Tyrus stared at the terrified woman in front of him. She was trembling, her eyes wide and rimmed with red. She had seen too much. Now she knew the monster that he really was. What was he thinking? She was a human, and belonged in the human world. All this was more than she could handle.
His gaze fell over the wound on her neck. It had stopped bleeding. The enzymes in the vampire's saliva had sealed off the worst of it, but it would take a while to heal. A nasty bruise was forming on her leg, but she hadn't seemed to notice it yet.
His chest squeezed as he remembered how he had found her, in the hands of the young vampire, so close to death. If he had just been a couple of minutes later...
If only he hadn't turned his back when he'd seen her in the club. He thought back to the moment, not even ten minutes ago. He had been making his way to her on the dance floor when she had turned around and spotted him.
The look on her face had stopped him in his tracks. For a second he couldn't remember who he was or what he was doing. The loss of composure was a first for him. The feeling was unsettling. He had never felt so unsure of himself since he had been turned.
He'd realised that he hadn't thought through what he was going to say or do. And it had occurred to him that she could reject him. The possibility was something that he hadn't been prepared to deal with, so he had turned around and walked away, if only to sift through his thoughts for a little while.
The next thing he knew, her scent had disappeared. He'd turned back to look for her but she was gone. It was impossible to track her with all the competing scents in the club.
He's gone back to find her friends but they were still dancing, unaware that Anya was missing. When he heard the scream, imperceptible to the human ear, it was enough for him to guess where she was, and to know she was in trouble. None of the other creatures in the club had reacted. They had long learned to ignore any signs of trouble.
He'd sauntered as unhurriedly as he could to the exit door, trying to mask the panic he was feeling inside.
The rage that he'd felt when he saw the other vampire had blinded him, catching him completely off-guard. The vampire had been no match for Tyrus. Given how quickly Tyrus had overpowered him, he was probably quite young into his vampire years and nowhere near skilled enough to defend himself from Tyrus' fury.
As soon as the vampire had realised that Tyrus had broken the rules, Tyrus knew that he would have to kill him. The past two centuries had taught him that nothing should be left to chance. If the Governance ever found out what he had done, Anya was dead and so was he.
Despite his rationalisation of his actions, Tyrus was unsure if he could ever erase the look from Anya's eyes as she regarded him now. His heart twisted when he saw the fear there. No doubt she thought he was a monster.
She was right, though. He was a fool to think that he could ever deserve love.
Love. There it was again. Was that really what he felt for Anya? It couldn't be. It was way too soon, and he didn't even know the first thing about love. Two centuries had taught him nothing but pain, violence, and self-preservation. He pushed the thought aside. He had a more pressing matter now, which was what to do with Anya, and how to account for a missing vampire.
He took a deep breath.
"Anya, I'm sorry you had to see that. I don't take it lightly, but it was a necessity. He knew about you and he would never have kept it a secret."
He tried to keep a soothing tone, "We have to go now. Before anyone finds us. Please, trust me. I would never hurt you. Anya you're safe now. Please, trust me."
He repeated the last line hoping that it would convince her, desperate for her to just reach out and take his hand. They really were running out of time. The club had ears, and cameras, and they needed to go.
To his relief, Anya finally spoke, "What happened to him... He's really gone, isn't he?"
Tyrus nodded. By the way she was looking at him, there were still many questions she wanted to ask. There were no more tears now. She was thinking, contemplative.
"Why do we have to go? Who will come looking for us?"
He paused for a second, thinking about how to explain the intricacies of the supernatural world to Anya.
"There are many creatures living amongst humans. We didn't always blend in. In the past we were seen as the enemy. We were hunted, whether or not we caused any harm to humans. We may have been strong, but we were always outnumbered. It became obvious that we could only survive alongside humans for as long as they remain oblivious to our existence.
"Centuries ago, a council called the Governance was formed to keep the order. They created certain rules to protect our community. Their strict enforcement of these rules have led to us becoming nothing but myths and stories in the eyes of humans.
"I broke the rules when I met you. You were never supposed to remember me after our night together. I never expected to see you again. I never thought you would ever come here, of all places.
"You were in danger the moment you stepped into this place. It is a hunting ground, owned by the Governance. If that vampire hadn't come after you, someone else would have. If they had killed you, it would have been against the rules, but not everyone knows what they are getting into when they break the rules.
"Or like me, not everyone uses their head when the temptation to break the rules arises.
"The Governance will see my 'crime' as worse than killing you. I risked the exposure of our world. They will not let you live, just like I could not leave any chance that that vampire would not speak."
He bowed his head, chagrined. He was in a mess now. He didn't know if anyone had seen them, and he knew they'd never be able to outrun the Governance. They had eyes everywhere.
"Wipe my memory then. I won't be able to tell anyone a thing if I can't remember it." There was a rustling and he knew she was on her feet.
He looked up, surprised. She was calm and resolute, despite her wounds and the obvious effort it took her to push herself off the ground.
Somehow, in the span of a few short minutes, she had overcome the fact that she had almost been killed, witnessed a vampire's heart being ripped out, and told that an old council of supernatural beings were about to hunt her down.
He could still hear her accelerated heartbeat, and smell her uncertainty, but her face was alert and her eyes were focused and ready. Her expression was calm as she weighed out her options.
He shook his head in disbelief. She was a lot stronger than he had thought.
No wonder he was falling for her.
