A Midnight Rose Ch. 05

Philippe knew that under the false bravado that his friend seemed to be displaying that Luke was a wreck. His tumultuous relationship with Rowan had definitely put some strain on the vampire. His shoulders were tight and his features were taught. This man was a far cry from the happy-go-lucky soldier who had saved his life all those years ago.

Philippe sat silently without invitation. "Show me," he said simply. Luke looked up quickly, almost as if he was surprised to see his friend sat before him. He nodded swiftly and closed his eyes. Philippe felt Luke's presence push against his mind almost instantaneously. The benefit of the two vampires sharing a link as strong as theirs was that they were able to recount memories, stories, in fact any scenario that they have witnessed and remembered with each other

Philippe too, shut his eyes. Instantly his mind was flooded with the image of Rowan screaming silently, writhing amongst the liquid sheets. He noted with interest that her eyes took on an almost crimson sheen before they slammed shut and her entire body slumped and was still. Blinking quickly, Philippe felt Luke retreat from his mind and met his friend's troubled gaze.

"Where is she now?" Philippe asked. Luke blinked. Philippe never asked the questions that he expected him to. "She's with Tanji. Oh, I had her best friend brought over too. Rowan insisted." Luke smiled grimly. The tight smile turned into a grin though when he noticed an interested glint suddenly glow brightly in Philippe's bright blue eyes. "Yes, there is a best friend!" he smirked, knowing instantly what had peaked Philippe's attention. "Be warned though. She's a difficult one to figure out. She's a were I think, but not one I have come across before. White Tiger, I believe."

If Philippe was impressed or interested, he tried his best not to show it. The large Frenchman instead leaned forward in his chair and looked Luke directly in the eye. "What are we going to do about Rowan?" The vampire lord frowned. "I thought you would have an idea about that," Luke admitted.

Philippe flopped back again, shifting his position. "I think that what ever it is has been dormant in her human state, maybe even since birth. If she were to be Sired, I think that the inhuman side of her will definitely be more prominent." He stroked his stubble as he mused. "Keep her safe; that's all we can do for now."

Philippe wanted desperately to help his friend more and he felt incredibly inadequate not knowing what to do. He knew that Luke would now be completely torn. Rowan was his mate; the one woman he was destined to spend the rest of his life with. And generally eternity together works better when one's partner is immortal. To be told that it may have to stay that way would be a huge blow to the man.

"You think she will have to stay human," Luke whispered. It wasn't a question, but Philippe replied anyway: "Yes," he said sadly. Whatever was inside her waiting was a mystery that he didn't think the world was ready for.

"Luke," Philippe started, "I think this thing inside her is attached to strong feelings, for example, like passion or anger. Those feelings are most commonly related to the otherworlders and maybe that is what is giving the thing an outlet to get through." For once, Philippe felt completely at loss of what to say next.

Luke just sat there, staring pensively across the room. His gaze was blank but Philippe could almost hear his brain mulling over the many tons of ideas that were flooding through it. Knowing that his friend could be sat like this for hours, Philippe felt it was time for a tactful retreat.

He flashed out of the room, making sure to shut the heavy oak door behind him as quietly as he could. Reverting back to human speed as soon as he left the room, Philippe used the time spent just wandering to think hard about what he had seen in Luke's mind.

He was sure that Rowan was human; her scent left no doubt of that. But Philippe had seen Luke's memory; there was definitely some other side to Rowan. He couldn't for the life of him think of how it could possibly live in her unnoticed. Surely it had a scent that was perceptible. After all, everything had a scent.

He didn't notice or recognise the faces that he passed; he was so caught up in his thoughts. It briefly registered to him that he was headed towards Tanji's office in the basement but other than that, he just let himself wander.

Still wrapped in his thoughts he jolted slightly when he walked into the heavy metal door that signified the start of the medical centre. Looking around guiltily, Philippe was relieved to see that no one had seen his little blunder. He would never hear the end of it if someone had noticed him walk into the door. After all, it was very big and made of reinforced steel; how could anyone miss it?

Letting himself in, he strode purposefully along the harshly lit, bare corridors of the subterranean make-shift hospital. Twisting and turning through the network modernised tunnels he began to notice wisps of scents that drifted past him as he walked. Vanilla and rose: that was undeniably Rowan. Then there was the spicy, earthly tang that was so obviously Tanji. He smiled slightly when he caught a whiff of something that smelled strongly of antiseptic. Of course, he thought, it was inevitable that Tanji would end up smelling something like the medical equipment she worked with day in day out. There were other scents of course: people that had wandered the corridors before him in the day, people that were injured and lying behind nondescript doors on clinical beds and then there was the omnipresent cloying scent of blood; so faint that even he could barely smell it, but still there.

Philippe ignored all these smells, using his abilities to push them from his mind so that he could focus on those belonging to Rowan and Tanji. As he followed them, he became aware of a third scent. It interested him greatly because he could not quite place the smells that assaulted him. It plagued Philippe until he realised that he had reached Tanji's office.

Reaching for the cold, metal handle, it suddenly hit him. He breathed in deeply, singling out and revelling in this new smell. His eyes snapped open and he let go of the handle as if it had scorched him. What the...? Unless he was sorely mistaken, the scent to him smelled of... Jack Daniels and coffee? He shook his head. That couldn't be right. There was no way that his two favourite things in the entire world could comprise this person's scent. It wasn't possible.

Curiosity overcame him. Grasping the handle, he swung the door open so that it hit the wall behind it was a resounding crash. This caused three startled faces to whip around and stare at him, surprise clear on all their faces.

Tanji was sat behind her cluttered desk, clutching a cup of what he knew to be tea with honey and lemon. She looked more angry than surprised. Rowan was sat in front of the desk, her legs tucked underneath her in a plush chair that was covered with an intricate tribal rug. She just looked amused.

But it was the woman sat in the corresponding armchair in front of the desk that really brought Philippe to a halt. She was tiny! The chair she was sat in comfortably seemed to almost envelope her completely. If Philippe had not been so struck-dumb, he would have laughed; the sight was almost comical.

But it was not just her height or stature that really was affecting Philippe. It was everything about her. The way her platinum blonde pixie cut framed her delicate face. The way her deep blue eyes were wide with surprise and framed by long lashes. It was the way her small mouth and full, pale pink lips pouted slightly as they opened and closed. It was just everything.

"Is that a Tennessee Coffee?" he croaked, still stood in the doorway. The woman looked affronted.

"I'm sorry; do I know you?" she asked icily. Philippe cringed inwardly and mentally slapped himself. Nice oneimbécile, he thought, that's a great way to make a first impression.

Shaking himself, he strode into the room, once again adopting his macho, confident persona. "Desolé mademoiselle," he said with a sweeping, comical bow, "But Mr Daniels and coffee is quite simply a superb drink and I was simply wondering whether it was your fine self that was the one with the excellent taste."

The blonde snorted but didn't smile. Damn, Philippe thought, she's gunna be a tough one to crack. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Rowan and Tanji give each other a knowing look and break into enormous smiles.

He straightened and went to the low sofa that was positioned against the wall by the door. Lifting it easily, he moved it so that it was placed just between the two chairs which were occupied by Rowan and her friend before he slumped lazily onto it's plush surface.

"I would appreciate it if you didn't rearrange the room," Tanji said dryly. Philippe raised his hands in apology. He was glad to see that Rowan and Tanji were still smiling and rolling their eyes good-naturedly but the other woman looked unimpressed. She had crossed her knees and arms in a stance that was decidedly closed-off as she narrowed her eyes slightly at Philippe. The Frenchman, to his credit, simply beamed back, unperturbed.

"My name is Philippemademoiselle," he said in his deep, accented voice, "Might I know your name? It appears that we are the only people in the room that are not acquainted." For a split second, he thought that she would refuse and shoot him down but after a long pause he heard her say tersely, "Mina."

"Fantastique!" he exclaimed loudly, "I'm so glad that we all know each other now. It means that we can get down to the matter at hand." At that, he noticed that Rowan's pretty features darkened slightly and even Tanji began to look a bit worried.

"What?" he asked innocently, "I was simply going to inquire about whether I can get one of those." He nodded towards Mina's cup and grinned broadly as the doctor and Rowan both burst out laughing. Even Mina looked like she was struggling to hold back a smile. Philippe was surprised that he felt almost relieved that the ice had broken in the room. He was a little taken aback by the feeling of wanting to make the pixie blonde laugh. He mentally slapped himself again. Get a grip Philippe, he thought, get a grip.

***

Mina was really struggling. The minute the door of the doctor's office had slammed open, her cat had begun purring like crazy.What?She had asked it. What it had growled next shook her to the core.Mine, it purred, swiping its snow white paws and rolling around playfully, bowing it's head in a sign of submission.

Mina had wanted to scream. The human side of her felt a little overwhelmed by this openly brazen and insanely confident Frenchman, but this contradicted everything that her cat felt.He can't be our mate!She had screamed at the cat, but it simply shook its large, regal head and had continued to bound around playfully in the recesses of her mind in a manner that seemed almost comical for a huge white tiger.

She found the vampire attractive, there was no doubt about that, but she could also see that this was a man who definitely was no stranger to women; and she didn't like that about him at all. He oozed sexuality and charm, but it was unfortunate that his charmed had probably worked on thousands of women before her. Mina ground her teeth. This was going to be a dilemma.

***

Once Tanji had sorted him out with his drink, Philippe began to feel more relaxed. Unfortunately, he still had to broach the subject of Rowan's unusual, otherworlder behaviour with her and he could just tell that the three women around him were going to group together against him on whatever he said. He knew he had to tread lightly.

"So," he began carefully, leaning back against the soft cushions nonchalantly, "Luke called me a few moments ago. He seemed concerned." He sneaked a peak at Rowan's expression as he lifted the mug to his lips to take a sip. Her features seemed surprisingly calm.

"Yes, he did mention that he would get his 'best people on the case'," she said, reiterating her words by making quote marks in the air with her hands. Philippe smiled easily.

"Best people eh?" He mused, "I'll make sure to mention that to him." The Frenchman turned to look at Mina who had just snorted derisively. "Something wrong?" he asked innocently. The blonde looked at him condescendingly.

"Could you be anymore egoistical?" she snapped. Philippe blinked at her coldness. Tanji bit her lip and Rowan too, looked a little shocked.

"Mina! Could you be nice?" the raved-haired woman hissed. Her friend looked contrite: "Apologies. I should not have said that."

Philippe brushed off her apologies with a wave of his hand. "Pas de problème mademoiselle," he responded smoothly, not showing that he was more than a little bit hurt by her first impressions of him.

"You will have to forgive Philippe," Tanji said from her desk chair. The darker woman smiled matronly at the younger were in front of her. "He does take a bit of getting used to." Philippe looked affronted.

"Excusez-moi,but I am sat right here! I would appreciate it if you didn't talk about me like I was part of the furniture." Tanji simply raised an eyebrow and smiled quietly to herself. The older doctor meant no offence of course but it amused her greatly to see her old friend so affected by the new woman that Rowan had brought into their lives.

"Anyway, back to business," Philippe continued, but not before he had shot Tanji a mock-angry look, "Rowan, I need to know what you remember of just before the black out." He was aware of Mina clenching her fists and Tanji looking serious again, but Philippe was solely focused on Rowan's face. The human woman sighed, hanging her head so that her midnight ringlets obscured her features.

"I wish I could help you Philippe, I really do," she sighed, "But I don't really remember anything as such." The vampire next to her nodded encouragingly. "Well, the last thing I do remember is feeling... well amazing," she admitted, a slight flush rising in her cheeks, "The feeling consumed me, but growing and growing in intensity until I no longer felt anything but that one feeling. It completely took over." She stopped abruptly as if deep in thought, not quite looking anyone in the eye. "Then I just remember everything going dark: no scream, no nothing. Just darkness." She laughed harshly. "That is until I open my eyes and Luke is staring at me like I have just turned into a troll."

The others smiled slightly at her attempt to make light of the situation, but Rowan could see the concern in all their eyes.

"What's happening to me Philippe?" she whispered. For the first time in her life, Rowan felt truly terrified. Of course, there were times she had been scared, and other times when she had been really scared, but this topped all of those. Just knowing there was something inside her that was inhuman was terrifying for her. What was even worse is that no one knew what it was.

Philippe felt his heart aching for the woman before him. Despite only knowing for short while, he already felt a strong connection to her. He liked her confidence, her intensity, her strength. But most of all, he had respected her for her lack of fear in the face of everything. But the woman before him resembled nothing like the Rowan he had come to know. She seemed vulnerable and genuinely scared. He wanted to tell her that it scared him a little too, but he didn't feel that she would take kindly to him calling on her fear. He got the feeling that Rowan didn't like showing weakness.

"I don't know," he responded quietly. It was true: Philippe had no idea. Hearing a quiet cough he noticed that Mina had vacated her chair and was now kneeling beside her friend's chair.

"Ro, what ever happens, you know that everyone here is here for you. You have Luke as well; you know as well as I that he will do anything to protect you!" Mina smirked, "I have known him all of five minutes and I can tell that he has fallen hard for you. You have nothing to worry about."

Rowan smiled gratefully at the tiny woman kneeling next to her before flashing a brilliant smile at Tanji and Philippe too.

"I'm being stupid, aren't I?" she said jokingly. Philippe laughed long and loud, making Mina jump slightly. Not long after, Tanji too started chuckling. "Not at all my dear," the doctor said, "You are perfectly within your rights to act a little stupid some of the time." Tanji smiled wickedly, "Hell, Philippe acts like an idiot most of the time and he gets along just fine."

Rowan burst out laughing. The look on Philippe's face was priceless; she so wished she had a camera with her. Mina too had started to grin broadly at the indignant look on the vampire's face and soon the room rang with peals of feminine laughter.

"Women," Philippe grumbled.

***

Luke was in the sparring room when she found him. The room was large and cavernous, filled with boxing rings, weapons cabinets, crash mats and all sorts of other fighting paraphernalia. Rowan was pretty impressed. The room certainly catered for the majority of fighting styles.

Following her talk with Philippe, Rowan had gone in search of Luke, hoping to placate him. She could tell he was worried but she knew that sex would only distract that anxiety; not quench it. It was time she proved to him that she was no frail rose and that she was tougher than he gave her credit for.

She had tried his room, his office and the kitchen to no avail. Thankfully a cluster of young looking vampires had noticed her wandering listlessly and pointed her in the right direction. She would have asked Philippe, but his head was currently stuck in a pile of books. Mina was also being completely useless. Her meeting with Philippe had put her in a foul mood and she had ditched the Tennessee coffee for drinking straight spirits with a sympathetic Tanji. The tiny were seemed very unconcerned that it was still only mid-afternoon.

Rowan had managed to find the gymnasium-esque room surprisingly easily. It was impressive to say the least, but for once, the room was not the thing catching her eye. She had spotted Luke instantly; after all, the place was completely empty save for him. She guessed that being the lord of the house had its perks.

The only thing that the vampire was wearing was a pair of loose baggy shorts. And despite this, it was one of the sexiest sights Rowan had every seen. The sweat was literally pouring off of him, making his skin glisten and her entire chest and abdomen heaved with exertion. The overall effect should have repulsed her and made her order him off for a shower but strangely enough, Rowan felt that she liked this sweaty, dirty Luke. The planes of his stomach were clearly defined and the muscles of his biceps bulged with effort. She saw him in a new light in that moment; free of all burdens, just hammering his frustrations away.

"You know, that punch bag is gunna need a break at the rate that you are going at it," she called from across the room. Luke looked up in surprised and stilled the swinging bag.

"Rowan," he panted, his dark, short curls swaying as he ruffled his tresses in an attempt to smarten up a little. Suffice to say it didn't work. "What are you doing here?" he asked, his breathing still heavy from the exercise, "Did Philippe find you?"

"Of course he did, it seemed like he was more interested in Mina though," Rowan said drying as she advanced towards him across the mats. Luke chuckled breathlessly, shaking his head as his chest started to heave less violently.

"I should have known," he muttered under his breath with a wan smile. "Where is he now?" Rowan had reached him by now and was currently standing just on the edge of the mat above which the heaving boxing bag hung.