to read emotions off faces – that was how he had survived so long. He did not like it when she left him in the dark about her feelings – and it was especially inconvenient in such a serious moment.
Though he knew that she was not fond of him doing that, he gently got ahold of her chin with his left hand, while his right was still wrapped around Laura's and turned her head upwards until she faced him.
But she still refused to look as him and stared intentionally to the side instead. There was some sort of emotion visible in her face, but he could not pinpoint it for sure. If he would have been forced to name it, he had called it 'torn' – she appeared to struggle with something and obviously had conflicting emotions about it.
Sad but simultaneously angry, that was what he read from her face and demeanor.
"I think we should both go to sleep now – you've started to bleed again...", she muttered, but how she had recognized that remained a mystery to him, as she still refused to look at him. He let go of her chin and silently swiped the trail from his nose and left ear away.
Without another word she wiggled her hand out of his grip and turned to head to her room again. Only when she reached the door she stopped a last time to finally look at him and wished him a good rest – for the second time this day – before she disappeared into her room.
If he would be able to sleep now was questionable...
Laura was exceptionally quiet on their flight to Iceland. She had fetched her drawing kit and immersed herself in portraying one person after the other out of her mind. As amazed as he was by her ability to reproduce her imagination in such a detailed and beautiful way, he still had to admit that it displeased him immensely that he could only recognize one of the persons in her drawings.
There were three of them. All rather young, probably the same age as Laura. Two female, one male – Patrick.
The first female had brown hair, tied into two small buns on either side of her head and bangs that hung loosely into her face. What could be seen of her hazel eyes, looked seductively at the beholder and her luscious lips were slightly parted, forming a little 'o'. It fit, when he considered the microphone in her hand and posture of her curvaceous body, obviously dancing to a beat.
The second female had long blond hair, which hung untamed over her shoulders. She formed a rectangle with her hands while her green eyes were concentrating on them. He assumed she tried to measure something. There was a little pouch attached to her hip which showed a scroll sticking out. Probably those were notes she had taken with the little pencil that was stuck behind her ear.
The last and most worrisome one showed Patrick, sitting at a desk. His face was distorted into a distraught expression and according to the device in front of him, he obviously tried to calculate something. His dark – almost black – relatively short hair contrasted his bright blue eyes and though he looked young and the displayed situation did not show him in a becoming moment, Godric had to admit that he was handsome.
But what concerned him the most, was the fact that his picture was definitely the most detailed of Laura's drawings, he had seen so far. He had not really payed much attention to the boy when he had encountered him for the first and only time so far, as Laura had needed it much more then.
What if she felt more for him than just friendship? What if this was the reason why she had acted so strange when they kissed – because she loved another one?
"Would you tell me who those people are?", he asked carefully, lifting the sheet with the singer, to turn his thoughts in another direction. She looked up from her work, as she still was not finished with this boy, to eye him questioningly until her gaze scurried to the paper in his hand and her features relaxed in realization.
"Of course", she told him and her voice sounded more at ease now, than it had since they first met this evening. It had been obvious, that she had probably slept even less than he had, but she refused to talk about her nightmares and had not been overly enthusiastic to share anything else with him for that matter.
Even when he had tried to start a few conversations she had only responded in taciturn answers until he had dropped it altogether. He just hoped she would unbend again, as he feared her reserved demeanor was less due to her nightmares, than to their conversation in the morning...
He should not have been so very straightforward...
"The person you're holding is Kathy – she's one of my best friends and sings in a punk-band", Laura explained and gestured to the picture in his hands. There was a gleaming in her eyes that immediately betrayed how much this person meant to her and he was amazed how open she suddenly was. As if her former behavior had just been an imagination of him...
"Unfortunately I haven't heard from her in a while, but she's really busy, trying to gain the attention of a record company", she told him and a wave of sadness surged over her face for a brief moment. But she just shrugged it off the next second, as if it had not been there and turned her attention to the paper beside her.
"And that's Irene. She's always been interested in all forms of design – much sooner then I had been", she explained and tipped at the blonde's face with her pointer finger, "She's currently studying Interior design in Fayetteville. Those two have been the only ones beside my family and Pat who kept visiting me while I was in the hospital after my surgery."
After that was said, she returned to her drawing again and shaded the boys face for what felt like the hundredth time. Obviously she did not deem it necessary to tell him anything about him, which left Godric in the uncomfortable position of the nosy person who keeps asking annoying questions...
"And what about Patrick?", he tried to pry some information out of her, "What is he doing? Is he studying as well?"
He was well aware that she had referred to the two girls on another level than the boy. She had mentioned him in the same manner as her family, as if he were much closer to her than anybody else.
It unsettled him...
To his relief Laura seemed more surprised than annoyed when she looked up at him again. A small smile played around her lips before she lowered her gaze with a warm expression to the picture in front of her again.
"Yes. – Like Irene he's in Fayetteville. But as he had no clue what to do, he just opted for the most reasonable and started with Economics", she explained and scrunched her nose a bit, obviously not fond of that idea, which caused a small smile to spread on his lips, "But so far he's not really into it..."
"I can see that", Godric noted with a faint smile, gesturing towards the picture and elicited the first laugh of the night out of Laura. He was glad that her mood was back to normal, as they would arrive soon and his surprise might have backfired otherwise...
Maybe it still would...
When they landed exactly 23 minutes later, Laura had already put her plum red new coat on to brace herself for the chilling temperatures that awaited them. as soon as they would open the cabin's door. Though it was a thick material and padded with downy feathers, it still showed hints of the body beneath it and its color complimented Laura's eyes in a way that would have taken his breath – had he breathed at all.
As soon as Mr. White opened the door and lowered the stairs for them to descend, Laura pulled the hood over her head as well. It was framed by a really good fur-imitation, colored in light grey with black tips.
Mrs. White really deserved a pay raise for her exceptional selection – she had even thought about Laura's ideals and picked a coat without any real fur...
Luckily his property was located in a very secluded area and due to its plain surface they could practically land directly on his grounds. But though it would not have taken them even a minute to walk to the entrance, he did not want to expose Laura more than necessary to the cold. It would have been troublesome for her to trudge through the almost hip-high snow in her outfit...
Without either hesitation or warning he scooped her up in his arms and brought them to the entrance of his Icelandic home within the blink of an eye. After he had inserted the security code, the door clicked open and he led a slightly baffled Laura inside, immediately turning the lights on to provide enough brightness for her eyes to see.
The first thing he did then, was speeding to every room to turn the heaters on, as it was relatively cold inside. Though he considered it necessary to always have the safest security system installed in his houses (which was usually also the newest), he was not fond of this trend to control everything centrally.
It caused unnecessary troubles if the system failed for whatever reasons and he would not be able to take care of the problem himself – which would be quite troublesome in this abandoned area. Therefore he preferred to control the heating system manually, even if it took a few seconds longer...
As the house was situated directly above a hot spring, it was never really cold inside and he did not need to worry that any important lines would freeze. Furthermore it would not take long until it would be 'warm and cosy' inside again, thanks to the already hot water.
And until the rooms would provide a comfortable temperature, he could show her his surprise...
"Would I be correct in assuming that you are cold?", he asked Laura carefully, as soon as he had taken care of the heaters. She was still standing in the entrance's hallway and merely arched her eyebrow at him, giving him a dry side glare that caused him to chuckle slightly.
"Forgive me this stupid question – please follow me", he requested with a faint smile and offered her his arm, which she accepted without hesitation.
He lead her through the open living room with a glass front to the south and though she seemed impressed he did not stop to let her survey the room any further but pulled her along to a little corridor next to it. They walked down the hallway until they reached the only door there and after he pulled it open, Laura immediately gasped beside him.
As soon as he had ushered her inside, he lead her to the left, where a wooden bench was located and gestured her to sit down. She immediately followed his request and looked obviously awestruck at their surroundings until her eyes stuck to the pool in front of them – or rather what looked like a pool.
In reality it was a little lake, fed by the hot spring beneath them. This part of it had been roofed and integrated into the house by a sort-of winter garden and was therefore available even at exceptionally chilly temperatures or icy winds.
A glass front, which was fogged by the water's steam, ended only a few inches below the surface. If they wanted to, they would be able to dive outside beneath it, but at this time of year it would have been unwise for a human to surface with wet hair outside, and even for him it would be chilling. That was why a part of the glass front could be pulled up manually or by using the control button beside the house entrance.
When she kept staring at the water in front of them, but still had not uttered a single word for a few minutes, he could not hold himself back any longer.
"You realize what this is, do you not?"
"This is a warm lake...", she muttered, still staring disbelieving at the water's surface before she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I suppose there's no use to delay this one any longer, huh?", she muttered, more to herself than to him, but he nodded nonetheless.
"It's beautiful, Godric", she admitted after a while, with a small smile on her lips and gestured to the ground. He supposed she referred to the fact, that it was still in its natural state, which meant that it was vegetated with local herbs and mosses – he could even spot a few flowers here and there, probably due to the warm temperatures in the room.
Thanks to the hot water, the air inside this room was so moist, that it kept the ground wet and allowed the plants to grow throughout the year.
He merely nodded and silently observed how she unzipped her coat and pulled it off her shoulders. When she realized that his gaze was practically glued to her, she arched an eyebrow at him and tilted her head in a questioning manner.
"Shouldn't you better get towels or something?", she asked him dryly and he could not help but smirk at her sour comment. And he had every right to grin, as this undoubtably meant that she would indeed take a bath with him.
Nude. Hopefully...
Immediately he tore his eyes from her and sped inside to the little dresser in the hallway they had passed. He was sure it had not even taken him 30 seconds – and that was due to the security system at the backdoor which took ages to process his code – but still Laura had managed to get rid of her boots and tights in that time and was just unbuttoning her blouse when he returned to her side.
"I see you do not waste any time...", he remarked when he bend down to place the towels on the bench beside her, inspecting the progress of her task with a side glare. Laura only responded with a glare on her own – an irritated one – but though she immediately averted her gaze afterwards, she could not hide the blush developing on her cheeks.
With a small smile on his lips he started to mirror her movements, his eyes still glued to the petite woman in front of him. As she was a few buttons ahead, her garment fell a few seconds earlier from her shoulders than his. By the time she slipped completely out of the sleeves, her head was still tilted downward and she started to fold her blouse neatly before she carefully placed it beside the towels.
It was obvious that she still felt too uncomfortable to look at him, as she immediately proceeded to fumble with the zipper of her skirt, just to keep herself busy. It almost seemed as if she hoped he would miraculously disappear, if she did not acknowledge his presence and he wondered when she would realize, that she would be naked much faster if she kept unclothing herself so hurriedly.
Smiling silently, he tossed his shirt on the bench, not bothering to fold it like she did and quickly stepped out of his shoes before he got rid of his trousers in one fluid motion. He only needed to concentrate on the task for a brief moment before his gaze returned to Laura again.
She was standing in front of him now and had just slipped out of her skirt as well. When she straightened herself after she had bend down to the bench to place it on top of her blouse, she hesitated for a moment and her eyes finally scurried in his direction for the first time.
He could not help but smile at the vision in front of him. She did not wear any fancy underwear, but a simple cotton ensemble in dark blue – which really suited her. When she became aware of the fact that she was indeed standing in front of him in only her bra and panties, she gulped and took a deep breath.
Not even two feet were parting them, but still the distance was too big in his opinion and without much thought he closed up to her until their bodies nearly touched.
"I do not understand why you are acting so self-conscious...", he muttered and could see her hair waving in his breath. It was tied in a loose braid, but a few strands framed her face. Her eyes scurried to his for a brief moment, before she looked to the side again and bit on her lip.
"I've never done this before – I mean I've never stripped down to nothing in front of a man...", she muttered sheepishly, while she seemed to observe the waters surface.
Good. She had referred to him as a 'man'. At least she was aware of that – at certain times he had already started to doubt that...
"I promise I will not touch you, Laura – if that is what you fear."
"That's not the problem!"
Her voice sounded slightly frustrated by the way she shook her head disbelievingly, he had probably misunderstood her again.
Women. Even after two millennia they were still a mystery sometimes – this specimen in front of him in particular...
"I just-...", she started, but stopped mid-sentence to huff in annoyance – hopefully not because of him – and suddenly spun her head around to face him again, before she tried it once more. "What if you don't like what you see?"
He felt his eyebrows rise in surprise and could not suppress the laugh that escaped his mouth. But when he saw the hurt expression on her face before she turned her head again, he immediately calmed down and coughed, a bit embarrassed by his own behavior.
Just because she sowed a little bit more skin than usual, did not mean that he could abandon his manners...
"I was not aware, that my opinion matters", he noted with a small smile, not able to keep this tiny remark to himself before he tried to reassure her, "Trust me – this is no problem at all. I relish what I can see so far and I know it will only get better..."
Her face slowly turned to him again and at first she observed him with suspicious eyes. But when she realized that she would not find any dishonesty in his features, she blushed again and dropped her gaze to his collar tattoo.
"I completely forgot that you already saw me naked", she muttered, while her fingers started to trace his inked skin. He was not sure if she was aware of what she was doing, or if this was just a task she performed subconsciously to calm herself down. But either way – he enjoyed the feeling of her slender fingers brushing over his collarbones.
"I am glad I get another chance – I was not exactly perceptive the last time...", he muttered, which seemed to snap her out of her trance. She immediately withdrew her hand again, as if she had burned her skin and bit on her poor bottom lip.
Oh how much he wanted to feel it between his own blunt teeth, or trace it with his tongue, tasting it... She was so close he would only need to bend his head down a few inches...
"What do you mean?", her hesitant question fortunately ripped him out of his musings and he concentrated on her eyes again, which were directed at him with a confused expression.
"You are aware that my teeth were elongated at that time."
It was a statement, not a question as she had been almost thrilled to see them the first time – which was not what he had expected. She even wanted to touch them, but fortunately at least one of his braincells had still been working properly at that moment and urged him to prevent her from doing so.
"Yes? And...?"
Interesting... So this was a fact Annabelle had not spilled yet. But this would remain a secret a while longer – it was possible that she would reconsider her decision to undress, if she really comprehended the situation in Sahar's Hammam...
"I think we are still overdressed...", he reminded her carefully, ignoring her question and the slightly irritated glare he earned for that and took a step back to leave her some more space.
Other than he would have thought, she only nodded a bit reluctantly, before she started to unclasp her bra without any further hesitation. He knew how inappropriate he behaved, still he could not help but stare, when she pulled the straps over her shoulders and finally dropped the fabric on her pile of clothes.
Though her cheeks had a lovely red shade again, she tried to act tough and arched a brow at him, with her hands on her hips. "Don't you have something better to do than staring at me the whole time? Unclothing yourself, for example?!", she remarked dryly and he could not help but chuckle. It was cute how she tried to mask her insecurities...
He decided he would just follow her advice and disposed of his shorts without a word of warning, leaving her to gasp in surprise. Her cheeks turned at least fifteen other shades of red and she immediately averted her gaze, biting on her lip in embarrassment.
"Way to go...", she just muttered under her breath and slightly shook her head, before she took a deep breath and slipped her fingers on either side of her hip into her panties. She bend forward and slid the fabric down her slender legs in one fluid motion. When she straightened up afterwards, her bottom lip was captured between her teeth again, showing how uncomfortable she was, while her eyes searched his own for any kind of reaction.
And he did react.
He realized only subconsciously that his mouth had opened on its own clearing the way for his tongue to moisten his lips. His gums ached to release his teeth and the way his vision suddenly improved told him, that his pupils had dilated as well. But these were reactions he could live with.
Whatever was left of his sanity however, tried to suppress another reaction at all costs – a reaction that without doubt would have harmed their still fragile relationship. Especially after the discussion they had conducted in the morning.
Why had he not thought about that? He should have known how hard it would be to disguise just how very attracted he was to her!
And how could he ever forget this wonderful view? Now that he knew for sure how she looked beneath those layers of fabric, he would never be able to look at her the same way again...
How the dim light of the moon, shining through the glass roof, cast shadows over her body and accented especially her curvaceous parts made him shudder and just ache to touch her warm skin. The erect, rosy tips of her breasts were a temptation on their own, but when his gaze slipped even lower he could not help but growl appreciatively.
Now this 'bikini waxing' made much more sense... There was only a small trail of hair leading to her sex, otherwise she was completely exposed to his gaze. But despite the fact that he enjoyed the sight immensely, it bothered him that she had made such an effort.
Why – and even more important: for whom?
When he became aware of the goosebumps spreading on her body, he forced his inappropriate thoughts back and closed his eyes for a moment to regain his composure. It would not do him any good to ponder over all the 'what if's' now...
When he silently gestured to the natural pathway that lead into the water, she only nodded without saying a word. With quick and schooled hands she opened her braid, only to readjust her hair in a bun on top of her head and lead the way to the entry point. As soon as she dipped one of her feet into the warm water, a relieved sigh escaped her lips and she descended the steps with a much quicker pace.
Her body was immersed up to her chin and she sheepishly observed his body, while he still made no move to follow her. He was well aware that she examined him thoroughly, from head to toe, but he knew it would not do any good to comment on that now, like she had done earlier.
Before he descended into the water as well, he activated the automatic lift for the windowsills, which immediately moved a part of the front upwards to reveal a clear view of the lake. Laura stared awestruck outside, apparently unfazed by the cool breeze blowing a few loose strands of hair into her face.
She turned her head to eye him with a questioning expression when he reached her side and when he silently nodded at her, she eagerly swam to the aperture. A moment she lingered there to look back at him, probably to make sure he followed her – which he of course did.
He just tried to keep a distance. It pleased him that she obviously enjoyed this as much as he did – even if their reasons were different. He was mesmerized by her appearance and her awe of nature and could not take his eyes off her. If she realized how fixated he was on her, it would probably take some of this magic away.
But as she showed no intention to swim ahead when he stopped to approach her, but only eyed him with a concerned expression, he closed up nonetheless. She obviously wanted him at her side – this had to be a good sign...
Her features immediately relaxed when he reached her and she gave him a warm smile before they swam out into the dim moonlight side by side.
AN: hey there :) I hope you don't mind, that it was time for Gordic's view of things again and you liked the chapter nonetheless ^^'
Thanks to the wonderful people who (always) leave me some words of motivation or advice! Guest, Jmck22, Royal Ember, Pelawen Night, JamesNorthman96, Death flower 9625, Anabel, downbelowgirl, galwidanatitud, Arenola, littleelfmom, Angel4EverLostInLife, WinchesterGirl2975 and Henbird – you're awesome guys! Thanks so much for your time and effort – I really appreciate it and am already eager to read your opinions about this chapter :)
at Guest: thanks for your review! - and thanks to you I learned that you use 'bravo' in English as well :D as for your question about Eric's blood: ... you will see ;) ...
at Anabel: :D I'm glad you liked the kissing scene ;) and you're definitely not the only one who had the urge to pull Laura's hair on occasion :D thanks for your review and I hope she'll earn your sympathy again ^^'
Thanks for reading!
~Orange