NB: Once again, credit goes to my editor,
wildheartedangel
for her help in editing as well as the formulation of ideas for this chapter. I am always grateful. =)
For this chapter, I posted a flowchart of the Vampire hierarchy as well as the Council organization on my blog if you're interested. It might also help explain some of the things that I have written [and will be writing] with regards to the classes of Vampires and the Damage Reversal Unit, which some of you asked earlier.
It amazes me time and again when I have readers telling me they like my story, urging me to write more. Honestly, it's like a daily aphrodisiac to see the comments and emails so keep them coming! It is the only form of payment that authors here get. =)
-Alice-
***
"Do you think everything's okay back there?" asked Erika, looking out the window towards Eian and Fiona's house.
"It should be. They probably have some pack business to settle and don't want us in the way," replied Alaron, his eyes making a quick flick towards the rear view mirror. He didn't want to say it out loud but he had a hunch it had something to do with his brother. It worried him but he was confident that Draven knew how to take care of himself. He would have to worry more later for at the moment he was somewhat responsible for the human beside him.
"Okay, that sounds really official," she said with a sigh. This whole non-human business was starting to sound even more complicated than she thought. Turning to Alaron, Erika decided to change topic, "So umm, now that we're friends, what do you want to talk about? I mean it's quite a long ride back to my loft you know," said Erika absently, twirling her hair around her fingers.
Alaron wasn't sure how to respond to her question. He wasn't one for having civilized conversations with women. In fact, his only interaction with them so far was for sex or the occasional bite or two to quell his desire for warm blood. Bagged blood was more wholesome, sure but it lacked that freshness and triumph that came from hunting a real human being.
"Umm... Al?" Erika's voice snapped him out of his daze. "You don't mind if I call you Al right? I mean, I know Fiona calls you that. Alaron's a nice name but it's too archaic for me. Did your parents accidentally add an 'L' in your name or something?"
Alaron gave a sideward glance towards his passenger. Was she always this talkative? Yeah, especially so when she's berating and insulting him about something.
"I don't think they made a mistake... and I do mind you calling me Al though."
"Why? Fiona gets to call you Al."
"But you don't call her Fi do you? Nah. It's just weird. I mean me and Fi developed this short name system because I didn't want her to waste too much breath when she wanted to call for me."
"That's a weird reason," she replied dryly.
"When she was uh... younger, she was always... uh sick. I mean, she would scream a lot at night, mostly in pain and sometimes she'd forget to breathe. So I used to sleep on the floor of her room to keep her company and Alaron is quite a mouthful when you're in an asthmatic state."
He saw Erika raise one shoulder in a shrug. "Yeah... I suppose that makes sense. So... you're like her brother?"
"We're so close in age that I suppose we're more like siblings than Draven and I are. Weird huh?"
"Wait... so you're not like centuries old?" she asked in surprise.
"You sound almost disappointed," he laughed. "Nah, I'm only 31. But I think most of us stop counting our age after awhile. We just go by the century. At least that's how Draven and my father remember their age."
"Was your mother..."
"No, she was human."
"Oh," she whispered and kept quiet until they turned into the corner of her shop. Best not bring that topic up; she sensed that it was a sensitive issue for him.
"This is so surreal," she commented as Alaron brought the car to a stop outside her old loft. It looked practically the same from outside but once they got in, it looked pretty much like a hurricane had passed through it.
Erika was aware that a man was following her into her home and was suddenly conscious of the state of her house. She had clothes strewn everywhere! A blush of embarrassment crept up her neck at the thought of him finding her soiled underwear lying around.
Alaron had sensed her tension the moment they climbed the stairs to her loft. What was she so worried about?
"I'm fine with sleeping on the couch or floor or whatever so can you stop with the whole worrying thing?" he commented the moment they stepped through the door. "I won't go near you or bite you or anything," he added when she gave him a fearful look.
"But that wasn't what I..." she said, stopping midsentence when she saw him taking off his shirt and heading towards her couch. She wanted to tell him that he'd leave his sweat on her cushion but somehow the words didn't materialize. Her eyes were literally eating the view of his back; smooth and even though it was dark, she could see the lean muscles and the way it tapered to a 'V' into his jeans.
"Shit," she muttered, turning away sharply to avoid imagining wild thoughts in her head. The guy said he liked her but was gentleman enough not to make any moves on her so far. Isn't that a good thing? Shaking her head slightly, Erika managed to make her way to her room without giving a second glance towards the couch.
Half an hour later, Erika was feeling fresh from her bath and despite telling herself she wasn't getting lucky tonight, she put on the sexiest pair of undergarments that she could find. Swallowing timidly, she opened her room door and peeked at her guest... only to find him asleep and snoring.
"Alaron," she whispered but only received a lazy grunt as a reply.
