Charlotte woke up with a start. Her mind was disorientated in the dark room from her black-out curtains, and she stared at her surroundings trying to make sense of it all. All the shadows looked unfamiliar. Sweat ran down her back as she gasped for air. Placing her head in her hands, she slept for hours but was still fatigued.
Flinging her comforter back in frustration, her feet touched the chilly floors and padded over to the windows to open the curtains. Bright light burst into the room, and she wiped her eyes tiredly.
She then went to the bathroom to wash up. Charlotte was brushing her teeth when she remembered she had a stranger downstairs right in her home. She quickly changed into new light wash jeans and a white peasant blouse, quickly glancing to her little trash bin to see her ripped clothing from last night's fiasco.
Her lips flattened from the disconcerting memory, and she walked downstairs to see the man still in the same position as she put him. She pressed her fingers to his neck to check if the abnormally slow pulse was still there.
Last night when she got home was blurry for her, and her mind was somewhere else when she left her hand near his chin when the man suddenly bit the side of her hand.
His golden eyes fluttered open, and he stared up at her. She cried out and tried to pull away, but she didn't want to lose her skin. She stood there for a moment, her heart in her throat.
He retracted his fangs and smiled. Charlotte froze for a moment. He was good looking enough to make people stop whatever that they were doing. The golden eyes went away to reveal dark brown eyes so dark it should be called black.
"Do you want to look a little longer or can I move?"
Charlotte yanked some paper towels from the roller of the island. "Don't move or I'll call the police."
She pressed the paper towels to her hand and dabbed at it to reveal two little holes. She didn't understand how she could bleed so much from the small bite marks. Charlotte walked back to him.
"A vampire," Charlotte whispered. "I can't tell if vampires are natural or manmade."
He licked his lips. "I guess to you, we are natural? For over thousands of years now."
"How did you pass out earlier like that?" she rubbed her back in reminder of sticking on pain relief patches before sleeping.
"I need blood for strength. I lost a lot of blood."
"You had blood though."
"Blood from other vampires is not filling which is why we don't tend to feed from one another."
"You were out like a light earlier."
"I had lost too much blood and needed to feed."
"How did you wake up though?"
A hint of smirk fell on his lips. "I smelled blood waft from you."
"I didn't…" she trailed off as she remembered the large gash on her leg. "Why did those vampires attack me?"
"The first went feral. They lose all right and reason. It's my job to eliminate those like him. We don't kill humans. If a vampire does then he needs to be punished depending on the reason. The second, we were in Calix's territory."
A sigh left her lips. "I'll go to the police station after I make breakfast."
The man looked over at the clock on the wall. "It's past eleven, beauty."
She shrugged. "Do you want some?"
"Do you have a habit of taking care of strangers?"
"I don't. Would you like food or not?"
"I would love some."
Charlotte reached up for some plates. "Do you even eat human food?"
"I do, but we'll still need to feed often."
She shook her head in disbelief and found a band aid in one of the kitchen drawers, slapping it on. Charlotte was about to cut fruit when the doorbell rang and turned back in alarm. Who was it? She needed to move that man somewhere else and didn't have the strength to do it.
Charlotte quickly paced back to him and sighed. "Get out of the rope. I know you can."
He broke the rope from his hands and ripped the rope tied to his feet. The man was taller than she expected. He backed her up to the nearby wall, and she placed her hands on his chest turning away.
"Please don't kill me."
"I won't," he said. "Don't go to the police."
She faced him and frowned. "I can't. There's a body on that street. People should have found her by now."
"Someone should have taken care of it already."
A vampire covering up their tracks to make it seem like nothing had ever happened.
Charlotte shook her head. "No, I can't do that. You can't make them disappear."
The doorbell didn't stop ringing, and she finally realized who it was and sighed. "Please leave. Don't ever come near me again. Don't kill me. Please promise me that."
"I promise to won't kill you if you promise to not go to the police."
Charlotte clenched her fist in anger. She had to think of herself and family. Life gives and takes away. She met his eyes and whispered, "Deal."