"We're closed!" Emily called out from the cramped little office in the back of the shop where she kept the safe when she heard the door bust open, letting in a gust of wind and a smattering of rain. Technically speaking, it was ten to six, so she wasn't quite closed, but the thing about owning her own shop meant that she could close up whenever the hell she felt like it. And, on that particular day, what she felt like was calling Alex...
No response followed her shout.
With an annoyed little huff of breath, she finished counting out the till and dropped the money in the safe, then ducked out of the office, ready to snap at whomever it was that was interrupting her evening plans. But before she could say something gruff and probably sarcastic, she caught sight of the interloper: a man who was most definitely a vampire and wanted her to know it.
Emily wasn't a stupid woman...she knew that not all vampires were like Alex – many of them would kill you as soon as look at you. So, much as she might want to get the hell away from the situation at hand, she plastered on what she hoped was a nonthreatening smile and asked, "Can I help you, sir?"
Instead of answering her question, the vampire asked instead, "You're Emily?"
Emily frowned. "Do... Do I know you?" she stammered.
He let out a short sharp bark of laughter, though it was unclear what exactly was amusing. "I imagine you know of me," he remarked. "Though, I think you'll find you're much better acquainted with my wife..."
Understanding dawned all too clearly on her and she felt her stomach drop. If this was who she thought, she might very well be in trouble... "You're Alex's ex-husband." It wasn't a question. She already knew the answer.
He glowered at her use of the word ex. "She can divorce me in the eyes of the law, but there's no such thing in vampiric tradition...once you're bonded, it's for life."
"So, what?" Emily demanded. "You're here to...scare me off of her? To tell me to stay away?" She knew she should be scared – and maybe she was, a little – but she was also stubborn and just a little bit too bold for her own good.
"No," she said, almost amicably, "I'm here to warn you. Stay away from my wife." He bared his fangs in a clear show of dominance.
She didn't know what came over her in that moment, but she found herself replying, "Or what?"
He darted across the shop, closing his fingers around her throat and slamming her back against the wall. "Or I'll ensure you're not around to ruin things for me or anyone else ever again." For several moments, he squeezed his fingers around her neck, watching her eyes bug out, her face turn red, then purple. She struggled, attempted to push him off, clawing at him with her nails.
Finally, he released his grip, letting her fall to the ground in a heap of limbs. And, by the time she'd caught her breath, he was gone.
As she regained her feet, she was filled with an incredible sense of outrage. How fucking dare he try to threaten her? Screw vampiric law – he had no right to treat Alex like she were his property. In fact, she was so furious and indignant that, regardless of whether it was wise or not, she called Alex and asked her to meet her for a coffee.
Emily wondered what it was about Alex that never failed to make her heart pound like it was the first time she'd ever felt love and she'd long since stopped trying to figure it out. Regardless of whether or not she understood the mechanisms behind it, she couldn't help but smile brightly when Alex approached with her awkward little wave and faint but hopeful smile.
Their usual coffee shop meeting spot had been overtaken that evening by a meeting of the Anarchy Weasels – a group that called themselves a motorcycle gang, but Emily knew for a fact that the sole purpose of their organization was organizing underground weasel fights.
Either way, though, she and Alex had decided they would rather walk with their drinks than get mixed up in a weasel fighting ring.
"I... I'm surprised you came," Emily said softly. "After, well, after everything."
She shrugged, almost shyly. "I know we kind of left things in a weird place, but I didn't want that to be, you know, the end of it."
"Good," Emily insisted, "Because I've thought about what you said and I'm willing to wait. As long as it takes."
Alex seemed surprised by that, her mouth hanging open slightly. "Are... Are you sure?" she asked.
"I'm willing to take things slow and give you the time and space to figure everything out," she insisted.
"What... What made you decide?" she asked.
Before she'd had the time to question whether it was a good idea to tell her what had happened, the words came spilling out, "Frankly, I don't like being told what to do..."
Alex raised a brow, confused as to her meaning.
Emily winced a little at the expression and the realization that she now had no choice but to confess to everything. "James showed up at the book store."
"What!?" she exclaimed. Her hands stalled with her drink halfway to her mouth.
"He told me to stay away from you or he'd ensure I had no choice in the matter..."
"And that's why you called me?" Alex asked, not quite sure what she was supposed to feel in that moment, but strongly suspecting it wasn't a pleasant emotion...
Realizing how bad that must've sounded, she back-pedalled, "I knew I wanted to wait for you the moment you told me you needed space. But when he was strangling me, all I could think about was that I'd rather fight for you than sit complacently by and let anyone take you from me."
"He strangled you?" Alex repeated incredulously.
Emily pulled her scarf down to show the bruising around her neck. "It's fine," she insisted. "He left before doing any real damage." She shrugged.
Alex shook her head. "Emily, you can't put yourself in danger just for me," she whispered. A beat. "I can see from your expression, though, that you're not about to be dissuaded."
She shook her head. "Alex, I've faced scarier men than your ex," she said simply.
She didn't seem convinced.
"I'm stubborn, Alex, and when I care about someone...I'd bleed for them." She smirked a little to show that the double entendre hadn't passed her by.
