There was something soft beneath her cheek, the fabric nap plush and thick. In the place between waking and sleeping she turned her head to nuzzle slightly to breathe in the soft scent of Gain detergent.
A familiar smell from her childhood and a purchase habit that had followed her into adulthood as well. Something lounged against her hip, its curved spine pressed against her bare skin. The fur was rough in comparison to the material she rested on.
Reluctantly she opened her eyes only to groan as the world returned to spinning further unsettling her stomach. Swiftly she pressed her eyes closed and clung tighter to the material under her, hoping to avoid having the world throw her off.
"Finally awake." The masculine voice was amused as it sounded from some distance away. Gabriela shifted ever so slightly, feeling the pull of muscles along her back.
Relief swept through her as she realized she could both wiggle and feel her toes. She was still sore from her wounds, but the promised accelerated healing seemed in effect.
"Slowly now. You are one of those lucky ones who have a reaction to teleportation magic." Did he actually sound concerned? She wasn't exactly certain what to make of the small revelation.
Gabriela felt the air beside her stir before a gentle hand swept down her back. The brush of Callum's skin against her bare flesh was a duality in emotion as she realized there was no cloth between his palm and the soft skin of her lower back.
Slowly she turned her head to face him. Her eyes tentatively opened and Gabriela almost regretted it as the vision of him swirled into triplicate before finally merging into a solid and tangible vision.
"There now. Think you can sit up? You need to eat something." Gabriela went to protest before realizing that he had placed a soft fluffy navy robe on the edge of the bed.
As her mind came further online she realized the smells on the bed were mingled with Callum's, indicating who normally slept there.
"Don't worry about your modesty. I will step out of the room, though I will admit some regret at having been too focused on your wounds to take more than a clinical glance." Somehow she could tell he was smiling even if she wasn't looking directly at him.
"Sure.. I can try. If the world throws me off though, sorry about your wasted efforts." Gabriela snarked as she reached out for the robe. As she slowly curled herself up to rise into a seated position she pulled the soft material tightly against her chest with her right hand.
Her left hand remained pressed against the firm surface of the mattress keeping herself steady. The furry creature that had been resting against her rocked to its side before giving a strange warbling growl as it caught itself from rolling towards the indent created by the weight of her body.
"Besides, no need to leave. A little like closing the barn door after the cows have left."
"Is that..?" She blinked, for a moment distracted from the fact she was naked in a near stranger's bed, by the tiny fox that had curled up near her hip.
As a second tail twitched out of the folds of fluff Gabriela ended her question, allowing the full statement to hang unspoken in the air. Tiny little fangs flashed as the creature yawned, drawing attention to its delicately narrow muzzle.
Elegant the creature had a sort of juvenile proportioning that made her think it a baby of its species.
"A kitsune? Yes. A very young one, but Shiro is a kitsune." Callum crouched down next to the bed as he offered his hand to the little animal. It gave an annoyed sneeze before rising to rub the length of its body against his hand, the tails twitching to curl against his arm possessively.
Shiro turned to look at Gabriela. Two dark eyes rimmed in reddish brown fur, with the rest of the fox in shades of cream and white. Her ears were disproportionate to her head; seemingly too large and as the animal tipped her head from side to side Gabriela wondered how the poor thing didn't topple over.
Satisfied with having made her introductions the small animal gave a shrill chirping bark before hopping off the bed to pad off to continue her rounds in the apartment.
Gabriela released a breath she hadn't been aware of holding as Callum rose and took a step back. His hands were shoved into his pockets as he took that perfected slouch.
She had the feeling he was studying her, watching to see how she moved and reacted to the pull on muscles so recently shredded.
"How long was I asleep?" She changed the subject, giving herself time to wrap her head around another mythical creature that shouldn't exist.
Carefully she pulled the robe around herself, doing her best to avoid flashing more than a second of side boob, hip, and thigh. The plush material was warm and swallowed her almost completely beneath its generous folds.
"A few nights. I managed to get a few sips of liquid down you since the Massacre." He paused as she cringed at the name of the event that was being labeled worldwide through their societies.
"I forgot, you missed all the news." Callum carefully sat on the edge of the bed close enough Gabriela could lean against him.
She fought the temptation to rest her cheek against him and sink into anything resembling a reassuring embrace.
"That good? Did anyone from my group escape?" She stumbled over the words as she slowly shifted to rest her aching back against the headboard instead of the temptation of the man beside her.
Innocently she studied him for any hint of demonic possession; forked tongue maybe or gleaming red eyes. All she saw was a handsome man of Asian descent with the stylishly messy haircut that he probably paid too much for.
"Mmm a few. Vincent, most of the women, though Eli seems unspoken for, oh and that gaggle of newlings you bought time for." He delivered the news slowly, watching each micro expression that flitted over her face.
Gabriela clutched at the robe, twisting the fabric between her fingers as her stomach tightened at having to return with Vincent having no one to keep him in check.
"You need to feed."
"Thank you. I appreciate the kindness." The whispered words escaped her as her stomach knotted in anxiety of the future. The attack made her question her plans of escaping the farm house and her life there.
Gabriela saw just how dangerous their world was; a far cry from the random untargeted acts of violence in the human world. She turned to dangle her feet off the bed only to pause as his hand appeared in front of her.
Tentatively she placed hers in his, amazed at the rightness she felt in the moment. The comfort that came with relaxing her guard even for a few hours.
"No kindness here Gabriela. Come, let's get you fed so you can finish healing." His tone was carefully neutral, as if he were forcing himself to sound distant.
"You don't seem the type that Eli has his goons target. You can repay me by satisfying my curiosity." He kept the hospitality a transaction. A trade of goods for services; in this case her story.
Her fingers curled against his hand as her arm shook at the small agony that came with standing. When her legs wobbled and she threatened to fall he once more scooped her up amazed at how tiny she felt in his arms.
She remained silent, stiff in his embrace for a moment before relaxing as she allowed him to carry her into the living space of the apartment.
The view from the large glass window was sublime as it placed them level with the city skyline and all the lights that lit up the night, with the feed of tail lights across the raised bridges that led over the rivers conjoined around the city.
She didn't comment as he sat her carefully on a plush armchair. A small table was to her right and with it a coaster with a dark travel mug complete with anti spill lid.
"It was the best I had." He shrugged attempting to avoid sounding defensive.
"It has been sometime since I have needed to feed from the vein, or hosted one who does." Without further word he settled on the couch across leaning comfortably back against the thick cushion.
She noticed then that he was wearing slacks, but his dress shirt was untucked and instead of bare feet or socks he had a pair of slippers on.
"It is more than enough. Thank you, I was afraid.." She paused and closed her eyes as she pushed down the information not wanting to seem too pathetic.
Her internal chant about men seemed to fade away in his calm and unruffled presence. He seemed to just absorb things and remained the calm center of the storm.
"And no, I suppose I am not. Everyone else seems better equipped to become murderers." She whispered above the lid of the mug. As she took a mouthful of the liquid Gabriela fought the urge to grimace even as she eagerly swallowed the nutrition down.
"Murderers? Is that what they are teaching you? There are ways to feed without killing." He leaned forward, resting his elbows against his thighs while his hands steepled to rest against his lips as he took in the sight of her.
Bare feet that peaked out from under the folds of his robe, her long hair wild and unruly with stray curls, and those luminous honey tinted eyes focused on him like he was some sort of savior. A man could get used to being looked at like that.
"Mmm, something like that. I was studying to be a nurse. I guess dying erased my student loans. One benefit for becoming the undead." A bitter laugh escaped her before she took another sip before putting the cup aside.
Her stomach complained and throat ached with the need to continue drinking. Her sarcastic humor earned a faint smile as he saw some hint of spirit still within the woman. Something Vincent hadn't broken completely and for some reason he was curious to see it emerge further.
"A college student and they turned you? Seems out of character." He urged her to continue; his gaze fixed on the mug she had placed back on the table, mindful to settle it precisely on the coaster. She had manners and a remarkable amount of self control if she could put aside the needed blood while still healing from her injuries.
"Drink, you need more if you are going to heal fully." It wasn't a suggestion but a demand. Gabriela raised a brow at him and for a moment he expected to see her mouth set into that stubborn line he had only gotten glimpses of before the final meeting when Vincent had dragged her off.
"Bridget didn't have much choice. It was turn me or let me die. I guess hunters don't discriminate. One thought I was working with her and... I don't remember much but Bridget and the news story indicated it was pretty gruesome." Her hand fell to press against her stomach, feeling the faint raised line that ran the length of her belly from beneath her sternum to hips. The injury had been severe enough even turning hadn't fully erased the evidence of her trauma.
"Careless of her." He commented while pointedly staring at the mug until she sighed and picked it up to continue sipping the warmed liquid. He watched as the color slowly came back to her cheeks.
"She made it. Laying low right now while healing." He gave the information as a reward for her finishing the mug. Callum rose and watched with bemusement as her breath caught and for a moment he thought to have caught a glimpse of something hungry in her eyes.
"Good, she didn't deserve to die." Gabriela fought between a sense of relief that her friend lived and the first stirrings of lust at the scent of him so close, so seemingly alive.
Her nails dug against her palms as she forced her mind away from the first stirrings of longing she had felt since having been turned.
The moment passed as he reached past her to pick up the dirty mug and made his way to the small kitchen to fill it up from a simple carafe that rested in a pot of warmed water.
He returned and again leaned close enough she couldn't resist the urge to rub her cheek against his chest. His soft chuckle brought her back to herself and embarrassed she pressed back against the chair.
Her hands rose to hide her face behind them as she fought down the burning of her cheeks. Not even her ex had called to her like him; just smelling him was quickly becoming her favorite thing.
"Just like a little kitten, with those tiny little claws, fangs, and the nuzzles." His hand stroked along her hair, smoothing down a few pieces of the tangled mess.
Gabriela closed her eyes under the touch. Platonic and soothing and yet she felt a different sort of visceral pleasure. She wanted him and didn't care if Vincent called him a demon.
For the first time since waking she had one thing she understood; she wanted to be a part of Callum's world where she could have these quiet moments and perhaps some other not so quiet ones.
"Why does Vincent call you a demon?" The question burst from her lips without thought. The need for distance so she could think pushed her to give him some reason to retreat back, even with a minor insult.
"I'm sorry, that was rude. Vincent is an ass.." She startled as his fingertip tapped against her mouth stopping her rambling with the gesture as he sat back down across from her.
"Closest word for what I am is kuei-jin. Made up, like most of all of our species names. I have inhabited this body for centuries, but when it no longer serves I will shed it and move on." His tone was level watching her as she took in the knowledge.
"So I suppose I am similar to a western demon; however the host body must be close to death so their spirit can depart. Though some residue does tend to linger." Callum continued carefully. She knew so little and while he celebrated her lack of knowledge, he also cursed it.
The tension he carried relaxed slightly as she lifted the mug to take another sip. Already she was looking much better.
"Finish eating then rest. I will be out until sunrise, and take the bed. It is safe from sunlight. We can talk more tomorrow evening. Rest, you are safe here. Shiro will keep you company if she decides to come out from her nest." That stated he pushed off from the couch to head towards the bedroom.
She could hear him changing before he stepped out once again immaculately dressed though still wearing his slippers. She noticed then that there was an orderly shoe cubby near the front door with his polished dress shoes neatly lined inside.
"Oh, and Gabriela, you are welcome to stay as long as you need." The final statement came as he left the apartment before closing the door behind himself. She could hear the click off the lock slipping into place.
The deadbolt was able to be unlocked from the interior so she assumed he had a key to get in and out. The sound was final enough to allow her to lean back against the chair and finish her liquid meal.
By the first hints of dawn she had finished the entire carafe and had managed to make her way back to the bed to lay down. The moment her head hit the pillow she felt the tiny dip and indent of the fox's light weight, the soft sigh of the animal as she laid down and curled up to nestle along Gabriela's side.
"Sleep well Shiro, You will have your bed back soon." Gabriela yawned and fell asleep naturally instead of the forced slumber that came with sunrise.