Slayer [vampire+vampire hunter]

Slayer 6

"Good morning!" I called, ambling into the kitchen with a yawn.

Xavier was at the stove, accompanied by the sound of something sizzling loudly. A carton of eggs was open beside him, and when he turned to smile at me, I noticed egg shells in the hand that wasn't holding the spatula. "Omelets," he said, flipping the one in the pan without looking at it.

"Show off," I said playfully, accepting the plate when he'd slid a fresh omelet, ham and cheese, onto it.

He shrugged. "Just using my resources. Not my fault I can do it."

I laughed and dug in. He finished making the second, already familiar with how much I ate for each meal, and placed it next to me before extinguishing the range coils and taking a seat in front of me as I ate. I swallowed my current bite and looked up at him. "No visitors today?" It was already mid-morning and no one had come yet.

"No news, I expect. I think Ser's coming around noon, though, so it's not like we're completely alone all day."

Darn, I thought, but I was careful not to let it show on my face. After our talk yesterday, it felt as if we'd torn down one of the barriers between us, and I couldn't believe how happy about that I was. It was illogical, unreasonable, and irrational. But that was okay. Just to be safe, I bent my head down to devour some more food.

Unexpectedly, I felt his cool fingers under my chin, and I gulped as he lifted my face to see it properly. He was smiling again, but this time the emotion behind it was unreadable. "You wanted to be alone with me, didn't you?"

I bit my lip, scared that if I opened my mouth, I'd blurt everything out. I had wanted to be with him.

Just as quickly as he had reached forward, he pulled back, laughing almost bitterly. "Of course not, of course not," he said, shaking his head and standing. "I have some business today, so I'll be busy until Ser comes."

When he walked away, I pushed the plate with the sparse remains of my second omelet on it away. I'd lost my appetite. Why had he done that? Was he trying to confuse me? With a sigh, I covered the food with clear wrap before placing it into the fridge; I could eat it later if I got hungry.

~*~

I pressed the door closed with a gasp, leaning my back against it. I had gotten much too close to spilling everything on my mind to her. Those mesmerizing, dark eyes would definitely be my undoing. Captivating enough to contest Carmen-who I was finally beginning to understand, her Charimaec nature!-I was endangering everything we had whenever I looked into Alexis's eyes. So riveting, engrossing-enough to make me want to lose myself into the depth of her eyes. That rich umber, flecked with gold...Aaaugh!

I had to be more careful, much more careful, if I could allow myself to be with her. Avoiding eye contact, however, would not be effortless, or even simple, for me. Her eyes were my best passage to understanding her because it was the most straightforward, easiest path to understanding her emotions. To take that away would make everything so much harder.

I'd just have to tread the fine line between harmony and disaster carefully...

~*~

I heard Seraph enter Xavier's bedroom, which was across the hall from mine, and exhaled heavily. How had it gotten from me pushing Xavier away to him pushing me away? I didn't know how he felt about me, but if he returned my feelings, I could sympathize. The close proximity of our faces, maybe even breathing the same air...! The very thought made me dizzy-with joy? Or was it fear? I couldn't decide, couldn't distinguish the emotion that roiled inside my chest.

I closed my eyes, leaning against the pillows of my bed, trying to relax. It would be okay between us. We were still okay. Just a spot of awkwardness...it was all right...

"WHAT!?"

I literally jumped at the explosion of Xavier's voice, raw with shock and anger. Seraph's followed, trying to pacify his lord, but his low tone was too agitated and fast to calm. I wanted to go to Xavier, try to placate him, but that probably wouldn't be so smart. I hesitated, lingering between going and staying. If I did, what would happen? If I didn't, I'd be safe, but I wanted to be with him...

I got up to go see him, giving in. I couldn't really stay away from him, especially when he was only a few feet away. Right before I was about to open the door, it flew open, and before I could react, I felt someone's arms tightening around me protectively. "I won't let them take you away from me," a voice hissed near my right ear.

"Xavier?" I asked, trying not to panic, as I wound my arms around his body. "What's wrong?"

He trembled underneath my fingertips. "They're trying to find you. The other slayers. I won't let them! I won't let them lay a finger on you!"

"It's okay, Xavier, it's okay!" I claimed recklessly. "They won't get me. I'll stay with you, I won't leave, I swear."

"Princess," he moaned.

"Don't be afraid, Xavier, it's fine. You're strong. You can keep them away."

"My Lord, I assure you we will do everything we can to prevent them from finding Alexis," I heard Seraph say from the doorway, but Xavier refused to be comforted.

"I won't let them," he muttered again and again. "I won't lose you."

"I won't leave you, it's all right, Xavier," I murmured back. I wanted to cry at the idea of leaving him. I hadn't realized how quickly it'd taken him to mean so much to me. He'd provided so much for me, maybe even an ersatz family. I was happy with him, and I didn't want our time together to end.

He pulled away to look me directly in the eye. "I'll protect you-us. We won't be separated, Alexis. I-" He abruptly stopped talking.

"I know," I whispered. "I believe in you."

He pulled me close again, cradling my head against his chest, and I bit my lip against the tears. What if this was the beginning of the end? What if he couldn't save us? What if we did get split apart?

I scolded myself internally. I had to believe in him, believe he would keep us together. And I would help. Maybe together, it'd be enough to deal with anything that tried to pull us apart.

Something suddenly occurred to me. "How did you know they were after me?" I asked.

Seraph answered from the doorway, "One of the lookouts glimpsed the slayers searching the city. One of them carried a sword that looked just like Laktnoz."

I felt my mouth drop in an 'o' of surprise, going rigid as things began to come together in my mind. That sword was Laktnoz's counterpart, Sertnoz, and there was only one person who wielded it.

The prince and heir of the second strongest slayer line, Solomon-Cailler. He was only eighteen, but he was almost just as good as me, and his record was just as impressive.

If they had Cai out searching for me, things were bad. Very bad.