7th chapter
It was silent in the living room; the rhythmical ticking of the clock was the only sound that could be heard. After the men told her their past, they fell into a melancholic silence, images of the happenings back then were clear in their minds. Stefan stood at the window, his eyes staring absently into the distance, while his hands were firmly behind his back. Vladimir, on the other hand, sat on the armrest of the couch, he had his arms crossed over his chest and stared at the ground in front of him. Observing their behavior after hearing what had happened to them, Amanda shifted in her spot and took a deep breath. She could understand their acting to an extent, though the dimensions of living over thousands of years was something she couldn't quite grasp. She tried her best, but it was too much for her human mind. She didn't want to let them live through those dark times of theirs again, she even tried to forget what they had told her about their reign. She could hardly fathom what the humans must have felt and thought during those times, the tremendous horrors and pain they must have lived through in their daily lives. Humans had been and probably were still nothing to them, just a food source and that fact made her gulp hard. Sweat built in her palms once more and she wettened her lips in a nervous manner. Slowly but steadily, she began to realize that those men weren't like those vampires she read about in novels, but far more calculating, dangerous and unforgiving. She crossed her feet in an almost shy manner, despite all those stories, they didn't give her a reason to be afraid of them. Furthermore, that bond, Vladimir talked about, seemed to make her accept all of it in strangely soothing manner. It felt like her body forced her to relax, but her mind wouldn't let her. Throughout her inner war, there was one thing she just had to clarify for herself, though.
"So, you ruled once over vampires and humans alike, until those Volturi overthrew you and killed your coven?" The words left her slight trembling lips with an uneasy feeling, as she thought about what they had told her. How many of both kinds must have died during those wars. The unexpected weight those words carried made her shiver slightly. She looked inquiringly from one to another, though Stefan didn't seem to really listen to her words. If she remembered correctly, Vladimir told her once, that Stefan had a wife, a mate back then. He had probably lost her in those fights, which made the whole situation even worse for him. Vladimir looked at her, nodding slightly at her asked question, his eyes staying on her. Amanda flashed him a reassuring smile, it was a silly attempt to ease his pain and light the mood, she knew, but she couldn't do more. "Then they forced every vampire into hiding, spreading the rumors, until the following generations completely forgot about the existence of vampires?" She earned herself another nod from him and she hummed lightly, still trying to process all of the information, while her own mind slowly began to relax.
Suddenly, Vladimir stood up and without looking at her, he disappeared out of the house. Through narrowed eyes, she looked in the direction, he left into. Stefan only lifted a brow at his companion's actions, a small smirk spread on his lips as he turned. "I'm sorry about your mate," Amanda said in a low but sincere voice. She was truly sorry for him and she felt, she had to tell him. It might not mean much to him, but to her it felt important.
Stefan turned to her in surprise, he wasn't used to hear honest apologies or sympathies, but he appreciated her honest reaction. He sent her a reassuring smile and nodded in silence. He began to stroll through the room, when his eyes fell on the chessboard.
"I'm sorry, if I put you through bad memories again, that was never my intent," she said again and started to fiddle with the lower part of her shirt. "I was merely curious as I know nothing about you," she added a little lower and looked at the ground. What she didn't expect, was his rather harsh voice at her words.
"Never apologize for something you have no power over or for being curious, at that matter." He had a stern look on his face, he didn't mean to frighten her, but she would be officially joining their coven soon, which meant she had to learn how to behave as a part of such an old and feared coven. Once, people would know about her, she had to be strong, there were lots of others who would find joy in killing her, she had to be ready. Apologies were a sign of weakness and therefore something they wouldn't tolerate, but he was sure, she would learn soon and quickly. She was still a human after all, she couldn't possibly grasp all that would await her. His facial expression softened a little and he turned to the small table with the chessboard on it again. "Do you play, by any chance?" A soft smile was visible on his face and he looked questioningly at her.
Amanda frowned at his sudden change of mood and she tilted her head a little. "Why, yes," she answered and stood up, making her way over to the vampire. "I'm not good at it, I might add, but I know the rules," she added and let out a restricted, but light-hearted laugh. She sat down, across from Stefan who had an anticipated grin on his lips. He turned the board, to give her the white chess pieces, letting her make the first move. She let out a shaky sigh, suddenly feeling nervous. Amanda hadn't played chess in years, and never seriously, she still knew how the individual pieces moved but she was more than certain, that she had no chance against him. She made the first move with her pawn, waiting for his move. The more moves she made, the more she waited for him to laugh at her, to make fun of her probably silly moves, but he didn't. Of course, she caught him grinning wildly once in a while, but he didn't openly admit that she made a bad decision. On the other hand, she couldn't hide her happiness, whenever she was able to beat one of his pieces.
They played for a half hour, when the front door opened once more. Not even a second later, Vladimir stood at the table, eyeing the game in front of him with suspicion. He lifted an eyebrow, quickly going through the possible moves. He looked from Stefan, who cocked an eyebrow, but didn't hide his huge smile, to Amanda, who looked rather helpless at the board in front of her.
"I could use a little help here," she admitted after another minute of thinking about her next move, which resulted in an amused chuckle from Stefan.
Vladimir let out a sigh, taking another look at the pieces she had left and how they were positioned opposite to Stefan's. "I'm afraid," he started with an almost apologetical smile on his face, "but this is a lost war." Amanda groaned at those words and leant back on her chair, she might have known that she had no chance, but deep down, there was a little hope, that luck would be on her side. With a low huff, she sat upright again, eyeing her pieces until she decided to move her king away, she knew it was a last resort move, but she wouldn't go down without a fight. Once, she made the move, she looked at Stefan, who had a surprised expression on his face.
He looked at her, nodding approvingly. He was sure, that she knew she had lost, but he gave her credit for still trying. He made his next move, waiting patiently for her to decide, how she wanted to proceed. Their game continued for another five rounds, until he could finally secure his win. "Checkmate," he said and positioned his rook accordingly to her remaining king, which resulted in a defeated sigh from Amanda. "You did well," he complemented her. "Though, we might need to work on a thing or two," he added in amusement.
Amanda lifted an eyebrow at his words, but smiled shyly. She wasn't used to get compliments, even though she knew he was mildly mocking her. "I guess, I need some hundred years or more, to get the glimpse of a chance," she said as she began to sort the pieces back into their starting positions. He laughed lightly at her words, not answering, which only proved her point. She excused herself and went to the adjacent bathroom and with each step she took, her smile widened.
It was getting darker outside, when Amanda sat on the couch once more, Stefan left a few hours ago to meet with an old friend and his newest addition. She didn't know what that meant, but she didn't want to pry either. Even though, there was a TV in the room, she didn't feel like watching, there were probably mostly channels in Romanian, which she wouldn't understand either way. Therefore, she made herself comfortable, a blanket over her legs, as she cuddled onto one side of the couch. A cup with peppermint tea stood on the table in front of her and she continued to read the book under the soft light of the lamp behind her. She had already changed into her repurposed pajama, which was an older over-sized plain-grey shirt. She didn't bother wearing pants, she never did for sleep and the only other person in the house, saw her completely naked already. Besides, her legs were comfortably covered by the warm blanket.
She finished another chapter and took a sip from her tea, when she heard footsteps. Shortly later, Vladimir walked into the room, eyeing her doing before he sat down on a close-by chair and began to read a book, that laid on the table. Amanda sent him a short smile and returned to her own book. They sat in comfortable silence for quite a while, when Amanda looked up from her book and was immediately met by the intense stare of the man. She flashed him another smile. "Is everything alright?" She asked him and tilted her head a little.
He stood up, letting his book fall onto the chair, he just sat on. She eyed him curiously, but by the intensity of his stare, she suddenly felt a need to touch him, to be near, to give herself to him once more. When he held out his hand, she immediately discarded the book, not paying any attention to where it landed and how far she already progressed in it. She laid her hand in his, standing up without looking away from his red eyes. Without a care, the blanket landed on the ground to their feet. He pulled her into him, which resulted in a surprised sound from Amanda, but he quickly pressed his lips to hers, silencing her in the process.
Without thinking further, she closed her eyes and her hands found their way to his chest, holding onto him once more. She might have been in relationships before, but she never fell so quickly and not as hard as she did with him. His kisses were intoxicating, his touches cold, but still roused her passion like no one else could, his eyes were luring her in from the first day she had met him and his words caressed her ears and mind alike.
They looked at each other, their faces only centimetres apart as he pressed his forehead to her warm one. Her breaths came shallow, while he didn't breathe at all, he just enjoyed the very moment, he didn't care about his vulnerability. She was the only one allowed to see him in this state. He let his hands wander down her arms, gently wrapping them around her body. He tried to be more careful, he hated that he had hurt her last night, but it wouldn't happen again. She assured him, that everything was alright and he wouldn't question her words. Vladimir quickly caught her lips in another kiss, before he picked her up.
Amanda wanted to relish in their joined lips, when she suddenly lost contact to the ground. Before her human mind and body could react, she found herself in her bedroom again. She lay on the bed and the darkness engulfed her once more, until a familiar coldness stroke over her bare inner thigh, leaving a trail of fire behind. She couldn't and wouldn't hold back the sound of pleasures as his hands drew invisible lines on her skin. Goosebumps followed every move of his fingers on her legs, her muscles began to dance in anticipation as her body was more than willing to follow his lead. Her shirt was pushed up to reveal her naked body and she felt, how he stilled for a moment.
His hand rested on her waist, eyeing the bruise through narrowed eyes. Vladimir knew, he had to take care of her, no one else would do it. She was his, to begin with. Softly, he traced over the slightly purple skin and with concern he looked back at her face, when her body flinched at the touch, but more to the sudden coldness, than to any pain.
Amanda knew he was angry at himself for hurting her, but to her, it was nothing. She got bruises easily; bumping slightly at the handle and she would find a bruise on her arm the next day. She was so used to it, she found it rather funny, that she couldn't remember where those bruises came from, most of the times. To ease his guilt, she lifted her hand, stroking softly over his arm until she rested her palm on his cheek. A reassuring smile spread on her face and she knew, he could see it. "I'm fine," she said in a low voice. "Yours, forevermore." She pulled him down to her, placing an eager kiss on his lips, while pressing her body upwards to meet his'. The growl that rumbled through his chest, filled her with even more desire and she couldn't help but smile into the kiss. His hands roamed her body in their passionate unity, until they gave themselves to each other and none of them would want it any other way.
Despite her usual plan to stay a few days, probably a week at the most, she found herself living in the house in a different country, with a man she had had just met back then, for two weeks already. She was glad, she could wash her clothes, but she might need new ones soon. She thought that her disappearance would make her feel guilty towards her employer, her studies and her family, but truth be told, she felt never happier and her mobile phone was long forgotten. With a smile, she stroked over the barely visible bruise on her waist, when she stepped out of the shower. They managed to be more careful, not causing another bruise during their more intimate hours.
Amanda just wanted to leave the bathroom, when she suddenly felt cold. Her hands began to twitch and in the next second, she felt as if she had to vomit. She quickly turned around, stumbling to the toilet and opened the seat just in time. She felt sick, maybe it was something she ate the day before, but food allergies and such usually showed immediately. For minutes, she kneeled in front of the toilet seat until she was sure, she didn't have to puke again.
It took her another half hour to finally leave the bathroom, her mind raced, while her body just wanted to rest. She was torn between hunger and having to vomit again, by the mere thought of food. But the worst part was, that she didn't know why her body reacted like that.
She stood in the kitchen, eyeing the refrigerator with suspicion, not trusting her body at all. Vladimir and Stefan were gone to meet with others again and she was undeniably glad, that they didn't have to witness her illness. With a deep sigh, she decided to give 'eating' a try and walked to the refrigerator, when she suddenly felt a strange sensation in her body. She gasped and looked down at her belly, her breathing came uneven and when she felt another sort of bizarre movement, her hands moved to her stomach. She didn't choose to do so, her body acted as if it was pure muscle memory and that was when panic was written all over her face. Amanda stumbled backwards, wide eyes staring at nothing, her hands feeling for the counter to support her trembling form as her mind started to race once more. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. She was overdue for a week and if she could rely on something, it was her menstruation. It came never to her mind, that she could end pregnant from a vampire. He told her that their bodies were frozen at the time, they were changed. It didn't make sense to her, especially after such a short time.
With heavy breaths she paced in the kitchen, completely unsure what to do. Her hands fiddled with her hair in a nervous manner, not sure how he would take the news. Even though, she had never been pregnant before, she was absolutely sure, that one should usually not feel anything in a two weeks' time. She cursed silently, letting her back rest against the kitchen counter again, when suddenly the front door opened and her heart involuntarily skipped a beat.