V FOR VAMPIRE // jenlisa

Chapter 20

L.

"Baby?" I hear Jennie's groggy voice as I instantly smile, tightening my hold around her and looking down to meet her eyes.

The sleep leaves her eyes slowly as she stares at me, tracing my face blatantly and I start to feel a little self-conscious. She smiles lightly before burying her head into my neck, breathing deeply, both inhale and exhale, as if preparing herself for something.

"I love you." She whispers, her breath hitching for a second as I look down at her hidden face confusedly. Her grip on me tightens considerably as I start to worry. I try to read her mind, but she's blank again. That's even more confusing.

"Are you alright?" I ask nervously as her head snaps up and she locks eyes with me, her eyes holding inspection.

"Oh." She breathes out before pressing her lips to mine and I welcome the contact, a weird relief flushing through my body.

Oh, thank God, I hear as my eyebrows pinch and Jennie breaks away to look up at me with an adoring smile.

"Thank God, what?" I ask as her eyes go solemn, here thoughts racing on and off, making it hard for me to connect the dots.

"I almost thought you were going to leave again." She says in a small voice, her eyes dim and scared.

I frown. I stroke the little wisps of hair out of her face and cup her cheeks, bringing my lips to hers to let her know I'm here. She knows, and the relief that flushes through my body again is hers, as she moves her face away to look at me with a smile.

"I'm sorry." I find myself saying although I don't have anything figured out for sure. Her fingers on my stomach start circling themselves, soothing my skin.

"Could you...umm...tell me why you ran? I thought you didn't feel the same way about me. And..." Jennie sighs, emotion overtaking her expression. "I thought I messed it up and lost you forever." She finishes heavily as I observe her, wondering if I had actually hurt her more than I would have expected.

"I'm so sorry, Jennie. I was scared. It's...new, you know? Back at the foster home, I always felt...a little...you know, uh, rejected." I say cautiously, her expression understanding and secure and I continue, "It was easy to think no one wanted me, let alone loved me, and I've always thought that way, as negative as the mindset probably is. When you told me you loved me, I felt... maybe threatened because I had resorted to this self-hatred, almost, since as long as I can remember, and you challenged it with merely three words and I panicked. It's all I'd ever known and you had to go and obliterate it." I finish with a chuckle as I look into her eyes, surprised at the shining moisture in them.

"I love you, Lisa. I promise you I'm going to challenge you everyday of my life if I have to, and make you believe in those words eventually. I promise I love you. I've loved you for as long as I can remember." The intense sincerity tethered to Jennie's words makes me surge forward to lock our lips for a searing kiss of gratitude as she hums approvingly, deepening the kiss.

I break away for her to catch some oxygen as she chuckles, happily burying her face back into my neck and kissing it.

Our lovely trance is broken when there is a knock on the main door as we stare at it for a second too long. I sense Jennie's fear rising before I look at her and shake my head, her eyes still holding the nerves she feels. The air fills with a specific distateful scent as I huff. Jennie looks at me concernedly.

"It's Kai." I say, looking at the door again, picking up another scent, "Oh, and Rosé." Jennie gives me a weird look of thoughtfulness before climbing off of me and quickly shoving herself into her clothes.

I wonder if Rosé and Kai smell like two different people to her, I hear in my head and laugh, focusing on pulling my pants on.

"They have different scents. Admittedly, Kai has a stronger one and while Rosé's is less intense, it's just as bad." I say in a whisper because I know their wolf ears definitely could hear that, and Jennie laughs behind her hand, probably knowing the same.

"Wow, it smells like sex in here." Rosé says loudly as she passes by me after I open the door, my eyes widening dramatically. Kai's step falters slightly as he clears his throat nervously before following behind Jennie.

Jennie's thoughts are a whirlwind of 'oh shit's as I glare at the werewolves.

"Oh my god, I was kidding! That means y'all really did it!" Rosé says, bursting into laughter as Kai and Jennie's faces flush.

"Whatever, Rosé. Just because you don't have a sex life doesn't mean others wouldn't." I bite back as she gasps, her expression turning from amused to offended very fast.

"Who said I don't have a sex life?" She asks darkly, staring into my eyes challengingly.

I raise my eyebrows, "Why, are you fucking Kai here?" I say, as Kai winces and retracts, Rosé sticking her tongue out as if in disgust.

"Ew, why does everyone want us to get with each other?" Rosé asks to Kai as the other werewolf nods, as if sharing the same concern.

"Who else did?" I ask curiously as Rosé shakes her head and sighs.

"Our packs. Almost got us married." She replies as I hear Jennie gasp.

"What happened?" She asks.

"I fled, lol. I never wanted to see this guy's face again because I thought he was the one who insisted on the marriage but alas, here we are after I suddenly met him at D. High five years later and got the story right." Rosé's use of the informal abbreviation paired with the information she just delivered is surprising.

"It took five years and a week off school because of the glaringly obvious claw mark on my face." Kai says with a sweet smile masking acidity. I figure he's only half-kidding when Rosé shoves his arm playfully and they snort together.

"Anyway! I just came to see if my best friend is fine. But you can continue with the sex. Kai only came along because I insisted saying he's better than me with picking up on scents, which, by the way is how we found your house, as creepy as it might be. Total bullshit, though, about the scents thing and someone knew that and got very jealous. Life is fun." Rosé finishes sassily, sharing a look with Jennie who goes from looking touched to embarassed to amused.

I hear the name Jisoo, not sure if that's the werewolves' thought or Jennie's, but laugh anyway.

"Angst used to be my favourite genre in books as a human teenager. I'm starting to realize I might be interested in some of that even now." I comment as Rosé laughs, waving her hand in dismissal.

"Angst was your favourite genre?" Jennie asks as I look at her after the werewolves are gone and I've closed the door.

"Mhm." I say, observing the shift in her eyes as the corners of her lips curve upward.

"You said you might be interested in that even now." She says softly, leaning against the living room wall rather sexily, or maybe it's just me. Yeah, must be me, I think.

"Uh-huh. I meant Jisoo and Rosé." I say carefully.

Jennie's standing incredibly close to me in a blink of an eye.

"I kind of thought you meant us." She says in a playful yet dark whisper as she presses against me suggestively.

Oh shit.