Secrets

Eva sat up and pulled her legs to her chest. Looking at Alaric, she watched as his pupils returned to their normal size.

"Did I do something wrong?”

Her voice was soft. Alaric rubbed his face and stood to put on his clothes. Ignoring her question momentarily, he tried his best not to look at the hurt on her face.

*No, I did something wrong.*

Normally his conscience was the last of his worries. Alaric could have devoured her the entire night without ever batting an eye. Yet the more he'd looked at her, the more he realized she deserved better. Not just from him, but from the world, and he forced himself to pull away. The problem with that was that Alaric had no idea how to convey that without telling her the truth. The true reason his wings were clipped and why he vowed to protect her. In telling all of that, he’d also had to reveal the thing that was eating him the most; that no matter what the book said, Eva would never truly belong to him.

"No.” He said finally.

"I-if it’s because of what I told you earlier...”

"It’s not.” He’d become cold and distant, and Eva couldn’t understand why. Was it all in her head? The kisses, the way he took care of her, the way he’d looked at her. Alaric muttered under his breath, before grabbing a cigarette from his nightstand. "There's some clothes for you in the bathroom.”

She was completely mortified. Running her hands through her hair, she exhaled deeply before placing her feet on the floor.

"Alaric I-oh the humans still here,” a woman said from the corner of the room. Her eyes locked on Eva, she swung her long raven hair over her shoulder and smirked.

"Who-”

"Drusilla, but you look like a smart cookie, so I doubt I needed to tell you that.” Alaric felt Eva’s body stiffen behind him. Turning, he could see the mix of emotions on her face. "So, you finally slept with her? Good, now you can get over the funk you were in.” Drusilla snapped her fingers at Eva. "How long do you plan to use the ride honey? I know it’s fun, but no hogging.”

"DRU!” His voice full of rage only made Drusilla laugh.

"Oh, spare me Alaric, she might as well get used to the rotation. Though I say get out while you can, she looks like the type to get attached.” She winked at Eva looking her up and down. "Word of advice. Pick your day and stick to it. Makes these encounters less awkward when it's your time to leave.”

Eva sprang to her feet. Face reddened, she made her way to the bathroom, but Alaric blocked her path. "Move.”

"Eva-”

"I said MOVE!”

He could see her eyes glassing over. Moving to the side, he watched as Eva stormed to the bathroom and slammed the door. Eyes reddened, Alaric wrapped his hands around Drusilla’s neck. "Why the fuck would you do that?”

She smiled, "Two things. First, you can’t use choking as a threat to someone who loves autoerotic asphyxiation. Second, I was just kidding with the human, I didn’t think she was so sensitive.”

"Apologize to her.”

Drusilla smirked and rubbed the sides of his hands, "Only if we can continue this later.”

"I’m ready to go.” Eva’s small but angry voice called from behind him.

Releasing Drusilla, he motioned for her to speak.

Drusilla rolled her eyes, "Oh fine. I’m sorry. I was only teasing. I didn’t think you would take me so seriously.”

Eva ignored her, "I said I’m ready to go.”

Nodding his head, he glared at Drusilla once more before vanishing Eva and him to her home. Preparing to see blood and flesh sprawled around the room, Eva's mouth dropped at how clean everything was. She looked at Alaric who snapped his fingers, turning on a few of the lights.

"I wouldn’t have let you come back and see that.” His voice was leveled, and Eva just nodded in return. Running her hands against her dresser she pulled out a pair of nightclothes, and her eyes widened as her wedding band caught on the fabric. She stared down at it. Hands shaking, she slowly pulled it off. Tossing it across the room, Eva let out a loud sigh of relief. "It’s so weird. I know what happened here that night, and somehow that frightens me less than all the things that happened here on the others.”

"Will you continue to live here?” Alaric asked.

She shrugged her shoulders, "I can’t even think about that.”

Alaric rubbed the back of his neck, "Well if it gets too much, I have plenty of rooms-”

"I have a few friends I can stay with thanks.” He twisted his lips and nodded. "Besides wouldn’t want to put a damper on your *rotation.*”

Alaric grimaced. "Drusilla was just fucking around.”

She scoffed. "Aparently, *Drusilla's* not the only one." He glared at her. "Besides, does it make it any less true? If you remember I wrote your sex escapade in the book.” Alaric pursed his lips, and Eva threw up her hands. "It’s none of my business. I'm really grateful for everything you've done, but I want to be alone. Can you leave now?”

"You do that a lot.”

"Do what?”

“Kick me out when things get uncomfortable.”

"As opposed to you kicking me out after rejecting me?”

Alaric ran his fingers through his hair. "Little Human it wasn’t like that.”

"God if I had a dime for every time you said that I’d be rich.” Eva squared off with Alaric. "What is it like then hmm? You come in like an utter asshole with the whole *I’m only protecting you because of my vow and I’m not interested in a wife* bullshit, which by the way I never suggested you were, but then you get jealous over my friend! Oh, and let's not forget that you seem willing to fuck anything that moves, but the *Little Human* oh no! She's wayyy too damaged.”

"I NEVER CALLED YOU DAMAGED!”

"You didn’t have to.”

Alaric blew steam from his nose. "I should go.”

"Now who’s running?” Eva stormed from the room to her office. Following her, Alaric’s eyes widened as she flipped open his book and picked up a pen. "You don’t want to talk to me then fine, but I’m so sick and tired of all of this!” She tried her hardest to once again write for Alaric to go away. As she scribbled, words took to the page but not the ones she wanted. Her lips parted in horror as she read the words forming.

*Alaric had a secret. One that he knew would forever change the course of him and his betrothed. A secret that planted both love and hate inside him whenever he looked at her. Yet, as with all secrets, his would soon come to light and she would finally know the truth. When his once white wings blackened, he was banished to Earth as punishment. Alaric begged to be spared and his father agreed with penance. This penance would be a vow, one of protection to his betrothed. A vow bestowed onto the one whose parents, died by his hands. *