Tainted Love

Chapter 5

Reynold's POV

The air in my lungs ceased to exist. After four hundred years, I was looking into Rose's eyes, which she had strategically placed colored contacts. Throughout history we've had our encounters, yes, but never to the extent that I could actually see her. But this was Rose alright. Her short brown hair was now past her shoulders, bringing out their subtle wave. Even her face's soft features had barely changed.

It was like I was falling in love with her all over again, despite the fact that her beautiful eyes wanted to murder me.

I rubbed the bridge of my nose, "We can talk here, Rose," I said, trying to hide my annoyance. She surprisingly said nothing, looking down at the table. I sighed. "There's no cameras and the walls are soundproof. No one knows what's going on in here."

With that, a chair came flying at my face, which was actually difficult to dodge. Not a shocker, the iron color still around her neck had only weakened her powers, but had failed to take them away. Oh, the benefits of being the most powerful vampires in existence.

"What the hell was that for?!" I yelled.

"What do you think?!" She screamed back. I almost laughed. Being vampires came with a price - an evil deep inside of you makes you a monster. Ironically, we were both furious at each other because of it.

Rose ran her figures through her hair and started to count to ten. I was shocked to find we had the same calming method - I was practically mimicking her.

"Your lucky your even alive still. You wouldn't be if I hadn't walked in here," I claimed. She laughed sarcastically. "Me?! I would've been completely fine. The only one you should be worrying about is your blind follower."

"Your eye twitched. You used to always do that when you were lying," I said, sneering. "I'll take a thank you now."

She glared at me. "Go to hell, Reynold."

"Already there, so are you."

Silence fell between us. Rose's knuckle was even paler than her white skin. Though I didn't intend to, my teeth were grinding together. I comforting to know that, after so long, neither of us could forgive the other.

"Why haven't you killed me yet?" she asked, crossing her arms. It wasn't an innocent question. She was daring me to follow through.

"Because I know if I try, you'll take the knife out of my right coat pocket and stab me in the heart, even if my gun is much easier to grab," I replied. The pat the gun resting in its holster in my side, barely concealed by my jacket.

She shrugged, holding herself back from smiling. "I wouldn't do that because that's predictable. You would use the knife on me before I could get close enough. I would say either throw if somewhere I couldn't easily catch, such as my leg, or straight for my head, which I would be forced to dodge, giving you a split second to use your other knife up your left sleeve to slit my throat."

I smirked, but didn't smile. She knew how I fought too well. However, I've changed my fight techniques over the years, way after the last time I encountered her. She shouldn't know how I fight. Her fighting techniques have remained consistent, indicated by her preference to continue using knives. She wouldn't have known what I would do unless she had studied my fighting.

"So you've got people here?" I asked. It wasn't much of a question, more of a statement.

"What do you mean?" she scoffed. 

"Followers," I said. "Giving you inside information." My quick interpretation upset her, and she didn't hide it.

"And that is exactly the reason I stayed away from here," she snapped, pointing at me. "This 'place' shouldn't even exist, vampires shouldn't exist, and you think I'd have 'followers'!" She half laughed, then stopped. After a moment, she sneered. "I know how you fight because the Hunters fight just like you, not because I have connections that can do the work for me."

Of course she would be too stubborn to form alliances with other vampires. I should have known. There was no way in hell the number one enemy of vampires would team up with other vampires.

"You've gotten foolish over the years," she added.

"That's enough," I growled. She didn't know how hard I had work to create this place. The Vampire Domain didn't just appear out of thin air then remain peaceful for the rest of its existence. There have been rebellions, exposures of our existence, and famines. Through all of this, the Vampire Domain has remained intact. No fool would be able to do that.

She stepped towards me. "It will never be enough for you," she hissed.

She disappeared from thin air, but I was quick to react. She appeared right behind me, reaching for my gun. Silly little Rose. I grabbed her arm and flipped her over my shoulders. Before she could recover, I had her handcuffed to the table once again. This time, with two pairs of handcuffs.

"The power-draining collars may not fully work, but they do weaken you. I made sure they would do that," I explained. I felt power rushing through me. She was weak, and I was much stronger. To think should would be able to kill me so easily, in my territory, made here the fool of the two of us.

She glared at me, but said nothing. If she wasn't going to talk, I would make her. I slammed my hands on the table, practically shaking the entire room. She didn't even flinch. Her words pierced through me as she looked me dead in the eyes. "Just. Kill. Me."

I stared at her eyes. The ones that use to possess so much light and hope for the world. That light was gone, replaced with an empty void of nothing but rage. I wasn't staring at the same woman I once knew. But deep down, she was there. The little quirks she's had her entire life remained. The eye twitch, for example. For some reason, it gave me hope. Hope for what I wasn't sure.

"Why is this so difficult for you?" She said, shaking her head. She wanted all of this suffering to be over, else she would have found a way to escape the handcuffs by now. I wish I could I agree with her. But death wasn't an option anymore, though I thought it always was. Killing her wasn't an option anymore. My life pursuit of hunting her down in the name of revenge was no longer existent. I looked down. "You know why, Rose."