Trouble Vampire

After the promise, he took River inside. She stumbled in after him, blinking against the sudden gloom growing in her. She shouldn't be particularly sad by this delay as she initially had no destination in mind in the human world too.

It didn't matter what day she got there. As long as she was away from Gonzalo and Echo, she was good.

“You do know this is called bullying, don't you? Snatching me from the woods, finding my letter, and not just returning it to me like a gentleman would. But instead conjuring a bargain just to return to me what is rightfully mine! ” She scoffed, ranting and throwing her hands in the air.

When he gave her no replies, she was about to yell out some more protests when the sight in front of her - as they walked into the mansion sent it right back into her throat.

The interior of the mansion was even worse than the exterior. It was a lonesome landscape of peeling wallpaper, cobwebs thick enough to hang this bloody vampire on, and furniture surrounded by white dust sheets. A choking cough escaped her lips as the dust motes got to her, and she fought the urge to turn back around and run.

"You call this a 'perfect' place?" she remarked, totally bewildered as her voice echoed eerily in the vast space.

He remained unfazed as he nonchalantly ran a hand through his windblown hair. "It has potential," he declared. "Think of it as a blank canvas."

River snorted. "More like a canvas, someone spilled a paint bucket of neglect on."

He bestowed upon her a look of supreme indifference which only further fueled her annoyance. "Fine, complain all you want. Complaining won't help anyway," he said dismissively. "First things first – get to work."

Seriously?! Who the hell was this rude, arrogant, and frustrating assface? It seemed to her now that beautiful men were spawns of arrogance.

Swallowing her frustration, River took a step forward. "Alright," she threw her hands on her hips, her bag suddenly feeling heavy on her shoulders, "then where are the cleaning supplies? I can't exactly work miracles with my bare hands."

She was surprised when he seemed genuinely stunned. "Cleaning supplies?" he repeated as if the concept was entirely foreign to him. "Right. Hold on a minute. I hadn't thought of that."

River stared at him with mouth agape. Who the hell was this person?

What did he mean by he ‘hadn’t thought of that’, yet, he wanted her to clean?

With her disbelief turning into frustration. "You hadn't thought of that? Did you just expect me to clean this place with my bare hands?" River protested.

"There's no point in getting hysterical, little human," he said. "Hold on a moment."

“Well?" she prompted, tapping her foot impatiently.

He didn't answer her but merely made to turn towards the exit, stunning River even more. What the hell was he doing? He was about to walk out when River stopped him.

“Wait!" She called after him. "It's nighttime! Where are you going to find shops open? I'm pretty sure you are about to go out to go get the supplies, aren't you?”

Then, he paused, and swiveled her way with his head tilted like a curious predator. "Who said anything about buying?"

River narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean, 'who said anything about buying?' how else do you want to get the supplies?”

"Buying," he said, his smirk widening, "wasn't exactly what I had in mind."

A tremble ran down River's backbone. "What do you mean?" she asked warily, hoping it wasn't what she was thinking.

“Borrowing, perhaps. I'll just take from people who had enough. It's just cleaning supplies.” With his smirk disappearing, he said.

“You mean steal!" she blurted out, unable to believe the impulsiveness of this man.

"Call it whatever you like," he replied with an indifferent shrug.

"And from where exactly do you plan on stealing? We're miles away from any town!"

“The werewolf pack at the border," he said casually. "There should be enough supplies there."

River's heart skipped a beat. Was he insane?! He wanted to steal brooms, soap, and mops from her pack?! “The werewolf pack? You mean the pack that found me?" She asked him carefully, eyes squinted.

He gave a simple nod. "Indeed." And then, he turned back to walk away to proceed with his little plan.

A cold anger washed over her. "Those are my people! You wouldn't dare!"

For the first time since they met, he seemed genuinely surprised. He stopped, turning back to face her. "Your people? You don't ..."

“I grew up there," she interrupted him. "My sister's the Alpha. My parents were the previous ones until rogues killed them. And guess what? I'm no helpless little human who needs a vampire to save her."

She saw a glint of realization in him. "That's why you weren't terrified when you saw me? I thought of it as quite fascinating. And then, you called me a vampire. You knew what I was. Yet, you weren't shocked. I found it strange but didn't give a damn," he said slowly, piecing things together.

River scoffed. "Terrified? As if! I'm a wolf. My sister is the Alpha of that pack you're going to steal from!”

"Your sister? That's..." He trailed off, a frown creasing his brow. "Impossible."

Surprise took over his face for a while but it was quickly replaced by skepticism. He moved closer, his red eyes boring into hers. He raised his hand and sniffed at her like he was checking a fine wine.

"You're a human," he stated decisively, pushing her away. "And you don't smell like a werewolf."

River gritted her teeth as she held her breath under his scrutiny. "I'm an Omega," she said through clenched teeth. "I don't have the wolf mark. That doesn't mean I'm not one of them."

He frowned deeper. "Omegas don't smell human either. But I could care less about you and whatever you are or claim you are,” he muttered, more to himself than to her.

Before River could question him further, he sped past her in a whirl of movement. One moment he was there, the next he was gone.

“Show off.” She blew off the strand of hair on her face. “He must be a crazy or delusional vampire.” She further affirmed herself.

How could he find a girl in the woods, not kill or drink her blood like vampires did but bring her to a stupid ancient mansion for cleaning?

Argh. She scarcely cleaned back in the pack. How was she to do this now? But then again, she’d do anything for her letter.

Anything at all.

Wait a sec, what if he didn't take the letter with him? What if he had dropped it carelessly before he left?

“YES!” River jubilantly threw her feet in the air. “If I search just well enough, I might find it and run off before he returns.”

Once River was sure she was alone, she began to search the living room. She pulled chairs aside, and searched the nook and cranny of where he previously stood but found nothing!

“AHHHH!” She screamed out in frustration, groaning like a woman in labor.

Just as she scrambled to the floor, searching the dustiness out of it, a voice rang behind her.

“What are you looking for?”

“Shh. It's my letter.”

She had spoken before she realized that she was alone. So — what was that voice?

She shrieked, leaping back. “Ahhhhhhhh!”

She practically fell flat on the dusty floor with panic. He stood right behind her like a ghost at night, the letter clutched in his hand. His eyes were narrowed and a dangerous intensity was emanating from them.

The moonlight filtering through the boarded windows casted his shadows like a shawl and, making him look even more imposing than before.

“Shit! You scared the living daylights out of me!" River exclaimed, clutching her chest.

Just what trouble had she gotten herself into?!