Room & Board

Part 21

"I... I..." Tabaeus's eyes trail over your face, watching as a tear cascades down your cheek. They swallow, harshly shaking their head to dispel the mental chaos their thoughts must be in. Their words come out the tiniest bit ragged, "I apologize, I truly do not know you."

You open your mouth to challenge that notion, but you freeze as Tabaeus leans close. Their nose brushes against your throat, the gentle nuzzle sending goosebumps over your skin. Their words tease against your throat, "But you smell sweet. Delicious."

"Tabaeus, please you have to remember," you desperately croak, blinking back tears as conflicting feelings spiral through you.

"Don't play with your food." From somewhere above, Lachlan's voice sounds and cold hatred lurches through you.

Confusion dots Tabaeus's brow and they look up toward the other vampire. "I thought you said they were not food."

"If you don't remember them, why waste prey that wanders so willingly into our den?" You can just imagine Lachlan shrugging carelessly, a sleazy smile tilted at his lips. For a brief moment, you think you see Tabaeus's eyes narrow, something calculating behind their gaze. As if they don't quite believe Lachlan.

That hope evaporates as they eventually intone, "Yes, master."

You don't get a chance to shout as Tabaeus descends on you. Somewhere behind you, you hear Ewan snarl loudly and Jemma make a strangled cry, before a scuffle sounds, punctuated by the hiss of what you assume is magic.

Tabaeus's cool grasp is painful, unyielding, on your shoulder and head as they force you to bare your neck. Twin pains sink into your throat. A sob escapes you, the taste of blood dances on your own tongue.

But you don't fight or pull away. Wrenching your eyes shut, ignoring the tears streaming down your cheeks, your arms wrap around Tabaeus. They're tense under your touch, prepared to fight your struggles. When it doesn't come, you think you can feel their confusion and curiosity wind through their body. Pulling them closer, you focus on your short acquaintance, wanting those memories to be close to the surface.

The frightening first night. The agreement. Shopping for new clothes for them. Getting a house and sharing the home with the sugar gliders. The journal. Going out with Ewan together, the food, the movie, and other delights. Every second of fear, friendship, love, lust, anger, frustration, uncertainty blends through the recollections. All the images and feelings flood your brain, tangling with the pain and fending off the memories of others that fight for screentime.

Pain throbs through your head, mirroring the ache at your throat, but you refuse to fall to unconsciousness, refuse to let the foreign images take root.

With a gasp, the vampire breaks from your throat. Blearily, you blink up at Tabaeus, their lips stained as red as their eye color. Their eyelids flutter rapidly, but a few red-tinged tears roll from their eyes and down their cheeks. You realize their hold quavers as they croak, "Amata."

"You remember," you softly breathe, a smile on your lips even as the rest of the world wobbles in your sight. Slumping in Tabaeus's arms, boneless from relief and blood loss, you watch as their eyes desperately wheel about the room as they turn. When they've taken in the entire predicament, they still. Their brow pinches and you follow their gaze to where Ewan and Jemma scuffle with vampire underlings.

Tabaeus raises their hand, chain clanking against their manacle. Pressure pulses through the air and the vampires that surround your friends pause, eyes flying wide a brief second before their bodies hurl against the far wall. A flinch rattles through your body as you hear bones crack, but you're too muzzy-headed to dwell on what you've seen. You hear some of the vampires above scuttle warily to the far reaches of the room.