6th chapter

Amanda found herself standing in the kitchen once more, a glass of water in her hand as her eyes took in the outdoors' beauty again. She couldn't help but smile as she thought about the last night, though she wondered where he left to. When she had woken up, she was alone, no note nothing and she had been alone in the house again. He probably had some things to do with the others of his kind, but her plan still stood. She had to get to know him more on a personal level. She would confront him that day and to prove it to herself, she nodded and took another sip from the water.

She stood at the counter as the front door opened and within the blink of an eye, he stood at the door to the kitchen. Without a word, he walked closer to her, eyeing her form carefully. "How are you?" His voice was low, uncertain to some extent and Amanda knew what he was talking about. He probably noticed that right away. Truth be told, she didn't know just how strong vampires were and how much he apparently had to control himself around her. She wondered if vampires had a much rougher intimation play, though. With her hand she felt for the large bruise on her waist, but she smiled at him. There were more, on her upper arms and her thighs, but the one on her waist was the largest of them. When she had first noticed the bruises in the morning, she had been shocked and frightened to some extent, but then again, it hadn't been his intent and she had known of his inhuman nature. He probably wasn't used to handle humans in such a way and by the way he looked at her, Amanda was more than sure, that he regretted it.

"I'm fine," she answered and to prove her point, she even pressed onto the bruise. Luckily, it didn't hurt, it just looked worse than it actually was. She noticed, how his facial expression slowly relaxed and he got a little closer to her. "How are you?" She looked inquiringly at him and he chuckled at her words, shaking his head a little. Without bothering to answer, he softly pulled her to his chest, placing a tender kiss on her lips.

He absolutely loved to see her face blush at his actions and he involuntarily stroked with his thumb over her cheek. Vladimir couldn't believe how fast that human, that woman enamored him, letting him almost forget about the plan they had had before. How she practically stumbled into his world and changed his world view within days. He would kill for her, that was certain, though she still had to learn a thing or two. They were soulmates, that one was for sure, but that wouldn't mean, she could dictate his life, he would never throw his beliefs and his ways away. But he doubted that she would ever question his position, she didn't seem to be that kind of person.

That moment, a vehicle was closing in and Vladimir's head snapped in the direction. Amanda didn't realize what happened until a short time later, when she heard a car approaching. Through narrowed eyes, she looked out of the window and spotted a rather dirty Jeep coming to a halt in front of the door. A man stepped out and took some bags out of the trunk, before he made his way to the door. Vladimir appeared in the hallway, when the bell rang to open up. His cold stare met the one, of the man on the porch. Amanda couldn't understand a word they were talking as it was foreign to her, probably Romanian. Shortly after, the man made his way into the kitchen and when he realized her standing there, his eyes widened for a moment. He quickly lowered his gaze and put the bags on the counter, starting to sort out the things he brought.

To her surprise, Amanda saw the groceries he brought, she had no idea who he was, but she saw his slightly frightened posture. "Hey, I'm Amanda, can I help you?" She offered as she felt uncomfortable standing there while someone else brought her things to eat. The man instantly grew nervous, his hand shivering as he emptied the bags. "No need to, Ma'am. I'll be gone shortly," he answered quickly in a heavy accent. Amanda frowned at his words, she wondered what he was afraid of, she was trying to be nice, but he acted that if she helped him, she would sentence him to death.

"What's your name?" She tried again, still feeling highly uncomfortable. The man gulped, while his breathing intensified, for a moment, he even looked back into the hallway, but to his surprise it was empty. With a sigh, he turned to the woman, a small smile on his face.

"My name is Cristian, pleased to meet you," he finally said, extending his hand to greet the woman properly. She nodded at his introduction and mirrored his smile. Without asking again, she took some things he bought and put them in the refrigerator, completely ignoring his shocked and still frightened expression. "You don't need to, really. I'll take care of that," he whispered as if he was afraid someone would notice what happened there.

"Nonsense," Amanda intervened, continuing with her task and sorting things into the rightful places. She knew the man was human, his warm hands and his eyes clearly showed her, though she wondered why he would bring her food. He obviously knew of the existence of vampires, the way he talked with Vladimir indicated that clearly and that made Amanda frown. She didn't know, why he feared him, which only proved her point even more, she had no clue who Vladimir really was. "It is nice of you to bring all of that stuff, thank you," she said and looked at Cristian with a warm smile.

He frowned at her words, successfully suppressing the scoff, but maybe she didn't know. "As if I had a choice," he murmured, not realizing he said that out loud, but he quickly corrected himself. "You're welcome. Your stay was rather short planned, so I had not really time to prepare. That's why I brought some more things today," he explained and continued to sort away more things.

Amanda tilted her head lightly. "Is that your house?" She wondered out loud and when she saw his nod, she hummed slightly. "Well, thank you for letting us stay here," she continued. If Cristian were allowed to act naturally, he would laugh humorlessly at the assertion, but he feared of what he would do. Cristian made good profit with working with the likes of him and he wouldn't risk it any time soon, but he wasn't too sure if the woman wanted to mock him or if she was really that clueless. So, he just sent her a look and a forced smile to hopefully end the conversation. Though, he deeply wondered what she was doing there, as a human just like him.

When everything was stuffed away in cupboards and the refrigerator, Cristian took all the bags, folding them and took a look around. "All done, enjoy your stay," he said and took a quick glance in the hallway, but it was still empty. He stepped closer to the woman, leaning down to her surprised face. "Please be careful, you need to watch out," he whispered, barely loud enough for her to hear. "Stay safe," he added and when he retreated from her, he turned around to be met by the sight of him. Cristian's eyes widened for a moment as he looked into the cold piercing eyes of the vampire standing at the door to the kitchen. "I," he stuttered, distancing himself from the woman even further and cleared his throat. "I better leave, you should be good for another week, at least," he added in a low voice, but it was no problem for Vladimir to understand him.

The low growl that emanated from Vladimir's throat was too low for the humans' ears to hear. He moved further into the room, his eyes travelling over Amanda's confused form. He put his arm around her, pressing her stiff form against his body, while his eyes darted back to the man. "Leave," he ordered in a deadly silent tone. And without thinking twice, Cristian grabbed the empty bags and left his own house. When the Jeep disappeared into the forest again, Vladimir smirked to himself and pressed a soft kiss on Amanda's hair. He would never dare to get so close to her again.

"What was that about?", Amanda asked a short while later, her eyes still on the spot the Jeep stood a few minutes ago. Before he could answer, she let out a deep sigh and turned to look at the man next to her. "I know, you said I shouldn't go out, but I need some fresh air," she started and looked up a little to meet his gaze. "Would you accompany me, then? Please?" A smile appeared on her face and by then, she knew he could hardly deny her that wish.

Vladimir thought about it, but he had to realize that there was no harm done, in leaving together, no one would dare getting close to her in his presence. "Very well, let's go," he said after a while and moved to the door, closely followed by Amanda, who had a happy smile on her face. Once outside, she deeply inhaled the fresh air, a content expression on her face. She stepped down the porch and let her eyes roam over the beautiful view in front of her. Since the sun was out, she turned to her left, making her way slowly through the forest. He was always next to her, his eyes wandering around, while his senses were sharpened in case anyone would dare to sneak up on them.

They walked for a few minutes in silence, before Amanda decided that it was time for answers. "Well," she started and stopped to turn to him, "tell me about you. I know nothing of you. I mean, you made a forty-something year old man quiver in fear, with just your presence." The smallest of smirks formed on her face, but was nothing compared to his almost proud one.

"Cristian is trustworthy to some extent," Vladimir started, the smirk still shown on his features. "But he has to be reminded of his position from time to time." He looked at her questioning look and he continued his explanation. "He rents the house regularly to other humans for their holidays, but he works with us for quite a few years. He had to call off some reservations, due to our stay. He seemed to be upset about that, but he should remember what he earns from our collaboration in the end." For a moment, he looked up ahead, catching the slightest bit of a familiar smell.

Amanda nodded in understanding; it was then she knew why he acted a bit upset. The soft breeze that emerged let her close her eyes in relaxation. She still wondered, why she was so calm around him, when she still knew nothing about him. Amanda opened her eyes again, following his gaze, but she didn't catch anything there. For a while, she envied his enhanced senses, when his eyes fell on her once more.

"You want to know more about me, about my past?" He started in a low voice, searching her eyes if she was truly interested, which resulted in a slow nod from her. Vladimir raised his gaze in the same direction, he had looked a while ago. "It's not a happy one, that's for certain, but my story is also his story." He looked back at the woman and turned around, his hand on the small of her back. "We should go back; you still need to meet my oldest companion."

Amanda couldn't grasp it, but there was something melancholic in his voice and suddenly she felt guilty for putting him in that situation of possibly reliving a tragic past. She flashed a look at him as they made their way back to the house, but he had his eyes glued to the way ahead. When the house came into view, Amanda looked ahead as well and let out a long sigh. She was never comfortable meeting new people and that one person seemed to mean a lot to him, which only worsened her tension. She felt sweat building in the palms of her hands and she tried to focus on her even breathing for the moment. Her feet tried to slow down their pace, but the steady hand on her back didn't allow it. She knew she had to meet him at some point, but she had hoped she would know Vladimir better by then.

Arriving at the porch again, Vladimir opened the door, letting her in first. His eyes scanned the forest for a second, before he followed after her, closing the door behind him. He knew, Stefan was back, he had talked to him yesterday, had prepared him for what was to come that day. It pained him, to put his companion, his dearest friend through that but it wasn't by choice and he even assured him, that it was something, Vladimir should be happy about. He felt her eyes on him, uncertainty written clearly in them. She looked at him for help, not sure how she should behave or what she should do, but he put his hand back on the small of her back once more. Softly but steadily, he led her in the direction of the living room.

Amanda had a hard time controlling her breaths, his presence calmed her a little, but it couldn't calm her nervousness. When they arrived in the living room, her eyes immediately darted to another man who stood at the large window, right next to a small table with a chessboard on it. He looked physically a little older than herself and besides his dark, almost black hair, his red eyes were the most prominent part of his appearance, that shared the same intensity as Vladimir's. Only then, Amanda realized what horrors those eyes had to witness in their existence and in that moment, she felt small, almost like a child. She gulped, but she felt how Vladimir pushed her further into the room, not too long after, she found herself in the middle of it. Her eyes darted nervously through the room; she didn't notice the small nod the vampires exchanged. Only when she saw the movement of the other man, she let her eyes dart up again. Amanda still felt Vladimir's hand on her back, but there was no more pressure on it, it laid there softly, as if he intended to support her through this action and she was undeniably glad, when suddenly a pale hand appeared in front of her.

Stefan looked through calculating eyes at the woman at his companion's side. He immediately thought back at the times, when he had been with his mate and a well-known sadness washed over him. He sighed inwardly and made his way over to the slightly shivering human. She didn't seem to be utterly confident, which was something he was glad about, though it was nothing they had any choice about. If fate decided, that she was the one for his companion, neither of them would intervene in any way. Stefan glanced at his companion who in return looked back at him, before he held out his hand to properly greet their soon-to-be member. "Stefan, pleased to meet you, little one," he said and tilted his head a little, a small smirk on his lips.

Amanda shook his cold hand and she forced a smile on her lips. "Amanda, the pleasure is mine," she answered. She felt the hand on her back moving to her waist, pressing her a little further to his side as if he felt her discomfort. At his actions, her posture relaxed a little and the smile on her face turned into an honest one. Once, Stefan retreated a little, he looked at his companion.

"She wants to know," Vladimir said, guiding her to the close-by couch, shooting a knowing look at Stefan, who nodded slightly.

"Very well," he answered, he understood her curiosity and she had to know as their past was something that would never be erased from them, something that formed their current relationships and the way others of their kind looked at and acted around them.

"You don't have to, if it's," Amanda started in a low and insecure voice but the vampires looked at each other, before both turned their attention to the woman, who silenced immediately, once she was met by their intense stares. She closed her eyes for a second and nodded slightly in Vladimir's direction, showing them that she would listen to whatever they had to tell, whenever they were ready.