Adeline's stomach chose that moment to protest. The loud grumble made a couple of people's head turn in her direction. Her cheeks flamed but she didn't want to look up to see Felix's reaction to it.
"It sounds more like you need to be fed." He uttered trying to keep the laughter from coming through when he spoke.
"Psh. It's fine." She attempted to cover it up. Although both of them by now knew that she wasn't a good liar. She never had been.
"It's fine. I'm quite hungry myself." He reassured her.
Adelines eyes widened at the prospect. Her idea of eating wasn't a person like she thought it would be for him. She could feel the uncomfortable panic begin to worm itself back into the pit of her stomach at the few simple words.
"I don't mean in THAT way." He emphasised. Adeline looked up at him just in time to catch his eye roll at where her thoughts were automatically diverted to.
"I do eat normal food." He said sounding slighly hurt by what she thought of him.
"Sorry." She threw out there instantly.
Felix didnt reply, only nodded in acknowledgement towards her half assed apology towards him. He crossed the street but made sure she stayed close by before he entered into the old-styled pub.
Adeline twisted away from him to get a better look at the inside of the pub, having rarely been in one herself. She spent most of the time on her studies instead of in the world like her best friend had tried to get her to.
"Not what you expected?" He uncharacteristically teased her. Felix was already looking down at her by the time she'd turned to face him, she made a funny noise, half a snort half a disapproving noise at the back of her throat at him. But it didnt take too long for her attention to be drawn to the bar. A long table stretched from one side to the other, she had to wonder how they got out of the thing at the end of their shifts. When they drew closer to it, she inspected it from top to bottom only to find no evidence of a hidden door anyewhere. The stool was far more comfortable than what it looked. Adeline melted into the softened warned fabric with a sigh of relief.
"What you having tonight?" The bar tender spat out at Felix after he took one look of disgust at him, but a curious one at her.
"Rum and coke." He grunted back at him.
The bartender disappeared without waiting for Adeline to tell him what she wanted. But came back straight away to slam down Felix's drink; some splashed out over the sides as it settled itself and threw a menu half hazardously in Adelines direction. Felix raised his eyebrows but didn't comment on his rough behaviour.
"Can I please get a burger and fries, with a coke?" It came out more of a question than Adeline meant it to.
The guy snorted but nodded in her direction.
"Make that two burgers." Felix glowered before he could completely disappear.
"Didn't think you'd be having proper food!" The bartender called over his shoulder clearly at the expense of Adeline. Felix growled lowly; the bartender's attitude was wearing thin on him. His eyes shifted towards Adeline who stiffened on her bar stool instantly when she realised what he'd meant by his backhanded comment.
"Don't listen to him. It's not why I brought you here." Felix reassured her. She slowly relaxed back in. her seat, the blush warmed up her body.
By the time he'd forcefully hit the plates down in front of them, the harshness of the act breaking their awkwardness, neither one of them knew what to say to start of a conversation, it had broken Felix's last nerve.
"What's your problem tonight?!" Adeline couldn't do anything other than watch Felix spit out at the bartender, his eyes darkened a fraction as his hands tightened into fists. A light silver pattern took over half his face and neck as it became stronger the more furious, he got.
"You know what the problem is Fe, did you really have to bring your meal here? Not really good form to do something like that." He replied just as manically while he shoved one of his calloused fingers in Adelines direction to get the message to hit home as much as he could.
"Not my meal been. She's-." Felix began to stumble on how to describe what she was. They weren't exactly friends, but he had saved her a couple of times recently.
"An acquaintance." Adeline supplied helpfully.
"That's just another fancy word for meal." The man drawled out thickly. He gave Adeline a sympathetic smile.
"No. He um. Saved me a couple of times." She blurted out not knowing how else to rectify it. But she did have questions after she took in that this man at least must also know who he was. Adeline barely refrained from biting on her fingernails through the stress of working out how to define who they were to each other, especially as she didn't have a clue.
The man let out a short laugh out of surprise of it.
"Never thought you'd be one for that." He joked to Felix. Felix let out a genuine smile, kindness shone through in his eyes now his anger had evaporated at him.
"Adeline. This is Fayne. A protector." He introduced him. Adeline nodded her head in his direction.
"Call me Ade." She smiled politely after she saw him as no threat.
Fayne refilled her empty glass as a response to it more in a light-hearted mood.
"What's a protector?" She whispered to Felix after Fayne left to attend to one of the other customers.
"A shifter. We exist to protect the likes of you, haven't explained much I see." He mused and beat Felix to tell her.
Adeline's mouth fell in an o shape, it dawned on her that it would make perfect sense for him to be supernatural to, to stand up to Felix with how he looked earlier.
"Wait so does that mean your half shifter?" Adeline shot out when she'd put two and two together.
"Of sorts." Felix reply was basic, not giving her any proper information about it and no futher details.
"It's impolite to ask that." Fayne tutted out at her. Adeline's head fell downwards to show her shame and ignorance at the situation.
"Sorry." She said to both of them.
Fayne burst out into laughter again.
"I'm only kiddin'. But I wouldn't go around asking such personal things to everyone." He warned her gently afterwards.
Adeline looked back up with a knew found enlightenment. She nodded her head viciously.
With another shake of his head, he left them for his other duties so they could eat their food.
After they'd finished eating Fayne walked up to collect the plates, but he stopped dead in his tracks his eyes stuck on the necklace around Adelines neck. She squirmed not used to much attention being on anything to do with her. Adeline wanted to leave when his expression turned to a grave one.
"That necklace. Mind if i take a look?" He asked more gently than she expected.
Adeline turned to look towards Felix for an indication what it was she was meant to do. His warning wrung out in the back of her head, while Felix shook his head.
"Erm. I'm not taking it off. But i can pull it forward slightly." She offered as a compromise. Adeline carefully lifted up the necklace to pull it out as far as she could. She pulled it back a fraction when he reached out his hand to touch it until he got the point.
Fayne nodded his head when he was certain of what he was thinking.
"Where did you get that?" He asked as he cleaned off the top of the counter with a damp cloth to pull of being inconspicuous.
"A little shop in another town. Kinda just spoke to me." She shrugged to downplay it.
"It called to you." He said knowingly.
Adeline felt intimidated, how did he know what she experienced with it before she'd completely realised it herself? Her head put up a mental block between her and Fayne no longer interested in him knowing anything else. But the silence spoke volumes to him. He stayed there with no words for a couple of minutes, a faraway look in his eyes as his eyebrows furrowed deeper.
"So, you will also be aware by now of the Macdane's power? I'm assuming this one has told you about it by now." Fayne used his thumb to point in Felix's direction amusement evident.
Adeline shook her head and before he had time to say more got up ready to leave.
"Well, I better be off. Thanks for the meal and the... Interesting dinner conversation." She said as she didn't want to be rude to just turn and run in the opposite direction.
"I'll walk you back. Can never be too careful." Felix replied while he stood up to his full height off of the stool.
Adeline quickly shook her head and put her hand out to stop him from following her out of the place.
"No!" She half-shouted.
"Stay, you should spend some time with your friend." She smiled awkwardly but managed to reign in her voice. Adeline was trying to remember Macdane to look it up as soon as she returned back to the hotel. But if Felix came with her; With how she'd been today around him, she knew she'd forget too easily before she got back.
Felix slowly nodded his head in confirmation that he'd do that. Adeline leapt out of the door another person had just opened before they could walk through it themselves. Surprised squeals followed her down to the end of the road at her actions.
Adeline was well aware Felix was following her back, far behind where she was to respect her space only to make her heart warm from feeling safer with him doing it more than smothered. It was nice he appeared to care for her. Still watching out for her even though she so far had caused him trouble. The guilt hit her like a ton of bricks, she faltered in her step before she made herself take the next couple, so no one knew that something was wrong. She put her head down in shame until her eyes lit up, she bounced as her feet hit the pavement hard, she turned the corner. It wasn't her fault he was always saving her. If it wasn't for the vampires, she wouldn't have needed the help. Plus, she'd never asked for it. She kept her new resolve as she entered into the hotel not looking back in the direction, she could feel Felix's eyes followed her from. Instead, Adeline marched up into her room, threw on her pj's before she flicked her hair up into a messy bun and sat cross-legged on the bed laptop at hand.
Adeline let her fingers glide across the buttons to type in Macdone's power only for the internet to say there were no search results; she tried it again this time with the word necklace near it to see if it would come up with any information. A couple of pages popped up, Adeline clicked onto one that looked promising, she scanned the text to where it begun to talk about the necklace and the myth that went along with it.
'The necklace is said to be made from the fires of hell and the light of heaven, when it was forged night creepers, commonly known as vampires sneaked out through the hole created in the process into the human realm. It is said that these vampires bred their own hordes; slowly through-out history it was noted random parts of a prophecy that came together in the late eleventh century. The young priestess predicted; one day the vampires would come to want to inherit the earth. During these days, before complete chaos occurs, the necklace will appoint a champion; one to send them all back to hell never to return to enact their plans and revenge on the human world. Unless the vampires can get to the wearer first. If the new priestess falls the earth shall be lost for eternity.'
Adeline continued to read further on in the article and others similar, all the way to how the necklace was said to affect those that attempted to wear it without being chosen and what it could mean for the new priestess.
She fell backwards, her head hit the cool sheets that only served to help the headache that was building up in the back of her eyes from reading for so many hours. The information swirled behind her closed eyelids. A couple of them highlighted to burn themselves deeper in.