He didn't even put my name on it this time. It was a note left for no one in particular. I let the note fall out of my hand back onto the counter. There wasn't any mention of the roses.
"Sorry," said Sebastian, "It looks like just after we left to go to the party, the building manager let the landscapers back in and they cleaned up the mess. They were trying to be helpful, they didn't think you wanted to clean up all the flowers...I hope you're not too disappointed,"
My heart sank even lower when his words caught up with me. I didn't know what to think.
"How soon after we left?" I asked.
"They waited until we pulled away from the curb and went right back in," said Sebastian, "I don't think it took them more than 20 minutes to clean up. They are really efficient,"
That meant that Robert hadn't even seen the roses. He didn't know about the roses, my date, nothing. I didn't know if I should be happy that Robert didn't know or upset that I went on the date for no reason at all. At least I didn't make things worse.
I picked the note back up and reread it. And I read it again. Lydia. He was out with Lydia.
"Did Lydia see me at the party?" I asked suddenly.
"Um, I'm not sure," said Sebastian, "I don't think so. Why? What's wrong?"
I slumped over and leaned on my kitchen counter, resting my forearms on the smooth, cold surface and placing my face in my hands. I crumpled the note up in my hand. The night was worse, of course it was. If Lydia had seen me at the party she would tell Robert. I know she would tell Robert because she gets her kicks from twisting the knife. Now, instead of using this date to make Robert jealous I might have to deal with the possibility that Robert will simply think I'm cheating.
"Prussia?" asked Sebastian, he was standing next to me rubbing my back gently, "Did you have too much to drink?"
"I don’t think so," I said, suddenly realizing this was a perfect way to end the night quickly, “I don't drink that often. Maybe my tolerance just isn't what it used to be,"
I rubbed my stomach gently and tried to make my best 'I'm going to puke on your expensive shoes, get back!' face that I could. It didn't work, he just looked more concerned.
"You should get in bed and try to sleep it off," he said, placing a steadying hand under one of my elbows and trying to lead me to the bedroom, the bedroom where he would clearly see a man's dirty clothing strewn about. I planted my feet firmly, like a donkey that didn't want to move. He looked at me with surprise. Perhaps I was too stubborn; perhaps that's a healthy donkey level of stubbornness.
"I'm fine, really," I said, "But I should get some sleep. You don't need to stay though. I just need a couple of aspirin and some good sleep."
I gave him my best smile, with a side of sick and a dash of puke face. He looked unsure so I tried a little harder by adding a yawn.
"Well..." he said, "If you're sure,"
It worked, the yawn did it. I was relieved. I tried to steer him toward the door as quickly as I could.
"I'm sure, I'm sure," I said, "Thank you so much for a wonderful evening,"
I got him to the door and he actually put a hand up to the door frame to stop me from pushing him out. A gentle push of course.
"Wait," he said.
Perhaps I hadn't been as convincing as I had thought. My pushing had been too aggressive. I closed my eyes a moment in disappointment and then looked up at him with my best 'not feeling great' look to see why he wasn't leaving.
"I would love to take you out again some time," he said.
I wasn't expecting that. I had been a really boring date. I mean, it wasn't like I was trying to impress him or anything but most of the night I had ignored him and talked with Victoria. And now I was sick, well pretending to be anyhow.
"Seriously?" I said.
I put my hand over my mouth. I hadn't meant to sound so surprised. He laughed though. That’s good, laughing is good.
“Of course,” he said.
Sebastian looked into my eyes, leaning close, and I stopped trying to push him out the door.
“Oh,” I said, “I hadn’t really thought we would…”
“No?” said Sebastian, “Not even, say, coffee?”
I licked my lips and realized that I was close enough that we shared the same oxygen. It got very warm. I absentmindedly used my hand to fan my face for a moment. When I realized I was doing it I gave a nervous giggle.
“Coffee?” I asked, “Well, sure, yeah. Coffee sounds fine,”
“Great,” said Sebastian, walking out the door and toward the elevator, “I’ll be by in the morning then,”
“In the morning?” I yelled into the hallway after him. He was almost to the elevator, right in front of Lydia’s door.
“9 a.m.,” he said, giving me a wink, “See you in a wink,”
That was adorable and cheesy. I wasn’t even mad. He disappeared around the corner and a few seconds later I heard the elevator doors close and start their journey to the ground floor. I closed the apartment door and got ready for bed. I couldn’t keep up the charade, could I? I could always ignore the door and hope Sebastian would just forget all about me. It’s not like that wasn’t the norm after a first date, or even a second date for that matter.
I grabbed a pile of pillows and blankets. I barricaded myself into the sofa and watched television until I passed out. The only thing I could think about was wondering how much Lydia had seen, what she had said, and what was going to happen to my relationship with Robert. I never should have tried to go on that date. I shouldn’t have tried to make Robert jealous. I hoped it was all a bad dream.
Chapter 6
I sat at Prussia's kitchen table, looking into the cup of coffee with disdain. I didn't need to drink it. I don't sleep. But I liked the idea of drinking it, even if it tasted horrible. My human tastes had died some time ago. I still loved a good steak though not prepared the same way anymore. I was in Prussia's kitchen only as a precaution.
After this evening, every Vampyr in the area would know that a human had been at the gathering tonight. Anyone looking for her could have easily followed us both to her apartment. Sneaking back into Prussia's apartment was a precaution. If anyone recognized her they would strike immediately.
I paced her living room and noticed that there was an abundance of blankets on the sofa. I just about spit my bad tasting coffee out of my mouth. The mound of blankets and pillows was not the result of an overwhelming amount of linens on laundry day. There was a person in the middle of it, as the pile shifted revealing a very attractive leg, Prussia's to be exact. I stepped backwards as slowly as I could and set the mug of coffee on the counter.
For being one of the stealthiest Vampyrs on the Queen's guard, I had gotten a little rusty over the years. A lot rusty considering I had been in her apartment for well over an hour and just now realized she wasn't actually in bed. I started walking toward the door to let myself out.
I could easily watch most of the comings and goings of the apartment building from my car. It would just be a little cramped. When I reached the door I noticed something odd about the way the door knob wobbled without actually touching it. It took a split second to realize that someone was coming in.
I tried to remember if Prussia had mentioned having a roommate. It was too late for that now. I was about to find out what was on the other side of the door. Slowly the knob turned and then the door was thrust open and I was face to face with a woman holding a knife.
"Lydia," I hissed at her.
Her eyes went completely wide with surprise as I'm sure mine did but the moment was over instantly and her face set with determination. Stupid woman just couldn't let things be, couldn't follow good advice. Here she was rushing straight into her own death and she didn't even realize it.
Lydia drew her knife up and prepared to strike. I didn't give her the chance. As soon as her eyes sharpened into narrow darts I hit her in the middle of the chest with the whole of my palm. She flew backwards into the hallway, her knife skidding down the hallway
and out of reach. I quickly followed into the hall, closing the door as quietly as I could. It wouldn't be much difference if the noise woke up Prussia but better than having her wake up with two strangers in her apartment.
Lydia recovered quickly and was on me in less than two seconds. Her nails were piercing and she sank them into my forearms like a terrified and angry cat. She hissed at me and let her fangs drop. The saliva on them trickled and for a moment I thought she looked completely sexy in the 'my lover is bat shit crazy and looks hot attacking me randomly to get into a stranger’s apartments' kind of way.
She withdrew her nails and sank them in me again. I stretched my arms out and tried to fling her off of me but she had sunk them in deep. I winced as the pain rippled through me. This was not what I had in mind for my evening.
"What are you doing here, playboy?" asked Lydia, her anger was seething.
But when it came down to it, it was the one thing I could always depend on Lydia to do in a predictable manner - be pissed off all the way or not at all. She was an all or nothing kind of woman in that way and so many others.
"I could ask you the same thing," I tried to be as quiet as possible but I was sure my panting was louder than my words, "I was serious. Coming after Prussia is a death wish. How stupid are you?"
My breathing was labored. Lydia was really thrashing at me now and fending off the bulk of her attacks was taxing. I tried to fling her off me again but failed. I tried to keep blocking her stabbing with my forearms. The blood from my arms was starting to make a mess of the floor.
"Humans are fair game," said Lydia, "The bitch dies tonight,"
Lydia went for my face and when I blocked she used the opportunity to knee me in the stomach. Then that was followed by yet another knee to the stomach and another after that. I wasn't weak. I was delaying what I didn't want to do but had to. I had to kill the only woman I had ever loved.
I had to kill her for disobeying the Queen or die myself. I felt like retching my soul out of my body so I wouldn't be judged for what I was about to do. Somehow, maybe if I didn't have a soul what I was about to do wouldn't haunt me as I knew it would. How could our eternal lives ended up in this way?
Her thrashing was violent, more violent than I had ever remembered even during our hunts in the middle of the night out of bloodlust. I shared the best of myself, the most vulnerable of myself with her. And she used it against me. Taking her razor sharp nails, she went for my chest with a burst of renewed vigor. I could see it in her eyes. She had come to terms with going threw me if she had to.
"After all this time?" I asked, “Over a human?”
I held her at arms length. I had her held out in front of me by her elbows and she had her hands dug into my arms. We were entwined in pain and blood, mostly my pain and blood but I did squeeze very hard.
"You’re the one protecting her instead of helping me. I saw an opportunity," she said, her breathing matching mine. I was wearing her down a bit, "I'm taking it. Let me go. I don't want to have to go through you. Let me go and we'll be together. I just need to kill her,"
She sounded crazy and looked equally crazy. Her eyes were wild and her hair was everywhere from our tussling. I squeezed her arms even harder and saw her wince in pain. It was the face I hated to see. I stopped squeezing and tried to reason, to plead.
"You know that I have to kill you now, the Queen's orders!" I said, "Why didn't you listen to me?"
I wanted to shake her, shake reason into her but I knew it wouldn't work. Her face was bewilderment and confusion and I wanted to shake it right off her face. It would at least make me feel better. I gritted my teeth and started to tremble with the urge to shake her.
"I am following the Queen's orders," she said, her face lighting up suddenly, "Just tonight, the Queen told me to kill Prussia. Help me and then we can be together, finally,"
She was a masterful liar and it cut me deeply that she would lie to me, that she would be so cruel to try to get me to do something that would end with not only her death but the both of us.
"Stop your lies!" I said, "They will not save you!"
And then it dawned on me. She looked scared all of a sudden. Not sure of what was happening.
"It won't save you," I said, "But maybe it will give you a moment to seek mercy," I was quiet for a moment.
"What are you going to do?" she asked. She looked hesitant and untrusting. Not sure if she should continue to fight or attempt to flee.
"I have to take you to the Queen," I said softly.
"NO," said Lydia, "I have to kill Prussia first!"
She fought against my tight grip on her arms and I let her lose. As she turned away from me to sprint toward Prussia's apartment I let one swift blow land on top of Lydia's head. Her next step was the last she took before falling to the ground unconscious.
Chapter 7
“I don’t understand,” I said, “We were still dating and now we’re not?”
“Exactly, I thought the same thing,” said Robert, “But I’m glad now that it’s just in the open, you know, and we’re adults and not upset about it and can still be roomies….roomy!”
He came around the kitchen counter and gave me a gentle nudge in the arm. The entire world had flipped upside-down when I had gone to sleep. I thought I was going to wake up to explain the entire horrible thing to Robert but somehow Lydia had completely convinced him of her own version of things. Damn Lydia. I wanted to poke her with something sharp right about now. I thought she would just tell him I was cheating.
“Wait, that’s not what I wanted,” I said, “I don’t want any type of open relationship, that’s just crazy talk,”
I put my hands on my head as if I could block all the noise that didn’t make sense, meaning all of it. Robert was quiet for a moment.
“Well, I thought we needed a sort of transition period but if that’s how you feel then I understand,” he was a little sad looking all of a sudden.
I had no idea what was going on but all of it was wrong. I go to sleep, wake up and my entire morning was a nightmare. Maybe I was still sleeping. I started pinching myself. I pinched myself over and over. It hurt a lot which wasn’t promising.
“I guess that is the best way to really deal with the end of a relationship then,” said Robert, “I am not used to such out and dry breaks though. You’re really amazing and honest, woman. You know that, Prussia? I think I even underestimated you a little. I didn’t think you were going to tell me at all cause, you know, I had no idea you were dating some one,”
I had fish-face again. My mouth hung open and I gaped at the air waiting for the words to fall out. I had no idea what to say or where to even start. And to make matters worse, Robert looked like he was going somewhere.
“Are you leaving?” I asked.
I looked for my cup of coffee and saw it was sitting on the kitchen counter, poured but sitting. He had his coffee in his hand and was getting ready to walk out the door.
“Yeah, I’m going to meet up with Lydia tonight and wanted to go let the club know that I need the night off,” he said.
And the bricks just kept on falling. My face fell like the Berlin wall.
“You have never taken a night off from working at the club, not the entire time we were dating,” I said.
Robert paused a moment. It didn’t look like he knew if he was in trouble or if I was just stating random observations.
“Sometimes you turn over new leaves!” he said, opening the door to the apartment. How had I dated someone so very stupid?
“It’s ‘turn over a new leaf,’ not leaves,” I said to his back as he went to step out of the apartment.
As the door opened, Robert found that he couldn’t actually leave. He was face to face with someone who had apparently been just about to knock on our door.
“Did I come at a bad time?” the voice of the man carried and I knew it was Sebastian before I could even see his face. Complete mortification. If the floor would open up this exact moment and swallow me wh
ole I would only be too grateful.
“This cannot be happening,” I muttered, my face in my hands again.
Sebastian looked at Robert, fairly chipper, and then to me, and then he looked back and forth between the two of us several times.
“Prussia is this your …” he looked at Robert unsure and raised an eyebrow which made one of Robert’s eyebrow raise in response, “Boyfriend?” Sebastian asked.
“Ye-” and with that I was cut off by the all-too chipper Robert and his all-too chipper response, “Not at all, we’re roommates,” and he stuck his hand out there like a schmuck waiting for a hand shake.
My irritation with Robert and his thirty-levels of stupid this morning was alleviated for a moment when I saw the confusion on Robert’s face when Sebastian looked at his hand as if it had the plague and wouldn’t touch it for a kingship over an entire country.
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