Blood for Blood

Chapter 5

Disclaimer: The following is a fan based work of fiction. All characters with the exception of Ileana and Adam do not belong to me but to themselves. Be sure to comment. Good, bad, wretched and divine. As in the previous chapters, flashbacks will be in bold print. Present events will be in regular print.

The sound of the bathroom door coming open alerted Andy as he was just getting to the best part of the memory. When he pseudo serenaded Ileana. He turned to lay on his back just as the bed began to sink with Juliet now on accompanying him, one arm draped over his chest and one leg draped over his still clothed legs. From off of her body, Andy could still smell the intoxicating scent of her perfume, their combined sweat, and her blood. It took all of his strength note to make a face of disgust. Andy laid as still as a board as Juliet traced figure 8 patterns on his tattooed chest.

"Long day, today?" she asked. Andy's eyes were firmly glued to the ceiling of the room, sullen and dejectedly. Of course his day wasn't exactly long, but just not as exciting as he hoped it would be. At this point he was thinking of calling up his cousin Joe Flanders to antagonize him for a bit. Hopefully his love life wasn't on the rocks, well if he had one that was. The thought alone made Andy chuckle and made Juliet watch him more intently.

"I guess not." she chuckled making more figure 8 patterns on his chest.

"You're so much cuter when you smile. When you're here with me like this". While his face didn't show it, those last few words tugged at Andy's heart strings as he'd said that exact phrase to Ileana in the midst of their dating.

The shows that Andy Black played at The Sinkhole always ended in scores of patrons throwing themselves at his feet demanding encores and screaming out their excitement until their voices were hoarse. Everyone except for Ileana. Adam was just as indifferent as when he and Andy had first met Ileana seemed to have enough enjoyment for the both of them. While everyone else hooped and hollered like mad men, Ileana sat cool and collected, clapping her hands quickly and appreciatively. At first, Andy wasn't sure whether she was doing this to blend in with everyone else or because she genuinely liked the song. But as the rest of the lights began to illuminate the room, he could now clearly make out the bright smile that she wore on her face. It was bright enough to light up this very room and it was also genuine. She liked his song, no loved it even.

Ileana may not have been as over enthusiastic as the rest of the crowd, but something about seeing her in the crowd; a beautiful girl and a powerful monster not after him for his good looks and popularity ignited something in Andy that he hadn't felt in ages. No, more like a plethora of things that he hadn't felt in ages. Fondness, the enjoyment of her company no matter how brief it was. Want, a strong desire to have her in his company, in his life as much as possible. Need, an unstoppable goal to be around her as much as he can. Know her likes, dislikes, her fears, her secrets; to be her companion, her guardian, second brother, her lover. Yes. Whether she could see it or not, they needed each other.

In a world where creatures like himself, Ileana, and her brother were constantly looming under death's watch just for being what they are, they needed to look out and provide for one another. It's no different than how humans ban together when they're persecuted based on race, sexual orientation, gender, etc. He would make that clear to Ileana when he saw her again.

Yes, Andy would make that abundantly clear when he found her again, even if he had to confine her to a cage the likes of the very room that he was in. A crimson cage where she would be safe comfortable, and protected from the human monsters that would hurt her. But he knew that he wasn't going to accomplish anything sitting around with Juliet. With a deep inhale, he threw the covers off, jumped out of bed and made for the dresser where his clothes sat. Juliet sat up immediately after him and observed this with confused and sad eyes.