The Gift Of Love

“Please don’t tell me somebody died"

Orchid paced around the room aimlessly it was after midnight and Mikhail had not yet returned. She was starting to worry. She looked over at Mikhail family who sat waiting for him with her. Gabby was sobbing his mother was pale, but the feature that stood out most was Emilio’s. He looked as if nothing was wrong but the emotions that crossed his face said otherwise. Shock, pain, disbelief, relief and then something she could not place.

She thought back to what happened earlier that evening.

FLASHBACK

Everybody stared at her as if she had gone and lost her mind.

“It was the night Ashley died.” Said Emilio trying to process what he just heard.

He did not understand what orchid was saying there was just no way had Mikky sensed Ashley’s death.

As the evening progressed Emilio noticed that Orchid was starting to get twitchy as hell.

END OF FLASHBACK

Gabby and Maria had gone to bed. It was just her and Emilio.

She finally sat down and fell asleep Emilio soon follow suit.

She was awakened by strong arms going around her, opening her eyes she stared in the beautiful eyes of her husband.

“You should have gone to bed.”

“I was waiting up for you; I got worried when you took long to return.”

“Missed me did you?”

“Immensely so.” replied orchid with a coy smile.

“What about your brother?”

“I will wake him after I put you to bed.”

“You are not going to sleep tonight are you?”

“No “was his simple response

Orchid looked at her husband and tentatively asked

“What are you going to do?”

Mikhail looked down at her and smiled he idle wondered what would have happened to hum all those years ago had he not met her. She saw pass the bulshit a saw something good despite the fact that he was a blood thirsty deadly creature of the night.

After putting her in bed he kissed her cheek and said

“I don’t know.”

He then went to wakeup Emilio.

“Emmy wake up”

Emilio slowly opened his eyes and stared at his brother. He seemed so much more in control of himself now than he was earlier.

Mikhail turned to go when he saw that Emilio was awake.

 “You and I need to have a talk.”

Mikhail contemplated ignoring Emilio but the voice he used was the no nonsense one that even Mikhail knew not to ignore.

He turned around slowly not meeting his eyes and asked

‘What about?”

“Well for starters why are your knuckles bruised?”

Mikhail dipped into his mind then and saw that he was genuinely concerned.

“I hit someone.”

Emilio suddenly felt the urge to throttle him.

“I hit someone. What kind of answer is that?”

“The one I’m giving.” Mikhail started to twitch. Akaani did not like it when his authority was questioned.

Emilio started to sweat then.

That strangeness he sensed around Mikhail was stronger now and he did not know what to make of this feeling but he knew he did not like it.

Mikhail stared at Emilio as he stared at him with a neutral expression which was then replaced by pain.

“Why did you leave?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“OK” Emilio sighed

It hurt Mikhail to see him like this, but he knew if he answered him it wound undoubtedly lead to questions he was not too particular about answering. He sighed and placed his hands on his shoulder and said

“One day my brother one day.” He drops his hand and left a confused Emilio in his wake.

Emilio stared after his brother for about 10 minutes before he finally moved. Before Mikky left he was an enigma now he was …. He could not find words to describe him and he was not sure this was necessarily a good thing.

He got up deciding to go to bed and wondered why Orchid was so jumpy earlier.  He then thought back to what he said

“One day my brother, one day.”

What the hell does that mean? He idly wondered if he said it to keep him up tonight.