The vampire couldn’t decide if she was busy devising a plan behind the lazy snore that wafted from her lips, or if she was just simply that unwise and senseless.
Whatever else this plant girl was, she was definitely a mystery.
Chapter Two
"Gonna tell me your name, shortcake?" The vampire asked, stifling a yawn, "or I can just call you 'kiddo' forever."
The girl still held in his arms gave a sleepy grumble in response, not even listening to what he said.
"Tired?" He asked, voice dripping in aggravation.
Just when he thought she'd be useful for something she went and passed out on him. He'd been hoping she'd at least have been slightly entertaining on the way to his home. At least it was just a short walk.
He rolled his eyes when she only yawned in response. He could feel weariness seeping through his own body, however. Tiredly, he peered up towards the thick, dark ceiling of the forest, trying to judge the time by means of the sky through the naked, twisting branches. He could faintly see cracks of dark blue sky, splashes of hazy purples and deep pinks lazily drifting overhead – sunrise was approaching.
He adjusted the dozing redhead in his arms, careful to keep his cold hands off her skin. He had to admit that he liked touching her though.
Not that it was because he wanted to touch her. He would staunchly refuse that.
It was simply because he liked the warmth and softness. It was a texture he didn't get to touch in such a relaxed manner, ever, and he liked its foreign feel. Usually the only snippets of skin he ever felt was when he was feeding from someone, and in that case their bodies quickly turned cold and they were always tense.
"We'll be to my home soon." He added, though had no idea why he still tried to talk to her, she was obviously not responding. The strange girl had clearly chosen sleep over his company.
The vampire was still surprised that the feisty redhead had allowed him to steal her away from the forest, but he was going to take advantage of having the warm ball of flesh hang around with him as much as possible.
He couldn’t be sure how long she'd be around for. Whether it was because he ended up getting sick of her and letting her go, or because he throttled her for running her mouth again and sucked her dry, she was going to be on her way soon enough. Whatever happened between them, he wanted to make sure he'd had enough of her warmth to last him for the rest of his life. He doubted anyone else would allow him to get so close.
This vampire was a rather solitary creature, he didn't like often getting involved with other people. He had a deadly, lone wolf reputation to uphold, after all.
Several minutes later he came to a stop at a large tree, kicking hard at the base a few inches off the ground. At his assault a huge, fake root made of roughly carved timber shuffled lazily across the leaves, a small wooden door appearing. He smirked in pride at his little contraption, glancing at the girl and smirking even more as a slight snore emitted from her mouth. He then none-too-gently tossed her to one arm so she dangled over his forearm on her stomach like a sports ball, her face inches above the little door which was barely big enough for someone to fit through vertically.
She yelped in surprise, glaring up at him through sleepy eyes, earning an unenthusiastic, "Sorry, kid."
He then bent slightly, yanking open the door to reveal a hole in the ground, to the bottom disappeared in a black haze. She blanched a bit, turning her head to glance up at him just as he tossed her inside with a manic laugh.
She tumbled down the steep, small, earthen hall, which after about five terrifying seconds abruptly ended and left her freefalling for a brief second before she hit dirt floor with a thud. He could have shown her to the ladder, however this way was much more enjoyable for the vampire.
He followed, much more elegantly, laughing when he found her piled up on the ground, leaping up to her feet angrily and smoothing her shirt, glaring daggers up at him.
"You better be careful with that ugly expression, kid!" He cried, slapping a knee in delighted laughter, "Or your face is going to get stuck that way!"
He knew full well that he was provoking her, watching as her tiny hands clenched slightly at her sides, green eyes glinting in silent fury.
"Then again, it may just be an improvement!" He prodded her just a bit more.
The corner of the redhead's mouth tightened just slightly in aggravation, eyes narrowing on his face.
The vampire practically danced around her in glee, one of his sharpened fangs slipping over his bottom lip once more as he watched eagerly, hoping for her to snap at him so he could bicker back.
Instead, at the sight of his ridiculous expression and strange hopping, she was the one who burst out laughing, much to the sheer horror the vampire, who had never in his entire memory of being a vampire ever, ever, ever been laughed at.