Chapter Two

I sat on her couch, deep breathing to suppress the urge to hurt her. Marring that beautiful ivory skin would be a sin of the worst kind. No human had ever chosen my company in a hundred years; it was an odd feeling, being wanted. But at the same time I was disappointed; she was putting herself in danger doing this. Tonight I wouldn’t hurt her, I vowed to myself. Tonight I’d sit here in her home and wait for sunrise. Wait for safety to consume the apartment, and then I could leave. Go back to my own home, back to my own life. I shouldn’t have let her get so close. Even with the few words we’d exchanged, my fascination with her had grown too far for her safety. She’d kissed me and it had been all I could do to keep from turning my head and catching her neck with ugly white fangs.

I held my post until she’d fallen asleep and I’d gotten the monster within under control. Then I slipped into her room. To have lived here eight months she hadn’t left her mark, usually humans left a mark on a place in a matter of hours, yet Jolene hadn’t changed to room at all. My Jolene was too modern a girl for the lilac, pastel pinks, and lace that seemed to have a strong hold in her dwelling. Piles of books towered over the plush cream carpet, seeming to be invading on the princess aura. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix lay open on the desk next to a notebook with doodles and quick jots of her thoughts. Out of curiosity I went to the composition book.

Her penmanship was remarkable for this age of computers, elegant swooping letters danced unpredictably across the white page, the black and blue ink tainting and yet enhancing the books innocence. “Heroes leap from the loins of despair, fathered by injustice and hope,” her lettering read and beneath it was a long list of characters I knew well. Many of them were your standard hero but others were lesser characters that I had to really contort to see her image of them, but once I had it was impossible not to see them in that light.

I looked up across the room at her sound asleep, arms wrapped around a body pillow as if it were her only life line. The moonlight cascaded through the window falling on her porcelain features and raven locks. Her lips pouted slightly but seemed to do so teasingly; it was a good sign to me. It meant she was peaceful, probably dreaming about that lanky lad, Cole. She looked so much like my dear Olivia, which was what had originally drawn me to her. The first time I saw her she’d been with her sister, they were arguing in front of the coffee shop about some trivial matter. But the way she held herself with that untamable flare hadn’t been something I could pass up.

I set my jaw as my thoughts turned somber. Olivia had been my fiancée to-be; we were going to marry as soon as I got out of school. I can still remember her so clearly, her laugh, the light in her eyes, the way she’d get so pulled into her books. So many times I’d stop by to visit her and she’d be lost so entirely in her fiction that I couldn’t reclaim her for hours. Olivia deserved more than me, always did, that’s why I had to go to school. I had to leave her just for a little while so I could be at least a fraction of what she deserved. But then it happened. Even after it I remained faithful to her, though I could never have her. I watched over her as she grieved for me, fell in love, married, raised her children, and even died. I looked after her children, offering a guiding hand, from the darkness that owned me, whenever I could.

Only once after it happened did I allow her to see me, she lay caught between life and death fighting for every breath, and I stole into her room. The feel of her soft chestnut hair through my cold fingers, the smile that tugged at her lips, the way her chilled hand took mine, and she whispered my name, will never be forgotten. I was the only one there when she died; I was her soul’s soulless guide into the next world. I had kissed her eyelids, nose, and lips before leaving, and though the call of her blood had been great I resisted it. To taste of an innocent is low, it’s uncalled for. To change a life so is not something I’ll ever do, even at its darkest hour.

The cry of a baby out Jolene’s window broke through my thoughts, I was hungry. It’d been nearly two full days since I fed, and the blood of youth is supposed to be sweeter than the sweetest fruit. Like honeysuckle taken to the furthest point anything can go and then pushed just an inch further. The night was still alive out there. The occasional whiz of a car, or broken lyric of music reached me and I didn’t strain as I could to hear more. I let my eyes settle on Jolene as I chased Olivia from my mind; she was grinning like a bandit, delicate pale leg dangling over the edge of the bed. I perched on the corner of her desk and still as can be watched her ‘till morning light.

When the sun began to rise, I had already decided to leave. I opened a notebook writing her a brief message “Jolene, I didn’t want to get you in trouble with your sister. I’m leaving. Take the best care, Noah.” I was tempted to kiss her neck just below her ear where a beautiful vein pulsed, but refused myself the pleasure of her skin.

I treked past the university I was tending, just off campus I shared a small apartment with Temperance Patience Cunningham. I shuddered to think what she’d say about my night out. Temperance had turned me in pursuit of a mate, but she quickly learned I wouldn’t be that. The door wasn’t locked, we never locked it, though. We’re by far more dangerous than anyone who could break in, not to say we have anything worth stealing. I eased open the door, shutting it carefully behind me, Temp hadn’t gone hunting last night and was likely sleeping.

Our apartment was small even with two bedrooms. The walls were all the same off-white, nothing that suggested taste. Temp had drenched the flat in gargoyles, hideous weeping angels, and dark colors. Our couch was scarlet with over stuffed black pillows. The tiny kitchen was bare. We owned only the sparse kitchenware that came with the place. I spotted over flowing baskets of dirty clothes spilling out of the laundry room that was attached to the kitchen. Making the mental note to the days dedication I slipped back to my room.

Music had always interested me, but more than music I adore books. Anything with a good story. Thick novels covered the book cases, dainty paper backs peeked out from under my still made bed. I breathed in the scent of dusty pages and ink savoring the smell before falling into bed.

“Hunting wears me out too,” a voice I knew too well made me jump. “Never let your guard down, baby.” Temperance scolded walking in with cat-like grace.

“I didn’t hunt.” There was no use lying she’d know before the words left my lips.

“Where were you then? Not watching that bookworm all night? No good comes from a human,” she smirked cruelly and had my blood not already been cold it would have iced over. “Except maybe their blood.” Her eyes flashed that horrifying predatory black.

“She was attacked, I just wanted to make sure she was okay.”
“No blood shed?”

“None.”

“Rest, dear one, tonight we hunt.”

Usually she took enjoyment from human on human violence. But she knew I had some claim on Jolene, and Temperance had a lot of claim on me. What effected my Jolene had a ripple effect on Temp. She leaned over me taking my lips with hers, she nipped my lower lip tearing the soft flesh slightly and sucking the droplet of blood that formed there. I made no move to encourage her action, still not fighting it either. The man who had tried to hurt my girl would be punished.

Sleep isn’t really the proper word for what we do. While my body assumes the mask of sleep my mind hovers suspended between conscious and unconscious the way I’m suspended between life and death. I’ve spent many fruitless hours trying to understand how this helps us feel rested. But it does and when I ‘awoke’ nearing noon I set straight to my work. The laundry took up most the day and while I waited on its progress I cleaned the house top to bottom playing last night over and over in my head. I picked apart the man’s scent knowing each part would lead to a place, hobby, or some clue that would bring me to him.

Temperance was gone when I got up and didn’t return until a hour before dusk. She swept in stealing a kiss and dropping on the couch stretching out like an over grown house cat. A simple, too innocent, smile teased her pale lips. She watched me doing domestic work in boredom spawned interest. She waited until I’d put away the last load before speaking.

“I traced your scent to the girl’s house. She was talking with the cops, couldn’t get much to track the human with. But she’s worried about you,” Temp drew her knees up to her chin being watched still sent chills down my spine. “What does she know?”

“My name is Noah and I like books,” I answered sitting down on the coffee table.

“I was following the officer a while too, he’s not planning to do much. So that leaves him to us. What do you want?” Temp looked so small and helpless tucked together the way she was, but I’d seen enough to know better. I was glad, however, to see she wasn’t hell bent on hunting this guy down, yet.

“I think I should talk to her,” I left out the part about doing nothing Jolene didn’t want done.

“She’s edible almost,” Temp said as if lost in thought. “Smells like garlic and frankincense, though.” She smiled a little, “that’s a warning she’s dangerous.”

I wanted to ask how little Jolene could be dangerous but the alarm on the dryer interrupted us.

“Temp, do me a favor,” I called going to shut the damn machine up.

“I’ve killed for you haven’t I?” that was as close as she’d get to agreeing so I continued.

“Next time you feed don’t bathe in it.” Temp laughed in response.

Temperance and I dressed the part for a young couple out bar hopping. There had been two things about Jolene’s attacker that stuck out, even a human would notice, he’d been drinking cheap beer and was sweaty. I had to see him, granted I had no intentions of touching him without Jolene’s approval, I needed to see him.

“Noah, honey, you can handle this?” Temp asked leaning in and taking a kiss.

“Yea, babe, I don’t smell the bastard here.” Temp nibbled at my lip again.

“Good, lets move on.”

We covered the four bars in the area and I easily picked up his scent. He was grabbing a brew with his buddies after spending the day with his nose to the grindstone. Temp clutched my arm holding me back. I didn’t want to hurt him, my mind was sure of that. However when I saw him my fangs descended.

“Noah, you don’t want to do this,” she reminded me. Temp over powered me keeping us in the shadows.

Come on, Temp, lets go.” I needed to leave. I couldn’t be with him. He was fat and greasy, a drunk cheeseburger with evil in his pants. I wanted to do two things: drain his blood without taking a drop and rip that thing off his body. “I have to see her. You watch him,” I growled my orders. She let me go and though I knew Jolene would have gone to sleep hours ago I went to watch over her.

My Jolene was curled up in her bed,, reading light still on, final track of a 24 track CD playing out. Her front door had been unlocked. I crept in unchallenged. Her sister was asleep on the couch, TV still on. I shut off the TV and light pulling the blanket off the back of the sofa to cover her and slipped back to Jolene’s room. I repeated my actions turning off her reading lamp, closing her book and laying it on the floor next to her bed. I traced her hairline my fingers trailing down to find her pulse on her flawless neck. Satisfied she was safe, I settled in at her desk to watch her sleep again.

Once more I was flooded with memories of Olivia. I fought them back in to their lock box. Once I was sure Jolene would be okay I’d have to dig around and find the connection between the two. There had to be something more to them to trigger this reaction. I’d only ever acted like this with the two of them. Jolene reminded me so much of Olivia, too.

Every time she stirred I hid. When dawn finally broke I left to go stand watch across the street. My thought was that when her sister left I would knock. Unfortunately this plan was foiled two hours later when Jolene and her sister left together. From the thick book and MP3 Jolene carried I assumed they’d be gone a while. I had a choice: I could follow them or go home. My decision was made for me when a man wolf whistled at the pair. I’d be stalking.

Sorry it took so long was distracted. I'm on it now though. I'll try to update everything this week.