139 Cold couch
Music Recommendation: Into the Sea- Stuart Earl
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Eve’s heart didn’t stop racing as she hadn’t expected Vincent to have the ability to transform. It seemed like it wasn’t just the mermaids or the werewolves who were able to change their appearance into human and animal form, she thought to herself.
“Do all vampires possess the ability to turn?” Asked Eve, watching Vincent make his way to where she stood frozen.
“It is a rare ability that exists only with a few pureblooded vampires,” replied Vincent. Eve noticed how he had clothes on him, unlike the other kind, whose clothes were often shredded or discarded when returning back to their human form. “It is time to return to the office. Even though you stand inside a building which is meant for officials, it still isn’t safe. I am surprised your friend didn’t offer to walk you back.”
“He had something else to attend to and it isn’t like I am a child,” answered Eve, watching Vincent staring at her.
“Seems like he overestimates your ability of survival, little girl,” hummed Vincent, and he started to walk back to his office. Eve quickly followed him, coming to walk next to him.
Eve couldn’t help but ponder over Vincent’s words about Noah. She had always tried to behave as if she could handle anything and everything, where she didn’t need anyone’s help. But the incident in the dungeon proved her otherwise. Her thoughts went back to the revelation of Noah being a werewolf.
She couldn’t deny that she was worried about what the future held for Noah and her friendship, but for now, she hoped she would never have to come across something like that. Noah was a dear friend, and she didn’t have many friends. When her heart hitched, she heard Vincent question her,
“Worried that your friend might take a chomp off your body?”
“I am not,” replied Eve, and Vincent chuckled as if not convinced.
“You should be, Ms. Barlow.” When Eve’s eyes moved to look at Vincent, he was already looking at her with a sinister look in his eyes. He said, “We creatures are not to be trusted, you never know when and how things will change.”
Eve pursed her lips and said, “He would never hurt me. Noah isn’t like others.”
“Of course,” Vincent agreed to her, “Is that why you never mentioned to him about who you are? I thought you were good friends.”
“You must have been bored to eavesdrop on our conversation, Master Vincent,” retorted Eve, and he offered her a broad smile.
“I would call it, protecting my meal. I am not someone who is keen on sharing or letting anyone take a taste from you,” stated Vincent.
Eve sent him a slight glare before looking at the deserted corridor where they walked. She asked him,
“Will I be needed to speak tomorrow to the officials? Regarding what happened in and outside the dungeon?”
“Yes. They will need your statement on what happened before they decide to clear your name off the accused and suspect list,” Vincent let her know, and when he glanced at her, he noticed the worry on her face. “Get some rest tonight, and leave things for tomorrow. There’s no point worrying about it now, and it isn’t like your name isn’t half cleared.”
Eve nodded, hoping she could get home without carrying any worry from here. All she wanted was to live her life in peace, but her life had other plans. Curious, she asked Vincent, “Do vampires have other abilities?”
“Aren’t you curious,” hummed Vincent, looking at her with calm eyes. “What are you fishing for, fish?”
Eve didn’t find Vincent’s puns to be funny. She spread her hands wide and said, “Wings. The ability to fly.”
Vincent chuckled at Eve’s action, and she quickly brought her hands to her side before wrapping them around her arms. He said,
“The next thing you will ask is if we are the great count of Dracula’s children.” Was he? Eve asked herself and received a subtle glare from him. He said, “Some of the pureblooded vampires behold abilities in them, which are never the same. You can call it rare gifts, which cannot be shared or passed and most don’t reveal it because there are some jealous fuckers who will target and kill the person as they feel threatened,” said Vincent, taking a turn at the end of the corridors. “It is those abilities that puts some of us in a higher food chain hierarchy.”
“Food chain?” Eve’s eyebrows furrowed, and she saw a wicked smile on Vincent’s lips.
“What do you think it is?” He questioned her back as if waiting for her to figure it out herself.
It took her a second more before she said, “You can drink blood from other vampires.”
“Vampires of lower class. Lots of options to choose to drink blood from,” said Vincent with a subtle smirk on his lips.
Eve knew that vampires had their own lower and higher class of vampires, but she had never heard this part about pureblooded vampires drinking blood from their own kind. She then heard him continue to speak,
“Most of us pureblooded vampires of higher class don’t consume blood from lowly vampires or low class humans. You never know what they eat. Sometimes the blood is never enough to satisfy us, which often leads to many deaths. Which is why we stick to quality food rather than quantity.”
While they continued to walk in the corridors, two council members walked in the opposite direction, their eyes fell on Eve, staring at her. The men didn’t ogle at her just because an unknown woman was at the council at this hour but because she wore men’s clothes. When their eyes fell on Vincent, they quickly offered him a bow and walked past them.
When they reached Vincent’s office, they stepped inside and the door was closed. He said,
“You can sleep on the couch.”
Eve’s eyes quickly moved from one corner of the room to another before she asked, “What about you?”
Vincent took a step forward, closing the distance between them. His hand shot up to her chin, holding it between his two fingers, while he stared into her eyes, “Inviting me to sleep on the couch with you?”
Her cheeks turned red, and she quickly stepped backwards, “I was only asking where you would sleep if I was going to sleep on the couch.” She saw his sharp fangs as he smiled at her in amusement. “Are you like this with other women too?”
“Like what?” Vincent’s coppery eyes stared at her in question, even though he knew what she was talking about.
Eve parted her lips to say something before she shook her head. It would be better not to venture into it. “Nothing,” she murmured. She walked towards the couch and laid there without another word. Though she wasn’t sleepy, she closed her eyes, listening to the footsteps in the room along with the continuous crackling coming from the fireplace.
Vincent walked to his desk. He sat in his chair and started working.
Turning around with her back facing the fireplace, Eve pulled herself closer with her hands under her head. The room was warm, keeping the cold air at the door and windows. Minutes passed, with Eve listening to the sound of parchments turn and shuffle. With her body and mind exhausted for the last twenty-four hours, she finally drifted into sleep.
Eve dreamt where she was back in the dungeon, running in the deserted passages and trying to escape. But no matter how much she tried to escape, she couldn’t. As if the guards weren’t enough, she saw a werewolf jump at her, which woke her up from sleep.
Awake from her sleep, she noticed the room had turned dark. She turned her head and saw Vincent sitting on the chair with his eyes closed as if he was resting too. The flames in the fireplace had lowered with only a few pieces of coals burning, ready to welcome the cold air from outside and leave the room dark. She shivered because of the cold, her body trembling.
Getting up from the cushioned couch, her feet softly padded on the room’s floor. Noticing a blanket in the cupboard earlier, she stepped in front of it and opened it.
Pulling out the lone blanket, she closed the cupboard. Why was it this cold? Eve asked herself as she wrapped herself in the blanket and sat on the couch. Her eyes moved across the dark room, where Vincent continued to rest in his chair.
To think that the man whom she had met for the first time, who had refused to move a single finger to stop her from falling flat on her bottom, the same person had killed the guards. He might have killed the guards for his own reasons, but it still counted as something in Eve’s diary.
Getting up from the couch, she walked to where he sat.
Unwrapping the blanket around her body, she leaned forward and put the blanket on Vincent. He had offered her the couch to sleep, and it was only right he took the blanket.
Look at him sleep innocently as if he wasn’t the devil who loved wrecking havoc in people’s lives, Eve said in her mind. Now that she looked at him closely, he didn’t seem as crazy as he appeared when he was awake.
Pulling herself away, she turned to get back to the couch, when Vincent caught hold of her hand and questioned,
“Haven’t you heard not to wake up a sleeping wolf? Especially one that is hungry.”