The Definer

Chapter 18

I walked back through the beautiful fey streets with my fingers laced between Dean's.
"Why do you have roads without cars?" I asked curiously.
He laughed slightly. "I guess we copied humans on that one. Someone thought that it would be good to have transport like the cars you have but that move magically so we wouldn't use precious resources trying to run them... Let's just say it didn't turn out too well and they accidentally released an evil soul. All the roads had already been made and prepared for the release of this great idea. Once it went so horribly wrong, they were afraid to ever try again and now I guess the roads are just for decoration."
We both laughed at the irony of that story. We walked through the streets mostly in silence. Someone stopped us in the street. She had on a pink dress that reached down to her ankles. She had a tail sticking out from underneath the dress.

"Hello..." She said cautiously.
"I know you." I said quickly.
She looked down at her feet nervously. I wasn't sure if I was just imagining it but I thought I saw tears welling up in her eyes. "You spoke to my daughter on the street one day. You gave her a flower..."
"Alice." I said, remembering clearly the adorable girl. "I remember her."
"I'd like to say thank you for that. She was going through a tough time at training academy and the kids were teasing her. I think you really built up her self esteem." She said quietly.
She suddenly let out a loud sob and I could now see the tears rolling down her cheeks. I unhooked my fingers from Dean's and put my hands on the lady's shoulders.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"I need your help..." She said with a shaky voice. "They took her... They took Alice. I went to the council and Aleric said that they didn't have time to worry about small disappearances but Ariana said you might be able to help me."
"Who took her?" Dean asked gently.
"It was a lady," the sobs came harder again, "a lady with brown hair and blue eyes. Her eyes had red in them too."
"We'll do our best to find Alice." I assured her.
"It's too dangerous." Dean said suddenly in a low tone. "If she had red in her eyes, that means she is evil or has just fed."
"We can't just do nothing!" I exclaimed.
"You should go home." He said to the woman.

He grabbed my hand and pulled me along down the street.
"I want to help her." I stated, planting my feet on the ground.
He quickly spun around, his eyes glazed over with tears.
"I can't-"
"Why not?!"
"Because if anything were to happen to you... If I lost you... I'd be left with nothing. I would have no reason... No purpose. It's my job to protect you and because of that, I can't let you do this." He explained.
I grabbed his face in both my hands and pressed my lips on his. His arms snaked down around my waist and he lifted me off the ground. We both moved together between the houses until we were in the middle of a small clump of trees. He stroked his hands through the length of my hair. He trailed his kisses from my lips down my jawline and onto my neck. His lips lingered there for a moment.
"Aren't you going to take a bite?" I teased.
"I can't hurt you."
"I want you to." I whispered.

I felt a small stinging pain in my neck and then the familiar pull as he feasted on my blood. It only took a few seconds before he pulled away and licked the wound.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that." He said looking down at his feet.
I cupped his face in my hands once more and whispered, "I love it when you do it. It makes me feel strong."
"Did you know, between two vampires, drinking from each other's blood is highly intimate." He whispered, the guilt still in his voice.
"Then don't feel bad." I whispered, leaning my forehead against his. "I love you."
He didn't answer. I could tell that he was stressed and guilty about what he just did. I pressed my lips against his once more. All his stress must have melted away at that moment because he returns the kiss. I pulled away slowly.
"We should go home." I whispered.
"That kiss was amazing." He whispered back.
I laughed quietly before grabbing his hand and pulling him back to the street.

It was only a few minutes before we got back to Dean's house. He pushed the door open and let me through.
"Ladies first." He smiled.
I walked through in front of him, giving him a smile on my way through. Dean followed closely behind me and I could hear his footfalls on the floor. I looked into the lounge room and stopped instantly in my tracks. Dean bumped into me, not expecting me to stop so suddenly.
"Where are my friends?" I asked.
"I don't know. Maybe they just went for a walk or something." He assured me.
"Through the streets of the Fey Realm?"
"Well, maybe-"
"We need to look for them. Let's go to the palace and see if Ariana knows anything about it." I suggested.
"Ok. Get on." He said before bending down and helping me climb onto his back.
As soon as I was holding on tight, he ran out and took off towards the palace. Once we reached the doors, I dropped off from his back and he said the magic words under his breath. I pushed past him and open the doors.
"No!" Ariana shouted from across the room.
I looked in her direction and saw Emane's arm wrapped around her chest, stopping her from breaking free and running over to us. I heard a gasp from Dean. I spun around and saw two guardians pulling Dean away.
"No!" I screamed as someone grabbed my arm and stopped me from lashing out at Dean's captors.
I turned around and saw that Aleric was the one grasping onto my arm.
"What the hell?!" I yelled at him.
"You've been a very bad girl." He spat.
"Where are my friends?!"
He ignored my question as he pulled me toward Ariana. He slapped me hard across the cheek before handing me over into her arms. Emane let go of his hold on her and we both fell to the ground. My cheek was burning from the pain.
"Are you alright?" She asked worriedly.
"I don't know? Where are my friends? Are they here? What are they going to do to Dean?" I asked.
I could feel tears welling up behind my eyes that were threatening to pour down my cheeks. Emane and Aleric moved to the side of the room.
"I don't know." She said sadly. "But bringing humans into the Fey Realm is against the rules and anyone who knows about the humans and doesn't report can be severely punished."
"What is the punishment."
She looked down, tears welling up in her own eyes. I know what that meant.
"No." I whispered shaking my head.
I suddenly jumped to my feet. I looked around for any sign of where my friends might be... Or Mark... Or Dean, or just anyone who could help me.