Carin
There was a smug smile on his face as he walked towards me holding both his hands out like he was a savior of some sort.
"What the hell are you doing here?", I spat the question out like it held a bitter taste in my mouth.
"Hey, big bro!", he chirped. I stiffened as he pulled me in for a tight hug. "That is no way to welcome your only surviving sibling"
Theo was my brother, but he was also insane. He did insane things like feeding on humans and showing up to my house uninvited.
"What do you want?", I asked him with a deadpan expression on my face. The smile on his faltered when he realized I was not returning his excitement.
He shrugged, looking around like he was in search of something. "Just came to see you, say "hi", check out how you're doing. Since when has that become a crime?", he asked. I stared at him restricting myself from smacking that stupid smile off his face.
It would take more than a little sweet talk here and there for him to convince me that he wasn't up to yet another mischief. "You and I know very well that you couldn't give a shit about me even on your free days. What kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into, Theo?", I asked him.
He gave me a weird chuckle and I knew that I had him figured out. "None", he said. "No trouble, I swear. I just really needed to be with family"
I rolled my eyes. I was so over my brother's drama. "Wrong timing! I have a lot going on. Please, leave", I said turning away from him.
With the speed of light, he was standing before me. "Wait!", he chirped excitedly. "Do you have someone else here?"
When I gave him no reply, he ventured more. "Oh, Shit! You do! You do have someone here. A woman?", he asked.
I rolled my eyes at him, exhausted by his presence.
"A male, perhaps?", he shrugged and added. "I don't judge. If it's a man, I fully approve"
"It's not a man", I snapped. Recognizing that I was playing right into his hands, I corrected myself. "It's no one. Please, leave"
I watched as he poked his nose upwards, sniffing the air as if he was trying to detect if there was something in it.
"I smell wolf", he whispered and my already cold temperature, dropped even more. I had wanted him to leave before he picked up Ember's scent and now, it was too late for that.
"Why do I smell wolf?", Theo asked, his eyes shining with curiosity.
"Something must be off with your sense of smell", I told him.
"Nah, nah, nah", he said, shaking his head. "I can recognize the smell of those dingy animals anytime and anywhere. Why do you have a wolf in here?". He started to move towards the house, but I tackled him and pinned him to the ground.
"Mind your goddamn business", I told him. "By the way, there is no wolf in my house", I lied through my teeth.
He pushed me off of him and was on his feet in a second. "I better hope you're telling the truth, Carr. You of all people should know what happened the last time one of us was involved with those dogs"
There was bitterness in his voice and in his overall look. I held my breath as the memories I had long buried came flooding in like a broken dam.
I shut my eyes trying to ward of those terrible memories but couldn't. Theo had broken something open in my mind. I stood there frozen. I wanted to believe that Ember was different , that she wasn't like the rest of them. But, I knew deep down that my brother was right.
Lycans were evil. The lot of them. A sudden wave of clarity hit me and soon I started to question Ember's presence. Why had I saved her? I should have left her to the mercy of her werewolf pals.
Theo sized me up and down, shook his head in disappointment and was soon gone as quick as he'd shown up. I watched myself crumble. Whatever spark that was growing between Ember and I needed to be turned off.
I had been such a fool for entertaining the thoughts of me and Ember together. I was stupid for letting myself become intoxicated by her presence.
She was a wolf and I, a vampire. We led two distinct supernatural lives. Our kinds were mortal enemies and it had to remain so!
Half an hour later…
I made sure that my brother was really gone before making my way to Ember's room. I stopped to gather my nerves before pushing the door open and stepping inside.
Ember quickly rushed to her feet on seeing me. "What was that? You scared me shitless. What happened?". The questions came rushing one after the other.
I couldn't look her in the eye, something had snapped in me. I was about to make a decision that neither of us would fancy. "You should leave.", I said coldly. "I have no use for your presence anymore"
Ember winced in pain, like my words had cut something open in her. "Why? We agreed that I would leave when I'm healed up"
"Well, I've changed my mind. I'll drop you off somewhere familiar and you can find your way from there.", I said, sounding deadpan.
"Find my way to where?". I could hear the apprehension in her voice. "I have no where to go. I'm on the run from my pack. You were right, I am a fugitive!", she admitted.
"I don't care. Go somewhere. Drive yourself off the edge of the earth. Just go anywhere but here", I told her, icily. I couldn't afford to feel sorry for her situation.
I knew that I sounded cruel because she recoiled and hugged herself. A pain shot through my chest in that instant. I should be the one comforting her. I should be her safe space, not the reason she was feeling such great pain.
"What happened to you? We were okay just less than an hour ago. I have no place to go to. Do not do this to me. I won't let you do this!", she pleaded.
I bit back the pity I was supposed to feel for her. I was expecting her to put up a fight. I was counting on it in fact.
"Get some rest, Lycan. You'll definitely need it", I said, turning away from her. Before I could leave, she rushed over to me and grabbed my hand. "Please", she whimpered.
I pulled my hand out of hers so swiftly that the red signet ring which I wore cut open her palm, leaving a gash on it. A trickle of blood rushed out from her palm. Hot hunger filled my mouth and I turned away from her quickly.
"Just get out!", I snarled at her. I did not turn back to look at her even when the sound of her crying flooded the entire house.
What the hell was I doing?