The Fawx Bite

XIX.

Viola had been awake for quite sometime. She had come to some point in the middle of the conversation between Liane and Scarlet. She had kept her eyes closed, her ears open, and made sure that she didn't move or breathe. Which wasn't difficult due to the fact that she didn't need to do either. She had noticed as she lay there that there was a curious lightness to her head. Viola hadn't even noticed that there had been a weight.

Her heart beat only a few times in the hours that Scarlet restless floated around the bedroom. She had been surprised – after she had calmed down when she first re-awoke – to discover that her heart still could beat. Stoker had explained to her that it was an incredibly slow heartbeat, but there nonetheless to push the blood through the veins and to keep their brain active. It made sense in the end, but still when her heart did come alive, it was shocking. And because it was such a long time in between, she almost forgot about it each time.

Relief flooded through her when Scarlet bolted out of the room following the pounding on the front door. Once the bedroom door clicked shut she very carefully released a breath that was unnecessary for her lungs. She didn't really know where she was, but it was obviously a safe house of some sort. It didn't matter whether it was or not. Stoker had explained to her that the PAU, in the end, was none of their concern. They were simply using up resources provided for them. And then they would leave.

Viola hesitated at the idea of going back to Stoker. But she couldn't deny the fact that she had no idea what she was doing. She needed his knowledge. And maybe one day she would learn enough that she could venture on her own away from him. She curled her lips and yanked her arm up out of the wrist brace, snapping the leather. She nearly smiled. Did they really think that this would be able to hold her?

Just as she was about to rip the second binding, she heard footsteps begin to approach. Quickly, Viola tucked her wrist back under the leather strap and lay still once more. It was easy to play dead when you were quite literally already. The door opened, and someone new entered. Male, taller or heavier or both by the sound of his feet on the wood. He smelled of nighttime. Crisp wind that blew in from the ocean. He walked around the foot of her bed. Pausing, he lingered near the window. She caught another scent from him. A mixture of crushed soil and burnt wood. It was an odd contrast. But it was a straightforward hint that he was not human.

"You can stop with the act," his voice was like crunching gravel. And damn near startling in the silence. She refused to make any motion that she had heard him. Because she was supposed to be unconscious. He sighed heavily, "Seriously, a blow from a novice human to a vampire skull is not damaging in the least. I get your mind is like scrambled eggs, and she has an added bonus of extra power but again, vampire. Plus, newborns just have an unconscious breathing habit. And you haven't been breathing which means you are awake and controlling it."

"What? Have you been secretly watching me?" Viola didn't open her eyes or move, but her tone was layered in ice.

"Ah," the man chuckled. "That's how you two are related. Your heavy sarcasm."

"My relation to her is of no importance," Viola bit out.

"Bitter feelings? Odd, from the way Scarlet acts, you two are as thick as thieves." He sounded genuinely surprised.

"You're trying to get me to talk," Viola smiled slowly, "And it won't work."

"Much like your fangs won't work on me. And you're already talking" he pointed out. She hadn't been paying attention but as she listened, she realized why his voice had startled her. He didn't have a heartbeat.