e l e v e n
e x p l a n a t i o n s
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"TEA?"

"Who do you think I am?" Eretria folded her arms steadily across her larger chest, covering her cleavage as she glared at the man sat across from her. It was tenuous keeping a straight face, with such a beautiful man in close proximity. "I'm Mexican, not British."

The vampire finished pouring the golden liquid, bringing the china to his lips and taking a confident sip. Tia sat back in her antique chair. The cushioning had since lost its colour, fading to a dilapidated crimson over years of use. It was no longer soft, and Tia's body sank into the dented cotton each time she shifted position. Which, in her uncomfortable situation, was a lot.

"Very well," The man sighed.

Tia furrowed her brow, curious why she had been spared the torture Connor and Jared were surely enduring. After a moment of silence, she found the courage to speak. The chair squeaked as she sat forwards. "Why am I here?"

"That's what I'd like to know," the man replied with a tense stare. Even though his home had been invaded, he seemed at ease. He placed his hands in front of him on the dark table, rolling up the sleeves of his suit. The white shirt beneath was stained with blood, bright against the bland backdrop.

"I'm not telling you anything," Tia spoke with a shake of her head. "I don't know who you even are, and right now I don't really feel like trusting anyone."

The vampire raised a dense eyebrow. "Ah," he sighed. "Your pack."

The room had no aroma aside from Tia's lingering scent of evergreen, and it made the woman feel like she was surrounded by a party of ghosts. If she closed her eyes, their existence would simple waver; blow away like dust in a gale. Vampires didn't have a presence: no heartbeat; no need to breath.

"Yes." The word burnt Eretria's throat. She bit down on her lip, drawing blood. Her eyes were quick to glance around the room to look for an escape route. There weren't any, and the other vampire guard in the room made it virtually impossible to think about even getting up from her chair.

"And you were looking for some evidence, because you thought we had something to do with the murder of them?"

Once again, the brunette bowed her head. She had tied back her head with her spare hairband, pulling the lines on her forehead into a smooth surface. "The man who poisoned the food had been compelled." Bile rose in Tia's throat at the memory. But she couldn't mourn yet: her father hadn't been found.

"How can you be sure?" The man retorted, his voice rising the fraction of a decibel. It was shrill in the air, and Tia's sensitive earlobes shrieked at her to protect her ears.

"I saw a man slit his throat without warning with so much fear in his eyes. Why would he do that if he was so afraid to end his life?" Eretria raised her voice to match the vampires pitch. "Please, I know you won't believe me, but I lost my pack. I wouldn't lie about this."

"Why I haven't heard anything?"

"We didn't want to scare the packs. And Sofia was going to make an announcement this evening." She gulped, the words sticking in her throat like glue. Her eyes were watering from the stress. Her confidence had left her, seeping into the cracks of her shadow before vanishing altogether. "Plus you clearly don't give a shit about the wolves anyway, so why should you care?

"It's Eretria, isn't it?" The man enquired. His pupils dilated as he rose from his chair.

Tia had no choice but to nod tentatively as the vampire rose above her, peering own on her like she was prey. "Yes."

"My name is Daniel."

"Thank you for clarifying that," Tia exasperated sourly. She had had enough. Maybe torture would've been worse, and then her death would have more meaning than Daniel ripping out her heart.

Daniel slammed a fist down on the table. The china cup he had just been drinking from shattered from the tremendous force, liquid splashing across the bare wood. It ran through the grains like blood through veins.

"I do not like sarcasm, Eretria," Daniel gasped. He blinked for the first time since Tia had laid eyes on him. "What has happened is serious. And I can assure you it had nothing to do with my clan. There are so many other vampire clans in town who would certainly do this. They've wanted a war with the wolves for decades."

Tia scratched the bare skin of her knee. The hairs were raised against her palm. "You can't prove that."

"I shouldn't have to," Daniel stated. He swept the shards of china on the table into a small pile, leaving the tea running down the side of the piece of furniture. One fragment caught his hand, but the incision sealed up within seconds, disappearing as though it had never existed. "Another man was killed tonight. The alpha of the Fang Pack. And all I can presume is that somehow it's linked to the death of your pack."

Tia wanted to throw up. Her fear was slowly consumed each of her organs - soon she would be immobilised. "You're saying someone wants the wolves dead?"

Daniel bowed his head. Tia stood up, but the pair were far from eye level. Yet something electric shot between them - a spark, a blaze, a blizzard - of hope.

"No." Eretria wouldn't believe it. Of course, it had once been a presumption, but when none of the other packs had suffered for the past week, she had thought that the murderer had only targeted her father and her pack. She had hoped with the rest of her strength that it would only be her pack to suffer.

"I want to help you," Daniel continued, clearing his throat in the process. Tia assessed the man's face. Alike many people she had been unfortunate enough to meet, she couldn't begin to read him. He was shielded by a cloud of thoughts, and an elongated past; lifetimes longer than her own. "But-"

"But you can't trust me. The feeling's mutual." Tia stammered as she slammed her chain under the table. Dust flew into the air, itching at her eyeballs. Night had stretched out into the room, and an all consuming darkness was upon her once more.

Tia had had enough. Daniel's untrusting eyes wavered as she strode to the door blocking her exit. She had no confidence, but her fear of death had subsided as soon as she had glanced into the Daniel's alluring orbs. His presence was overwhelming - like light was to a moth - but his authority was meek. If he'd been truly concerned, her head would be rolling along the floor.

The brunette tilted her head as she walked through the doorway. "I was here to look for clues. I didn't find anything." And with that, she slammed the door shut, cutting off the monsters as they lurked in the still room like corpses.

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Hope you enjoyed!! Everything really kicks off from here, so be ready for lots of action ;)

Ughh I just ate three doughnuts someone send help xD

Lotte xx