It would be a lie if I said that I wasn't afraid. Damien had nearly killed me so easily; it seemed a fool's dream to think that I could end him. Sylvia believed otherwise. Here was this fragile human who proved to be not-so-fragile, who had survived mental and physical agony and come out wearing determination and vengeance as if they were a set of beautiful wings.
You never cease to amaze me. I smiled at her, pulling her close to me. She just gave me a wink and laid her head on my shoulder. We both watched Edith find a book and set down by the fire.
She's not afraid anymore. I heard her muse.
I guess I have you to thank for that, too. I chuckled.
No, not me. She had it in her all along. Just took the right moment to bring it out.
Good Lord, woman! Could you be any more modest?
I rolled my eyes and was rewarded with a punch to the chest. I did my best not to cringe from the soreness, but to no avail. She immediately looked apologetic, kissing my cheek.
"I'll forgive it this time." I replied with a smirk.
"Cute." I heard Edith giggle. Her nose was still buried in her book, but she wore a mischievous smile. "Brother marry Sylvie. Sylvie stay forever. Edie have family." She continued to muse to herself in a sort of sing-song manner.
"She'll definitely make eternity interesting." Sylvia chuckled.
"If we live that long." I sighed.
"Don't do that!" Sylvia fussed. "Even if –" She stopped short, eyes darting toward Edith.
Even if that is the case, stop acting like they still have power over you! If you do that, they win.
"Okay, okay." I huffed, clearly defeated.
She smiled at me before her eyes lost focus and her knees gave out. I held her as she regained her composure.
"What the hell?" She breathed.
"Sylvie hungry. Need blood." Edith gave her a pat on her shoulder. "Edie help?"
"Not without me, please." I interjected. "The last thing I need is both of you getting into trouble."
Sylvia looked down at her clothes in disgust. "First, let's get ourselves cleaned up. I kind of don't want to walk out in public looking like a walking crime scene."
Edith and I simply nodded in agreement and we all trudged up the steps.
I led the two of them to my favorite spot in the historical district. We came to the main strip of bars and restaurants, which weren't as busy tonight.
"Perfect." I sighed happily as we stopped at the entrance to a particular bar with some serious bass pulsing through the speakers. I turned back to them with a smirk. Sylvia gave me a quizzical look; Edith just rolled her eyes.
Watch and learn, angel. I walked into the bar, causally surveying the few drunken patrons. My eyes finally fell on my quarry, sitting at the far end with a death grip on her drink glass and glazed eyes half hidden by long, dark locks. I sat next to her, signaling the bartender as if I didn't even notice her. Suddenly, I felt a hand on my arm, and I looked over just in time to catch her wink. She nodded toward a room off to the left and I stood up, offering my arm to her. In my mind, I could hear an angry growl well over the bass of the music.
It's part of the hunt, angel. You'll have to deal with it.
Oh, really? Well, in that case. I felt an air of mischief circle my mind as I looked around for her. I caught her before I walked into the secluded room. She was turning heads as she sauntered in and I could tell she loved every bit of it.
My newfound quarry turned my gaze back to her and I suddenly remembered where I was. I followed her into the secluded room and to an empty couch. As soon as I sat down, she wasted no time straddling my hips and placing drunken kisses on my lips. She trailed her lips down my chin to my neck, biting and kissing to her little heart's content.
I felt a new presence joining us. My eyes opened lazily as I saw Sylvia stroll in, a tall muscular blond right behind her.
"This one's occupied." I heard him complain.
"What's the matter?" Her playful voice twinkled as she pushed him down onto the couch across to ours. "Can't perform in front of an audience?"
"For you, beautiful? I'll perform wherever you want." Just like that, the idiot was putty in her hands. It was safe to say someone found their gift.
"Good." She lowered herself into his lap and it took everything in me to quiet the warning growl that was about to erupt from my chest.
"Don't worry about them." She added, tossing a smartass grin over her shoulder. "He's about to get real jealous because I promise I can do things that she couldn't even begin to imagine."
Without another word, they crushed their lips together.
What do you think you're doing?
Learning. That same twinkling, flirtatious laughter swirled around in my mind. Like you said, it's all part of the hunt. Deal with it!
I heard the man cry out in ecstasy as the smell of blood floated to me. As much as I hated to admit it, she was very good at what she did. I followed suit, gently burying my fangs into my quarry's throat. She moaned drunkenly as she passed out in my arms. I laid her down gently on the couch and looked over to Sylvia, who was still drinking.
Be careful. We don't kill, remember?
She pulled away from the man's throat with a content sigh. Sylvia placed a kiss on the wounds she made.
"Told you, handsome." She whispered proudly, guiding his head to lay gently on the couch.
She turned to me and I did nothing to hide my jealousy. She looked me up and down and, with a scoff, made sure the blood was clear from her lips and sauntered out.
I followed her out onto the street and into a familiar, dimly lit alleyway. I pulled her into it, pressing her against the brick wall. She raised her nose to the air and inhaled deeply.
"A favorite of yours?" She smirked. "I can still smell you here."
I don't know what it was, but some sort of jealousy was taking over. I wanted to charge back to that club and tear that man apart for touching her. I know it wasn't fair, but I didn't care in the slightest.
"Now you know how I feel." She whispered hotly, brushing her lips against mine. "Don't forget, love. It's all part of the hunt." She reminded me yet again.
"You did that on purpose." I growled.
"You told me to watch and learn. That's what I did." Sylvia gently ran her fingers through my hair. "It's not like they're taking me home, Daniel. That right is reserved for you and only you."
I kissed her hungrily, pressing my body as much as I could against hers. She responded in kind as her fingers gripped my hair tightly. She pulled my head back, exposing my neck and nuzzling my skin gently.
"Mine." I heard her whisper, just before I felt her fangs pierce my skin.
I let out low moan, grinding my hips against hers. I gently cradled her head against me as her name slipped from me again and again. Her fangs slid from my throat and the kiss she placed on my skin sent electric chills through me. Through hazy eyes, I saw her lay her head against the brick wall, her eyes with the same dim honey glow that matched mine. With a smirk, she exposed her neck to me. A lustful growl escaped me as I bit into that smooth beautiful skin of hers.
Mine. All mine. I moaned, drinking hungrily.
All yours. Her moans her entwined with breathless whispering. A loving touch warmed me from the inside as I pulled away with a content smile. I kissed the wounds I made just before she pulled me into another hungry kiss.
"Edie no understand." We both jumped, watching Edith come tiptoeing from the shadows deeper in the alley.
"How did we miss her?" I couldn't believe that I didn't notice her.
"I-I don't know." Sylvia looked at my sister with wide-eyed shock and embarrassment. "What do you mean, Edie?" She quickly regained her composure.
"Sylvie say Brother not hurt Sylvie." She came closer to us, studying both our necks, one after the other. "But Sylvie scream. Sylvie make Brother scream, too." She tilted her head left and right, and the gears in her head seemed to be working overtime. I half expected to see smoke wafting from her ears any second.
"I thought you had 'The Talk' with her?" I ventured quietly to Sylvia, trying like hell to hide my embarrassment.
"Well, it didn't go as well as I thought it was going to." She quietly fussed. "So, sue me!"
With a sigh, I put a gentle hand on Edith's shoulder. "I promise, we'll explain it all to you later."
"Okay." Her smile returned, but only for a split second. "First, kill Mommy and Daddy."
"Right." Sylvia nodded, still unsure how to take how easily my little sister was going along with our murder plot.
"Edie want Sylvie talk, please. Brother too nervous."
Oh, thank God! I breathed a sigh of relief. Sylvia laughed and led us from the alley. Playtime was over and we were overdue with another reunion with my parents.