Refuge (Vampire!Levi x F!Reader)

Chapter 4

Mr Smith carefully placed the cups, atop their saucers, on a glass tray. He placed two silver teaspoons in the middle of the tray and set down a little pot of sugar cubes. Picking up the tray, he sent you a small smile before indicating at you with his head to head upstairs.

You entered the library and your eyes scanned the room before you moved out of the way so that Mr Smith could enter. The man had disappeared from sight. Mr Smith placed the tray down on the desk and lit a few candles so that you could see better. While he did all this, you sat in the grand red armchair that was placed in the far right corner of the room, next to the desk.

He gently clapped his hands together before making his way back over to the door. Bidding you a goodnight, he left. You heard him yawn as he left the room.

Mr Smith had been around since before you were born and he had only taken a handful of days off. He worked hard and always put your family before himself. The old butler also held a soft spot for you. Despite his hard features and stern looks, he always smiled at you and made you tea when you couldn't sleep.

Standing up, you made your way over to the desk, where you sat in your father's chair. This was your father's desk. The drawers were filled with important documents so most of them were locked, just in case there was a robbery. While your family had old ties and had old money, your father proceeded to work just to make more. He knew full well that he could live his life off the old stores of money and could still leave plenty of it to you however, he had once told you that if he sat around all day and did nothing, then he would get bored. You understood where he was coming from.

You pulled one of the cups closer towards you and you dropped two sugar lumps in it before stirring the brew with a spoon. You took a sip and then placed the cup down in its saucer.

"What's that?"

You jumped at the sudden question - you were thankful that you put the hot drink down. You sighed and turned to the man with a glare even though you were still scared of him. "What are you still doing here? It's safe now."

The man hopped down off from atop a bookshelf. He stood next to you and gazed down at the cup of tea. "Smells...nice." He lifted his head and looked out the window, "the people will be scouring all around trying to find me. I'll leave tomorrow night."

"Night?" You whispered harshly, "why can't you leave in the day?"

He hesitated before answering, "...reasons. Besides, it's easier to slip away at night."

You continued to look at him until he returned your gaze, then you looked down at the carpeted floor. Working up some courage inside you, you asked the question that had been burning away inside you. "Did you kill anyone?"

He was silent.

That was until he said, "self-preservation."

"So," you started slowly, "they attacked you first?"

His response was slow, "yes."

He looked away and his eyes settled back on the cup of tea. His eyes flicked back to you, an unspoken question; could he drink the tea?

"Tell me who you are first," you demanded, even though your voice was wavering.

"I'm Levi Ackerman," he said.

"And what are you doing in the town if you're a prince?"

"I was travelling," he replied, "and I just happened to get caught up in everything." He grabbed the cup by the handle and raised it to his lips. Just as he was about to take a sip, the handle cracked and the cup plummeted to the floor.

You watched as the cup fell, but he managed to catch it. Some tea had spilled over the edge, staining the carpet. You cringed, knowing that you would have to ask Eve, the maid, to clean the carpet the next morning.

Levi placed the cup back on the tray, muttering to himself about how that was disappointing.

You didn't know how he had managed to catch the cup so quickly. Either he had lightning fast reactions, or there was something else about him.

You gulped as he cleaned up his hands. "How can I trust you? How do I know you won't kill my family?"

He stopped suddenly and his steely grey eyes flicked to you. "I promise."

Promises were good, right? You weren't meant to break a promise. Would he stick to it? His aura confused, but intrigued you. He was mysterious, and if he was a killer then surely he would have acted by now? There was an opportunity to make a move when you had to go and confront the crowd. He didn't take it so...

"Okay," you said, sighing lightly. "You can stay here, but only here. In this library."

He gave you a curt nod.

"And if my father comes in then you hide like you did when Mr Smith came in. I'll be in here tomorrow so that you don't do anything. Okay?"

He nodded once more.

You took a deep breath and held out your hand. "Lady Y/N," you introduced yourself.

Levi stared at your small hand before taking it with a firm grip. His hands were rough against your soft ones and it made you confused. Surely a prince wouldn't need to do any work to gain such rough skin?

He let go and carefully picked the cup of tea back up, this time holding it by the top so that he had a secure grip on it. He seemed to enjoy the taste as he took a long sip. He put it back down and wiped his mouth.

"I'll have to get some of that when I return home," he stated.

"Where is your home?" You asked, curious as to how you haven't seen him before.

"A far away castle," he said, "there's a lot of people there and honestly, they're too loud sometimes."

"So you left the castle for some quiet?"

"I guess you could say that," he responded.