Reaper

Chapter 3

"The thing you've got to learn about Jared, Talon, is that he's dangerous. He's not the sort of person you want to be mixing with." Damon told me, but I didn't really hear him. I was lying on my bed with a wet cloth over my face; I'd just been sick.

"There's something about him Damon, I don't know what it is..." I said slowly, wishing I could just go to sleep. And it was true; there was something gentle about him that I couldn't quite understand. Dangerous he may be, but that night where he nearly killed me, I'd felt far safer in that moment than I did being in a car alone with my ex-boyfriend, an argument I'd already voiced, and one which Damon was quick to shoot down.

"Talon, he's a vampire, what's more is that he's also a prince, so don't try to be his friend, do you understand?" Damon's voice was full of authority, so I nodded once to keep him off my back. "I'm going to eat, can I leave you on your own for an hour without you choking on something?" He asked with a small sigh. I nodded as I massaged my temples, wondering how I was going to get out of my tight dress.

"Yeah sure.....go...forth and fornicate with humans...." I said drowsily, and though he said nothing in his attempt to ignore my childishness, I still heard a soft chuckle as he closed my bedroom door quietly behind him. I lay still for a few minutes, in which time I removed the cloth and found that I had a ladder up my tights. Bummer. It was really hot in the small room, I needed some fresh air.

Maybe that shot of vodka was a bad idea....

I thought to myself as I fumbled with the latch and opened the window. I let the breeze wash over my face, leaning on the window sill with my head pounding and my stomach churning. I fell back on top of the covers shivering slightly, and pushed my shoes off with my toes. They fell to the wooden floor with an unnaturally loud crash, and then there was a gasp. That's funny, my shoes have never gasped before.

"You again?!" Someone said, and I realised it wasn't my shoes after all. I stared through the gloom at a familiar shape, and let out a gasp of my own.

"Jared?" I asked, and it was then that he turned back towards the window through which he'd obviously just entered.

"Why do you keep popping up everywhere I go?" He said in an irritated way, both hands on the frame of the window as he pulled himself up to sit on the wide ledge.

"I live here." I said, sounding rather stupid I think.

"London's a big city." He replied, resting his arms on his knees. I could only watch him from where I lay; how embarrassing would it be if I was sick again? I didn't even want to consider it.

"So if you don't want to keep bumping into me forever more why don't you leave?"

"I don't make any choice on the account of a human, especially not drunk eighteen year olds whose brother is a species I hate." There was silence for a moment.

"What are you if you're not a vampire?" I asked timidly, afraid he was going to leave again. There was a pause in which Jared sighed, and rubbed his eyes with his hands. 

"I'm something else completely."

"I want to know." I whispered, and if my eyes weren't mistaken, I could've sworn he smiled for the first time since I'd met him.

"You really want to know?" He asked, and I simply nodded, completely unaware of what I was agreeing to.

"On your own head be it." Jared said, and before I knew what was happening, he'd grabbed me by the wrist and I was clinging to his back as the wind rushed through my hair. I screamed as we landed on the lawn.