His Stoic Mask, Her Bleeding Heart

Chapter 5: Insanity

A knock at the door jerked Elyria from her half-sleep upon the couch. Kyrianna was out getting groceries, having left Elyria alone in the apartment to get some more rest. A glance at the sliver of window that peeked out from between a pair of dark curtains told her that it was still early evening, just after sunset. Kyrianna had left only half an hour ago.

Elyria got to her feet and headed toward the door. She paused for a moment before opening it slowly, cautiously, as if she expected some monster to be waiting for her on the other side – or maybe even Eli.

The tall man before her wasn't a monster or Eli, however. Dark, shaggy black hair, equally dark gray eyes, pale white skin, and a look of arrogance on his face, it was just Brandon. She hadn't fed him for quite some time, even before her transformation. She hadn't even known whether he was alive – well, as alive as a vampire could be – or dead until just now.

Surprised, she said, "Brandon, what are you doing here?"

"News of your return has spread quickly," he responded, no particular emotion to his handsome face as he looked her over. "I just wanted to see whether it was true or not." He pushed past her and into the apartment, and she moved aside as the rough cloth of his black T-shirt brushed her shoulder. It was odd seeing him in a shirt, not to mention a bit disappointing.

"Well, now you know. What else do you want?" she asked, studying him as she closed and locked the door. He looked the same as always, the dark, tight-fitting fabric of his shirt clinging to his lightly muscled torso and a sexily cold look to his eye.

"I haven't tasted your blood in nearly two months," he pointed out, turning to face her with his arms crossed. "What do you think I want?"

"Really?" she asked with a tired sigh. "I've only been back for a matter of days, and you already want to feed from me?"

He shrugged, the coldness not leaving his expression. "What better way to welcome you back to your old life?"

Again, she sighed, but she had nothing else with which to argue. "Fine. But blood is all you're getting from me. I haven't been feeling particularly sexy lately." She turned and led the way to her bedroom, and Brandon followed without protest. The moment they entered the room, the vampire nearly tackled her onto the bed with a soft growl, his fangs cleanly piercing her flesh.

She let out a quiet groan, her hands sliding beneath his shirt to rest upon the cool skin of his lower back. Some part of her had missed this...

Brandon finished after only a couple of minutes, and he pulled away from her neck with a deep, throaty rumble that sounded almost like a purr. His eyes were half-closed as he gazed down at her, staring into her tranquil amethyst eyes.

"Now I remember why I missed you so much," he murmured, then rolled off of her to lie on the bed beside her. His legs hung off of the bed, his feet resting on the floor, but he seemed perfectly content with his current position.

"You missed me?" she asked in a taunting tone, looking over at him as she began to gingerly touch her neck where she'd been bitten. The holes were surprisingly small and neat, not Brandon's style at all, but she wasn't complaining.

"Well, not you so much as your blood," the vampire replied, his half-lidded eyes turning to her for a moment before drifting completely shut. "To be honest, I didn't have much of a reason to miss you yourself. We're not exactly 'friends' or anything."

"Wow," she remarked dryly, a sneer shifting her delicate features. "Aren't you sweet."

He shrugged. "I don't like to play with my food."

She wanted to make some indignant, bitchy remark, but she was too tired for that. Instead, she merely sighed and moved on to a much more interesting subject. "What does everyone think happened to me?"