Hello all, sorry about the delay but here is the next installment. I hope you like it. As always comments are appreciated. Enjoy :)
***
"Hurry up Ayden, we'll miss our reservation. You may not be interested but I'm starving." Called Jade from the bottom of the stairs.
Jade paced excitedly, her heels clicking on the marble tiles. She couldn't believe she was in Ayden's home. The apartment that she'd first met him in was not his permanent residence. His home was on the outskirts of town and it was magnificent.
The last four months had flown passed in a whirlwind. Ayden had terminated all his arrangements with his wealthy 'clients'. Most were disappointed but accepting of the change. One was quite aggressive but Ayden did not explain to her how he resolved that situation. Jade wasn't sure if she wanted to know.
At work Jade pretended to not know anything about Ayden's change in plans. Caitlyn had confronted her on several occasions trying to get answers. Jade recalled their final confrontation with a shudder.
Jade had finished up a meeting with Mr. Thornton and everything was progressing well with that particular account. She was re-organizing the files as Caitlyn stormed into her office without so much as a courtesy knock.
"Tell me again, what did you do?" Caitlyn hissed.
"What the hell are you talking about Caitlyn? I don't have time for your games." Jade replied exasperated. She wasn't sure if Caitlyn was referring to how she landed the account with Mr Thornton, or the situation with Ayden. Caitlyn had been so erratic lately that even the senior partners had noticed.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about. He won't take my calls. The apartment is vacated and the remainder of my account with him has been re-deposited in my bank account." She said glaring.
"That's not my problem. I have no idea what he does with his arrangements." Jade tried to lie convincingly.
"Bullshit. You did something to him, I know you did. This all started after you went instead of me. It's all your fault!" she practically screamed.
"Caitlyn please calm down." Jade tried to say soothingly. She was becoming a little concerned at Caitlyn's uncharacteristically strange behaviour.
"Don't you tell me to calm down bitch!" Caitlyn screeched as she came to stand toe to toe with Jade. Jade on her part was truly concerned now; there was a wild look in Caitlyn's eyes that was scary.
"Please Caitlyn, tell me what the problem is." Jade said with a quaver in her voice.
"You know fucking well what the problem is! You took him away! You must have! Now I don't have my release, I can't concentrate, I can't function! It's you! It's always you! Your account, your bet, your ..." Caitlyn was screaming but managed to stop herself before she said too much. Instead she lunged at Jade and wrapped her hands around her throat.
Caitlyn was screaming incoherently, this was all Jade could hear. That and her own blood pounding in her ears as she tried to fight the other woman off. Possessed by an unusual strength Caitlyn wasn't letting go. Two of Jade's co-workers came in to investigate what all the commotion was about. They gasped in collective shock as they saw Caitlyn attempting to strangle the life out of Jade.
Once the momentary shock had worn off they jumped in and separated the two women. Caitlyn was dragged kicking and screaming from Jade's office while Jade collapsed on her chair and struggled to regain her breath. She couldn't believe that Caitlyn had lost it like that. Verbal abuse she was use to and equipped to handle. A physical attack though was something else. A part of Jade even felt a little guilty because she knew that it was her fault that Ayden stopped his arrangements. The other part, the larger part of her was fuming because she knew that Caitlyn was behaving like a two year old whose toy was taken away. Her reaction had nothing to do with Ayden and his feelings. It was as always about her.
The next few hours were a blur. Jade spoke with the senior partners. The offer to call the police in order to press charges was made and declined. The offer to see a doctor was similarly made and declined, though the senior partners were more insistent on this point. Jade was not blamed for any of Caitlyn's actions; conversely she was praised for putting up with her for so long.
Somewhere in amongst the questions, water-cooler gossip and restructuring of staff now that Caitlyn was 'taking an extended leave of absence', Jade managed to score herself a promotion. This barely registered as all she wanted to do was go home and crawl into bed. Better yet she wanted to go to Ayden's and have him wrap his arms around her.
Jade chose the latter option since she had a dire aversion to being alone. Ayden was initially pleased to see her but livid once he saw the bruises on her neck. He flew into a rage and for the first time Jade saw the vampire inside the man. Up until then Ayden's beast was restrained. His fangs, unnatural strength and stamina were all part of their erotic pleasure. This was something completely different.
This was truly frightening. His visage had changed into something almost unrecognizable. The fury coming off him in waves, Jade became alarmed.
"Please Ayden, please calm down." Jade pleaded and flashed back to her earlier attempt to calm Caitlyn down. She fervently hoped this time there was a better outcome.
"Jade." He growled. "Look at what she did to you. She had no right to lay her hands on you. It is my responsibility to keep you safe and I failed. I didn't deal with her when I should have. I should have ... She ... I ..." he ranted pacing about the room. Even his voice was different, deeper, more intimidating.
"Ayden." Jade said and it fell on deaf ears. "Ayden!" she yelled as she stood in front of him and he nearly bowled her over in his frantic state. He stopped, and grabbed her by the upper arms to steady her. It was then that he truly looked at her face. He didn't like what he saw there: fear. It was exactly as he thought it would be, as he feared it would be. She would one day see the real Ayden and run screaming for the hills. It was nothing more than he expected from the moment he allowed her into his life.
"Oh Jade, I'm so sorry Jade. I never meant for you to see this side of me. I have frightened you. Please forgive me? No of course you can't. I'm a monster. I don't deserve you." He babbled as he held his head in his hands. How could she possibly want him after this? After she saw what he truly was, what he was capable of.
"Ayden stop!" Jade yelled, annoyed now. "Just stop and listen for a minute, fuck!" she said. "Just listen." She continued knowing she had his attention. "I am scared but not 'of' you." He gave her a very confused look, the vampire gradually retreating.
"I'm afraid 'for' you. I'm afraid you'll go off half cocked and do something stupid that might mean you'll then have to leave. I'm afraid for Caitlyn because even though she's a supreme bitch she doesn't need to be ripped limb from limb, no matter how much I've fantasized about it. I'm afraid that you'll realize how much of a bother I am and won't want me around anymore." She said in a rush. Breathing heavily, like she'd run here from work, she sat on the couch and sighed.
From the moment Jade met Ayden she wondered. She thought long and hard about why she didn't feel afraid of him, why she didn't even feel more than a moment of surprise when she found out vampires were real. The only thing she was able to come up with was that ever since she was a child she believed that the stories were real. As she grew up and society expected her to let go of childish flights of fancy, a part of Jade hung on to that wonder, that magic that lets people feel that anything is possible. She'd often thought she was a little insane for feeling this way but being proven correct was ample vindication.
Even witnessing Ayden's beast hadn't shaken her of that belief. He wouldn't hurt her, she was sure of it. Part of it was his own gentle nature; the other part was the struggle she saw in him. That ongoing battle to reconcile what he was with what he wanted to be. No, he wouldn't hurt her.
Ayden let her words sink in. It didn't make sense. She should be running right about now. Instead she was worried she'd become a burden. It couldn't be true. Ayden shook his head.
"You can't, it's not possible. How is it that you are not afraid of me? I don't understand." Ayden looked at her dejectedly. The expression on his face was as close as vampires came to crying, Jade was sure.
"Ok Ayden, I'm a little afraid. But mostly not. More worried about the consequences. Right now I'm exhausted I just want to lie down." She said closing her eyes. Something tugged at Jade. It felt like they were talking around an issue. Something was left unsaid. She didn't want to examine her need to be around him, how much she valued his opinion, how scared she was that he would one day get rid of her as she aged and lost her appeal. She locked these things up in her heart and resolved not to revisit them.
Ayden swept her off the couch and took her to bed. He helped her change and curled up next to her as she fell asleep. She continually surprised him. Without his realizing it, she'd become an integral part of his world. He looked forward to seeing her, he wondered about her when she wasn't there. He wasn't sure what this was but he was determined not to let anyone hurt her ever again.
***
Jade was becoming impatient. She wondered if Ayden was deliberately trying to get out of going out. He'd tried it before. Jade was determined to drag him kicking and screaming into the real world. She insisted they go out for dinner, shopping, museums, the movies. Anything she could think of to get him out and mingling, albeit peripherally, with people.
The museum trip was particularly hilarious, particularly the modern section. Here he impressed her with stories of where he was and who he'd met at the time various things on display were created. It was amazing to hear such firsthand accounts.
