CHAPTER FIFTEEN:
a few good men

  The warmth that radiated off of Samuel's skin when he opened his eyes made him feel a sense of peace. He blinked as he shifted his weight towards his side, he ignored the ache in his hand. He heard the breeze of the wind outside as he let out soft breaths, for once his morning wasn't interrupted by the loudness of Elena nor Jeremy. Silence, the one thing he enjoyed the most out of everything else inside this house.

The bickering and the conversations were always going on around here, and he'd be woken up from the loudness of the voices in the hallway. He hummed softly as fingers ran along the top of his head, he could feel his hair being pushed weakly downward.

He imagined the wreck it looked as he pushed his face forward into the touch. The fingers were freezing as they grasped his cheek softly, he didn't mind the coldness that ran along his skin. The sun would for the most part keep him from freezing completely and he could just lay in this position for another hour.

His hand twitched beneath him before he let it rest alongside the sheets. He could feel the pain of the muscles tensing as he let it weakly shift forward. Almost as by muscle memory, his hand relaxed and the dull ache faded away into bliss.

He didn't have to open his eyes to feel the warmth of her breath hitting his lips. He moved forward with no hesitation as he let his hands grip her waist, he felt her move beneath his hold. He could picture the smile that coated her lips as he tugged her forward.

She was so cautious for someone who's experienced plenty of exchanges like this once before. She's held decades of romantic gestures from gentlemen and women alike. Yet her dead heart has never raced like this with anyone else but Samuel.

The way he held himself was almost fragile, each touch and movement was calculated and he handled her with such care. It wasn't like she'd break, she was an original vampire who's dealt with far worse.

She felt starved as she kissed him with such a force she could feel his muscles tense. He gritted his teeth as he let his thumb slide across her cheek as he inhaled sharply. His fingers dug into her hip as he pulled her forward so she was pressed against him.

Her fingers ran along his hair as the kiss turned more intense. He slid his hand along her side making her shirt rise with such force as he let out heavy breaths. She let out a soft sigh when he pressed his lips against her throat and kissed the skin with such care.

She held onto him so tightly she could've sworn she heard him whimper at the accidental strength she used. She had forgotten he was human sometimes and that he could break so easily if handled wrong. She held the strength of a thousand men and if she even lost control once, she'd hurt him.

Sometimes he enjoyed the pain, she could sense it with the way he would grasp her desperately. He ended his trial of kisses along her throat and sighed in annoyance at the sound of doors opening in the hallway. He looked like an annoyed puppy as he pushed his face against Rebekah's neck as he wrapped his arm around her protectively.

"Someone's grumpy now" she whispered as she ran her hands through his hair. He groaned as he lifted his head up so he could look at her "I thought for once I'd enjoy a morning with no interruptions from my family. They're secretly plotting my demise at this rate if they keep ruining my mornings".

Rebekah looked towards the doorway "well you've got company heading this way as we speak". Samuel nearly tripped as he tumbled off the bed towards the doorway, his foot smacking the door making him curse beneath his breath as he pulled it open.

Elena, who was just about to knock, stopped when the door opened just enough so she could see Samuels face. The boy looked at her as he pushed his head through the door slightly "Elena, you know there's this device called a cell phone, in which you can use to message me anything. If you're here to speak of course, I'll take a message for later".

Elena tried to look in the room but Samuel blocked the door "is someone in there or something? I could've sworn I heard you talking to someone". Samuel huffed "it was the ghosts in my walls if you're dying to know my business. So what exactly did you need? Or were you just being nosy".

Elena looked at her brother with an annoyed expression "ghosts in the walls? What are you like ten or something? You totally got that from some movie you used to scare me with. I don't really care if you have anyone in there, I just came to tell you I'm going somewhere that could help me find out about my birth Mother. Apparently she had a best friend and she doesn't live that far from here".

Samuel scratched his head slightly "I could go with you, in case it's someone plotting murder against you. I mean it's like being drawn towards you at this rate. Besides, why are you trying to find out about your birth mother? Isn't she like dead".

He saw the way Elena's eyebrow twitched and he couldn't help but force a smile as she pushed her hand on her hip and glared at him. "Wouldn't you wanna know about your birth mother if you were adopted? Besides I thought you didn't care what I did, you said it numerous times, I can handle myself".

The boy wanted to smack himself so he could leave this conversation but he took the ladder. "Look, that was an expression of speech! You don't take it literal, we all know you can't handle yourself in a dangerous situation, at least if it's unexpected. I mean you literally face planted in cheerleading once, broke your tooth remember? What I'm saying is, "don't break your tooth, be aware of your surroundings".

He pushed the door slightly closed "oh and at least this time you sorta knocked, don't get kidnapped or mauled by a rabid animal!". He pushed the door shut and he could hear Elena's confusion even through the door before he heard her walk off down the hallway.

He leaned into the door for a moment as he listened to the silence of the room. It was peaceful, Rebekah laid on the bed watching him so closely he was sure she could secretly see him fighting his own feelings.

He didn't care about Elena, it said it a lot and yet why was he worried about her sudden departure to meet someone he doesn't even know. Her birth mother was a red flag and he was the only one seeing it, Elena was gonna get herself killed if she wasn't careful.

Samuel rubbed at his eyes to rid them of the sleep before he walked towards his bed and laid back down. He let out a soft sigh as Rebekah pushed his hair behind his ear "it's kinda sweet that you're worried about your sister. I wish my siblings remotely showed some concern for my well being. Half the time they're daggered inside coffins while I hide".

Samuel looked up at Rebekah "it's a lot more complicated for you though, given you've had years with your family. You've all grown to either hate one another or somewhat tolerate each other".

Rebekah smiled sadly "we cared for each other once, but time can make even the closest of family's drift apart. I spent a good few years alone, watching my own shadow because I was afraid. I'd end up back inside a box. I'm still waiting for the day I'm found".

Samuel shrugged slightly "you're pretty good at staying hidden, plus if you stay here it's not like anyone can get inside unless they're invited in". Rebekah looked so lost in her own mind "that's the part that frightens me, you're just as involved in my hiding. Which means you'll be killed by my brother if he even knew about your presence".

Samuel didn't even look uneasy or scared by the girl's words as he leaned back on his bed. "Well I'm good at being clueless and staying quiet when people start asking questions they shouldn't. When the time comes, I'll be prepared. You've told me everything about your family and how they act, so I can at least be somewhat prepared if they come looking for you".

He kissed her gently before he let himself move back "there's plenty of time before things take a turn for the worse around here. I mean what's the worst that could happen? We're completely safe here".

—
authors notes:
yes you can gasp. I actually updated something for once! I've been so obsessed with my apply fics I haven't even remotely focused on anything else when it came to writing. This chapter is a filler so I figured why not just update this book for once. I'm kinda missing my obsession with writing for Samuel. He was the og Corey Becker, the one oc I could literally never stop writing for and I had so many drafts of his oc in other books. But then Corey was created and Samuel was forgotten and his drafts were nonexistent and Corey took all the dedication and time I held for writing. My baby Sam deserves some love too hence why I'm updating this story after months. Anyways this is long and it's nearly 8AM, byeeeeee!