Two

Jasmine is starting to think that Darius is hiding something from her. Her suspicions on rise as a mysterious messenger delivers a summons. Not to mentions, he's acting a bit strange towards her.

TWO

Jasmine’s head was pounding by the time she woke up in the familiar darkness of the night. She blinked a few times, clearing the fog from her mind and, after a few more moments, she was able to see the smoggy sky above her. She felt the cool grass underneath her. Soon, memories of the fight with Markus and his demise flooded her. She remembered his sword slicing her arm, back and neck and felt each area had now been bandaged. She was clothed, but it seemed Darius must have had to have taken her shirt off to wrap the bandage around her middle. She was too groggy to care at that point. He had to do it before, but he never once removed her bra, so she trusted he hadn’t this time.

She sat up and immediately regretted it. Her head was spinning and throbbing. The cool grass and slight breezed barely helped. She felt Darius slip into her mind to ease the pain, but the vertigo continued. Are you well enough to go home? He asked softly. He was standing feet from her. When he got there, she didn’t know. He could have been standing there the whole time and she just didn’t notice. For a moment, he stood there, watching her, and then sat next to her.

“Thanks for wrapping me up,” she murmured. She wasn’t fond of the fact that he still had to do this for her. She wanted to be able to protect herself, others, without needing bandages afterwards.

He chuckled, amused as she pouted. “It takes time to gain the skills it requires to defeat these creatures. You’re doing very well for your age; still a child at eighteen wielding powers that take decades to learn.”

“So I’m not a completely waste of time then…”

“Of course not.”

She sighed. “Well, how long was I out for this time?”

“A few hours. How are you feeling?”

“Like I was strangled by an eight foot tall beast of burden.” She laid back onto the grass, cradling her head on her palms. “Just leave me here to die!”

Minutes later with no response, she heard Darius get up and start walking away, his footsteps growing quieter. She scoffed. She hadn’t meant for him to take her literally. “D****t all. Moody vampire.” She hoisted herself up on her feet, seething at the pain of her injuries.

When she looked up, Darius was already out of sight. The dizziness had subsided enough to allow her to walk and search for him. She checked all of his nearby hideouts, although he could have gone across state by then. Every place turned out empty, so she sulked back to where they first met, back home.

She opened the door and immediately felt him nearby. She scoffed. Figures he would be here. She marched up the stairs and pushed open his study door, arms crossed. He was facing away from her, but she knew he knew she was there. “Welcome home,” he mused.

She sneered. “Where the hell did you go? What were you thinking just leaving me there?” She invited herself in.

“Something came up.”

“Something came up,” she mocked. “And you couldn’t at least take me home first?”

“You’re right. I apologize. I should have escorted you home first.”

“Maybe you just wanted to leave me there half dead!”

Now he turned; his amusement of her words betrayed his emotionless demeanor. “You were not near death, Jasmine. You are exaggerating.”

“So?” Even though she was just giving him a hard time, a part of her really wanted him to stay and make sure she made it home ok. “I was still vulnerable.”

His jaw tightened. An attempt to keep from smiling at her antics. “Had I believed that you could not take care of yourself, I would have brought you with me. You are stronger than you give yourself credit for.”

She glared at him and locked her eyes with his. What she saw stunned her. Although he wouldn’t let her in his mind now, his eyes showed emotions. So many emotions. What happened to make him change suddenly? “What’s going on? Why did you leave?”

“I had business to attend to.”

“What kind of business,” she pried.

“None of your business.”

Smartass! “Really? What was it? Vampire business? Did the Goblin and Ghoul Society call a secret f*****g meeting, Darius?” With that, she knew she lit a fire within. He despised her vulgar language. To him, it was improper of a lady, but she didn’t much fancy herself a lady. The “Goblin and Ghoul Society” bit she made up just to make her feel witty. “What is so damn important that you can’t tell me?”

“Watch your tongue!”

She stepped up so they were mere inches apart. Anger overruled the bit of intimidation he had over her. “Or what? What are you going to do if I keep f*****g talking? What?”

His voice became low and dark, sending chills throughout her body. “I have never struck a woman, Jasmine. I will not start today. There are other ways I can have your compliance.”

She stepped back. Her pulse quickened. His glare moved to her neck and she hastily covered the mark he had left just a few days ago. With that mark, they were able to keep their psychic connection strong. But every once in a while, he would look or speak to her in a way that made the wound burn and throb.

Darius reached for her, but she turned and ran to her room, locking the door behind her. She knew he could bust the door down with a flick of his wrist. She set her sword against the wall and through herself onto the bed. She scooted a bit so her head hung off the side of the bed. Against the wall from her sat an empty pillow. She left it out so the cat would have a place to sleep.

A few years back, Darius had allowed her to take in a stray grey and white cat. She was long and thin, but not starving. She knew how to feed herself. She was an active cat so Jasmine guessed she was only a couple years old.

She heard a small cry and then slight pressure on her stomach. She lifted her head and greeted the feline pawing at her. Jasmine rubbed between the cat’s ears, listening to the purr. “Hi Jenna. You wouldn’t believe the evening I’ve had.” The cat meowed and snuggled against her. Jasmine sighed and a stirring in her mind startled her. It wasn’t offensive, but calming. It wasn’t Darius, which alarmed her only a little, but it was a familiar presence that made itself known whenever she was distressed. Jenna reached up and pawed at Jasmine’s face. “Good girl.”

Unexpectedly, the wind picked up outside and rattled the windows. Shadows of the branches outside stretched and danced across the wall. Jenna began growling and placed herself between the window and Jasmine, her fur standing on end. Jasmine grabbed her sword, feeling a presence coming nearer. Jenna hissed and Jasmine found the presence similar to Darius. It was no wonder the cat was on edge. Since day one, she and Darius never got along; and the same with every vampire after.

Jasmine felt a hand on her shoulder. It startled her and she swung without thinking. Darius’s hand, which had begun to bleed, had stopped the sword from making contact with his throat. “Darius…” She whispered his name, watching his blood trickle down his arm. She took a deep breath, regretful.

As usual, he was calm and unfazed. “No need for this. There is no threat here. He is a messenger.”

She put her sword back against the wall but couldn’t help think about how in the hell he got into her room without her noticing.

A dark shadow figure appeared at the window. Darius opened it to let the shadow in. It materialized into a tall, built man. A silver crest of an upside-down cross supported by outstretched wings was sewn into his coat’s breast pocket. The vampire bowed gracefully, like others before him. This time, he presented Darius with a parchment tied with a purple ribbon. “A summons,” he announced. Darius thanked him. The vampire nodded at Darius then at Jasmine. “My lady…” And he was shadow once more and gone with the wind.

Jasmine latched the window. Darius was already opening the red wax seal, also with the same crest that was on the vampires’ coat. He read the parchment, Jasmine and Jenna eagerly awaiting the news. He rolled it back up and faced them. “Jasmine, we leave here before dawn. A carriage will await us.”

“Where are we going?”

“We have been summoned.”

Jasmine’s eyes lit with curiosity and excitement. She tried to grab the parchment. “By whom? Where are we going,” she asked again. Darius kept the paper from her and tried to walk away.

That irked Jasmine, so she crawled up on her bed, and leapt onto his back, clinging to him and trying to reach the summons that he help out at arm’s length.

He stumbled. “Jasmine, what on earth!”

“Let me see it!”

“You will find out soon enough.” He struggled to shrug her off.

“I want to know now! Why is it such a secret?”

“Get down!”

“I want to read it!”

“You are acting like a child!”

“Darius,” she whined, unintentionally proving his point.

“No!” He reached behind him, grabbing her clothing on her shoulder and swung her around with little effort, tossing her onto her bed. Laughter bubbled over her like it was all fun and games. But Darius was over her in a second, furrowed and serious. Her laughter died instantly. “Listen to me, Jasmine. There are things that you don’t know about, and it is not my place to tell you. If you were to find out…” His jaw tensed. He stared into her eyes, his thumb found its way to caress her bottom lip.

Jasmine was utterly confused about this situation. Darius was acting out of character. He was angry, anxious and, well she really didn’t know what made him so soft all of a sudden. Her heart raced and Darius noticed by the quickening of her pulse below the flesh of her throat. Abruptly, as if he caught himself off guard, he stood, freeing her from his gaze. “You will know soon enough.”

He turned from her, leaving Jasmine confused and dazed. Moments later, she was still staring out of her bedroom door where he had disappeared into the darkness of the warehouse. She heard the angry screeching of a cat and Darius roaring curses. And she laughed. 

Author's Note

ignore grammar and spelling problems