Fire and Ice

I fell onto the sofa with a slight bounce, throwing my arm over my face in defeat. I'd woken up to find that Ethan was "out" all day, meaning I was home alone with Mary and Hanna. However, they had gone out hours ago to shop for groceries, and they still weren't back. I sighed in complete boredom and stared at the ceiling.

I realized that I was in the same spot I'd been so many days ago that I'd first arrived. I was so angry with Ethan, even now a small flame of fury lit inside me thinking of it, but everything was different now, I had to admit. I let my hand run along the smooth crimson velvet of the sofa, marveling at its exquisite detail and amazing condition. There was no doubt in my mind that this piece was an undiscovered antique, having been Ethan's since it was first crafted decades ago. The room was dark, as the sun had gone down a few hours earlier and there was only one lamp aglow.

In the next moment, the double French doors were swinging open and as I jumped up I noticed an all-black figure standing in the doorway. I stayed perfectly still; afraid that if I moved the person might see me. But when they stepped into the room, covered in only the dim light, my heartbeat calmed.

"Isaac?" I asked, watching as his eyes scanned the room and landed on me. He smiled instantly.

"Audra," he breathed, his deep voice smooth and silky. His hair was slightly disheveled and he wore a dark leather jacket over a grey t-shirt. He looked like the ultimate bad boy, but his golden eyes gave away his warm, friendly personality.

"What are you doing here?" I tucked my hair behind my ear, slightly nervous to be alone with him. "Ethan isn't home." I inwardly cringed at my wording, wanting immediately to fix it. "He's not here."

"I know," he nodded, striding across the room in barely two steps. "I was just with him."

"Boy's night out?"

"We were," he paused and looked away for a moment, as if he was thinking over his answer, "getting a bite to eat."

I grimaced, "Ugh." He chuckled and sat down beside me, his arm draped over the back of the sofa. "So, then… what are you doing here?"

"Ethan asked me to meet him back here," he answered, leaning back. "He must have stopped off somewhere. He'll be along shortly, I'm sure."

I nodded and looked down at my lap, feeling awkward. I didn't know Isaac very well; I'd only met him the day before. "So, how did you meet Ethan?"

"It's was a very long time ago," he explained. "Our families have always been very close. We met perhaps a century ago? Back when he was with Vivi," he smiled at the nickname he used for his sister.

"Wait, what?" Surprisingly, I felt my stomach drop.

"Ethan was engaged to my sister," he clarified, looking at me seriously for the first time. "You didn't know?"

I had to swallow the lump inside my throat before I could answer, "No." The news was unexpected, to say the least. Not only was he in a relationship with the beautiful vampire, but they'd been engaged! "Ethan doesn't really talk to me," I explained.

"He's not a very open person, I know." Isaac seemed sympathetic.

"What happened?" I asked, and immediately assured, "I don't mean to pry."

"It's alright," he grinned. "What's he going to do? Yell at me?" I chuckled, imagining Ethan and Isaac engaged in a shouting match. "To be honest, I think they just got tired of each other. It was so long ago, I don't remember how long they were even together anymore, but I can certainly remember the fights."

"Fights?"

He nodded, "Yes. By the end they were arguing so often it was practically on a daily basis, which eventually led to their downfall. It was hard to watch, as a friend and a brother."

"That bad, huh?"

He simply answered, "Yes."

We sat in silence for a few moments afterward. I was trying to wrap my head around everything I'd learned. Obviously, this was what Isaac had been referring to last night, about Ethan "following her orders". Neither Vivienne nor Ethan made any mention, any hint, that they were ever more than friends. I wondered what Ethan would have to say about it, if anything at all.

"So what about you, hmm?" Isaac broke me from my thoughts. "Did you leave behind a boyfriend when Ethan brought you here?"

"First of all, I wasn't brought here. I was kidnapped," I told him, watching as he chuckled boyishly at my clarification. "Second of all, no. I don't date."

"What do you mean by that?" He tilted his head curiously, his eyebrows bent in confusion. "You choose not to?"

I shrugged, "It's not that I avoided it, I just didn't think about it really."

"You speak about it in the past tense," he observed quickly.

"My life is different now," I spoke evenly, watching his warm brown eyes as he waited patiently for my answer. "I can never leave this place, and I highly doubt Ethan would be willing to let any boyfriend of mine come to stay at the mansion."

Isaac laughed freely, clearly amused by the thought. "You're right," he smiled, running a hand over his perfect face and through his thick, brown hair. "He couldn't handle the jealousy." His statement confused me. Jealousy? "I'll explain another time," he promised, obviously seeing my confusion, and nodded toward the doors he had come through earlier.

I heard the handle of the door turn and knew it was Ethan before he even came into the light. I probably would have known even if Isaac hadn't told me. Ethan had a magnetism that followed him everywhere he went. I could feel it when he was near and as contradicting as it may seem, it actually calmed me.

"Hey," he greeted as he entered, his face still. I noticed that his eyes were bright gold and I had to struggle to hide my nausea. His eyes first met Isaac, and his face instantly picked up in malice, "I apologize for taking so long," he told him with a twisted smile. "I got caught up with something."

"A blonde?" Isaac chuckled.

Ethan shook his head, "Brunette."

I couldn't take any more of it. Listening to them make jokes about women they fed from made my stomach contents churn inside me. I stood up from the couch and ignored Ethan's presence altogether. "I'm going to try and get some sleep," I told Isaac. He stood from the couch immediately and nodded. "Thank you for keeping me company."

"Anytime," he smiled, squeezing my arm. "Sleep well."

I forced a smile and walked around him, feeling Ethan's stare burning holes into my back as I left the room. Even as I walked to my room, I still felt as though he would appear behind me at any moment. Yet I made it all the way to my room without interruption, and as I rummaged through the closet for my pajamas (I still had yet to hang up the clothes I'd gotten on the shopping spree with Hanna, and now they were all thrown about in heaps on the floor) I knew Ethan wouldn't let me go that easily.

I finally found a tank top long enough to be a short dress and pulled it on, throwing my hair into a ponytail and going to the bathroom. Just as I turned on the faucet and began to wash my face, I heard my bedroom door open. "Go away," I shouted, shutting the bathroom door with my foot while I dried my face with a towel.

"Why are you in such a foul mood?" He questioned, opening the door just as I was pushing my way past him.

"How did you get in here? Don't I have to invite you in or something?" I threw my comforter back and adjusted the fluffy white pillow.

"That's a foolish myth," he groaned. "What's gotten you angry this time?"

"Nothing, I just hate you," I lied. I disliked him, a lot at times, but I didn't hate him.

"Stop," he spoke firmly, like a command. As I turned he was already in front of me, reaching out to my waist to pull me to him.

"What, didn't get enough action tonight?" I teased, looking at him with mock compassion.

"Actually I got plenty," he smirked, grinning even more widely as a look of disgust showed on my face. "I could tell you all about it, if you'd like."

"Spare me," I hissed, trying to take a step back out of his arms. Of course, his hold was too strong and I remained pressed against his chest, his masculine scent filling my lungs with every breath.

"C'mon, you might enjoy it," he pressed, his perfectly white teeth now showing as he smiled. There was no trace of his fangs. I fought the urge to give in to him and turned my head.

"Let me go," I wriggled, pushing against his literally rock hard body in an attempt to get away. He wore a pair of black slacks with a grey button up shirt with a black jacket over it. Style: yet another one of his strong points.

"When you tell me why you're displeased," he bargained, his hands firm against my lower back.

I knew better than to play his silly games, so I answered. "You fed tonight."

He smirked but released me, "Is my pet jealous?"

I scoffed, "What a joke." I wondered when I'd been promoted from his servant to his "pet", but I wasn't sure it was a good thing. "You're sick, truly."

"Because I need to drink blood in order to live?" He sounded serious for the first time.

"No, because you drink from humans and then joke about them like they're trash."

"Why does it bother you so much?" He taunted, grabbing my wrist. "They don't remember it."

"But they shouldn't be manipulated!" I yanked my arm back but he refused to release me. "I eat dinner but I don't seduce the chicken before I eat it. I don't let it think it has a chance then watch while it accepts the fact that it's going to die!"

"Don't raise your voice to me, Audra," he threatened, his grip tightening. I felt my bones pressing together but clenched my jaw. "You know that scenario is completely different."

I couldn't find a way to reason with him, to explain how hopeless I had been when he caught me and I was sure I was going to die. It was the worst feeling in the world.

"You don't understand what it's like," I explained. "To think that all of the people you… drink from have to endure that makes me sick to my stomach." I grimaced at him, able to feel the bile rising in my throat just thinking about it. "Whether they remember it the next day or not, it isn't right."

"And how do you propose I feed?" He growled, "Would you have me die?"

I hadn't ever dedicated a thought to Ethan dying. To me, it was impossible. "No."

"Would you have me drink from you? To spare all of the other souls," he made a faux sympathetic face, mocking me.

"You've been a vampire so long that you can't remember what it's like to be human," I spat.

Before I even had the time to brace myself I was being yanked forward. I felt a sharp pain in the wrist Ethan was holding as I realized he had pulled me inches away from his face so I could see the honest fury burning in his eyes.

"You know nothing about me," he hissed, so calm that it was frightening. His eyes were still warm gold in contrast to his face, now pulled back in a furious snarl. It felt as though my wrist was only moments away from snapping, and when the pain grew unbearable I felt tears welling up in my eyes.

"Let go," I ordered, though it sounded more pleading than I intended.

"You should know better than to pick a fight with me," he seethed, arrogance evident all around him as he ignored my protests.

"Please," I asked, looking into his eyes. The realization that I'd had to beg broke me to pieces inside as I tugged once more. He released me just then at the exact same moment, and I lost my balance, falling back to the floor. I put my hands behind me to break my fall, but my weakened wrist couldn't handle the weight. I felt the pain before my brain had time to register the injury. I could hear the thud as I hit the floor but for a moment I blacked out. Finally, when I opened my eyes and blinked back the fuzziness, I could see Ethan.

He stood over me, his body rigid with his hands balled up into fists at his sides. His face was expressionless and as smooth as marble, his eyes fixated on mine. I couldn't understand what his auric eyes were trying to convey. At first he looked angry, furious even. But the longer I stared at him in disbelief and hurt and outrage, the softer his eyes became.

He stepped forward hesitantly, reaching his hand out toward me. "Audra," he whispered, his eyebrows bent at just the slightest of angles. He seemed unsure of what to say.

"Get out," I said flatly, ignoring his outreach. I grit my teeth against the throbbing pain shooting up my arm. I felt a drop of liquid run down my face and realized I was crying, which only made me angrier.

Ethan continued to stand motionless and stare at me as though he was just as surprised by his own actions as I was. A part of me wanted to believe that he was remorseful, but the other part of me knew I wouldn't be able to trust him again.

"Go!" I shouted, flicking my functioning wrist toward him and the door. Ethan pulled himself together, standing tall with his chin up as he took a deep breath. With a final sympathetic glance, he turned and disappeared out of the room.

I held my wrist delicately while I turned it over, examining it. I doubted it was broken; I was still able to move it (though not without a great deal of pain). After taking a moment to calm myself down and wipe away my tears, I stood up and went to the closet to grab my robe.

I would have Mary look over my wrist and get me healed as quickly as possible.

Then I vowed to leave this place forever, no matter what it took.

Have you noticed that all of the chapters have the same titles as songs? Just a fun fact :)

P.S. I have finals coming up, along with Mother's Day, my dad's birthday, and a trip to Arizona, so updates may be delayed. Sorry!