The Billionaire’s Baby(31)

Screamed at, yes; Cried over, yes; punched, yes; slapped, definitely yes….but laughed at of all things?

His expression quickly soured, eyes locking threateningly on the girl, who refused to quit laughing – his quick transition from strange goofball to being angry was just as funny as his expression had been.

Her laughter was cut short however, when he grabbed her wrist and yanked her forward towards to him, hunching slightly to glower into the short girl's face.

"You will never, ever laugh at me again." He commanded, gripping tightly onto her.

"You're such a kid sometimes!" She taunted, still quietly laughing under her breath at his childish pout, "Gonna throw a temper tantrum?"

She snickered aloud, much to the ferocity of the vampire who was trying his best to be threatening.

"I said that you will never laugh at me again, little girl!" His voice rose into a powerful, rage filled tone, strong tenor trembling just slightly.

The laughter died on her lips slowly as she realized his anger was real, his dark eyes smoldering in approaching hostility.

Timidly, she tried to tug her wrist free, biting on her tongue so she wouldn't say anything to fuel the fire within his temper.

He yanked harshly back at her wrist when she tried to pull it away and she stumbled forward, crashing into his chest. As soon as she smashed up against him vines once again sprung up from dirt floor, this time twining more carefully around the vampire's legs, rooting him, quite literally, to the spot. They slowly made their way up his body, pressing in between the two and creating a few inches of distance. He still didn't let go of her wrist however.

Initially irritated, the vampire swung at the vines with his free hand, stopping mid-swing as he stared at the verdant vines. His face was suddenly intensely serious, no longer aggressive as he leaned closer to the girl.

"So…you can make plants grow, right?" He asked, anger melting off his face as seriousness replaced it.

She hesitated, reflexively pulling back away from his face's close proximity until he jerked her forward again. She raised one eyebrow, clearing her throat with a slight nod, "You're creeping me out…"

He ignored her, eyes still solemn, "…all kinds of plants?"

She nodded again, her eyebrow nearly twitching. What in the name of high heaven was he getting at?

His voice was suddenly quiet, nearly inaudible, "How about…how about…potatoes?"

The girl would have burst out in laughter again had it not been for the sheer amount of sincerity that had completely taken over the vampire's face, not to mention the faint fear of what he'd do to her.

"I suppose so." She whispered back, trying to keep her voice as quiet as possible so he wouldn't hear the lurking laughter that so threatened to explode from her lungs.

He stared at her expectantly, eyes practically begging. The girl was reminded of the neighbor’s dog back in her home village.

The vampire obediently dropped his hold on her, fingers twitching excitedly, earning yet another strange stare from the redhead.

Perhaps she could milk this situation a bit.

"Promise you'll be nice from now on?" She asked, hands on her hips.

He gave an eager nod, staring at her, "Yeah, sure, whatever

She bent down to the ground, the vines that had captured the vampire releasing him and disappearing quickly below the dark earth, leaving behind unsettled piles of dirt.

He bent beside her quickly, still anxiously fidgeting. If there was one thing that vampire loved as much as blood and driving his newest redheaded plaything crazy, it was potatoes.

The girl stuck two fingers into the dirt, glancing up at him and hesitating, "Tell me your name first."

"Ellis." He replied without hesitation.

His eyes locked intensely on her fingers, waiting for the miraculous conception of potatoes.

"That's a silly name." The girl giggled, and Ellis would have yelled at her had it not been for the leafy green spouts that were growing from the dirt around her fingers that had captivated his attention.

He didn't even demand to know her name in return. It didn't matter anymore, so long as he got the potatoes.

"Can't you make it grow any faster?" The vampire whined, eyes glistening in anticipation as the green, leafy stalks extended further, wrapping around the girl's wrist for support, tiny white blossoms sprouting.

Ellis could all but imagine the wonderful tasting vegetables forming below the ground. The potatoes which he normally found in the warmer months had vanished as soon as it had become cold, it'd been quite some time since he'd had a potato.

She rolled her eyes, slowly pulling her arm up from the ground, the plant still clinging to her for dear life, several potatoes dangling from the roots of the plant. Ellis snatched them up, startling the redheaded girl.