Incompatible Means (Completed)

Chapter 7

As we walked away from the scene I could feel Marko glaring daggers into my back. I wasn't sure what caused his animosity, but I was sure he didn't like me. Not that it mattered really. Thankfully the walk back to my car was uneventful. Which gave me time to think, I was feeling a mixture of impatience, confusion and a little bit of desperation. Nothing was going as it was supposed to and if Roderick hadn't felt some sort of obligation to see me home safely I would have lost my chance all together. I couldn't rely on having another chance at finishing this job, it had to end tonight. But there was a knot in my stomach at the thought, waning confidence or perhaps something else, something I wasn't willing to look inspect.

Once back at my car, Roderick held open the passenger door for me as I gathered myself up into the seat. When he entered the car his suit jacket was off and his white button-up shirt was rolled at the sleeves. When he just sat there and I became paranoid, shifting in my seat.

"May I have the keys?" he asked. He was speaking extra calm and moving slowly as if not to scare a frightened child.

Idiot.

I reprimanded myself silently as I dropped the keys into his open palm. I really needed to get my shit together. I couldn't understand why I was so off my game, it was a bad night to be off in any way.

Soon enough we were on the road and I told him roundabout directions to my apartment. It seemed that neither one of us quite knew the appropriate small talk for a situation after a mugging/power struggle. I soon became aware of our closeness while riding in the car even though it wasn't a small car I still felt a certain intimacy sitting in the enclosed space with him. Almost like I was breathing in his exhaled breath and sensing the heat from his body warm my side. His scent of sandalwood and something that reminded me of clean sheets permeated the air, the sultry scent caused heat to rush up my neck, so I cracked a window trying to expel him and replace my senses with fresh, cool air. Becoming restless I placed my arm on the center console between us and came into contact with Roderick's now exposed forearm. An encompassing warmth coursed through my body raising the hair on my arms and the back of my neck. It made my skin feel extremely sensitive so that the air blowing from the vents of the car was like light finger caresses over my skin.

Unceremoniously, I jerked my arm away not able to hold back my look of shock, I'd never felt something like that when touching a vampire. It had to be unique to Roderick or part of his vampire powers. But when I looked up at his face I saw the same surprise mirrored in his features. It was hard to read all the emotions on his face, but I was pretty sure curiosity and desire was mixed with his surprise. I quickly averted my eyes trying to forget the exchange completely.

"You are an interesting woman," Roderick said breaking the tense silence. The statement held something I couldn't identify, however, it sounded poignant in the small space.

"What would make you say that?" I asked not knowing how he would come to that conclusion with such insignificant information about me.

"Everything about you I find to be unexpected," he said with a small smile. "You have reacted the exact opposite to what I would have predicted in almost every situation." After a pause he looked at me, his smile widening, "I would have never expected you to walk into that bar and definitely not to stay once you saw the place."

A small laugh escaped me in a very unladylike burst. If only he knew that I frequented much worse places while on the hunt, but never having to convince people I was something I wasn't. Like innocent or naïve. "That bar couldn't be that bad." I retorted. "After all you were there." That made him chuckle softly.