Chapter 23

            ‘Faye, what is it?’ Avery said.

            I opened my eyes. The man no longer said a word to Luca and I couldn’t tell if he had killed him or run out of wherever he was. In either case, I had to find him before he got himself stuck again. ‘It’s Luca.’ And I swiftly told them what I had heard. ‘Does ‘Varten’ mean anything to you?’ I asked, not mentioned the name until now.

            ‘No.’

            ‘Yes,’ Coren hissed. ‘Oh, this isn’t good. I thought he went abroad. Now I guess he just went underground. Long enough to keep us all thinking we were safe.’

            ‘Who is he?’ I asked, not liking his worried tones.

            ‘He’s a very successful slayer. He started out hunting vampires and when it got out that we were directly associated wolves, he came after us too. There hasn’t been many times where he’s not gotten his target.’ Coren now gritted his teeth and stood on all four paws. His mane stood on end and I even took a few steps back from him.

            ‘This isn’t good. Now Luca knows who he’s after, he’ll have a better head start than us,’ I said out loud.

            ‘I thought you weren’t going after him?’ Avery asked, referring back to my previous train of thought.

            Looking him in the eyes, I pressed my lips together until I could answer him. ‘I wasn’t but now I know what he’s up to, we have something to follow.’

            ‘We?’

            ‘Well I don’t expect you two to just lounge around while your best friend is out there tracking slayers... alone,’ I added on the end. That seemed to do the trick and we were back on the rooftops running towards the bullet factory.

*****

Luca’s PoV

            It wasn’t hard to break a man like that, especially with the way I was feeling. Maybe he had been too clever for us last time but I wasn’t in the mood anymore for playing games and sneaking around. If there was one thing I hated, it was being outsmarted. This slayer had evaded my sense so easily until he wanted me to sniff him out. That kept playing on my mind and it was my turn to do the tracking. Once I had dispensed with Mr. Hudson, who now lay on his office floor with a broken leg, I headed back to the street where Faye and I had followed the van from. This time I was more careful to keep out of the cameras’ view.

            I hopped onto the long roofline and stalked my way along until I reached the right house. All I had to do now was think of a way to get inside. There must be a back door and indeed there was. I had no plan either, I was probably just mad in even coming back here so soon. As I leant over the fascia, my leg twitched and my shoulder gave in; I fell to the ground and flexed my leg about five times until the pain disappeared. It happened whenever I put too much weight on it. Unfortunately, falling to the ground hadn’t been delicate or silent and as soon as the door opened, I pounced onto the first man. A swift slash of my claws and he had deep cuts in his chest.

            When I turned away from him, there must have been another seven and they had no insufficient supplies of silver. Pouncing onto the nearest man, I sunk my teeth into his neck and felt his gurgling in my own throat. Releasing him, I jarred my body into the next two. One must have run off as I was only left with a remaining three circling around me. I kept my eyes on the a limping, grey haired man in front of me; my ears twitching to keep track of the other two behind me and to my left. These didn’t seem like the simpler men Faye and I had dealt with before; they knew how to hold themselves and they were ready for every move I could make. For once I really wished my friends were here to get me out of my own mess. Barking and snapping at their feet, I tested their levels of bravery and cunning before going for them.

            CRASH. BANG. A shot was fired behind me but I felt no pain in my body. The distraction was timed luckily for me and I bolted towards the one I had been staring down. He went for his pistol so I snapped my jaws into his lower right arm and held on until he tried kicking me in the chest. Digging my back claws into the earth, I grounded myself and tossed my head; he bowled over and slammed hard onto his back to my right somewhere.

            ‘Coren!’ I shouted, seeing my friend hop off his victim.

            ‘Duck!’

            ‘Wha...’ I only had a split second to duck as he pounced over my head and into the last slayer standing.

            ‘See. Are you getting slow?’

            I growled. ‘How did you find me? Uh, nevermind. Thanks for the help.’ And I walked off.

            ‘And where are you going?’

            ‘Off,’ I answered. Then I felt guilty. ‘Sorry.’

            ‘Eh, don’t worry about it. Why did you run off anyway?’

            Shaking my head, I kicked a foot out of my way. ‘That doesn’t matter.’ My leg twinged again and I tensed the muscle up to cease it.

            ‘You don’t need to say. Faye told us the whole thing.’

            ‘Yeh. Did she mention the part where she bit me?’ I snarled.

            Coren sprinted up next to me as I hopped onto the roofs again. ‘Yeh, she did that to save you. Have you even looked at that cut on your leg?’

            ‘Of course.’ He leapt in front of me. ‘What is your problem? Leave me alone, Coren.’

            ‘You are so stubborn sometimes it’s unbearable. You got cut wherever you went to last and Faye only bit so she could get the silver out of your blood. It was a long shot it would even work but here you are, alive and moping around.’

            ‘What are you talking about?’ I asked, having tried to step past him.

            ‘Wow, you really are being stubborn. Faye saved your life, you great lump. And finding you wasn’t that difficult since you put yourself into Faye’s head. Eh, long story,’ he added when I growled.

            ‘I’m not going back, Coren. There’s this slayer I’m tracking and...’

            He annoyingly interrupted me. ‘And you can’t do it alone. Besides, having a vampire around makes for a better adventure.’

            ‘Well why don’t you go back then?’

            ‘Not without you. And I’ll drag you if I have to,’ he threatened.

            ‘Stop it you two.’ There was Avery just as I had expected him to show up. ‘Come on, Luca. You can’t go after Varten on your own.’

            I was about to ask how he knew who I was after when Coren repeated himself. ‘Told you, long story.’

            ‘I can try.’

            Shrugging his shoulders, Coren portrayed to Avery that he had tried. ‘It would be suicide to try. What’s gotten into you?’

            I huffed and stepped around him. ‘Nothing.’ Then I gave in to my real nature. ‘How’s Faye?’

            ‘Why don’t you just come back and ask her yourself? You did sort of freak her out with running off.’

            What he said amused me and I chortled away. ‘Faye doesn’t get freaked out, not easily anyway. Fine but whatever happens just let it go.’

            They knew what I meant but that wasn’t their problem. ‘You’re the one who needs to let things go.’ I chased Coren along the rooftops and down to the tarmac with Avery taking up the rear.

*****

            Deep down, I knew I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did. I was just angry, more with myself than at Faye, in letting myself get caught and close to death. What Avery explained to me made little or no sense at all and yet they both swore it was true. I let them tell me what Faye had told them and my head soon turned on me in believing what they said. We slowly made our way back to the flats; I was in no mood for rushing, having let go of my lead on Varten’s trail. They didn’t say why Faye hadn’t come along with them though I guessed they had not told her where they were going. They might all be friends now but they still didn’t answer to her.

            When we reached the flats, Avery and Coren left me to go up by myself. Faye was lying curled up on her side on my bed. It was only seeing her now that I realised I had actually missed her. I knew vampires didn’t sleep but she looked very peaceful just lying there with her eyes closed. I was disinclined to disturb her so I just stood there quietly and watched her for another five minutes. Maybe she was aware I was there but she didn’t show any sign. Silently stepping over to the mirror, I pulled up the sleeve of my top and looked at the newest scars on my upper arm. There were teeth marks but that wasn’t the only mark; running down in a jagged line was a cut. It didn’t look like it had been deep but it was very dark purple. The edges weren’t so dark and there were signs it was healing.

            The deepest teeth marks were from her fangs and yet the other bite marks had just broken the skin. From that I gathered she probably hadn’t done it on purpose. Running my fingers over the wounded area and my arm twinged like crazy and I hit the mirror. It cracked and that was enough to alert Faye.

            ‘What the...? Luca?!’ she gasped seeing me stood there with a cringed look on my face.

            ‘Hey. Sorry I woke you,’ I apologised, picking up a few pieces of silvered glass from the floor.

            As she swung her legs over the bed’s edge, she sorted her hair out and then looked at the floor. ‘I wasn’t asleep. Why are you here?’

            I hid my arm before she noticed. ‘It’s kind of my place.’ This did feel slightly awkward but I tried to hide that too. ‘Hmm. I owe you a big apology, don’t I?’

            ‘More than a big apology, Luca.’ And she gave me her dagger eyes and I suddenly felt like I had been put in a cage.

            ‘Er, yeh.’ It was strange to be on the receiving end of that intriguing, capturing stare of hers. ‘I’m sorry I snapped at you. The guys explained but I should have let you do that before running off.’ She was still throwing me daggers from her eyes. Not sure what else I should say, I stepped out and went to dispose of the glass I still held in my hand. I was making a complete hash of this and I was scared I was pissing her off even more. Dropping the broken mirror glass in the bin, I started to make myself a sandwich.

            Her footsteps sounded to me as she walked down the hallway but I let her do what she wanted when she came through the door. ‘You know that means seven years bad luck.’

            ‘What does?’

            ‘Breaking the mirror, if you’re superstitious that is.’

            I looked over my shoulder and smiled at her. She smiled back sweetly and her eyes twinkled for the briefest moment. ‘I’m not, no. Are you?’

            ‘Sometimes.’ Faye went and sat on my sofa, in the corner and curled her legs to her chest.

            I abandoned my sandwich making and sat on the sofa’s other arm. ‘I am sorry,’ I said again.

            ‘Yeh, I know. What did they tell you exactly?’ I told her exactly what Coren and Avery had told me; when I finished, she let out a short giggle. ‘And do you really believe that?’

            ‘If that’s what you told them then of course. Friends don’t lie to each other and we are very close. Ahem,’ I coughed as she looked back out of the window.

            ‘How’s your arm?’

            ‘It’s been better. It twinges now and again,’ I told her.

            ‘Do you mind if I have a look?’ she asked, not looking in my eyes.

            ‘Sure.’ But instead of shuffling over to her, I shifted and stepped across the sofa to lie on her lap. I hoped she didn’t mind. As she rustled through my fur to find the right spot, I shut my eyes and relaxed, trying not to give in to the pain when her fingers touched the wrong places.

            ‘That looks painful.’

            ‘You don’t say,’ I mumbled but to her it might have been a whine.

            ‘I’m sorry for doing that to you but it was even a long shot it would work.’ I heard the upset and tears in her voice so I sat up and nudged her shoulder with my nose. I was desperately grateful that she had saved her life even if I had totally lost it when I saw the bite marks in my arm. ‘What does that mean?’ she asked to my nudging. I simply slipped my chin onto her shoulder and put my right paw around her left hip. ‘I forgive you. Can you forgive me?’ I shuffled my head on her shoulder and chuckled. ‘Hehe, I hope that’s a yes because I’ll never understand your weird wolfish gestures, except this one.’

            That was when I turned back. ‘My wolfish ways are not weird.’

            She kissed me quickly on the cheek. ‘Yes, they are.’

            ‘Now I understand why you bit me, I forgive you. At the time, my head was in the wrong place so...’

            She lifted her head in acknowledgement. ‘You thought I went against my word.’ My guilty look showed through. ‘I told you, I had one wolf’s mind in my head. I wouldn’t want another. I only did it because I thought it would get the silver out of you.’

            ‘Ah well, you did though I don’t get how it worked.’

            ‘No, I don’t either. Can you get off my legs now? They’re beginning to go numb.’ I hastily got off her and went back to the kitchen. ‘Are you eating again?’ she asked, walking through behind me.

            ‘I am properly hungry this time.’

            She reached around me and grabbed a few pieces of sliced ham. ‘What?’ she asked as I looked at her oddly and then slowly nibbled her way through them. ‘I cooked breakfast for the boys the other day. Bacon has a nice salty taste to it,’ she told me.

            ‘I thought you very rarely ate anything.’

            ‘I go through phases. You don’t need to look so concerned,’ she said, tapping my better arm.

            I took a bite out of my sandwich. ‘I’m not concerned, just intrigued. And they aren’t exactly boys.’

            ‘Meh, boys, wolves. What do you prefer I call them?’ She had a point and I shrugged my shoulders and finished eating. Giving a yawn, she shook her head and headed back to my bedroom. ‘You disturbed my rest by the way.’

            ‘You said you weren’t sleeping?’ I questioned her.

            ‘I didn’t say sleep, I said rest. Chasing slayers twenty-four-seven can make a vampire tired.’ Then she yawned again as I pushed the door open for her.

            ‘So I see. I guess I can catch up on my sleep as well, since we’re back here.’ I shuffled onto my bed and she curled back up like she had been before I walked in earlier. As she was facing me and I was propped up on my elbows, she looked up at me and smiled sweetly. ‘You have beautiful eyes, Faye,’ I said, not helping myself.

            Her cheeks flushed pink and she quickly looked away. ‘Don’t you find them freaky?’

            ‘Why would I think that? I’m not just saying it.’ I leant down and lightly pressed my forehead to hers. ‘I missed you, Faye.’

            ‘I missed you more, I think.’ I didn’t argue with her nor could I since she pressed her lips to mine.

            Our relationship, to me, was an odd one though in the better sense even if it had started out as a loathing one. I pulled away, wanting to know what she thought. ‘Hmm, Faye?’

            Her reaction to me pulling out of her reach was the slightest and briefest of frowns but I still saw it. ‘Yes, Luca?’

            ‘What do you see me as?’ I asked, knowing it wasn’t the best formed of questions.

            Brushing her hair back with her fingers, she pouted. ‘As what?’

            ‘You tell me, that’s why I’m asking.’

            I left her to think about it. We didn’t really speak much about how we felt about each other and I guess that was, for now, the better option until we could properly focus on one another. ‘I’m not sure how to answer that. At first, I hardly liked you and you definitely weren’t a friend. More like a complete nuisance and pain in the butt.’ I chuckled momentarily, to which she giggled along. ‘But, then, you sort of grew on me and I started seeing you as a friend until you kind of pinned me to my wall. That really didn’t help.’

            My eyes shifted in their sockets as I remembered. ‘Ah, that. I’m sorry about that too.’ I tapped her nose softly with my finger and she smiled again.

            ‘It took awhile to realise I actually liked you more than that though, I can assume, you liked me first and possibly for awhile.’

            I smiled with thinned lips, not wanting to say anything to that and kissed her back as she had to me. Her lips were very soft though I knew the sharpness that lay behind them too well. Vampires weren’t fragile creatures and, much like myself, it would take quite a lot to really hurt Faye (apart from biting her). With my teeth so close to her skin, I was careful to keep my own teeth at bay and remain behind my lips. Whilst we kept our lips together, she slid her arm over my side and laid her fingers over my spine. As I went to kiss her stronger, I shifted my weight badly and my bicep convulsed with pain. Rolling onto my back, I squeezed at the muscle with my left hand to try and stop the pain.

            ‘Luca. Are you ok?’

            I gritted my teeth until the pain stopped. ‘Ahh, yeh. I’m ok.’

            ‘You don’t look it,’ she said, having leant over me. ‘Is it your arm?’

            ‘Yeh.’ The pain subsided and my arm felt like there was nothing wrong with it again. ‘It will take time to heal.’ When I next looked at her, she had guilt spread across her face and in her eyes. ‘Don’t blame yourself. It’s my fault for getting in that mess in the first place,’ I said to her, placing my hand on her own shoulder.

            ‘It’s my fault you’re in pain.’

            ‘No, it is not. Faye...?’ Her eyes began to fill with tears. ‘It could be worse,’ I hinted. That seemed to work and she soon perked up again. I leant up and kissed her lips again, careful to use my left arm to prop myself up with. ‘It might not even be because of your bite. It could be from the knife cut,’ I said, making some attempt to reassure her.

            ‘Could be, Luca, you don’t know that and neither do I.’

            ‘Exactly but we can think of it like that.’ I pushed her draping hair behind her ears. ‘You don’t need to feel like this. Ok?’

            ‘Ok, if you say so. Are you actually going to sleep or not?’

            Not sure if she meant because I was annoying her, I just smiled darkly and lay back down, closing my eyes as my head hit the pillow. ‘Do you want me to sleep?’

            ‘What if I don’t?’ she asked, sounding strangely fierce.

            ‘Is there something else you’d prefer?’ I did not mean anything by it hence why I was surprised when she hit my leg. ‘Ok, ok. I’ll stay awake.’

            She leant down and rested on her front next to me. ‘Can I ask you something?’ I nodded. ‘Did you know of Varten before Hudson told you who his name?’

            ‘Sort of. I knew of a slayer like him but not his name. Seems you were reading my mind as well as sinking your teeth in me.’

            ‘I didn’t want to, Luca. Your anger projected your thoughts very strongly and I couldn’t help but here.’

            That side effect of a vampire’s bite was rather interesting. ‘Can you hear my thoughts now? Being right next to me and that.’

            ‘Yes but I’m not focusing on it so I’m barely hearing whatever’s on your mind. The mind can think on more than one thing so I can’t make sense of it ninety per cent of the time. Which is good news to you,’ she added with a wry smile.

            ‘Still, it’s useful to you. I’m just lucky we’re not enemies.’ I laughed to myself and kissed her cheek before she thought I was being sadistic (though I probably was in some sense).

            ‘If we were enemies, I wouldn’t be lying here with you now,’ she said and leant over me one more time.

            As she looked at me, I looked at her and slowly ran my hand up and down her arm in sweeping strokes. It seemed to be some sort of comfort to her and I supposed she still felt guilty even if she now hid it from my view. ‘Am I your first, Faye?’ I asked, too curious for my own good.

            ‘First?’

            ‘Boyfriend?’ I had to say it at some point.

            ‘Mmhmm, yes. Why?’ She sounded slightly defensive.

            ‘I just wanted to know. This isn’t my first relationship however, just so you know but definitely my first with a vampire.’

            Tilting her head, she blinked and for a moment she reminded me of a cat watching a bird out of a window. ‘And how is it for you?’

            ‘Different, in a good way. Do you ever wonder what you’d be like if you were a wolf?’

            ‘What sort of question is that?’

            ‘I don’t really know. Just asking questions to pass the time, I suppose.’

            Lying down on her side, Faye rested an arm over my chest and shuffled into my side. ‘I’ve never had to the need to think about it.’ She settled down, avoiding my bad arm and closed her eyes. She wouldn’t fall asleep; she was just doing it so I could. Closing my eyes too, I drifted off.

*****