Prey

Chapter 13

Doe's POV:

I paced my way aimlessly around this room, the back of my brain counting down the seconds until Layla was supposed to be here.

I'd love to just sit down on the couch and actually relax during this time, but Layla has constant access to this room, and the one time she walked in on me while I was sitting on the couch was one of the most painful experiences with her I could remember.

That and Xander got an earful from her about 'training his pets'.

He never did anything about it.

Back then I thought it would have been the first thing he'd ever scold me about, but he didn't even say a word.

Not even a warning glance.

I think he knew that I understood where he stood in accordance with that.

That when we were in here, I didn't have any limits as to what I could and couldn't do.

That just for my own sake, I should do as she prefers whenever she arrives.

And now he at least warns me whenever she's about to come by so I can prepare accordingly.

Which was why even though he didn't care what I did, I set my own limitations around what I could do.

I just kept it within basic common sense.

Directly, he's never hurt me. Never punished me, never even yelled at me, and that's exactly how I wanted to keep it.

Through the almost two years he's had me I think I've figured most of it out, but it doesn't seem like I've ever come close to making him mad.

I couldn't even imagine him like that.

It didn't fit him.

We've argued and bickered countless times, I've yelled at him and called him on all the recent stupidity he's taken part in.

Something I knew no other vampire I've seen would even come close to allowing.

I'd like to think it's because he feels guilty about what he puts me through, but maybe that's just wishful thinking.

If he really felt guilty then he should put an end to this.

I felt my chest tighten at the miraculous thought of that happening.

Even if he'd let me get away with it, I didn't want to make his life a living hell.

He was doing that himself already.

Deep down I'm sure that he knew it, but whether or not he's accepted it is a different story.

I paused my pointless walking, my hands fidgeting with each other near my chest.

closing my eyes for a second, I focused on calming my breathing.

My heart wasn't usually pounding this hard at this point.

Looking down I debated just sitting on the floor for a minute.

That thought quickly became a 'no.'

I didn't like being stationary whenever she walked in.

It made it too easy for her.

And it made me feel like I was surrendering to a fight I already knew I was going to lose.

Losing or not, there was no way I was going to allow myself to be a sitting duck for her.

Either way, I knew the predator always got what she came here for.