Chereads / The Immortal Briar / Chapter 16 - Insulting A Vampire

Chapter 16 - Insulting A Vampire

By the time Briar found her way back to Walter's apartment, her wrist was throbbing, and the sun was beginning to rise. The main door to his apartment was locked up so she slipped in through the window in his living room. She was happy that she was able to slip in as quiet as a mouse. It was a skill she prided herself on mastering centuries ago. The vampire had learned from the "best" - at least that was what he called himself. 

"Finally…" Briar flinched back at the sound, snapping her head over to where Wallie was sitting at the island counter. He leaned against his elbow while rubbing his temples to ease a headache. A cup of coffee was half empty in front of him with a pot brewed and ready on the kitchen counter.

The vampire eased slowly into the room, eyeing him closely. It didn't seem he slept through the night. His tired gaze didn't stray from her form while she moved further into his home. She moved to the couch to wrap herself back in the blanket he had offered from the beginning.

It didn't seem like his friend Derek had stayed long enough to see her return, which she was happy for. She didn't like the lack of societal awareness the man had. She was worried she would end up hurting him with another apathetic comment. Her mismatched eyes flickered back out at the sun rising. "Been waiting to make sure you didn't take off entirely." 

"You knew I wasn't able to leave the city limits. You could have gone to bed whenever you wanted," she acknowledged with her eyes narrowed in confusion. There was very little trust between the pair that she was worried that this was yet another trap. A quick sniff to the air though proved there wasn't any magic being used and a listen gave way to no extra heartbeats in the apartment.

He shrugged his shoulders and slowly rose from his spot at the island. He left his cup on the counter while he slowly made his way over to the stairs that lead up to the loft. "There are plenty of hiding places in the city. Since you're finally back, I'm going to bed. Goodnight." 

Briar watched as he trudged up the stairs with her head cocked to the side in a questionable manner. With a few slow blinks, she hummed with a grin pulling at her lips. "Did you find out what your spell truly did, Wallie?" He stopped at the middle of the stairs. The witch lowered his head to look at his feet with a sigh before turning back up and continuing his way up towards his bed.

"If you didn't find anything warm to eat in the night, remember there's some bags in the freezer if you get peckish. I assume you know how to work a microwave?" He glanced over his shoulder at her with half lidded eyes. At this point, she was starting to feel sorry for keeping him worried throughout the night. Though she was still smirking as he glared over at her. 

She laughed behind her hand, turning away to retrieve the snack he was referring to. "Don't you worry, little witch. I will figure it out." The vampire ran a hand through her hair, shaking her head as she entered the kitchen. 

"Just don't put any metal in it, please. I beg." He continued walking up the stairs while she glanced back to watch him go. It wasn't often that creatures trusted her enough to sleep in her presence. Especially after an argument and especially not a witch doing so. She definitely wouldn't be falling asleep so exposed anytime soon.

Briar's mismatched gaze flickered to the door of the apartment, which someone was currently knocking on. Walter was upstairs in the loft doing whatever he needed to. The vampire didn't know if he was even awake up there though, since there were noises coming from up there, she doubted he was still asleep. 

She stood to go look through the peephole, praying that it wouldn't be Derek out there once again. It probably wasn't him in the first place seeing as he walked right on in the day before. Her stature was on the shorter side, so she slipped up onto her tiptoes. Before she could see whoever was outside, Walter was there and pulled her away by an arm wrapped around her waist. 

Briar inhaled a gasp in surprise, confused as to where he came from without her noticing. He turned to her with a finger pressed against his lips. She stared up at him in surprise. He didn't seem to notice the look in her eyes as he moved to check in the peephole instead. While he took a moment to do that, she backed out of his grip. He glanced back at her only to refocus on the door.

The witch scoffed at whoever was on the other side then motioned for her to step out of the way of the door. "Misses Lynn, I've told you time and time again that this isn't your apartment." 

The older woman on the other side of the door didn't seem put off by his annoyed tone. "Oh no, dearie! I came to give you a warning." Wallie furrowed his brows at his older neighbor. Her tone went to a whisper and leaned in, "I saw someone crawling into your window this morning. I swear I did! Someone's in your apartment, Walter."

Walter's glare slipped over to where Briar was watching him. Only the look softened just as quickly as it settled on her. He turned his gaze away to address the strange woman outside the door. "Have you stopped taking your medicine again, Misses L?" 

This must have been a common occurrence from his elderly neighbor. Briar had seen many friends and neighbors near the end of their lifespans. It wasn't strange for someone to have memory issues when they get closer to the end. It was sad to hear him use this to his advantage but she also didn't want to be called out by the woman for breaking and entering. 

"No, no, no, no! Braxton takes care of me really well now, Walter! I cannot be missing a single pill, he says!" The woman coughed as she strained her voice painfully. "I promise you, Walter. I saw someone climb through your windows. I even wrote it down in my memory journal… If only I can find that thing…" Briar stretched and turned to return to the couch and the newspaper clippings about the council. It sounded like the woman was rummaging through her purse carelessly.

Then there was another voice from further away, "Brooke! You can't be bothering your poor neighbors again. Poor Walter does want to hear the story of how you got your eldest cat again." There were quick steps to their apartment door. However, they stopped just short from Walter and Brooke. Then there were the sounds of weak slaps as the old woman supposedly started beating the newcomer.

"I am not telling him about my cat again! I told you I saw someone climbing into his window last night and I was warning him about the intruder!" It seemed all this woman could do was yell at this point. Walter was backing out of the way of the door at this point, ready to shut it when he was given the chance. 

The other stranger seemed just as fed up with the woman as mumbled about having bruises in the morning. "And I told you I'd be telling him when I got the chance. Come on, let's get you home. You've done enough damage for today." 

"You never actually tell them when I find something out! And you know I have remembering issues. It's not my fault I forgot you told me that." Though she still fought with the other man, her voice seemed to be getting more distant as the conversation moved on. Slowly, as to not raise any alarm, Walter began to shut the front door again. "Buh-bye now, Walter! Don't forget to tell your parents I said hello!" 

The witch gave her an awkward wave before he finally shut the door completely. "Phew." He turned over to where she was sitting with an angry gaze. His index pointed her way in an insultingly accusatory manner. "You have to be more careful than that. Anyone could have seen you enter my apartment this morning. We can't have anyone raising alarms." 

"I was watching, Wallie," she said with a huff. "No one of importance saw me climbing through your windows. A mere human would not be a threat to either of us or what I am doing."

"It's not the humans I'm worried about! It's who they'll tell and, believe me, that woman loves to gossip. My coven is not the only species in town!" Something she was all too aware of when she went on her nightly escapade. However the fact that he thought she was dumb enough to let anything happen was insulting to say the least. 

"I have lived a very long time, Walter. There's no need for you to tell me information I'm already aware of," she gritted out. 

He threw his hands up into the air in frustration, turning his back on her to rub his eyes. "If you are so fucking smart, you have to start acting like it.