Chapter 28
Rome stumbled a little as she walked the few steps from the guest bedroom to the kitchen. She felt dizzy, tired and breathless all at once and knew she needed to sit down before she fell down.
Staggering into the kitchen she let herself drop heavily onto a chair, which was surprisingly difficult. Ever since she had taken that first few steps into Ly's room she had felt drawn to him and now she had to fight herself to keep from getting up and going back in there. Remembering the look in his eyes when he told her to go was enough to keep her in her chair. It was hard for her to believe that someone like Ly could be so afraid and she had no idea why.
The room spun and it took a while for Rome to remember that she was still bleeding. The cut on her finger had stopped as soon as Ly had removed it from his lips, but she could still feel the sticky wetness on her neck and shoulder from where his fangs had pierced her skin.
She wondered how she was going to keep this a secret from her parents. There was absolutely no way they would let Ly continue to stay with them once they found out he had fed off their daughter.
A frown spread across her face as she pressed a piece of paper towel to her neck. I should be horrified, or afraid, she thought slowly. Her thoughts were still all mixed up but she could feel her head clearing. I shouldn't still feel drawn to him. I shouldn't feel like I want him to...I shouldn't feel happy.
But she did. Despite the dizziness she felt ecstatic. She had finally been able to help Ly, to do something for him that he really needed, something he wouldn't except from anyone else. Now she knew he needed her and that made her feel wonderful. There was something else that was troubling her though.
Ly had asked her, just before taking her blood, if she wanted to become a vampire and she had to be honest with herself, part of her wanted to. She had come to the realisation a while ago that there could never be anything more between the two of them than just friendship because he was a vampire and she a human, but she had always hoped that somehow they would get past that. Now she was wondering if they were just too different.
There wasn't only the fact that Ly would outlive her, or that he lived in the night and she in the day, or even that he needed to feed off human blood to survive. The short time she had spent with Val had taught her that vampire society was so much different to that of humans. It was a society she could never become a part of without becoming a vampire herself, and one that Ly could never leave.
Rome sighed. What do I really feel for him? She asked herself. I like him...a lot, but is that enough for me to give up my life, my family? It's not like I would never see them again, but we would never be the same. Would they hate me if I chose Ly? Even if I did choose him, what kind of vampire would I make? I'm not afraid of blood, but I don't like the sight of it, or the smell, or the taste. Would I be the same if I became a vampire, or would I change?
Then there was also the question of why he had asked. Did he really want her to be with him forever? When he had kissed her she knew he wanted her, but was it really her he wanted or was it just that he was so lost in his blood cravings that he didn't know how much he was asking?
Tears had just begun to fall from her eyes, when the kitchen door opened and Alex stepped inside. He was about to greet her when he noticed she was crying. Quickly his eyes flicked to the blood spattered paper towel pressed to her neck. His eyes narrowed and his face went completely red.
“Where is he?” he growled, his low tone sending shivers through Rome's body. It was obvious who he was talking about and Rome wasn't surprised he knew what Ly was. Mae would have told him when she called. If Alex had hated Ly before then that was nothing when compared to how he felt now. “I'll kill him!”
“Alex,” Rome said quickly as she tried to stand, but the dizziness caused her to fall back into her chair and all she could do was look up at her furious brother with wide eyes. “Alex don't...he didn't do anything wrong.”
“How can you say that?!” Alex yelled, absolutely furious. “Look what he did to you! I knew he couldn't be trusted! I told you to stay away from him, but did you listen to me? No! And now you're sitting there, ready to collapse because he's taken a bite out of you! How can you sit there, bleeding, and tell me he hasn't done anything wrong?!”
Before Rome could reply, Alex marched out of the kitchen and forced open the guest room door. Rome struggled to her feet as the world rocked around her and followed her brother, hoping he wouldn't do anything that would set off Ly's anger.
She made it to the door in time to witness Alex punch Ly as hard as he could, hitting the young vampire in the jaw and causing him to stagger back a few places. To Rome's great surprise, Ly didn't retaliate, he only fixed his haunted blue gaze on Alex, eyes narrowed. If looks could kill then Alex would be dead where he stood.
“How could you do that to her?!” Alex cried as he swung another punch at Ly, which narrowly missed as the raven haired man took a smooth step to the side. This only seemed to enrage Alex more and he grabbed the front of Ly's shirt roughly. Ly might have been taller, but Alex was more heavily built and it looked to Rome like her brother could snap Ly in half easily. She would have been worried if she didn't know what Ly was.
“She offered,” Ly answered levelly, his eyes never leaving Alex's. It was obvious that this wasn't what Alex wanted to hear because, as soon as the words left Ly's mouth, he had slammed the vampire against the bedroom wall.
“It's true Alex,” Rome said frantically from the doorway as she watched her brother pin Ly up against the wall. It was so frustrating that she could do nothing to stop him, knowing if she let go of the door frame she would be unable to stay on her feet. “I asked him to take my blood. He didn't want to but I made him. He needed it and I didn't want him having to hurt anyone else to get it. Let go of him Alex, he didn't do anything wrong.”
Alex's eyes flicked to Rome before going back to Ly. “You listen to me vampire,” he hissed darkly. Ly only gave him a bored look, as if they had just been talking about something he had no interest in instead of being slammed against a wall. “I don't care what you are, if you touch my sister again I'm going to kill you.”
Ly only smirked. “Go ahead and try,” he hisses back, too low for Rome to hear. “But you would already be dead if you weren't her brother. You better remember that she doesn't belong to you, her decisions are her own and if she decides to give me her blood then you can do nothing to stop her.”
Alex growled and let go of Ly's shirt before turning to Rome. “I can't believe you could be so stupid,” he said harshly. “You may think it's all right to give a vampire your blood but do you really think that would be the end of it? Do you think he's going to let you go now, even if you want him to? You don't know what you've done, do you?”
Suddenly Rome was afraid. Alex knew more about vampires than she did. Had she really done more than just give Ly her blood? She looked over at the young vampire, who just stared back at her, eyes searching her face. The fear she had seen in him before was back.
“So he didn't tell you?” Alex said, still furious. Clenching his fists, he took a step closer to his sister. “He didn't tell you what it means to offer your blood to a vampire...”
“Shut up,” Ly growled, anger darkening his face. Rome was surprised he had been able to keep it back for so long, but now he looked ready to explode. What could Alex have to say that would cause this reaction in him?
“Are you going to tell her, vampire?” Alex demanded, facing Ly again. Anger was giving way to panic and Rome had never seen him like this before. What could be so bad that he would react this way? “Are you going to tell her what you've let her do?”
“Ly,” Rome's voice held a hint of fear now. There had to be a reason for Alex's actions. Giving her blood meant something more, something important. Alex may have been annoying and overprotective, but he would never lie about something so important. “What does he mean? What did I do?”
“Nothing,” Ly spat, glaring at Alex. His eyes were fixed on the other man and seemed to hold something more than anger and fear. If Rome didn't know him she would have thought he looked desperate. “He's just trying to scare you. He doesn't know what he's talking about.”
“Don't I?” Alex said sharply. “No matter what vampires think, humans aren't stupid. There are some things about your kind we've managed to find out, even with you trying to stop us. I know what you've done to her, I know...”
“Don't talk about things you don't understand!” Ly snapped, advancing on Alex, his eyes blazing. “How could you possibly think you know anything about us? Do you think that because your father was a hunter that makes you an expert? Even hunters don't know half of what they think they do, and most of what they think they know it complete crap, so don't...”
“I may not know much about your kind,” Alex cut him off. “But I'm not completely ignorant. You can't pretend that her giving you blood, offering it, doesn't mean any more than that.”
Ly hesitated, slightly, but enough for Rome to notice. “It doesn't mean anything,” he said, but he didn't sound so certain, which made her worry even more. What more could offering her blood to him mean?
“Fine if you're not going to tell her then I will,” Alex turned to face his sister, who gave him a suspicious look from across the room. Did she even want to know? Did she want to know what she had done?
Before Alex could even start an explanation Ly pinned him to the wall, knocking all the wind out of him so he couldn't talk. “Don't you say a damn word,” Ly growled as Alex struggled to free himself. “I won't let you twist the truth to turn her against me. You think by making her mad at me she'll want nothing else to do with me, but I'm not letting her go...”
“You see,” Alex managed to gasp as a triumphant grin spread across his face. “How long ago did you drink her blood? It's already started hasn't it? You can't deny it now, can you?”
“Shut the hell up! I told you not to talk about things you don't understand,” now it was Ly who looked close to panic and Rome knew it was because Alex was right. Right about what, she still didn't know. “If you don't keep your mouth shut I'm going to...”
But Alex never found out what Ly was going to say because, at that moment, Rome let out a small gasp and both men turned to look at her just as her grip on the door frame slipped and she fell forward.
Alex and Ly rushed towards her but the vampire reached her first managing to catch her before she hit the ground. Alex reached out to take his sister from Ly, but the raven haired man shot him a scathing glare, causing him to take an involuntary step back.
As soon as Alex backed off a bit Ly all but forgot he was in the room, focusing all his attention on the young woman in his arms. He swore under his breath as he shook Rome gently, worry over her condition overruling his anger at her brother. If she was hurt because of what he had done he didn't think he would be able to forgive himself. He could feel her heart beating faintly but he wished she would open her eyes, even if he only saw anger there. Even if he only saw hate.
Alex's first thought was to get his sister as far away from Ly as soon as possible, but he didn't think the other man would give Rome up without a fight and he didn't want to cause her any more harm. He just sat back and watched Ly whisper inaudible words to the unconscious girl as he stroked her hair.
A large sigh of relief was heard from both men as Rome's eyes fluttered open and she took in her surroundings. Alex noticed Ly was shaking, which he assumed was a reaction to the small droplets of blood that still dripped from Rome's shoulder.
“Don't fight any more,” Rome whispered weakly as she tried to pull herself free of Ly and get to her feet. She didn't manage either. “I don't care what giving my blood means. I just don't want you to fight any more.” She closed her eyes again and slumped against Ly.
“Give her to me,” Alex said. He didn't look angry now, only scared for his little sisters safety. “I'll take her up to her room.” When Ly hesitated Alex sighed. “What do you think our parents will say if they find her unconscious in here with you? Do you think they're going to be happy when they find out what you've done to her?”
Ly scowled, but lifted Rome gently and let Alex take her from him. Alex was about to leave when Ly stopped him. “I didn't want...I didn't want to take her blood, but she insisted and I...I couldn't help myself. I know what you're thinking, but you're wrong. Her giving me blood doesn't mean anything. Not for her anyway.”
“You better hope it doesn't,” Alex said darkly as he carried Rome out of the room and closed the door behind him.
Shit, Ly thought furiously as he punched the wall beside him. Humans are nothing but trouble! How the hell did I manage to get mixed up with them? Me of all people, considering how much I hate them. Considering how much they...Shit! I hope she's all right.
* * *
Rome opened her eyes and looked up at what she recognised as her bedroom ceiling. How did I get here? What happened? Why do I feel so tired?
“Rome,” Alex's voice came from her left. She turned to she her older brother sitting beside her, looking worried. “Are you all right? For a while there I thought he had really hurt you, but it's okay now. When mum and dad get home I'll...”
“You're not going to tell them about this are you?” Rome said, struggling to sit up. She felt so weak and her arms shook as she tried to steady herself. “You can't tell them Alex. You know what they'll do if they find out.”
Alex frowned. “I can't believe you're still trying to protect him,” he said, trying not to raise his voice. “Look what he did to you Rome. You can hardly even sit up straight. You're lucky he didn't kill you. It was so reckless of you to give him your blood. I hope he's right, I really hope he is because if...”
“Stop,” Rome cut him off, trying to sound harsh, but her voice come out tired and soft. “I don't want to know what giving my blood means. At the very least I want to hear it from Ly. He'll tell me when he's ready.” Pausing, she took a deep breath. “You can't tell mum and dad about this. You can't. Ly's injured and he needs our help. What happened wasn't his fault. If you tell them, I'll never speak to you again.”
Alex sighed and ran his fingers through his dark brown hair. “What happened to you Rome?” When Rome frowned, confused, he continued. “You use to be so easy to take care of. I never had to worry about you because I knew you would never do anything stupid, but ever since you met that vampire...you've changed.”
“I use to be a push over,” Rome said, locking her gaze with her brothers. “I still am, but I'm getting stronger, I think. I hope I am. Ly showed me that I don't always have to do things just because other people want me to. He told me to live for myself.”
Alex looked at his sister, as if seeing her for the first time. He had always been worried about her. Worried that she wouldn't talk to people, that she never wanted to go out and never had more than a few close friends. That wouldn't be a worry for much longer though, now he was more concerned she would get herself killed.
“Fine,” Alex said, sounding defeated. “I won't tell them, but when things get worse than they are now don't say I didn't warn you. You should get that vampire out of your life as soon as possible.”
“Thanks,” Rome said with a small smile. “For not telling I mean, not for the advice. Ly may be a vampire, but he's my friend and I don't want him out of my life.”
* * *
Time to get out of here, Ly thought as he stuffed clothes into his backpack. A few hours had past and now that he had a chance to really think about what had happened, he thought this was the best course of action. Once Alex explains to Rome what he thinks happened there's no way she's going to want me around. I should have been gone ages ago anyway. As soon as that hunter comes back and the sun sets, I'm getting out of here.
There was a soft knock on the bedroom door and Ly growled in frustration. Knowing it was Rome out there frustrated him. Feeling her, the beat of her heart, the pull of her blood, even when she wasn't near him. It was wonderful and terrifying all at the same time. He should never have given in to her.
“Ly, I want to talk to you,” Rome's voice came from the other side of the door and Ly cringed. Would he have been happy if he was wrong, if it wasn't her? He was so glad that she was all right, so glad he hadn't hurt her more than he thought he had, but he didn't want her near him. Not now. “Ly, please open the door. You can't stay in there forever, I'm going to see you eventually, even if I have to wait out here all day.”
“Can't you just leave me alone?” Ly snarled at the door. Why did she have to make his life so much harder than it already was? “I never asked you to interfere. I never asked you to come after me, or for you to give me your blood. I didn't ask for this!”
“Ly please just let me in,” she sounded fed up and that made him feel like he was being childish. “We don't have time for this. My dad will be home soon and there are...things I don't want to discus with him around. Please.”
Reluctantly Ly gave in and opened the door to let the young woman enter. “Alex is upstairs and he doesn't know I'm down here so we have to talk fast,” Rome said quickly. She looked a lot better than she had before and Ly was surprised at how quickly she was recovering, considering how much blood he had taken. He wondered if he had done more for her than just taken the pain away when he fed off her.
“What do we have to talk about?” Ly asked as he fished around in his backpack for a cigarette. Like he didn't know why she was there. He glanced sideways at her as her hand came up to brush her neck were his fang marks were neatly covered by a clean white bandage.
“I...I want to know what Alex meant,” the young woman said, sounding a little hesitant, as though she was curious but also afraid of what the answer would mean. “Does giving you my blood really mean more than...”
“Don't you ever listen or do you just like to annoy me?” Ly snapped, throwing his bag aside. “I told you it doesn't mean anything for you.”
“But it does mean something,” Rome urged, her voice taking on a pleading tone as her eyes settled on him. The look on her face, uncertainty, caution, as if he was an animal she feared would turn vicious at any moment. “Will you tell me? Please?”
Ly sighed and dropped heavily onto the end of the bed. He couldn't stand it when she looked at him like that. “You want to know what you did because you're worried it will affect you badly in some way, but you don't have to worry, it's not you who will be affected by this.”
“What do you mean?” It was surprising the amount of relief Rome felt knowing that Ly was willing to explain what was happening. Thinking about it before she was sure he would refuse to tell her anything.
Ly hesitated, struggling to find a way to explain something that never needed explaining among vampires. “Well,” he paused, wondering where to start. “Well when a human offers blood...no when a vampire...shit this is so hard to explain.”
“Try,” Rome said softly, trying to keep the growing unease out of her voice.
“I am trying,” Ly snapped at her. He took a deep breath, to calm himself down before continuing. “All right. Centuries ago, when vampires and humans were still at war with each other there was a...skill...an ability, for lack of a better word, that vampires could use on humans...How do I explain this to someone who...” He sighed. “A vampire has the ability to create a...link...a bond of a sort, with a human by drinking their blood. This link allows the vampire to always know where that human is. They can feel that humans presence, their heart beat as well as any change to their emotions or if they're hurt, no matter the distance. During the war it was used to keep track of high ranking enemies. This linking is a forceful thing and can only be done if the vampire wills it. Even though the human doesn't feel any different, usually, there are rumours among humans about the control a vampire has over the human they are linked with.”
Rome felt as if her heart had stopped beating. She hadn't really known what to expect, but it certainly wasn't this. “But...but you wouldn't do that to me,” she said, suddenly frightened. Ly was her friend, but she didn't like the idea of him knowing exactly where she was all the time. Like he was spying on her. What if he could control her now? “You wouldn't make that link thing with me, would you?”
Ly growled softly as he ran his fingers through his hair, not looking at the frightened young woman. He could feel her heart beat quicken as fear took her. Fear of what he may have done to her. “I didn't need to,” his voice was so low, so dark that it made Rome shiver. “There was nothing I could do. When a human offers their blood freely, living blood, straight from their body, the link is created automatically. There was nothing I could do! I told you I didn't want your blood! Why did you have to make it so hard?!”
Rome was fighting down panic now. How far did this link go? Would he be able to control what she did? He said he would always know where she was, but how did he know? How would she know if he was watching? How would she know if she was alone? Would she ever be alone again?
“Stop it!” Ly cried, suddenly angry, panicked, frightened. Just like she was. “Stop it! Why are you so afraid? You were never afraid of me before! When did you become so...so...so human! I told you it means nothing for you, not unless I decide to act on it. I can feel your heart beating and I can't stand it! Get out! After everything I've survived in my life, you're going to be the thing that kills me! Get out! I don't want to have to listen to your heart any more.”
The young woman flinched as if Ly had physically hit her. The idea of being linked with him in a way she didn't understand was terrifying, but she took a few deep breaths to calm herself down and forced her eyes to find his. Ly was angry, so angry he was shaking, but that wasn't all. He was afraid. Afraid of what had happened to them. Why? Was it because it was dangerous in some way? Or was it because he thought she would be disgusted with him? Or because he didn't want her to fear him?
Ly felt Rome's fear subside a little, which caused him to calm down too. Now he could feel her heart, as well as hear it, and that was torture. It wouldn't matter if she left the room, or if she was on the other side of the world, he would always feel where she was, if she was afraid or excited or hurt. Now he would never really be free of her, and that scared him more than anything.
“Explain this to me,” the red-head said slowly as she dropped onto the bed next to Ly. She was still frightened, he knew, but she was fighting it for him. “I don't really understand what happened or how this...this thing works.”
Ly sighed and ran his fingers through his hair again. “It really doesn't mean anything for you,” he said slowly. Rome thought he sounded sad, maybe even regretful. “You won't feel any different. I can't read your thoughts or see through your eyes and I can't control you in any way.”
“If it doesn't mean anything then why was Alex so angry?” Rome asked, knowing that, even as angry as he was, Alex would never have lied about something as important as this.
Ly growled before shaking his head. “Because he doesn't know what he's talking about,” was the sharp reply. “This link doesn't mean anything in the human world at all. It never has and I doubt it ever will.”
There was something he wasn't saying, something he didn't want to tell her and she knew it. He made a point of telling her that this link would make no difference to humans, but that said nothing about vampires. “Then what about in your world?” she ashed softly, knowing she had hit the mark when he flinched.
The slight hesitation before Ly answered was enough to make Rome nervous. “To other vampires you...you now belong to me.” Rome's eyes widened, but Ly went on quickly before she could interrupt. “I mean that your blood belongs to me. No other vampire will touch you now and to offer your blood to another would be...well it's unthinkable. Not even someone as blood crazed as Nicator would take your blood knowing that you have offered it to me and I...accepted.”
“I don't understand,” Rome said, frowning. She had come to the realization a while ago that vampire society was a lot more complex than she had first thought. Now she knew it was something only those who lived it could ever fully comprehend. “Why would they care if you've taken my blood?”
“They wouldn't care if I had taken it,” Ly snapped harshly. She wasn't listening and he hated repeating himself. “It only matters because you offered. In vampire society, offering blood is like...like devoting yourself to someone. If you try to offer it more than once it's like...like...committing adultery...like cheating...only worse. You have to understand, this isn't law or tradition, it's...stronger than that. The only time vampire's ever offer each other their blood is when they get married.”
“So we're married now?” She almost felt like laughing, and would have if the situation wasn't so serious. Still, the thought of being married to Ly wasn't a bad one.
Ly looked like Rome had just hit him in the face with a brick. “What?! No!” he cried, obviously shocked by her last remark. “How can you even...Don't even joke...We're not even pledged!”
“Pledged?”
“Like...like being engaged, I suppose,” he said, still looking a little shaken. “Vampires have to pledge to each other for an entire year before they can marry. The time is meant to be used to...” he shook his head. “Why am I even telling you this? It's nothing you will ever need to know. You're not going to get married according to our tradition so it's pointless. The bottom line is I will feel you but you will not feel me. That's it. My life changes, not yours. I will still do what I have to do to find the scum that killed Matthew Scott and get revenge for my brother. This link changes nothing.”
Rome felt her heart sink a little and it had nothing to do with Ly's last comment about revenge. Honestly, she had known there could never be anything more than friendship between them, even if that kiss had raised her hopes a little. To hear him say it out loud just made it all the more real. They could never be anything more to each other than what they were now.
The sound of the front door closing and hearing her fathers voice brought Rome back from her thoughts. She stood up quickly. “I had hoped...” she said, looking down at Ly with sad eyes. “I had hoped that you would give up your plans for revenge once you had time to think about things.” I hoped you would want to stay with me, she thought sadly. “But I think I knew you never would.” I know you never could. “My dad might be able to help you find the man who ordered Mr Scott's death. He'll help you if you ask him, but don't tell him what's happened between us, or I think he'll try to kill you.”
She was about to leave but Ly stood up and took her hand, pulling her back towards him and wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug. “I'm sorry,” he whispered, almost to low to hear. Rome fought back the tears that were threatening to break free. “I'm sorry. What I've put you through...all this...I'm so sorry...but thank you. Thank you for everything.”