The Guily Ones // 2 // Eric NorthmanxOC

Unknown Territory

"You call that gentle, asshole?" I heaved before loudly retching into the flowerbed once more.

I was beginning to doubt my body's capabilities. In my entire life, I'd only fainted about three times and vomited maybe ten, not counting that stomach flu I once had. But the past few days in Eric's presence had thoroughly ruined my statistics.

Eric had lost all patience for coddling me and was already striding towards the nondescript door of a multi-story suburban house.

"What...?" I began to ask what we were doing here but stopped as he opened the door and walked inside like he owned the place.

Wait. Did he actually own this place?

Curiosity got the better of me, and I trailed after him, pausing hesitantly at the threshold. Eric turned around, clearly annoyed. "Planning to take root out there?"

"I... I can't come in," I stammered, completely bewildered. Eric frowned.

"No, Ash, you've got it wrong. I'm the one who can't enter your house without an invitation. I'm the vampire. You don't need one," he explained, as though speaking to a child. And a mentally challenged one at that. Fair enough, I did feel a bit like an idiot.

Of course, physically, I could step inside. What held me back wasn't some magical barrier but my conscience. It felt utterly wrong to step into Eric's house. So... intimate. Especially considering that I still hadn't completely crossed 'killing Eric' off my to-do list. Just postponed it, that's all.

"Eric, who's that?" came a small, squeaky voice. My eyes widened so much I was surprised they didn't pop out of my skull.

"Eric, who's that?!" I hissed back, equally shocked.

"Well, it seems you're already on the same wavelength!" Eric sighed, stepping aside to reveal a girl who had been hiding behind him.

At that point, my jaw practically hit the floor.

"You... you..." In a daze, I stepped into the house and knelt down to the girl's eye level. "You have a child!"

My brain went into overdrive. Not all my thoughts were coherent, or in any logical order, but they descended upon me like a hailstorm.

Eric had a child—did he have a wife too?

Could vampires even have children?

Where was this child's mother?

Was the child a vampire?

Or was she entirely human?

Could vampires adopt children?

Was it discriminatory if they couldn't?

Or should there be laws to protect children from vampires?

Good heavens, did he keep the child as a food source?

"Hi," the little girl murmured, taking a step toward me. I cautiously extended my hand, scanning her from head to toe. At first glance, the girl seemed healthy enough, but I swore on everything sacred—if I found even the slightest hint that Eric had harmed her, I wouldn't hesitate to grab the nearest piece of his fancy, old-world furniture (all seemingly made of solid hardwood, ironically) and stake him with it. Cute ass or not.

"Calm down, Ash, I haven't touched her," Eric grumbled, likely sensing the tension in my shoulders and jaw. "Not that you could do anything about it if I had," he added with a snide smile. Did his lip just twitch in amusement at the thought? Jerk.

While my neurons were still scrambling to process the existence of this little girl, with thoughts like If I sleep with Eric, could I get pregnant? Do I even want kids? Oh God, why am I thinking about kids with Eric? Or maybe it's too late for therapy and I should just be put down? — I wasn't about to let an insult to my fighting skills slide. Usually, I'd let it go to avoid giving myself away, but I was too distracted. If Eric has a child, what else is he hiding?