My Beloved

by T.M. Mendes

  This made Wendy laugh. "Oh, very funny!" Wendy crossed her arms, refusing to believe in what Vincent was telling her. It was simply impossible. If that were true then why on earth has she never had a guy ask her out? She didn't notice how close Vincent had gotten until she turned her head to face him, only to meet his chest. Before she could pull away, he held her to him and brushed the stray strands away from her face.

  "Any man would have to be blind not to notice the incredible blue in your eyes, or the way your hair seems to captivate every aspect of light. How your skin is soft as rose petals and just as delicate, or how your lips scream and beg to be kissed and tasted. I even retract about only blind people would be unable to see, because just hearing your soft, sweet voice would have them gravitate to you. You, my dear Firefly, are completely unaware of your beauty, which makes you that much more sweet."

  By the end of his little speech, she felt ridiculously lightheaded. He bent his head to kiss her softly on her lips. She whimpered from the overwhelming feeling that bombarded her. His words were like a warm blanket that wrapped around her and his lips sent her body into a hot frenzy. Her neck began to throb in time with her pulse, making her groan and try to get closer to him. He responded by pulling her body to his. His fingers released her hair from her hair tie and delved into the blonde tresses like it was a need. This kiss started out as a sweet innocent gesture but was quickly becoming something more. His tongue swept across her lower lip, making her whimper and open for him immediately. She couldn't get enough of his sweet taste. It was crisp like mint, but was as sweet as chocolate. Completely addicting by its own right, she clung onto him and by her body's own accord, she hopped up and wrapped her small legs around his sinewy hips.

  Growling that reverberated deep within him, she felt it through his chest, making her shiver. She broke away for air. "Please!" she begged and turned her neck for him. He wasted no time before he pierced her flesh. She nearly screamed from the feeling of pleasure that coursed through her. She opened her eyes and in a daze, she realized they were now on the couch with him over her. She moved her hips slightly and with a gasp she realized just how excited he was. He moaned against her neck before pulling away with labored breath. His eyes were completely black while his lips were stained with her blood.

  "Careful, Love. Do that again, and you'll be getting much more than you ask for." The dangerous tint to his words only further excited her, which had her squirming beneath him. He bent forward and licked away the stray blood that had begun to drip from her fresh bite mark.

  Wendy noted that every time he bit her, her heart opened up to him that much more. It was unnerving yet exciting all at the same time.

  "Is it safe to come down yet?" Anya's voice drifted down to them.

  Wendy buried her face in his neck and tried desperately not to blush. 'Oh God, how much of that did she hear?' she though with a grimace.

  Vincent laughed and gave the okay. Anya gave them both a disgusted look, but Wendy could also see longing. Was she thinking of Darcy?

  “The sun goes down in just another hour. When Darcy gets here, which I'm sure he will be here, I'm going to put a wooden stake through his leg."

  Wendy quirked an eyebrow. "Leg? I thought to kill a vampire you have to make it go through the heart?" she asked, looking from Anya to Vincent.

  "True, but it will hurt like hell. And Vincent, don't you dare tell him either!" she said and went into the kitchen, helping herself.

  Wendy looked at Vincent with her eyebrows up, but he just looked amused. "He needs the throwing around every once in a while. I look forward to it in fact, especially after what he pulled today. I'll have this teacher gone by tomorrow and a FEMALE teacher in place."

  Wendy sighed and rolled her eyes. "Don't do that, Vince. From what I can tell, he'll be a good asset. He tells me he's a reformed vampire hunter, and from what I can guess, it means he has speed."

  Vincent got off of her and began pacing, much like Anya was doing earlier. "He not only sent a male guard to watch over you, but a vampire hunter as well?! He has completely lost it!" Anger coated his voice, making Wendy cringe. No, he did not sound happy at all.

  "H-He said a reformed vampire hunter-"

  Vincent cut her off. "Reformed?! Ha! It's in their blood to destroy our kind! You can't just be 'reformed'! Never mind Anya staking him, I want a piece of him too!"

  Blowing out a large breath, Wendy heaved herself up, feeling drained, no pun intended. One minute Vincent was finding things funny, the next he's sweet, then turned on, then angry.

  Paying no mind to him anymore than she had to at the moment, she walked into her kitchen for something to eat. She saw Anya making eggs, which made her gag. Wendy hated eggs by themselves. She'd much rather have them in cake, like they should be.

  Digging in her cupboards, she got out some M&M's and started to snack on them. Chocolate will never let her down. It has officially become her best friend. "Make yourself at home," Wendy muttered, seeing Anya look through her cupboards as well.

  The saucy Russian sent her a wink. "Thanks, I intend to. So you and Vincent seem to be on better terms from what I heard from upstairs. Who knew you could be so vocal." Anya was joking but it made Wendy blush from head to toe.

  Choosing not to comment on it, she changed the subject to small talk to fill the time. Wendy felt disgusted with herself when she noticed she finished off the entire bag of M&M's and hastily threw it away. Checking the time on the microwave, she saw the sun should be going down now, which meant she needed to take the blankets off. Her parents were gone for another night to stay with Markus so she wouldn't have to worry about them coming home to see them. It just unnerved her to feel so enclosed. So, quickly taking them down, she sighed when she saw the night sky. Turning back into the living room, she had to shake her head at the fact Vincent was still muttering to himself and pacing. Before she could go over to him, she saw headlights wash over them. Squinting, she saw Darcy come out of his tinted car.

  "Run, Darcy, run," Wendy muttered to herself as she bit her lip.

  Chapter 16

  Wendy

  Pursing her lips, she looked at the scene before her with crossed arms and was half tempted to call some kind of reinforcement. Who? She had no clue. Darcy looked like a deer caught in the headlights as Vincent and Anya both stood there looking furious.

  "I see you've checked your bank account," he said and had the audacity to smirk slightly.

  Anya growled lowly under her breath but smiled sweetly at him. "Yes, I did. Thanks so much for that! But here's how I want to repay you..." she trailed off and then took the stake out of her sleeve and flung it at him. Darcy didn't expect it so when it hit him square in the leg, he let out a pain-filled roar. Blood instantly started to seep out of the wound, testing Wendy's gag reflex.

  "Okay..." he panted through gritted teeth. "I may have deserved that."

  Wendy shook her head and looked away before any more blood could be seen. She was terrified by it, but couldn't help but look back when Anya stalked closer to him.

  "It is MY choice to get some space from you! That was a real dick move!" she yelled and slapped him. Wendy gasped when his eyes turned flat black, but Anya stood strong. Wendy had to give the woman props for her courage.

  "I think you forget who I am-" Darcy began in a low, dangerous voice, but Anya cut him off. "No! I think you forget who I AM! I have been nothing but loyal to you, and the moment you learned that I don't like to live in the shadow of your daughter and want my own space, you became this immature ass! Get it through your ancient thick head! I am my own person!" She yelled so loud, Wendy was worried her neighbors would call the police in concern. Darcy looked at her for a moment and seemed to be really looking at her. Shaking her head at his lack of response, Anya stalked upstairs and Wendy winced when the door slammed.

  'One down, two to go,' she thought as she looked at a still angry Vincent.

  Darcy paid no mind as he painfully took out the wooden stake. He hissed as
it slowly dragged out. "Fuck, that hurts," he muttered and when his eyes wandered to Vincent, he huffed while he rolled his eyes. "Oh, I suppose you found out about her teacher that has a dick rather than a vagina."

  Wendy blushed at his crude words, but it only made Vincent angrier. In a flash he had Darcy up against the wall with a growl. "I specifically told you, NO MALES!"

  Darcy struggled slightly but seemed unharmed. "You wanted her safe? He's the best in the business!" Darcy defended himself but Vincent only pulled him away from the wall to just slam him back against it, two feet above ground.

  "He's a vampire hunter!" Vincent roared in his face.

  "A re-formed one! Times have changed, Vincent! It's not black and white anymore! There's grey area and this guy falls into that category. She will be safe with him, because he can not only defend himself from humans, but also our kind. It makes sense, and I wouldn't trust him without cause. He's worked for me in the past, and has given me no reason not to trust him."

  Vincent let him go and let him fall to the ground. "I'm still angry. He called her cute." He grumbled at the end. Wendy rolled her eyes at that while Darcy chuckled breathlessly from being roughed up.

  "Of course he would! Have you seen her? She's as cute as a bunny rabbit!" Darcy cooed and tried to be annoying but it didn't really work when he was limping. Wendy scowled at him anyhow and 'accidentally' knocked the couch with her hip hard enough for it to bump into his bum leg. "Ow! What is this, beat-up-Darcy night?! I didn't get a memo!"

  Vincent sent Wendy a humorous look, considering she wasn't known to be violent. Sighing, Wendy left to go check on Anya as it seemed she didn't need to be there to make sure Vincent didn't kill Darcy.

  "I hate him, I hate him, I hate him!" She heard Anya mutter to herself when she opened the door.

  "You don't hate him," Wendy said softly not knowing where this compassion was coming from. She really barely knew the girl, but here she was trying to console her... again.

  Anya nodded and sniffled slightly which surprised Wendy. "I do. He doesn't even care about me. Not the way I want him to."

  Wendy felt stuck. She's never been in a relationship before so she couldn't give advice through experience. Maybe through general common sense might help?

  "You're going to have to give him more than just a few days, Anya. He's a guy, of course he's going to need a little longer." Wendy tacked on at the end to lighten up the mood.

  It worked when Anya cracked a smile. "I would've stayed away longer, but it's hard when you have no money, thanks to the ASS DOWNSTAIRS!" Anya hollered with her neck craned to the door, even though both girls knew they could hear them if they whispered, at least, if they were paying attention.

  "You like my sweet ass!" was heard from Darcy in the room.

  Wendy shook her head at the duo. They clearly should get together already, but it doesn't work out when only one is ready. Wendy saw a car parked outside her house and her eyes grew bigger when she saw it was Asher.

  "Oh no, no, no, no," she muttered and quickly ran down the steps. Vincent already had the front door open however. She managed to snag Vincent's arm before he took a foot outside to her meet her 'teacher'. "Asher! What the hell are you doing here?!" she asked nervously, keeping an eye on the silently fuming vampire next to her.

  The hunter smiled easily though, undeterred by the sight. "Oh, just in the neighborhood. Okay, okay! Geez, that look can kill a man! My job is to protect you, so that's what I intend to do. I would've been here sooner, but-"

  Vincent cut him off. "You don't need to be here at all! I'm here, so you can leave. In fact, you are no longer needed-"

  This time, Wendy cut him off. "As much as he's annoying, I would feel safer if he was around."

  "Oh, thanks!" Asher said with a roll of his eyes, but Wendy could see he wasn't offended. If anything, he looked to find the whole situation humorous.

  Vincent looked down at her and just stared for a moment before sighing reluctantly. "If I see or hear you say anything to her in a manner that is more than friendly, I will rip your throat out, one vocal cord at a time."

  Wendy cringed at the mental image but saw Asher was unmoved. "Hmm, haven't heard that one before. Good one!" Asher spoke after a moment and pushed his way inside.

  "Can you please try and get along? I hate confrontation," Wendy said with a slight frown. Lately it seemed that's all she's been surrounded by.

  Vincent sighed and kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry, Firefly, for disturbing your life so."

  She nodded but froze slightly when she heard the house phone ring. Sprinting to the kitchen, she snatched it up before Darcy could, although Wendy knew he was only playing with her since he could've easily done so anyway.

  "Hello?" she greeted, slightly out of breath.

  "Wendy, honey? Are you alright? You sound funny," her mother, Debbie, greeted her.

  Wendy rolled her eyes in response, thinking how much of a worry wart her mother is. Without her knowledge, she did have two vampires and a hunter in her living room now, and an angry woman, who was equally dangerous. When you thought of things that way, her mother had every right to worry.

  "Yeah, I was just on the other side of the house when I heard you call. What did you need?" She quickly tried to deflect the worry away.

  It worked when her mother continued talking, this time not about her specifically. "I wanted to let you know your school called my phone earlier. Your new teacher, Mr. Roberts? He called and said you're getting a little behind on your history and suggested tutoring you for free! Isn't that great! Oh, but honey, you should've told me you were falling behind as much as you were, we would've understood."

  Wendy gritted her teeth together as she gave Asher a chilling look. "Mom, I don't think I need a tutor-"

  Her mom cut her off. "Oh, nonsense! It's free, and it will help, so why not? You're doing it and that's final, missy. I have to go. They're taking your brother to his PT and it always wears him out. Love you, and talk to you later." Without giving her another chance to protest, Debbie hung up.

  "You... told my mother... I was doing poorly... in history?" Wendy asked as she slowly turned to face Asher completely. For the first time since she met him, he actually seemed nervous! Was he intimidated by her? A mere human? Yet he didn't even shake in Vincent's presence! It felt strangely empowering to have that kind of hold over him, since most of Wendy's life she's been viewed as a weak person. The one to look after, and the one who had no back bone. She reluctantly admitted a big part of her new attitude was thanks to Vincent.

  "Uh, well, you see, you went from having an A to an A-, so technically, I wasn't lying." Wendy blew her top then. Everything just came to blow. She grabbed her ceramic mug and threw it at him, managing to hit his arm since he was blocking his face. "Ugh! I am so sick of the male population! You think you can just waltz in here and screw up what I have?!"

  Asher now looked confused. "Wait, what-"

  But as Wendy turned to Vincent, things were cleared up. "I had a good life! It was mediocre and bland, but it was safe! I was a nobody, just a wallflower, and now I'm cussing at girls in school, ditching class, and lying to everyone I love and care about!" Wendy stalked up to Vincent with angry tears in her eyes. "And it's all because you couldn't just leave me alone!"

  Her voice broke at the end, because as mad as she was feeling right now, she couldn't stay angry at him. She could see the pain in his eyes as he gazed down at her. His hand came up and wiped away a stray tear.

  "I wish there was something I could say that would make you feel better. But there isn't. All I ask is that you don't close me out. I am a selfish man, I know that. I promise you though, it will all be worth it." He bent down to ever so lightly brush his lips with hers. She sighed into him, the last remains of her anger dwindling.

  Wendy knew she should be angry with him. Hell, she should be furious. She shouldn't yield to his embrace, or want him to kiss her the way he does, or worse, bite her. But here she was, leaning into him while wra
pping her arms around his torso. It was silent for a few moments before someone interrupted.

  "Well, wasn't that exciting? I feel like I'm in a soap opera! I'm going to go patrol the neighborhood before I lose my lunch from all this lovey dovey crap," Asher said with a mock salute, making Wendy shake her head. How that man can act serious, she'll never know.

  "Sorry, about the mug," she muttered just before he left.

  "Oh, that's okay, darling! Not the first time I've been hit with something by an enraged woman, and it certainly wasn't the heaviest either. So don't worry, you're still cute to me!"

  Wendy clung to Vincent as Asher ran out the door, cackling the entire time. Vincent growled. "He's lucky you're here, or he'd be dead right now."

  Wendy shivered from the truth in his voice, which made her frown. She looked up at him with a small, tired pout. "I don't like the idea of you killing anyone. Please don't kill anyone unless they intend to kill you or something like that, not because a guy calls me cute to get under your skin."

  He looked down at her as if she grew another head. He was quiet for a moment before nodding with a slight smirk. "Alright, I won't kill unless someone endangers you, myself, or anyone else worth caring about. But it doesn't mean I can't rough them up a bit."

  Wendy was going to reprimand him for that statement but saw in his eyes he wouldn't budge on that. Shaking her head, she stepped out of his arms and looked confused when he saw Darcy chuckling to himself. "What?" she asked and quickly looked down to make sure everything looked okay, as she discreetly touched her face.

  "You. You just got 'the executioner' to say he wouldn't kill unless someone harms you. That used to be impossible, and the fact you just said you hated confrontation, yet you caused a pretty big scene. I'd say you were a walking contradiction!" He snorted and tested out his bum leg. He was now walking better but still held a slight limp.

  Wendy quirked an eyebrow and turned to Vincent who was glaring at Darcy with anger. "Executioner?" she questioned with slight trepidation. Even though she'd seen him angry, her mind still couldn't fathom him being deadly enough to earn that name. It scared her, if she were being honest with herself.