Slayer [vampire+vampire hunter]

Slayer 22

I rested my head languidly against his chest, absently tracing the carved muscles of his body. He shuddered occasionally, kissed me often.

We'd slept in the same bed-without doing anything else but sleep!-ever since the first time. It had given both Ser and Zian a huge shock to see us lying together in the same bed, but we'd hurried to assure them nothing was happening. Ser seemed to believe it, but Zian was not so convinced. He developed a fondness for double entendres and innuendos in our presence, something that both embarrassed and irritated Xavier and me. In turn, I'd acquired a habit of hitting Zian on the back of the head, usually blushing furiously, which seemed to amuse him endlessly.

But despite Zian's suggestive comments and the shadow of Cailler's visit, I was happy, as I almost always was in Xavier's company. We were careful to stick to long, slow kisses, always shallow, in fear of ruining his tentative self-control. I could understand how he was struggling, because I returned his feelings of desire just as strongly, but I had a sense that if I didn't fulfill my goal, it would be empty and inadequate. Everything had to be perfect for this finishing touch, and so we waited.

And so, life seemed to return to its former state, the days retrogressing back into their former, comfortable cycle. I practiced fighting with Xavier daily, both of us winning and losing at times. It made me more confident against whatever waited in the future that I was about as equal in skill to Xavier...even if he was giving me a handicap. He refrained from using his most powerful weapon-his mind-and he was lessening his strength (but gradually, letting me build up my speed). Once he used his full potential, I was easily beat, but no other vampire was as strong as him.

Interestingly enough, I discovered Zian had the power to influence others' minds, almost hypnotic. Vampires were more immune than humans, but I had fought off Xavier before, which made Zian undemanding, something that had taken his ego down a notch or two. However, it had been very cool to see him make one of the human servants to start doing ballerina twirls and pirouettes, mostly because the servant in question was not in good physical shape. I laughed so hard my side was spiking with cramp-like pain.

~*~

I stared morosely out my window, observing the dramatic landscape, unimpressed by the New York skyline. I barely even saw the world outside my window, sucked too deeply into the twisted black hole of my mind.

I couldn't turn Alexis in and reveal her secret to all the slayers, of course. That would be the one thing to push her away for certain, and then everything between us would never be okay. I had to pretend she was still captured by that vampire, held against her will... I could do it, though. For her, even if the truth was so outrageously differing.

But what could I do to win her heart back? There was no answer, no matter how desperately I searched. She seemed completely and irrevocably in love with the vampire. I could tell by the look in her eyes, even deeper than my own and what I felt for her. She had fallen, and fallen hard.

The sick, yet amazing thing was...the vampire felt the same way. He absolutely adored her. It made no sense-I'd forever thought vampires were stone hard and cold and impassive and untouchable. Yet, with that vampire, he was the opposite. He was warm and loving to her. His fingers were so impossibly gentle, and the way he held her was like he held the whole world in his hands, the way I longed to hold her. If he weren't a vampire, I might've given up on her, seeing the level of his love.

But he was a vampire, and I was the best for her to marry. We could do powerful, astonishing things together... Of course, Lex had to fall in love with the wrong person from the wrong species. Our enemies! I wanted to break something violently, and reached for Sertnoz, intending to go to practice.

"Cailler?" someone called from the doorway.

I turned expectantly, slightly irritated, mostly immersed in my thoughts. "What is it?" I said shortly, trying not to scowl at whoever the poor person was.

The silhouette in the darkened doorway was clearly feminine, curved, and for a second Cailler believed Alexis had come to him. But the person stepped forward, casting her face with the dim light of the lamp, and I recognized who it was. "Is this...a bad time?"

I sighed and sat back down. "No, it's fine, Katrice."

She took a seat a safe distance away, not too far and not too close, and we just stared at each other for a moment. Things were slightly awkward between us because her mother was desperate for her daughter to become powerful, and my bloodline was a fast way to accomplish that. She was pretty, I supposed, with flowing black hair that curled around her shoulders and bright hazel eyes framed with thick lashes, but she had nothing on Alexis, even if she was built slightly the same way. She was a slayer as well, but one of the weaker ones despite her mother's frantic pushing, forcing her to train almost constantly.

She studied me as I resumed my staring outside; I could feel the strength of her gaze on my face like a physical force. "What are you thinking about?" she asked.

"Alexis," I said, the word rising to my lips without any particular thought. I bit my tongue, internally scolding myself to speaking without thinking.

Katrice stood and moved closer to my side. "What about Alexis?"

"I have to save her," I whispered.

~*~

"I have to save her," Cailler said, looking away from me. His voice was quiet and rough, low enough to send tingles across my back, but it was the passionate emotion in his words that impacting me the most. I rubbed my hand soothingly on his shoulder, trying to comfort him the best I could, knowing all the words I had were useless.

Despite how much I dislike my mother's insistence that I try to get together with Cailler, I would've liked him anyways. I was almost grateful for my mother and her pestering influence, giving me a way, no matter how annoying, to have an excuse to speak with him. Recently, though, he was pulling away, and I knew he missed Alexis a lot. I hoped he didn't like her... She was much more superior than me in so many ways, as a slayer especially. No matter how I tried, I could never be as good. It was a natural talent that ran along her family's bloodline, similar to Cailler's, something I just didn't have.

"Cailler, I'm-" I began in an effort to say words of hope, reassurance.

"Shut up," he growled, before he kissed me, desperately, as if he was frantic to push thoughts of her out of his mind. I clung to him and kissed him back, just as passionately, yearning for this moment to never end.

But he pushed me away, eyes full of horror. "Oh, fuck."

~*~

What the hell did I just do?

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thoughts on cailler? :D

hes a bad, bad boyy >:O

dont forget to vote @_______@