by Wilde, Rhea
He made his way to the exit of the bar. Just before he left, he stopped at the door. He turned around and suddenly he was staring at me. I looked back at him, swallowing nervously at what he was possibly thinking. He was far away but I could still see something on his face. It was the tiniest little smirk developing at the corner of his mouth. But just as quickly as it was there, it was gone. He turned back around and exited the bar. The door closed shut. I couldn’t shake the feeling he had left me with.
“What do you think his problem was?”
I jerked my head to the side and May was suddenly standing next to me.
“I-I don’t know… May, have you ever seen that man before?”
“No. Why?”
“…Just wondering.”
I was trying understand the strange feeling I had. The man’s presence made me feel uneasy and the look on his face only added to it. I looked down at the table I was trying to clean and forgot what I was doing.
“Don’t you have a boyfriend, Ariel?” May asked me suddenly. “Don’t you think it’s wrong for you to be enamored with some guy who walks into this bar just because his suit fits him so well?”
“Don’t you have a boyfriend?” I replied back to her.
She started to laugh and returned to the bar to finish counting her tips with Zoe. I shook my head and finished wiping down the table in front of me. Whoever that man was, I couldn’t let it distract me any longer. Regardless of what I felt, the bar was closing soon and I would soon be with the one man who made me feel completely safe.
Chapter 4
I stepped out of the bar and stretched my arms out after another successful night at work. As I extended my hands to the sky, I felt a smile come across my face along with the relief that comes with getting a moment to myself. But I didn’t want this moment alone to last too long, since I knew that Vaughn was out there waiting for me.
May took the spot next to me with her drunken boyfriend Chris draped over her shoulder.
“Are you going home alone tonight?” she asked me.
“No. He’ll be here.”
“Usually he’s already waiting outside.”
“I know. He’s just a little late, that’s all.”
Whenever Vaughn said that he would meet me after work, he was never late. Tonight, for some reason, he wasn’t here. After seeing the mysterious man in the bar and watching everything that happened in the news, Vaughn’s odd absence was adding another layer of anxiety that I didn’t want.
“I’ll wait here with you,” May said to me.
“No, I’ll be fine. I’m sure he’s heading out here right now.”
Right on cue, Vaughn came running down the sidewalk before running into us.
“I’m sorry,” he panted. “I was held up doing something and lost track of time.”
“It’s okay,” I smiled. “I just got off.”
“Were you waiting long?”
“She was waiting for a really long time,” May chimed in.
“Ignore her,” I said, rolling my eyes as she smirked at Vaughn.
“That’s not like you, Vaughn,” she said. “You’re usually so punctual.”
“I know, May. But I was doing something, something for Ariel, and it couldn’t be helped. Forgive me, Ariel.”
“Vaughn, you don’t have to explain anything to me,” I told him. “May…”
May was having her fun with Vaughn because she knew he took most things seriously. She always said that there was something about him that she couldn’t explain. She said that he was too perfect. And she was right. But she didn’t know the complete picture.
“So, I’m sure you two have some wonderful evening planned tonight?” May asked.
“We do,” Vaughn said. “I stopped by the pharmacy to pick-up some condoms since we ran out.”
May jerked her head at me and the grin formed on her face. Even Chris managed to perk his head up from the comment despite his current drunken state.
“Well, I suppose—”
“Yes, I believe we should be on our way now,” I interrupted May as I pushed Vaughn toward my apartment to hide my blushing face. “May, I’ll see you tomorrow. Vaughn, let’s go.”
I walked with Vaughn down the sidewalk and I could still feel May staring at me with that stupid grin on her face. I wrapped my arms around Vaughn’s arm and leaned close to him.
“Did I say something wrong?” he asked me.
“No. No, you didn’t do anything wrong. It’s just… Normally, people aren’t so blunt about things like that.”
“But it’s no secret that we are lovers, is it not?”
“Yeah, they know.”
“Then I don’t understand.”
I sighed and stopped walking. Vaughn looked down at me with genuine confusion on his face. Despite his charming facade and masculine nature, there was still a childlike innocence about him. He wasn’t completely a man. There was still a part of him that was trying to be human.
“What we have,” I explained. “It’s between us. It doesn’t have to be a secret but the love we make… nobody is watching. It’s ours.”
“I… I understand. It’s just my instincts…”
His finger linger along my forehead and brushed my bangs to the side and behind my ear. As he looked down into my eyes, I found myself looking up at him and having trouble speaking.
“You’re the most beautiful being I’ve ever laid eyes upon. That makes me the luckiest person, man or beast. Simply because you are with me. I want everyone to know that I am yours and you are mine. I… I’m sorry if I embarrassed you.”
“You don’t have to apologize for that,” I started to blush. “You’re right. I… I shouldn’t care what anybody thinks. Who cares if they know we’re having sex?”
I reached out for him and he kissed me softly on the lips. I felt a tinge of him rush through my body. My withdrawal had been answered and the drug that Vaughn was returned to my being. I wrapped my arms around him once again and together we made our way to my apartment.
“So what was it that you were working on?” I asked him.
“It’s a surprise.”
“Surprise? Well, now I’m just going to keep bugging you until you tell me.”
“Patience, Ariel. You’ll see soon enough.”
“But—”
“Patience.”
This wasn’t like Vaughn at all. He never kept anything from me and he never went out of his way to do anything out of the ordinary. But I didn’t mind. I welcomed him acting out of character if it meant something special.
We got to my apartment and when I went to open the door, Vaughn stopped me.
“What are you doing?”
“Close your eyes, Ariel.”
“What?”
He looked at me and smiled. I smiled back at him then followed his instructions. With my eyes closed and my mind racing with curiosity, I listened to the sound of Vaughn opening my apartment door.
“Watch your step,” he said as he took one of my hands and led me inside.
Even with my eyes closed, I knew that there was something different in my apartment. I couldn’t see it but I could smell it. There was a sound coming from my kitchen that I couldn’t quite make out. I was growing more excited with each step, the smile on my face becoming more apparent.
“Now?” I asked him.
“Not yet…”
“Vaughn!”
I was practically begging to see what he was up to.
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” I asked him.
“Maybe,” he whispered into my ear. “But is it really so bad to have your eyes closed for just a few moments longer?”
“I suppose…”
My words trailed off as I felt his lips trail along my neck. I sighed from his touch. The way he touched me always made me melt. My body vibrated with an energy that only he could bring. I could almost feel my flesh beginning to tingle as I felt him lean in closer to me.
“Now you can open your eyes.”
I sighed and started to blink. The smile disappeared and my mouth hung open as I saw what Vaughn had done. Every inch of my apartment was covered in flowers. My couch, my cabinets, the table. There were vases and bouquets covering every inch. Even the ground had red and purple rose petals upon it.
“This is amazing,” I smiled at him. “How long did this take you?”
“Longer than it should have, I’m afraid. I—”
“That’s why you were late.”
He nodded and I leaned in close to hug him.
“Nobody’s ever done anything like this for me before. You turned my dreary apartment into a… into a wondrous place.”
“I know that you enjoy the time we spend out in the forest. But I like being here with you, Ariel. I figured why not have both.”
“That makes sense.”
“So you like it?”
“I love it.”
I looked up at him and he pecked me softly upon the lips. I wasn’t expecting anything like this but I was pleasantly surprised. High off of the feeling of being with Vaughn, I walked through my apartment and gently placed my hands upon the flowers to see that they were real.
“Have a seat,” Vaughn said.
“There’s more?”
“Just a little bit.”
He winked at me and I took one of the few spots not covered with flowers on the couch. I grabbed a rose from the bouquet resting next to me and inhaled the sweet smell of the petals. Before I could appreciate the fragrance any longer, Vaughn returned and took a seat next to me with a plate in his hands.
“What is this?” I asked him.
“I thought I would make you something special, Ariel. So I made you a cake.”
“You baked?”
“I… I followed the recipe but it didn’t turn out exactly how it—”
“It doesn’t matter, Vaughn. I’m sure I’ll love it.”
I took the plate from him and poked at the spongy cake with my fork. There was a thick layer of frosting on it and the construction of the piece was something that a professional chef would be embarrassed to serve. Vaughn stared at me intently as I took a piece and ate it. The sweetness of the sugar overwhelmed my tongue and I grimaced a bit from the taste.
“How is it?”
“It’s… sweet.”
“I tasted some of the frosting. It’s really good.”
“Yeah, it is,” I chuckled. “There’s a lot of it on it…”
“So you do like it then?”
The sweet sugar lingered on my tongue and I smacked my mouth to try and remove it. When I looked at Vaughn, I couldn’t help but smile at him, knowing that he had done this for me.
“It’s the best piece of cake I’ve ever had.”
He poured a glass of wine for the both of us to share. I took a sip to wash the taste of the icing from my mouth.
Vaughn and I spent most of our time together late into the night. We slept in most mornings because we never had anything to do. Every now and then Vaughn would have to show up early in the morning for work but the lack of sleep didn’t hurt him. I liked it this way. There was a calmness in the night that wasn’t there at any other time of the day. I think it’s because of who he was. He was accustomed to the night. And I didn’t mind one bit.
“So what brought this on?” I asked him.
“What do you mean?”
“Why would you do something like this? It’s not our anniversary and today’s not a special occasion… is it?”
“I just wanted to do something special for you because… because I love you, Ariel. Do I need another reason?”
“No,” I blushed. “No, you don’t.”
We both relaxed on the couch and enjoyed the new surrounding of the flowers around us. I leaned in close to him and rested my head upon his chest. I breathed a deep sigh of relief, enjoying the peace I felt that only Vaughn could give me. But in my moment of silence, my thoughts began to wander. I remembered what happened at the bar that night. The uneasy feeling I had from watching the news and the strange man I saw returned to me. I wrapped my arms tight around Vaughn to try and forget about it but it wasn’t going away. I reluctantly opened my eyes and sighed as I pushed myself up and away from him.
“Is something wrong, Ariel?” he asked me.
“Vaughn… I want to ask you something.”
“Of course.”
“It’s about…” I swallowed and paused for a moment.
“Ariel, you can ask me anything. You don’t need to ask for my permission.”
“I know it’s just… I don’t want to ruin the mood you’ve created, that’s all.”
“Ariel…”
“Right,” I sighed. “It’s about… your clan.”
“…Yes?”
I knew that Vaughn would put up with anything I asked him even though this was a sore subject for him. I couldn’t imagine what he went through when he killed every member of his clan. He put his family to death. And he did it all for me.
“How large was your clan?”
“There were not many. But I don’t know the exact number.”
“And you were with all of them when they came to this city?”
“Yes.”
“Are you sure? I mean, is there any chance that one or two of them went somewhere else?”
“They were all here, Ariel. And they all died here.”
I sighed, thinking if there was any possibility that one of them might have gone to New York and was responsible for the murders there.
“What about children?” I asked.
“Children?”
“Offspring. Did any of your clan breed with someone that you didn’t know about?”
“The entire clan was male, Ariel. Our queen was dead. We came here to seek a female. We came here to find you. If we had gone somewhere else, there would be other females to breed with but it could not have happened?”
“Why not?”
“Because the other clans would not allow it. Clans do not allow their females to so freely with breed with others.”
“But it is possible?”
“Possible. But the female would be labeled a traitor and the male a trespasser. They would surely be put to death. And I would be able to feel their presence. Ariel… Why are you asking this?”
“I…”
I wanted to tell him what I saw on the news. I wanted to tell him that I was suspicious of everything that was going on in New York.
Is it possible that what was happening here is happening there? Is there a member of his clan that Vaughn has possibly forgotten about?
When I looked at Vaughn, I could see the genuine concern on his face. I knew that I shouldn’t have brought something like this up.
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. He goes out of his way and does the most romantic thing I’d ever seen and I go and kill the mood.
“Nothing,” I said. “It’s nothing. I was just curious if there was anybody else…”
“I am the last of my clan. I’m sure of it.”
“Vaughn—”
“Don’t pity me, Ariel. I’ve chosen my fate. I’ve chosen you. And given the same choice a million times until the end of time, it will always be you.”
The uneasiness I felt just moments ago was completely gone. It was a ridiculous thought. I had every reason to be happy. But like always, Vaughn knew exactly what he had to say. It was the same constant reminder I needed to know that there was nothing to worry about.
“What do you want, Vaughn?”
“Ariel?”
“You went to all this trouble for me. I can’t just fall asleep here in your arms like I usually do. Wait… You knew? That’s why you stopped by the pharmacy.”
“Was it that obvious?”
“You don’t have to turn my apartment into a forest if that’s all you want,” I grinned.
We laughed softly with one another. But the laughing ceased quickly as Vaughn eyed me as the only way he could. His eyes narrowed and the lust burning within him moved
to me. I felt the feeling rush through my body. He wrapped his arms around me and enveloped me with a passionate kiss. I opened my mouth and took him into me, succumbing to the venom in his lips.
My mind started to go blank but before I lost myself completely, I whispered to Vaughn one last request.
“Not here. Take me away… Take me to where you want to have me.”
Vaughn didn’t need any further motivation. We stepped out of the apartment and I hopped onto his back, wrapping my arms and legs around him. He leapt into the night and toward the only spot in the world that was ours and ours alone.
Chapter 5
Vaughn hopped from rooftop to rooftop. His outline must have created an eerie silhouette upon the moon but only for a brief moment. If this was the first time I’d ever been with Vaughn, I might have been afraid but I quickly got used to it. It was one of the many benefits of being with a man who was capable of so much more.
Before wandering eyes in the city could wonder who or what it was bouncing on top of buildings, Vaughn and I quickly found the place deep within the forest I called our second home.
The moon and the stars were the only light we needed. Just as quickly as we had left, we had returned. The hooting of the owls among the trees let us know that we had a nocturnal audience for tonight.
Joined by a passionate kiss, I tugged Vaughn’s leather jacket off of him while he felt me up through my shirt. The feeling of his lips upon mine numbed my entire body. My eyes were shut tight as I lashed my tongue out at him. We pulled away from each other for only a moment so that he could take his shirt off completely. Lifting the garment up over his body, I was greeted with the physique that I had seen before but would never grow tired of.
Seeing Vaughn shirtless fueled the passion that was already an inferno inside of me. I couldn’t get my shirt off fast enough. Vaughn felt the same way. He leaned in close to me and began to lavish my breasts before I had a chance to get my bra off. His hands cupped me as I tilted my head back to bring him in even closer. I breathed a deep sigh of ecstasy from the feeling of his lips upon the soft flesh. He lowered my bra down just a bit and darted his tongue ever so softly at my nipples. He knew just how to please me.