Guardian
It wasn't far past an hour that Otis searched his home for Mina. He hadn't seen her walking or heard her talking with anyone for some time. He walked into the living room and found her on the couch. She had her legs curled up on the seat with her and her head propped up by her bottle of blood wine.
He chuckled and smiled at her. He sat down next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She didn't wake but instead nuzzled her face closer to the bottle. Her pale arms clinging to it as a child would a bear. He called her name but she didn't rise.
"She's a heavy sleeper." He turned to see his nephew standing beside him. Vlad watched her with something lurking in his thoughts. Otis resisted the temptation to read his mind to see what it was he was wondering when he looked at the girl.
"Will she wake if I move her?" Vlad shook his head and Otis weaved his arm between her back and the couch and hooked his other arm under her legs.
He stood with her in his arms and he faced Vlad. "Take the bottle?" Vlad nodded as he slowly slipped the blood wine bottle away from her grasps. He figured that she could rest in his bed, since Vlad would later need his old room for himself. And things between the two were not as they were over a year ago and Otis feared what would happen if they shared a room now.
He walked around guests who all seemed to smile at the sweet scene. Vlad followed quietly and he placed the girl into his bed. She hummed softly as she buried her face into the pillow. He covered her with a blanket and stood back to smile down at her.
"Otis?" Vlad spoke softly. His uncle looked at him in response. "You know that Joss is back..."
"Yes, I do." Otis said as he turned off one of the lamps in the room.
"Mina doesn't want to stay there with him." Vlad whispered and Otis looked at his nephew. He then looked back at the sleeping girl before returning to Vlad.
"Why didn't she say so?"
Vlad looked down and then back up at Otis with eyes that pleaded with him. "I can't have her stay with him." Otis looked at the boy-young man, he corrected-as he saw that he was concerned for Mina's safety.
Otis didn't blame him. Mina held more rage than Otis had seen in decades. The spark of anger in her eyes at the mere name of her cousin, or the mere mention of his betrayal, caused her to tense. It was like watching a hurt angel betrayed by a demon disguised as her family, her friend, her most trusted cousin. Tragic but glorious.
Because of this, Otis understood completely why Vlad did not want them to live together. Even if they did not kill each other, they would most certainly wound the other in bloody battles. They didn't want to risk it...Vlad couldn't risk it.
Otis sighed, he ran a thoughtful hand over the back of his neck. "I'll talk to her uncle and work something out." He amended as he glanced at her as she slept.
Vlad nodded and stared at the floor. Otis opened his mouth to ask Vlad a question...a question he has wanted to ask-a question about Mina. But instead he shut his mouth and turned off the last lamp.
"Come on, let's get back to the party before they miss us." Otis placed his hand on Vlad's shoulder as they left the room. He slowly closed the door as he watched Mina's resting form curl into the blanket.
Hours later, when all the guests had departed, Otis decided to let Vlad rest in his home for the night. Otis resisted the emotions that flooded him after Vlad-in a sleepy haze-referred to Otis as 'Dad'. He didn't know if he should be happy and feel warm, like his first instincts were. Or if he should feel mourning for his brother and pity for his nephew.
