"This is most definitely cheating." I squeaked as I tried to free myself from Alexandre's sleep warmed, iron embrace. He chuckled devilishly and held me tighter. I was suddenly very aware of his body pressed against mine. I froze.
"Are you giving in?" Alexandre's voice growled in my ear.
"Noooo..." I blushed "I'm just a little afraid of giving certain parts of you anatomy the wrong idea with my movement." I replied, blushing harder.
"So either way, I win." Alexandre shrugged and a goofy look stole across his face. I groaned.
"I take it back. I also hate you." I told him.
"Love, hate, same emotion. Keeps you bound to me, I'll take it." Alexandre teased, kissing me on the forehead.
"Oh my God you're awful." I griped. Alexandre chuckled, which was an interesting experience, in our current position. He ran a hand down my spine, causing me to shiver.
"I quite like that, I might have to try it a few more times." He taunted, tracing his fingers down my vertebrae again.
"I will murder you in your sleep." I threatened, pulling back from him as fast as I could.
"Somebody already tried that this week." He said forlornly.
"Oh, low blow Alexandre, low blow." I whined. He grinned.
"Does it earn me sympathy sex?" He asked and I thwacked his chest with a palm.
"You need help." I retorted.
"The kind only you can give." He answered with a twinkle in his eye.
"Oh my God, you have an answer for everything! I give up." I smacked his chest again with both hands.
"Does that mean yes?" He laughed.
"That means I know where I'm going to bury your body." I replied threateningly, but relaxed, laying my head on his warm chest again, listening as his heartbeat stuttered.
"Oh by the way, the repair crew were here today. They said they were almost done and would leave the key on the table. Wanted final approval. One guy was really concerned about you being injured." I informed him. Alexandre hummed an acknowledgment.
"You're not going to freak out that someone was in the house?" I asked curiously. Alexandre's laugh rumbled through his chest.
"Should I? I've worked with them before, I trust them, and you're a capable vampire woman, right?" He tilted my face to his and kissed me gently.
"So, I'm sticking to you like glue because..." I prompted and he sighed.
"I'm paranoid." He responded.
"But not about the work crew." I stated.
"No." Alexandre replied.
"Care to elaborate? Because the way I see it, your criminal friends could sneak in with this work crew or steal a key or pay somebody to plant a bomb or..." As I was listing things Alexandre placed a finger on my lips to silence me, then raised my face to his again.
"Not these guys, trust me." Alexandre answered.
"Ok then... I feel like I'm missing something big here, but whatever..." I shrugged and Alexandre chuckled again.
"Let's just say that I did a favor for one of the men who does the repairs, and that's a family business, so it didn't stay secret. They feel rather..grateful...and haven't forgotten. It's..."
"...a story for another time." We finished together. Alexandre's eyes lit up and he chuckled. The office phone began to ring and Alexandre groaned. I tried to get up, but he refused to let go.
"Maybe it'll stop." He said listlessly as the ringing continued.
"That sounds like a no." I pointed out, and again tried to break free. With a growl of protest he let me go, but followed me quickly into a standing position, wrapping his arms around me from behind and planting a kiss on my neck, which gave me chills.
"This had better be important." He muttered against my neck, then disappeared from the room to answer the phone. I followed at a slower pace, fingers wrapped around my neck, wondering what his teeth would feel like there. Vampirism is weird.
Alexandre's face was grim when I entered his office, and his knuckles were white as bone where he had a grip on the phone.
"Yes. Yes, we're both available. Yes I understand. I don't know if we'll be any good, we didn't see, anything... I understand...No I think she was unconscious through most of it and never saw... I understand. Yes. Yes. We'll be here. I understand. Thank you. Good afternoon." Alexandre slammed the phone down and I heard a crack as the plastic casing gave way. His expression changed to a terrifying one and for a moment I thought he would throw something. I prepared to back up or run if I needed to, but Alexandre must have sensed my fear, because his face gentled and he stretched out a hand to me.
"I promised Carys." He said, and I walked forward to him, taking the offered hand. He immediately pulled me into his arms, dropping his head to my shoulder.
"That was the investigative unit. They want to talk to us." Alexandre pulled back and sat me in the chair with concern. "Carys, they think they've caught your killer." It was a good thing Alexandre had made me sit down, I nearly fainted. New discovery: vampires can faint.
Alexandre was still talking, but I couldn't hear him. My brain was running so many ways at once. How could I get to her if the police had her? Where was she? What was I even going to do? How did they find her? What would I say to her? I clenched my fists so hard I heard the tendons screech. Who was she really? How many people did she kill?
Alexandre shook my shoulders lightly and I looked at him, dazed.
"Hmm?" I asked.
"Carys, I need you to concentrate." Alexandre shook me again. "They're coming to pick us up. Right now. They want us to identify her, but remember, neither of us are supposed to have seen her. Don't get any ideas, we don't even know if it's her. If it is, we'll figure out what to do later. It's an overnight trip. Go, get changed, pack a bag. Drink a little extra to top up. Carys, can you do that for me?" I nodded my head numbly at him when he finished speaking and stood awkwardly. I left the room on wooden legs and began shaking once I reached the hall. Alexandre was there in a heartbeat. I broke down as he clutched me to his bare chest. When I lost strength in my legs, he supported me, lowering us gently to the ground, cradling me like a child until I calmed down. He smoothed my hair back and kissed my face gently.
"Do you want some company while you get ready?" He asked holding my face. "Or do you want to be alone?"
"I...I can do it." I stammered. Alexandre looked at me doubtfully, but nodded at me once and watched me head to my room before he left the hall himself. I scrambled to my room and changed into a random shirt and jeans combo. On a shelf were several types of luggage. Alexandre honestly thought of everything when he brought me here to stay. I grabbed a small bag and threw a few changes of clothes and an extra pair of shoes in. I put on the pair of sneakers I favored and was still sitting on the closet floor when Alexandre appeared behind me. He nodded approval a the bag and handed me a large glass filled with blood.
"Drink." He commanded. Which I did. "They're waiting for us downstairs. Are you ready?" I nodded at him mutely, and he pulled me to my feet and held me tightly for several long minutes.
"I'm with you Carys. Through this whole thing. No matter what happens. Rely on me a little, please?" Alexandre whispered and kissed the top of my head. I nodded against his chest and he deftly picked up my bag, keeping me tucked in one arm as he walked me towards the front entrance where the two plain-clothes personnel were waiting for us. I tensed and Alexandre squeezed my shoulder. It felt like I was going to my own funeral.
"Is this it?" Asked the female cop reaching for the bag in Alexandre's hand.
"Other than the one I brought out earlier, yes." He politely answered.
"That's already in the car. Let's get a move on then, we don't wanna keep 'em waiting." Said the other cop, a male, slightly pudgy. He seemed cheerful enough on the surface, but there was something about him I didn't like. The woman, I was ok with, him...not so much.
"After you," Offered Alexandre politely to the lady officer, who led the way to the vehicle, and opened the back door for us. Alexandre helped me in and then slid in after me. I clung to him and he immediately wrapped an arm around me protectively. The lady cop took note of this with her sharp brown eyes.
"She's understandably upset by all of this..." Alexandre explained and the woman nodded, but it still seemed the rumor mills were working overtime about us. To Hell with it, I laid my head against Alexandre's chest and gripped his shirt, burying my face in it, inhaling his calming scent. He stroked my hair and I felt a few tears escape my eyes. I had expected more rage than this, but here I was, a teary mess again instead.