TO LIE WITH MIDNIGHT ROSES

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XAVIER

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The woman's scream pierces through the air as she watches her attacker fall to the floor.

I step over his body towards her, and she tenses as I do. I look down, stopping for a second noticing the scars trailing across the man's face as if long, sharp claws had cut through his skin and I knew now who he is, or was.

A wolf. Aleksander, one of Lesters clan. They were all wolves.

Their scent mixed in with the sweetness of blood. Her blood. I refocus my attention on the girl in front of me. I shake the thought of blood lust as I remember my oath; animals only, but there was so much blood. A dark stain seeped through her t-shirt and her arm trickled with the thick substance down onto the floor.

"Who are you?" She croaks out, "Y- you killed them. "

She pushes herself back along the wooden floor, sitting up. Our eyes meet and her expression is full of fear but what also seems to be a bit of relief as she glances away looking at the bodies sprawled across the floor.

"My name is  Xavier," I say, my voice gentle as I try not to frighten her any further.

The blood continues to spread across her shirt, she looks down following my gaze and crosses her arms over her stomach. I close my eyes, a shiver running through me and I could feel my fangs aching, my lips starting to curve up at the corners but I force it away.

I know I can't leave her like this. I know I can heal her if she drinks my blood, that is just one of the few gifts we have as Vampires. It seems to be one of the only good things that we can do. Our blood will heal humans if we let them have it and I want to heal her. I want to help the girl but I have to stay away. I wasn't sure what would happen if I got any closer.

Thoughts of ripping her apart and ravishing in every lost drop of her surely would consume me, hell it already might be.  The smell of her blood burns through me with a scent that I've missed so much. Yet hers was different? Different from other humans or maybe I just haven't been around human blood for so long but it's like I can almost taste the flavour in my mouth; Figs and brown sugar.

I clench my fists together as I feel my veins pulse relentlessly. The look on her face only confirms that giving her my blood is not an option right now.

"Who are you?" She demands with a voice stricter and more firm than before. She stops for a moment and mutters out my name, "Xavier."

Without having a chance to respond she speaks again.

    "How did you find me here?" She asks her eyes glancing over to the door and then to the dead men on the floor.

Her arms tighten around her stomach, she winces in pain and then she tries to stand. I inch forward without thinking and I reach out to help her up. She swiftly moves back away again stubbornly, as she tries to stand up on her own.

She gets up, backing away from me as her legs wobble, seemingly about to give out beneath her as she shakes. The girl locks eyes with me as she slowly moves toward the countertop, inching near  the small window

"I am going to ask you once more," She says, "How did you find me?"

"I was in the area." Not a lie. "I live in Vancouver, I'm just visiting Port Alice with some friends," Lie. Lie. Lie. But, I  try to sound convincing.

It is not like she would remember this for much longer, I just needed to get close enough to heal her then wipe her memory, from there I was unsure what I would do but I could do this.