The Last Corvus (completed)

Ch. 38 Isadora

Chapter 38

Isadora

I'm such a sniveling wreck that he carries me to the car and buckles me in. This is the first time that he's carried me while I was awake and some part of my mind pays attention to the muscles on his chest and arms as they press against me, bunching and shifting as he moves. The greater part of my brain, obviously, is more preoccupied by what I just did. Huddled against the seat, I barely notice when Linden leaves to tell someone about the mess. That's so terrible; undermining someone's entire existence to mess.

By the time he comes back I'm nearly asleep, my body taking advantage of my adrenaline crash and succumbing to exhaustion. He puts the car into gear just as two of the bouncers show up. They exchange shocked glances, their gaze going from the two unconscious vamps to the unknown dead woman and then to me, and I'm just awake enough to realize they don't believe I did it.

"Hi. I'm so sorry, I never meant to do this," they look around in confusion and I tap the window, startling them, "yes. Don't freak out, I am actually talking to you. I'm so sorry for all of this. Linden, can we leave now?" He doesn't move and I remember he can't hear me anymore. After repeating myself out loud, he nods solemnly and we drive away, leaving the carnage of the last few minutes behind us.

We're almost back to the Compound when I sense something, my body going on high alert suddenly. Getting Lin to pull over, I walk down the street slightly and see someone walking towards us. I can't see who it is in the dark, only the fact that it's a he and that he's really tall. They walk under the only streetlamp on the street and I see that it's Robert. What the?

I run to him (using human speed, not wanting to startle him) and he looks up to see me. Jumping from surprise, he stumbles backwards into a puddle. Rushing towards him, I catch him right before he hits the ground and help him back to his feet as if he weighed nothing. Which to me, he kind of does.

The breeze shifts, carrying the scent of alcohol to my nose even stronger and I realize it's coming from him; his startled gasping breaths wafting the scent at me. He looks at his rescuer and screams, startled when he realizes who it is.

"Holy crap! Sis, it's you! I thought it was a vampire! But that's ridiculous, right? I mean, vampires don't exist, do they?" His slurring trails off, his gaze focusing finally. Unfortunately on my open mouth... and then slowly down the length of my body, every bloodied inch of it. From my dark purple tee under the corset to the lacy black knee-length skirt (and my now-unfortunately-shredded-by-the-window Converses) I can feel the damp sticky chill of the woman's blood as the breeze slowly dries it to my clothes.

With the shock of seeing Robert so unexpectedly, I almost forgot what just happened to me. My being gore-covered- with fangs!- would definitely NOT help a drunk guy not be afraid of vampires.

Speaking of... why am I not trying to eat him? At the mere mention of blood... I should be all over him. Maybe, because I finally drank blood that wasn't mine, I won't try to constantly eat everyone. Maybe the Blood Craze ended. Maybe. Hopefully.

"Rob, you're imagining this. None of this is real. Go home." He turns to comply (he's always so obedient when he's drunk.) Getting an idea, I pull him back by the collar. "Wait, wait right here. Don't move," turning back to the car for Lin, I brush noses with him. You sneaky thing, you.

"Oh, hi. Um... Can you by any chance take him home? I don't want him wandering around when there are you know around. You remember where he lives, right?"

He nods and helps me guide Rob to the car. Glad his human senses can't pick up the blood smell and stains on the shadowed passenger seat, I buckle him in. I click it in place and he leans forward, trying to kiss my cheek. He always does this, and yet it's still surprisingly annoying. Giving him a light slap for his naughtiness, I slam the door on him when he tries to follow me. and watch him wince at the loud noise.

Standing back from the car, I call out to Lin to drive safely. To which he replies with the ever-quoted "as you wish."

Trying not to swoon or think back to the moments before the Incident (as I'm now referring to when Henry bit me) I think of something for a present for Lin.

Thinking of where a convenience store is that's reasonably close by, I super run to it as soon as the car is gone from view, making it there in no time. I'm about to walk in the door when I see the blood covering me reflected in the glass door and think of how I'm trying not to draw attention to myself. Most of the blood seems to have soaked into my corset, so I unlace it and put it behind the pay phone next to the door.

Perusing the small freezer section I find what I was looking for, a pack of hotdogs.

Reaching the register I realize two things: I don't have my wallet and the cashier is Freddie, the guy that had a crush on me last year in Bio II. If he remembers me, this just might work.

He's turned from me, immersed in some science magazine, so I tap his shoulder. He jumps and turns to me with a scowl that almost instantly turns to a smile when he recognizes me. Oh good.

He takes in my appearance, his gaze lingering on my blood-soaked chest (little does he know) and I lean against the counter, my arms crossed under my boobs and the collar of my tee just barely gaping. Just as I thought, he's putty in my hands in no time at all. Adopting a somewhat soft voice, I lean in, my collar gaping just a tiny amount more. And does he notice! I saw this in a movie once, hopefully it works in real life.

Oh my gosh this is so ridiculously embarrassing!

"So, how have you been, Freddie? I hear you made honor roll again. Congrats." I don't actually know that, but he always used to, so it wouldn't surprise me if he still does. Men like it when they think you pay attention to their achievements; how many baskets or touchdowns they make in a game, or, in Freddie's case, his perfect grades.

Taking in his deep blush (an unfortunate thing that happens whenever he talks to girls, or when he's being talked to by girls) I know I have him and proceed to the next step.

I put the hotdogs on the counter and push them towards him, taking in his widening eyes as he probably thinks of a million dirty jokes. Ugh, I forgot how much of a pervert he is. One of the key reasons I never took his interest anywhere.

About to go in for the kill, l lean even closer, tilting my head down and to the side so it's like I'm demurely looking up at him through my lashes. "You see, I'd really lovvvve to get these, but I forgot my money in the car, and dad won't be back to get me for a half hour. I'm so hungry," I run a finger along one of the dogs and can practically feel him shudder. If anyone I knew ever saw me do this, I would be ashamed for life.

He's about to crack, I can feel it. "So what do you say, just this once? Be a bad boy for me?" I'm so pushing my flirtatious limits and If he was thinking about anything but the hotdogs and my boobs, he'd remember my dad's been dead for eight years.

As his inner turmoil of doing something wrong wars with wanting me, I lick my lips, trying to make them as inciting as possible as I look at him fully, letting my fangs show as I speak, "please? Oh, pleasy pleasy please?" My saliva slowly remoistens the almost dry blood on my lips and making it feel (and taste) like I just applied penny flavored lipgloss.

He stares at my mouth and I smile, showing off my fangs against my wet lips. Pushing the hotdogs over to me quickly, he leans in for a surprise kiss. I see it coming from a mile away and put my finger against his lips as I back up slowly, out of his reach. Grabbing the pack, I head towards the door, feeling his longing gaze as it traces my back and down my legs.

Smiling with satisfaction, I open the door to the cool night, collecting my corset and running back to where we met Robert. I'm never doing that again, who knew being a flirt took so much energy? All for a pack of hotdogs. Linden better like them or I swear...