Opioid

Two

Trust: (verb) a belief in the reliability, truth, ability or strength of.
***
Ryan

I gawk at Balz, "What are you?"
I take a sideways glance at where he took me.the walls are covered in dark wallpaper and the floor is a white marble with black in it. Wrought-iron wall sconces light up the foyer as well as a gothic styled chandelier.
Balz takes a step into my space, crowding me and trapping me in his arms. He leans in and I feel his lips against the shell of my ear. "Why, my dear, I am a vampire."
I study him, his unnaturally pale skin, bright blue eyes, and...
Sharp, white teeth.
"What do you want with me?" I ask him, walking backwards until I feel my thighs hit the edge of the stairs. He looks menacing, his eyes glinting in the lamplight. He licks his lips and I watch the movement.
Josh smiles, slow and steady, "I want you. I crave you."
I blanch and start shaking, this is it. These are gonna be my last moments of my life.
"Oh no, no," he whispers, wiping away the tears I didn't know I had, "I'm not going to kill you."
"Then what are you going to do?" I so , covering my face with my hands.
He buries his face in my hair and groans, "Your aura is so fresh and amazing. I can't stand to be away from it."
"Aura?" I whisper, peeking over my hands.
He clutches my arms in a bruising grip. "Stay here with me, please," he pleads.
"I-I... This is all so much for me right now," I whisper back.
Josh whips his head around, looking for someone. His grip on my arms tightens and fear envelops me,
"Balz?" I murmur, hoping to placate him.
The front door slams open and Josh whirls around. In the doorway, silhouetted by moonlight stand two men. The taller one holds his hands out and takes a small step inside.
"Josh?" The man says, "It's me, Chris. Are you okay?"
Josh makes a noise in the back of his throat like a scared and cornered animal. He pulls me closer.
Chris gives me a calm smile, "Ryan, right?"
I nod.
"Ryan, this has to be fucking scary for you. Josh isn't going to hurt you, he's protecting you."
I shake my head, "But, I just met him."
"Yes, but you're special," he replies slowly. "I assume he told you what we are, and that comes with the the advantage of knowing when someone is perfect for you."
I frown, "Like soul mates?"
He tilts his head back and forth, contemplating my question. "Sort of, yes. I would love to go into detail with you, but..." He motions to Balz who is still acting neurotic.
The other vampire steps forward, "Ryan, I need you to take deep breaths, try and calm yourself. Your aura of fear is what is giving Balz the impression you're scared."
I frown. Great job, Sherlock.
"Because he's fucking scaring me," I snap.
Chris shoots the other vampire a look. "He doesn't recognise that."
I give them a dubious look, but close my eyes anyway. I think of when I was at the beach, the warm, comforting sun on my skin, the chattering of seagulls mixing with the crash of waves upon the shore.
I am vaguely aware of Balz' arms slipping off of me. I take one last deep breath, counting the inhale and exhale before opening my eyes.
Chris and the other vampire are studying us, unsure of whether it's truly safe or not. I turn my head to look at Balz.
"Are you okay?" He asks softly.
"I'm fine," I whisper back, giving him a smile.
He rubs a hand over his face, "I'm sorry."
"I... It's not your fault," I take his hand, "I'm guessing it's instinctual."
"I should've been more prepared," he sighs.
The smaller vampire walks up to us, putting his hand on Josh's shoulder, "Man, we'll work something out. I'm sure you haven't completely scared Ryan off." He winks at me.
"I know, Ricky," Josh says. "I haven't scared you off, have I?"
I shrug, looking at the floor, "This is all so much. I like you, Josh, well, what I've known of you. Can we just take things slow?"
Before Balz answers, Chris cuts in. "Let's talk about this in my office."
He walks up the stairs and Ricky follows him. Josh motions for me to go first. I trail my hand along the smooth, polished, railing; looking around in awe. The hallway is long, more sconces adorn the walls and there are paintings of dark forests and some depict the devil and other creatures.
We enter the room at the very end of the hall. The room is a slate colour, a picture window takes up the back wall and in front of it sits Chris' desk: dark wood with ornate carvings along it. The right wall is dominated by a bookshelf and a love seat and two high-backed chairs sit in front of it, a faux fur rug on the cherry wood floor.
Chris sits in one of the chairs and Ricky takes the other one. Josh and I sit on the love seat.
Chris rests his foot in his knee and folds his hands, "So, here's what's going to happen, Ryan, you are not going to be able to wish this all way. Josh is going to become very possessive of you, it's his nature. He's going to want to keep you close to him constantly. It's going to be extremely difficult for him to resist your aura. I hope we can take this one day at a time so as to not overwhelm you."
"I don't want to be told how to live my life," I state.
"I'd never want to take away your freedom," Balz says.
He says that now, but how about when he's acting like he was before, only more aggressive? When I wake up one day, and I'm prisoner, forever to be stuck by his side.
"That won't be an issue," Ricky says suddenly. "You and Balz are part of this clan and vampires tend to stay together with their clan. We would never let Balz abuse you. And he would never hurt you, it goes against his nature towards you."
I stare at him, did I say that aloud?
He chuckles, "I can read and communicate through thoughts."
Well, that's good to know.
Josh takes my hand, "I love you with my very soul. I don't want anything bad to happen to you."
I want to tell him that I trust him, but I don't know him very well. What I do know is that he's a vampire, he's possessive of me because I'm his...soul mate? Hopefully, someday, I can tell him that I do trust him and that I love him as well.
Right now, I just don't want to be eaten.