She stood outside waiting as he approached the building, a quilt tight about her silk clad figure, hair still loose and blowing in the slight wind, Pandora standing close by talking to her as if trying to sooth a child.
"What in hell are you doing out here?" he questioned as her eyes grew wide and he saw panic flare.
"She noticed my unease and insisted that we come and look outside to see if you were coming." Pandora stated flatly, "I heard the fight and I didn't conceal my concern well enough and I couldn't get her to stay put; I'm sorry." She continued then curtsied to him.
Hurrying up to Aria he pulled the blanket tighter around her and rushed her inside, he could tell by the color of her skin and the slight shiver that went throughout her that she was cold. Once in the apartment he grabbed another one of her blankets and wrapped it about her.
"What happened?" Pandora asked.
"I was setup, they've been listening and watching the apartment which means most likely someone in this building is one of us or being used by one of us or worse...one of us have hidden away in an apartment and most likely killed its tenant." He muttered as he rubbed his hands quickly across Aria's arms trying to cause a tiny bit of friction that would warm her quicker.
Grabbing the bag he'd sat down Pandora went to work on preparing food for Aria; she entertained way more often than he did and kept in the company of humans more often as well.
Looking him over again Aria gasped, "You're hurt!" she cried then without even asking she grabbed the shoulder of his oversized sweater and pulled it down to where the blade had pierced through, then pulled up his shirt where the blade had sliced him. Grabbing her hands he stopped her from touching his flesh.
"I'll be fine, I've had worse injuries than these, they'll be fully healed in just a few more moments." He said then kissed her hands.
Eyeing him she turned her head to the side suspiciously so to ease her he got up and grabbed a dish cloth of hers wet it then returning to the couch he pulled up his shirt and wiped the blood away.
"If you don't believe me, watch." He stated, leaning forward she watched the now cleaned wound gasping as before her own eyes it healed closed, "The shoulder one is a bit deeper so will take a little longer." He continued, "Now if you'll excuse me I need to go get some clean clothes."
"I'm coming with you." She mumbled.
"If you want, though it really isn't necessary." He agreed then frowned at her.
They went to his apartment in silence and she waited just as silently as he went through his drawers and grabbed out clean clothes then quickly he went to his bathroom stripped out of his dirty clothes showered then came back out as she stood staring at a picture on his wall making the first thing he saw was her backside when he came out.
"Is that..." she began as he walked up and hugged her from behind hoping she wouldn't mind and glad when she didn't seem to.
"Yes, that's me, hmm circa 1867 I believe." He mumbled then releasing her he grabbed her hand, "Pandora should be about done with your food you should eat." He stated then tugged on her lightly, she followed.
No one said anything as she ate however Pandora kept giving him looks and unlike mortals he could easily read a vampire's thoughts. Nodding his head he watched as Pandora excused herself and left out to do some inspection of the building in attempt to pinpoint where the spy was listening from.
"Should she be wondering around on her own after you just got attacked?" Aria questioned moments later as she washed her dish and put it away.
"You mustn't worry about us so much." He stated as she sat on the edge of her bed and let out a yawn, "You should go to sleep cherie." He muttered, listening to Pandora's mind; she was on the floor above them and had sensed nor found anything yet.
Nodding Aria shook her head in agreement then he watched as she finished climbing in bed and settled in listening to the familiar sound of the springs creaking and settling beneath her weight; it soothed him.
An hour later Pandora returned looking disappointed, "Anything?" he questioned quietly.
"Nope, none other than us, but that doesn't mean they haven't been hanging around outside." She said in a low, disgruntled voice, he was sure she'd been itching for a fight sense she had arrived.
Flopping down beside him she turned towards him and propped her little slippered feet up on him. Looking over at the bed he listened to Aria mumble in her sleep; her back was towards them.
"Is it as strong?" Pandora asked.
Turning he raised an eyebrow at her, "Yes and no...I'm still too raw I think." He sighed, "There's definitely a deep interest and the desire to be close to her; in many ways she embodies all of them over the past few hundred years." He muttered then looked at Aria's sleeping figure again as he heard his name slip across her lips.
"She's closed off...but even in her dreams you're breaking down her walls..." Pandora began then trailed off, "Able..."
He raised an eyebrow at her again, her tone was so serious, "Yes?" he questioned narrowing his gaze.
"When will you choose a mate and make her one of us yourself?" she questioned, she was the last person he expected to ask this of him.
Knocking her feet off him he stood up abruptly, "Never." He snarled at her, "You of all people asking me to throw away the only human part of me I have left." He growled.
"That's a delusion you have in your head, even if you were to make one of us you'd still be just as human as you are now; you're the most human of us all!" she seethed, "I'm just saying that if you followed your instincts and made another that the eternal loneliness you feel that makes you seek them out will end." She finished and glared at him.
"I, personally, will never condemn one of them to become one of us, I would rather suffer heartache after heartache then to give one of them this thing we call life!" he snarled a little too loudly which made Aria shift and roll over; her face looked so peaceful in sleep, "I live for this Pandora, the flush of their skin, their warmth against me, and their scent that is always and forever uniquely theirs. I live to hear their heartbeat in that magical precise rhythm, even when the rhythm changes because of outside stimuli it still manages to be precise." He felt a tremble go through him, "Besides...even we can die..." he muttered, how he had thought of death, the peace it would bring to him, but, finally his will to continue always won over those thoughts. Through his long years he had been blessed with some of the most amazing human companions both male and female and if he really thought on it, he wouldn't trade it for anything; he was eternally glad they all had come into his life even though inevitably they all had to leave him.
"And that alone is one of the reasons you are more human than any of us..." she trailed off thoughtfully, "and...by far the strongest...most of us cannot bare to see them wither and die so we break and bring them over to us." She continued, "Lillith meant only the best when she brought Eli over...till this day it weighs on her that she could not save her in those final moments of the end of the war." She finished, pain exploding inside of him, subconsciously he grabbed at his chest the explosion so powerful that it winded him.
Bending at waist he braced his hands on his knees; the final scene exploding before his mind's eye. Pain, pain and pain, he couldn't breathe as he sunk to his knees.
"Able!" Aria suddenly shot up in her sleep, hazy eyes, reacting to a dream but searching for him in the dark. Finally her eyes landed on him and realization that she was awake hit her, "Able?!" Quickly she climbed out of bed and came to him, her scent enveloping him as her arms went around him; surly she had sensed something but what he could not say.
Those last moments still exploding in his mind, he hadn't realized he'd locked them away so tightly; Eli's blank staring head in his hands; had he even truly grieved? He felt the damp stickiness upon his cheeks as Aria's arms wrapped around him tightly and she began to cradle him.
"Able?" Aria questioned again, looking at her he searched her gaze, fright, concern and something deeper, something she was hiding away.
Pulling his head to her gently she pressed it into the crook of her throat, her scent exploded in his nostrils, the fount of all founts right before him. He felt her lips touch his head briefly as she cuddled him tighter, slowly he let himself slip into her, splotches of light exploding in his darkness.
"Aria..." he muttered letting his lips brush her throat, temptation at his lips, the knowledge that her blood would sooth him; he clinched his mouth closed tightly.
She was pulling on him, lifting him, he let her, holding his hand tightly she pulled him to her bed then down in it with her, once he had lain down she pulled him to the soft mound of her breasts.
"Aria." He sighed, the pain was easing and he could breathe.
"Shh, shh, I'm here." She muttered soft touch of lips on his head again as one hand smoothed his hair; he drifted and melted into her wrapping his arms around her tightly and burying his face deeper within her breasts to listen to her heart beat.
She held him all night, and he wept as he had not done sense that day then finally he slept; drifting somewhere between happiness and pain. When he woke his face was right in hers, reaching up he caressed her plump cheek gently then let his fingers caress her pouty lips which trembled against them. He felt himself frown as she rolled over and her back was facing him, wrapping his arms around her he pulled her close his body spooning hers perfectly. Inhaling he let her scent envelop his deeper senses then moving her hair aside he pressed his lips to the curve of her throat relishing the heat of blood flowing within; she seemed to sigh in her sleep then roll back facing him and he watched as her eyes fluttered slowly open revealing her silvery gaze.
"Good morning." He said lowly then caressed her plump cheek again.
"Morning..." she said then trailed off and stared at him as if she were trying to remember something or put puzzle pieces together then finally her eyes lit up with remembrance, "Are you feeling better this morning?" she questioned in a tone that made it seem as if she were verbally walking on egg shells.
"Yes...I um...I'm sorry about that...I just recalled some really bad things last night." He said looking over her shoulder ashamed she'd seen him in such a weakened moment.
"It's ok, we all have things that bring us to our knees." She muttered then shivered slightly; he had been holding onto her all night he imagined she must be cold.
Reluctantly he began to pull away which to his surprise she let out a low grumble to and tried to pull him close again; grabbing the blanket he pulled it over her then wrapped his arms back around her.
"There, you should warm up now." He stated then kissed her forehead.
Closing her eyes she dozed for a few more minutes before finally sitting up and looking around.
"Where's Pandora?" she asked; he hadn't even noticed Pandora wasn't there.
"I don't know." He answered concerned now; where had she gone?
Relief shot through him as just then the door opened up and Pandora walked in, in one hand she held a plastic bag with Styrofoam containers in it, in the other she held a simple black cooler and from where he sat he could see blood stains on the hem of her doll like dress.
"Why don't you go get dressed or what not for the day Aria then come eat; it looks like Pandora has bought you food." He said in a slightly tight voice.
Nodding her head with one eyebrow raised she climbed out of bed and passed him as he stood up. As soon as she was in the bathroom he turned on Pandora.
"Why do you have blood on your hem, are you hurt? Why didn't you wake me and tell me you were going out anywhere?" he streamed in a snarl.
Walking over to the counter she set the plastic bag on the counter then opening the black bag she tossed a blood bag at him which he caught eagerly; even though he'd had vampire blood the night before he was still hungry and being in Aria's embrace all night had just made him hungrier.
"I wasn't aware I had to tell you anything, and I am fine; I simply had a run in with one of the vampires working as surveillance for whoever wants you dead."She slightly snipped then frowned, "I'm sorry for last night...that was uncalled for." She apologized, her frown deepening."
© Eva henderson, 2016