Thank god, Jessie sighed with relief.
Out of all the weird Russian recluses she could've run into, she got the one who spoke English. Adept broken- and almost unintelligible with how thick his accent was- but it was a start.
She also got the only one who was a vampire, but she could deal with that too.
Hopefully. Right now, her mental image of vampires was way scarier than the person in front of her. She was 85% sure she could take him in a fight.
"Yes, I do speak English." she confirmed, nodding as she looked at his pale facade.
His entire expression lit up, and she could almost call it adorable. His sharp lips curled up in a bright grin, and he quickly advanced on her.
"English-! You from where?" He asked eagerly, stopping right at her feet and kneeling so he was more or less eye-level.
Like a child entranced with candy, he hung onto her every breath- waiting for an answer as he fixed Jessie with his black eyes.
They reminded her of a doe- not a murderer.
In the firelight, his sharp edges looked softer, and his deathly white skin appeared warmer. Her heart fluttered traitorously.
"America. I from America." She tried to dumb down her sentences for him, just in case he couldn't piece together more complicated phrases or words.
Just because he spoke a few tidbits doesn't mean he was good at it- or in any way fluent.
The vampire squealed, his expression matching to someone discovering a new element.
"America! Heard of!" He flicked a hand onto his chest proudly, smirk curling dangerously at the edges.
Jessie couldn't help but smile, his attitude contagious. He just seemed so carefree and innocent.
Were these the creatures she lived in constant fear of when she was younger?
Pointing at herself, Jessie thought introductions were in order.
"Jessie." She said slowly, making eye contact meaningfully and hoping he picked up the message.
Fortunately, he seemed to be pretty observant, and it only took her repeating the motion twice for him to answer.
"Herbert. Herbert Von Krolock." He said with a flourish of his wrist, and gave her another sharp smile.
The next obstacle she wanted to conquer was where she was.
Preferably though, after she got off the floor. Her arms were starting to ache from holding her body up, and Jessie wasn't keen on having a vampire look down on her.
Even if that vampire was one of the most eccentric, flamboyant people she had ever met.
A little voice in her mind hissed caution- urging her not to throw instinct away for a bat of eyelashes.
She ignored it, soothing herself with the notion that she could probably beat this guy up if she had too, even without her legs. She didn't do all those core workouts for show.
Without another word, and trusting Herbert wouldn't brutally suck her dry with her back turned, Jessie turned on her side and dragged herself back over to the bed.
It felt much farther than it was, realistically it couldn't have been more than a yard away.
However, dragging someone's entire lower half behind them had an affect.
With a yelp, she felt those cold hands grab her again, and with slender, clawed fingers at her sides, Jessie was helped to her feet.
A little coo accompanied her undignified slip, and the vampire's blonde hair flew in a golden array as his black pools studied her from over her shoulder.
With somewhat of a wicked shine in his eyes, Herbert adjusted himself so he was right behind her, supporting her at her sides.
He was certainly touchy.
It would be an understatement to say she was uncomfortable. Her instincts were still going haywire, and her brain ached from all the stimulation this vampire made her mind experience.
"Help," He purred over her collarbone, and she could feel goosebumps rise in the wake of his icy breath.
She wanted to pull away, but Jessie knew if she did she would be right back on the carpet.
She hoped her legs would get it together soon.
Nodding at his comment, She gestured to the bed, hoping he would help her get there.
Herbert, for his credit, actually did help her greatly, and it took a normal amount of time for her to get back to the bed again.
For a second, Jessie was worried she might fall off the bed when he set her on the edge of the mattress, but her legs already seemed to be regaining mobility, much to her relief, and she was able to muster enough strength to stay on the furniture.
"Thank you," She said to him, although a little uncertain on if he would understand.
She keeps underestimating him apparently- because he gave her another unreadable smirk, "You are welcome."
Standing across from her, she felt her next words get caught in her throat as she stared at the creature of the night.
What now?