Chapter 11

Chapter 11

 

“Going somewhere?” a sly feminine voice asked as the door slid open.

“Its none of your business, Larissa,” he said in an even tone.

“Oh, but it is, dear partner, it is,” Larissa purred. “You see, the council has noticed that you have been absent for a while and have sent me to babysit you. Officially we are now partners, but they want me to keep tabs on you.”

“There’s no need. You can tell the council that I’m working on a case, and need no one to look after me.”

“I don’t think that will work, dear,” Larissa put her back on one door jam and one of her feet on the other. “Besides, I’m not really here to spy for them. I have noticed the difference. Your heart has started and I want to know everything. The councils petty order means nothing to me. I just want to be a part of what’s going on with you.”

“I don’t know….”

“Don’t try to hide from me. Even though your very good at hiding it, I can see the slight rise and fall of your chest as you involuntarily draw breath. To anyone paying enough attention there is also they pulse in your neck, small, slight even but its there.”

“Fine, come if you want but we need to leave now, before anyone else notices.”

“Why, all the secrecy, this is a good thing, isn’t it?”

“It’s complicated. I’m not sure what’s going on myself right now, and I don’t need the council breathing down my neck to reveal the one who started my heart. It’s just not time yet.”

“Ok, we’ll do it your way."

It took a little over an hour for them to get to his apartment. It wasn't much, just a small sparsely furnished studio that he used for relaxation after missions. It had a hide a bed sofa, small tv and an end table that doubled as a dresser. The small kitchen had a stove, microwave, and the fridge he used to store his blood bags. So far as he could tell no-one knew of this place but him and now Larissa, which made it the perfect place to lay low while he worked out just exactly what he was going to do.

Pacing from one end of the small living space to other, brow furrowed in concentration, he worked through the events that had brought him to this point. The sighting, the meeting with ruicher, finding her, and now he sudden change in her academic interests. What did it all mean?

He was just as lost as when he left the compound. If only there was someone to talk to. Larissa was handy but could he trust her with potentially life threatening information? He wasn't sure if she was trustworthy. Actually he did not know much at all about her. He stopped and glanced over at her. She had transferred to this compound about six years ago, which is strange because most vamps stayed with their charter for their entire lives. It was not unheard of but very rare. He was a good judge of character, but in this instance he could not get an accurate read  Maybe he just didn't know enough.

"Why did you some here?" he asked his face unreadable and his eyes intent.

"I told you, already."

"I mean why did you leave your home? Why come here?"

"It's not something I like to talk about, bad I don't see why I need to discuss it with you. We are not friends nor do I want to be your friend. I am only interested in what's going on with you and why you are so keen on hiding it."

"Ya, see this is going to be a two way street. You want to know about me and I don't trust you enough to tell you so we are going to have to come to an agreement or your not going to learn anything."

"I was enforcement before I came here I could make you tell me!"

"No, sweetheart, you can't. Even before I was in this state you couldn't have. I am a hunter. I hunt not only bad humans but also any other threats to our family or human kind, as in Animals. I don't care how badass you think you are, you are not enough.

'On top of that Larissa, my heart is beating. I know you know some of what that means. I'm stronger, faster, and nearly indestructible now. You have absolutely no chance of beating me.

‘So instead of fighting and threatening, let’s learn to trust each other. You have no allies here and neither do I, so why can’t we be that for each other. Everyone needs someone to watch their back and we are not different.”

“How can I trust you? We’ve never talked before today, and now we are allies? I’m sorry if this all seems a bit strange to me. We don’t know each other and where I come from that does not make us friends much less allies.”

“That’s my point. We need each other right now but we don’t know each other so we can’t trust each other. That is why I am asking you about your past, trying to get to know you, so I can learn to trust you.

‘I know it won’t happen in a day, but we can make a start.”