Refuge (Vampire!Levi x F!Reader)

Chapter 1

--cover credits to CorporalGalaxy on Wattpad--

It was a clear and quiet night. Except from the odd person down below, carrying boxes of produce ready to sell the next morning, or from a servant moving a single horse ready for the journey of a noble the next day, the streets were deserted.

The air was heavy, sitting still in suspense, as if waiting for something to happen.

Candles burned in their lanterns, shedding little light to the cobbled streets below. The sky was clear, allowing room for the stars and moon to shine through. The moonlight, added with the light from the lanterns, glinted across the water residue left over from a shower that occurred earlier that day.

A puddle splashed as a figure glided through the dark, stepping into the puddle as they walked. They tilted their head down to inspect the water damage to their sleek, black suit. The water had only dampened the very end of the leg, but the figure still tutted at their foolishness. They would get someone to clean the suit when they arrived, not only because of the water, it was also covered in some other stains.

They stopped for a split second, as if observing something. When they started walking again, they had quickened their pace.

They were in a hurry, eager to get away from something. The workers on the street watched the figure as they walked past them. In their ragged, old clothes that had seen better days, they weren't used to seeing such a well-dressed person roaming the streets at night. It was only on rare occasions, after some ball, when they would see nobles wander the streets at night - but there had been no ball, and the figure certainly wasn't drunk, they were in perfect control of their body.

That led them to wonder to themselves, 'who was this person?'

One worker dropped off his box of produce, stacking it on top of the others that were outside the market. He kept his  eyes trained on the figure as he pulled another crate off the wagon. He turned with the crate in his arms to continue his job, but stopped when he heard something.

It was quiet at first, like a little mumble, or a fly buzzing. He titled his head sideways, as if it would help him hear better. It didn't help at all. He shuffled forward a few more steps, his old shoes scraping on the cobbled street. It was only when he put the crate down when the noise was recognisable.

It sounded like the chorus of voices. All together and angry.

He turned around, away from where the noise was coming from, to look at the figure. The figure had disappeared.

The figure had made their way into the built-up area of the town. The streets were relatively clean, which pleased them immensely. The figure continued to walk through the town, until they left it.

It seemed like they were safe, but the figure knew better. If an angry crowd wanted someone, then they would get that someone.

"There! There, I see im'," a young Victorian lady screeched at the top of her lungs.

The figure rubbed their ears as the woman's shrill voice sounded like someone was scraping their fingernails down a chalkboard. Moving their head to look behind them, the figure saw the crowd of people. They carried torches and some even carried daggers.

The figure had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. It didn't matter if they did it...which they did. The only thing that mattered was that they got caught.

They cursed harshly under their breath and continued down the road, faster this time.

The stomping of feet on cobbled stone reached their ears; the people were running. They would match them, the figure started to run too.

Soon, the cobbled path had ended and they were now running along a dirt path that cut into the dense woods. The figure kept running at a normal pace, but soon realised that they weren't going to lose the giant crowd.

They took off into a sprint as fast as lightning, leaving the crowd to grind to a halt. It seemed as if they had just vanished, when in fact they could run as fast as anyone on the planet.

The figure slowed as a house came into view. It wasn't like the houses that they saw in the built-up area of the town, this house was a grand old house. A mansion in fact. No light seeped through cracks in the curtains, so the figure deemed it safe to enter.

The figure could smell horses around, but couldn't see them, so there was no fear of being caught yet again.

They glanced up and down the house, searching for an entry point. Their eyes locked onto an open door on the third floor. It was a glass door, inspired by the French. Thin, mesh curtains acted as a barrier between the door and the room.

They jumped up to the balcony where the doors were situated. The balcony was a small, but pleasant one. Small potted plants sat on the balcony, along with a small stone bench.

They pulled the glass door back and parted the curtains with their slim fingers. In the moonlight, they saw small splatters of blood on their hand. Pulling their hand back and letting the curtains fall back into place, they quickly licked off the metallic substance before parting the curtains once more.

Refuge.

It was a safe place until it was okay to leave.