Becoming His Ch. 02

In moments I'm rising through the floors of the building and wondering what his actual apartment will be like. Even the elevator is extravagant so I can only guess. My phone chirps about halfway up as a woman and small fluffy white dog that joined me from garage exit to their floor. It's Alexander again with instructions to input yet another code when I arrive at his floor. More codes? Jeez. Once I reach the top floor a screen lights up above the button panel asking for a five digit code. I carefully enter it on the touch screen and the doors glide open upon my finish. What the hell would have happened if he didn't give me that in time? Would I just be standing in the elevator like an idiot? This is seriously more complicated than I ever imagined and I'm not even officially here yet. At the end of short hallway is a double door with the numbers '2501'.

I can't believe I'm so nervous! Suddenly the door in front of me opens. Ok. Guess I don't even need to knock. Maybe it's that whole sensing me thing. I don't know. What I do know is the look he's giving me manages to melt the nerves and make every inch of me tense in anticipation. He looks hungry and I'm confident it isn't for blood. He smiles at me with a large grin in reaches out to pull me through the doorway and against him. Wow. Not wasting any time then. Using our bodies to shut the door I'm pushed up against it with him pinning me in place. He's running one hand along my side and the other is resting on the door a bit above me when he begins talking, "Did you have any trouble finding your way?" I say no. He nods. His hand moves up and traces along the neckline of my sweater. He continues, "Have you eaten already?" His hand is very distracting as it dips a bit below the fabric and traces along my skin. I nod. I hear him say, "Will you stay tonight?" My sweater is dipping lower as he runs his hand down the center of my chest to the top of my breasts. What did he say? Oh, if I'll stay. I say yes. He smiles, "Good. A tour then?"

Just like that his hand is gone from my sweater and wrapping itself around one of mine. What a tease! He gives me a quick smirk and leads me away from the door by my hand. Fine. I could play hard to get if I need to. I know he heard me but he doesn't react. He guides me through the apartment as I'm quickly distracted by the surroundings. From the stainless and glass kitchen to the massive wall of windows facing out to the city in the living room, it's all impressive. Everything is so modern and cleanly designed. It's beautiful. Modern furniture populates the rooms and some look more comfortable than others. We head down a hallway where we find a glass counter topped bathroom, a masculine but still modern home office, two spare bedrooms equally well furnished and eventually the master bedroom. I don't know what he does to earn his money but he's clearly not wanting for anything. A lush looking bed dominates the room followed by an adjoined bathroom and massive fully stocked closet. The man has more clothes than a department store.

We don't linger in the bedroom long before heading back out to the kitchen which he proceeds to show me he had stocked with what he called 'human food'. He really went all out with everything from fruit to meats and anything in between plus juices, wines, and even a carton of milk filling his kitchen. Wow. He did all of this for me? He looks at the food like it's a completely foreign thing to him, which I suppose it is. He has been drinking nothing but blood for over seven hundred years after all. He tells me he had the concierge arrange for the delivery and his hope is that it's sufficient. Uh, yeah. I couldn't eat all this food in two weeks let alone one night. It's sweet though. He's trying to make sure I'm comfortable including having the heat on which I noticed as soon as I came in. I question him about the concierge though as once again it seems as if we're in a hotel. We're not, apparently. It's part of the services and amenities of this building which apparently also include a fully equipped gym, yoga studio, coffee lounge, dog grooming and a lounge with a billiard table. This is not what apartments are like where I'm from. This is just... insane. Especially since all of this is on top of the house he took me to last time.

Speaking of, I'm about to ask him about the two homes less than an hour apart and what exactly he does for work. I barely get half of the sentence out when suddenly his phone rings and he glares at it angrily. He groans before answering it and listens. I don't think its good news and I get increasingly more uncomfortable. Looking for something to do I pretend to fish around in my purse and eventually pull a bottle of water from the fridge. His body tenses and the anger pulsing off of him is like a presence in the room. Now he's yelling in some language that doesn't sound at all familiar and I wonder what could have happened. Abruptly he hangs up and tosses the phone onto the glass counter. It bounces and rattles loudly. He drops his head and leans both hands on the counter. Something is definitely wrong. The happy and excited Alexander has been replaced with an angry and possibly worried version. Ok, now I'm starting to freak out. He finally speaks, "We have a problem. I have no idea how I'm going to explain all of this." He runs his hand through his hair before placing it back on the counter. He continues, "My prodigy did something fucking idiotic and now he's on his way here so I can clean up his mess. I don't understand what his.." What the hell is he talking about?! I cut him off mid-sentence.

"Wait, what? What are you talking about?"

"I'm sorry. I have so little time. He's a young vampire I turned. Meaning I'm his "parent" as humans call it. I created him. Therefore he is under my control, to a point anyway. "

Holy shit! He has a vampire child? Or what did he call it? Oh, whatever! He starts talking again.

"Yes. Child isn't far off considering how stupid he has become. He gets himself into these avoidable situations and now he has accidently killed a human."

He stops and looks at me. My eyes must be as wide as saucers and I can feel panic rising inside of me. Killed someone? And he's coming here? Oh god! I take a step back into the counter behind me. Yup. This is panic. Alexander moves fast and is in front of me with his hands on each of my arms. He starts talking quickly, "Leila! Relax. Please. You are not in danger. He will not harm you. I won't allow it. He would never touch or harm what is mine. I said he is under my control and he is. He must obey what I command. It's not a choice. He cannot choose not to." What? I take a couple deep breaths and spin his words around my head. He has to obey? What the hell is that? But somehow I know Alexander means it when he says he won't let this vampire of his hurt me. I realize putting so much faith in someone I've known for such a small amount of time is crazy but really, what could I do about all of it now anyway?

I'm calming down some and Alexander is gently stroking the sides of my arms. He asks if I want to sit and pulls out a bar stool from under the counter and I gladly take it. There's always some new crazy ass thing to take in when it comes to him isn't there? Will this ever be not insane and shocking? I'm with a vampire, how could it? Standing in front of me he starts talking again, "I was planning to do this tonight anyway, but not in such a rushed way. I must teach you to block my kind from reading your thoughts. I do not want him or the vampire bringing him here to be able to hear you that way. I need you to focus, Leila. Can you do that for me?" Whoa! I can block such a thing? Wow. I never even considered that to be possible. I just assumed it was a pitfall of being with a vampire. The idea of this so called stupid vampire and his friend seeing through my head is a terrible thought. Ok. Get a grip! I take a deep breath and tell him to teach me. He gives me a small sad smile. He strokes a piece of my hair away from my face and says, "I have to admit, I will miss hearing your inner musings. But I decided if we are to spend time together it's only fair that you be able to keep your thoughts to yourself, if you so wish."

After giving me a gentle kiss he pulls back and asks me to close my eyes and clear my mind. I do as he says but with the impending visitors it's hard to accomplish the second task. His voice is calm but firm, "You must. Empty your mind." Another deep breath. Ok. I hear him speak again, "Good. I need you to think of the most secure thing you can imagine. It can be anything from a door, a lock, or even a wall. It doesn't matter what as long as you see it as secure." The first thing that pops into my head is a vault door. My Mom worked in bank when I was a kid and the vault in the back was where everything valuable was kept locked away. It always seemed so massive to me as a little girl with its large lock and hinges and the loud noise it made when it closed. It fills my mind. Alexander speaks quietly, "Good. Make it bigger. Thicker. Good. Now, I need you to put yourself inside it and lock the door. This will keep your thoughts hidden. Do it." I do. In my mind I see a small version of myself walking into the vault and the door shuts with the familiar thud. I hear the lock click behind me.

Alexander taps my leg and I open my eyes. He nods at me and says, "You did well. I can't hear your thoughts anymore. There's only hard silence. You need to keep that image in your mind. If you decide that door is locked then no one will be able to read your mind. Open it and your thoughts will pour out as if you were speaking aloud, as it was before. You don't have to ever allow me to read your thoughts again. That's your choice. But while they are here, please keep your mind locked." I can see how serious he is. I wonder why he's so worried about it. I keep that locked vault in the back of my mind though. Consider it sealed.

Only a moment after we finish a sleek looking intercom on the counter rings. He doesn't move at first and continues looking into my face. Without looking away, he reaches over and presses a button. A voice pours from the speaker, "Mr. Sinclair, you have two visitors. Shall I send them up?" Alexander agrees and turns the intercom back off. Must be a doorman of some type. Am I ready for this? I sure as hell hope so. Alexander gives me a long and gentle kiss. I lose myself in it for a moment. He pulls me to the edge of the stool and wraps his arms around me. I feel his back tense under my hands and pull away. He speaks, "They're here. Remember, locked mind. You will be safe. You do not even need to speak to them. I'm sorry I have to deal with this while you're here." A quick kiss on my forehead ends our embrace and he walks towards the door.

I don't bother to move. I figure sitting will be better in this situation. I'm afraid if I stand my legs will shake and I will broadcast my fear. Alexander quickly looks at me and I know he can feel it. He turns back to the door and pulls it open. The sadness and concern is now gone. It seems to have evaporated in an instant. Now, he's standing by the open door glaring into the hallway. His body says nothing but anger, power, and danger. Fuck, this is insane. Words are exchanged in English and that strange language again. Two men walk into the room and the door is slammed behind them. Both instantly turn towards me and they both look equally shocked. Clearly they were not expecting me to be here at all. The three of us size each other up in seconds. I have no idea what they must be thinking but I'm holding that locked door in my mind and holding my position. Don't show fear, right? I don't know but that was my first instinct.

I look them both over quickly. One is taller than the other but both are shorter than Alexander. The shorter one has dirty blonde hair, very pale white skin, and an almost too slender of a build. He looks weak but I know that's an illusion. His dark eyes are fixed on me and he looks very confused at my presence. More importantly he looks as though he's desperately trying to hide how scared he is. Not of me, surely. I realize he must be scared of Alexander as when he walked passed him he kept his head down and never looked up. This must be the prodigy. I look at the other one. The taller vampire is dark skinned and bald. He has a muscular build and looks as though he was a body builder. His size is intimidating. He's giving me an altogether different look. This visual inspection takes only mere seconds from when they entered the room and I fight rising panic when I hear the dark skinned one speak, "Is this our dinner?" I'm pretty sure my heart stopped at his words.

In a blur too fast to track with my eyes, Alexander slams both vampires to the wall by their throats. Two pictures fall to the floor and a glass vase follows them down. All three items shatter on impact. Alexander's voice fills the room, "If either of you fucking touch her I will rip you to pieces right here. She. Is. Mine!" There was a growl mixed into his words and I have to force myself to breathe. Each of the last three words was punctuated with a thrust of his hand against their throats and the thud of their heads bouncing on the wall. He speaks again and his voice is low and menacing, "Remember your place." With that he lets them go and they look anywhere but at me. I'm frozen in my place watching all of this play out and trying to reconcile it in my mind. He says something in that odd language to the younger one and he disappears down the hallway. The other one follows him and all three are soon closed in Alexander's home office.

I don't know if I should scream, cry, or just pass out. What the fuck did I just witness? I've never seen Alexander move so fast. Sure, sometimes it seems like he moves quickly but never to the point I can't see him. And the force that he slammed those men against the wall vibrated through the room. I could feel it from the opposite side where I'm still on my stool. I keep forgetting what he's capable of doing. Better yet, I'm sure I don't even really know the extent of that. All I have is the few things I've witnessed and it's sobering. He can be so sweet and gentle and then just seem like nothing but pure power. How are both things the same person? More importantly, what do I do now? Maybe I should leave while they're in the other room. I stare at my purse sitting on the counter but I don't move. I sit there staring for a good twenty minutes until my behind begins to fall asleep. Clearly I'm not leaving. I jump when I hear Alexander yell from the other room. Ok. Distraction it is then.

I pour myself a glass of merlot I found on the counter by the fridge. I wonder if he bought the glasses for me as well. What use would he have for them anyway? I end up in front of the large windows in the living room looking out at the city. It's an amazing view. All the buildings are lit up and it has a peaceful feel to it being this high up in the sky. It's almost like being separated from the world below. Maybe that's why he likes it. Eventually I end up on the couch facing the window and let my mind wander to just about anything it choses except what is happening in the room down the hall. I make sure that vault is never far away though. Two glasses and two shouts later the dark skinned vampire comes down the hallway and throws me a strange glance before walking out the apartment door. Everything is silent for a while. I give up on the wine and just sit on the couch fingering a pale blue chenille throw blanket folded on one side.

After almost a full hour Alexander emerges from the office with the small vampire trailing behind him. I stand up at their arrival but I don't know why. Alexander folds his arms and glares at the small vampire. That was apparently some sort of silent command because the small pale one takes a step forward and lifts his head up a little making direct eye contact with me for the first time. There's a couch and several feet between us and I silently hope he doesn't come any further. He begins to speak with what sounds like a British accent, "I apologize for interrupting your evening." Oh. Um. What do I do? I just nod because I don't think I'm even capable of words at the moment. He gives me a small smile before looking away again. He looks like a chastised child. They speak in that language I can't understand and the small one gives me a little nod before turning and walking out of the apartment. I know I was here but honestly, what the hell just happened?

Once we're officially alone Alexander walks around the couch and sits down. I sit beside him and watch him lean back into the cushion and drop his back onto the top of the couch. I watch him and wait. The only movement he makes is sliding his hand along the couch to rest on my knee. We say nothing. I have a million and a half questions but I'm not sure where to start or even if I should. Several minutes pass with more silence and I stare out into the city scape across from us. With a little squeeze on my knee Alexander breaks the stillness, "It's strange not hearing your questioning thoughts. I know you must be wondering." I turn to find him watching me. I consider letting him in but decide not to. I want to know what happened and depending on what he says I may need to keep my thoughts to myself.

I still can't seem to form a question though. He starts speaking on his own instead, "My prodigy, his name is Thomas. He's just over two hundred years old. He seemed beyond his time for a human when I met him and he was immensely smart. That's why I chose him. Unfortunately, he doesn't have, what do you call it? Common sense? Yes. He has not a stitch of that." I can't help but think that he sounds disappointed when speaking of Thomas, especially when mentioning how smart Alexander apparently considered him. His hand is still resting on my knee and his thumb is stroking gently along my skin. I wait for him to continue, "It's such a waste. He could do so much but he chooses to waste his immortality. It's made him lazy and reckless." He turns his head on the cushion and looks at me again as he says, "He was shocked to find you here. In all the time he's known me he has never seen me with a human other than to obtain blood." Huh. It's weird how strange my existence in Alexander's life is. It's flattering but it's also a bit unnerving because I don't know what it really means or why me.

He turns quiet for a while and I let him disappear into his thoughts. If he doesn't normally seek company from humans then I can't imagine sharing his personal thoughts on someone so clearly close to him is a normal occurrence either. I decide it's better not to push. I feel him stiffen a bit and when I look at him he's sitting up straighter in his seat. He looks very serious now and I don't know what to expect when he begins to talk, "I apologize for Braun's insult. He was out of line and it will not happen again." I raise an eyebrow at him. Braun? Really? Such a stupid name. I'm also taken aback at him calling it insult. When that vampire asked if I was dinner, insulted was not the first or even fifth thing I felt in response. Terrified ranked number one and the others were similar in tone. Insulted was not on the list. But maybe that is insulting in the vampire world. I can't I say I really know the protocol here.

I expect us to fall into silence again but instead he turns in his seat to face me. Ok. Something is coming. I can tell. He looks strange. Anxious maybe? I don't know. He just doesn't look like the confident vampire I usually find myself with. Occasionally this more vulnerable side has come out but it's usually fleeting. He makes eye contact with me and begins to talk, "I told you last night we had much to discuss and I was intending to do that tonight. Although, after the events of the night so far, I'm not sure how you will respond." Uh oh. That doesn't really sound promising does it? I resist the urge to glance in the direction of the still broken glass on the floor near entrance of the room. I want to hear what he has to say though. I have no clue what it will be but I have to at least hear it. I turn towards him and tuck my leg under me. Leaning my arm on the back cushion and placing my hand against my head I tell him to go ahead. I keep my expression as open as possible and wait for what he has to say.