Beyond The Fangs

Chapter 21

IZEL

It had taken me several minutes to fall asleep again, but when I woke up the next morning I was no longer in the bed. 

I was on a chair outside on the porch with my hands tied around the wooden posts supporting the porch roof and my face felt weird. Just... weird.

I looked around baffled then spotted the Slayer leaning against the door frame. His arms were crossed over his chest and a half-smile formed on his lips. He was a portrait of casual amusement.

"Took you long enough to wake up," he said, "I started to think you fell into a coma or something."

Realisation dawned on me. He had taken advantage of the fact that I was in a deep sleep, but for some reason, I didn't feel annoyed at that but felt like smiling myself. Despite last night, he wasn't treating me any differently. He was acting like the same, annoying Slayer I hated. And I loved that.

"How long were you trying to wake me up?" I said, forcing bitterness into my tone.

"I gave up after 15 minutes," he told me. "But you've been tied up like that for like an hour or so."

"An hour!?"

"Are Vanquishers supposed to be that vulnerable when they sleep?" He questioned. "First, I called you like a thousand times, then I tried shaking you but that didn't work so I brought your dog over and made her lick you. I'm sure the saliva has already dried on your face. She licked you for quite some time." I recoiled, realising the weird sensation on my face was her saliva.

He continued, "After that, I put you in the chair and pulled you around, that had seemed to wake you up last time, but it didn't this time. Then I gave up, tied you to the post and hoped you woke up if you got attacked or something."

"You used me as bait again?" I questioned.

"You didn't wake up when I tried—or when the dog tried—so I thought maybe you would if there was actual danger," he justified. 

I sighed, "whatever, just untie me."

"Alright," he said, but approached me cautiously.

"Why are you walking like that?"

"You should see the way you're looking at me."

I raised a brow, "And how am I looking at you?"

"I would show you but I can't disfigure my face enough to make the face you're making."

"That's not funny," I rolled my eyes but I found myself biting back a laugh.

He grinned then untied my hands from around the post only to tie them together, and I didn't fight it, but I said, "you still don't trust me enough to leave my hands free?"

"Do you trust yourself?"

I shrugged, "better safe than sorry I guess."

His grin widened and he said, "There's food inside, you should eat... and wash your face too, " he added with a grimace. "The dog left a lot of love on you."

"Gold," I corrected him. "I decided to call her Gold." 

That was her name. I thought of it last night when I was struggling to fall asleep. It made sense, calling her the colour of her fur. 

Gold.

****

It didn't take me long to clean myself up and finish my food. The Slayer had already fed Gold, though that didn't stop me from giving her some of my food too.