Seven days. Seven whole days I had waited for this girl, and now that I had her, I felt like a giddy teenager. Sure, a week was barely anything to my kind, but it had seriously seemed to drag on much too long. Now, as I looked over at her sleeping form in the passenger seat of my car, memories of the first time I had seen her flooded my mind. Early last Friday evening, I had been taking a stroll through the Idaho Falls University campus, partially looking for a snack, but mainly just to get away from my house. It was the closest university to the town I lived in, and college students were notoriously easy prey. As I passed by the library, the double glass doors pushed open, and a short, dark-haired girl walked out.
She was weighed down by a large backpack and kept her eyes on the ground as she came my way; Just a regular student, but for some reason I was stopped in my tracks. She brushed past me without so much as an upwards glance, and my eyes followed after her hunched form while she hurried to the parking lot. Something inside me was triggered, an intrigue that made me want to follow this little girl and know more about her. So I did. The whole week was basically spent finding out where she lived, her daily routine and habits, and who she hung out with. Day by day, my curiosity grew until it was something like a mild obsession. She was near perfection. No close connections, meek, humble, and just the type of lone soul who wouldn't be overly missed.
I was so absorbed in my recollection that I hadn't quite realized my face was split into a wide grin. It had been frozen that way for a while, and under regular circumstances, any normal person would have felt muscle strain and relaxed, but pain wasn't something I usually felt anymore. No matter. We were home now anyways, the seven and a half hour journey finally coming to an end as I pulled my car into the driveway at the side of the house. Sadie was sleeping peacefully in the passenger seat, my mental suggestion in her bedroom coming off a little stronger than I intended. It was better this way though. I'd rather not have to fend off a panicked girl while doing seventy down the freeway.
There was almost a light skip in my step as I jumped out of the car and made my way to the opposite side, quickly throwing open the passenger door and scooping Sadie into my arms. She was no heavier than a cat in a human's grip to me, thanks to my unnatural strength, and after kicking the car door shut I bounded up the stone steps, eager to show my housemates my new pet.
"We're hoooommee!!" I called out, like a father to his family after a hard day of work. No one came into the foyer to greet me, so frowning, I sauntered into the living room. Katie, Ren and Saul had frozen mid-card game, staring at me from their respective positions on the couches. I had never seen such shocked looks on their faces before.
"What?" My frown deepened as I shifted Sadie slightly, then pushed my sunglasses up onto the top of my head. Ren was the first to speak.
"So... This is where you've been for the past couple days? Getting a girl?"
I didn't like his tone, nor the way Katie and Saul's mouths still gaped open. I was entitled to do as I pleased. After being around for 200 years, surely I deserved some freedom?
"Yeah. And? She's my new pet. So none of you are to touch her!" I looked pointedly at Saul before hitching Sadie's nightgown down her thighs a few inches, effectively breaking his eye contact with her exposed skin.
"Now if you'll excuse me, Sadie and I are going upstairs to my room." With that, I turned on my heel and marched across the house to the stairs. I may have sounded like an immature brat at that moment, but it almost couldn't be helped. Here I was, bringing home something that obviously made me excited, and my most trusted pals weren't even happy for me? Lame.
In no time I had zoomed up the stairs and down the hall to my bedroom. Sadie's arms swung slightly as I threw open the door, then slammed it, knowing full well that the trio downstairs heard. Gently lowering her to the bed, I pulled a comforter over her and made sure she was tucked in before darting to my desk and grabbing a chair. The feet scraped loudly over hard wood floors as it was dragged to the foot of the bed, where I plopped down and stared, finally at home and safe with my new pet. Hopefully she would wake up soon, for she had a lot to learn, and I couldn't wait to start playing.
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My bed was always so warm and comfortable in the mornings. I never wanted to get out of it, and today was no exception. Snuggling into the coziness of my pillows and blankets, my body sunk into the mattress like a stone into quicksand. Never had my bed felt so... Soft? Wait a minute. My mattress was a firm! Blinking my eyes open, I stayed still and surveyed what was in front of me. Through almost total darkness, I could see a small night table next to my face with a lit candle atop it. A fair distance beyond that was a large door, centered in a wall painted deep blue. This was not my room. That thought brought on a wave of panic unlike any I had ever felt before. I rolled onto my back and sat straight up in the same motion, head whipping side to side so I could examine my foreign surroundings. Immediately my gaze fell on someone sitting in a chair at the foot of the bed, and I instinctively pulled the comforter up to my neck while trembling violently.
"A-Avery? What's going on?" Something about the look on his face did the opposite of putting me at ease. It was a far cry from the warm, friendly expression he had at the library. Instead, now it was cruel and somewhat amused.
"I am so glad you are finally awake, dear Sadie. You've been asleep for quite some time." His lips curled into something akin to a sneer, causing a shiver to run down my spine in return.
"Where am I? And how did I get here?" My voice sounded whiny and thin, something I was not used to.
"What? You don't remember last night?" Avery's voice took on a mocking tone as he cocked his head slightly to the side. In a rush, the last event I could recall came flooding into my mind like a tidal wave. Eyes. Glowing, red eyes and pure terror. And that voice....
A sharp gasp brought me back to the present, and I vaguely registered that it was mine as I stared at Avery's cold grin.
"You! You were in my room last night! Wait, how long have I been asleep? And how did you even get into my apartment?" A million questions raced through my mind as a sinking feeling started in my stomach and began to spread. I was obviously not in a safe situation.
"The drive to get to my house," Avery gestured all around him with a hand. "Took almost eight hours. It was easier on me if you were sleeping. As for your apartment, doors and windows do little to keep out my kind."
That deep, baritone voice filled the cavernous room and sounded nothing short of deadly. Gone was the jovial tone he used in the library. Now, it was as if his words alone could kill. I swallowed thickly.
"What exactly do you want from me? Was I brought here for a reason?"
Avery all but jumped out of his chair, strolling towards my side of the bed with a predatory stare.
"Oh, Sadie, I am so glad you asked." Now he was sitting at my side, his muscular body turned towards my quickly shrinking one. I couldn't tear my eyes away from his beautiful face as it loomed closer. A skinny, sharp nose ended above his perfectly shaped lips. They were pale and somewhat thin, yet wide and sensual. His chin almost ended in a point, and he had a strong jawline that added a very masculine shape to his heart-like face. After every other part of his countenance had been studied, my gaze slowly traveled up to Avery's eyes.... Those cold, steely grey orbs which were boring into my very soul, it seemed.
"I brought you here for a very special reason. You see,"
I tried to shrink back as Avery's hand snaked up to grab my chin, but he turned my head to look at him forcefully.
"I've been alone for a very long time. My friends keep me company, yes, but I desire something more than that." Avery punctuated the last part of his sentence with a look that made me squirm to get away. It reminded me of a wolf eyeing it's prey.
