Dark Beauty
The Last Final
"Will you guys please be quite?" I snapped annoyed. "I'm trying to study for my last final."
"We are sorry Layla," Desari said with her bright smile and musical voice. "We shall try to be quieter."
I mumbled something, not even I really know what, and turned back to the notebook sitting open in front of me. My last final was Western Civilization. Our teacher had been kind enough to have one of the required textbooks be a notebook full of the notes for the entire class. It made studying for the test a lot easier that it normally would have been. I had finished all my other finals over the last two days and the next day (or rather that day since it was already twelve-oh-one.
I was fully awake. It was the curse of having spent over a week with Carpathians. They don't sleep at night like we humans are supposed to and so it makes life very interesting to put it nicely and bluntly. I still had a few more pages to review before I could be done. I looked slyly around me and sat up, ignoring the notebook. Because of my funky sleeping hours I wouldn't be going to sleep for another four or five hours. And then it would only be a four hour nap before I had my last final. Desari and Julian had found and bought a house just outside of York so that I could stay at the school and Andreas could be nearby. His own house was a lot farther out and his residence there would have made it more difficult for the both of us to handle.
My days for the last little while now had been spent like this: wake up and go to classes talking with Andreas until he really does have to sleep and trying not to think about the fact that he isn't nearby and overriding the ingrained desire to want to die. After classes and chapel, I nap all afternoon. I wake up about six-thirty and go to dinner. I hang out with my friends (who are for some reason really suspicious of my behavior) or take another nap. A little after nightfall, Andreas, and sometimes Julian and Desari, come by Thomas Parlor and hang out with me downstairs until eleven-thirty when we boot the guys out. Then things get kind of tricky. It's at this point we all go up to my room because I've scanned in for the night. The only thing is my dear Carpathian friends have to shield the room. Otherwise, I get found out and I get in big trouble. I don't know if it would be worse if they caught me "out and about" York after having scanned in or if they caught my three Carpathians (two of them male) hanging out in my room without anyone's prior knowledge. I don't want to find out.
"I thought you said you had to study my love?" Andreas questioned. I could hear the chuckle in his voice so I stuck my tongue out at him.
"I tried, you guys got me thoroughly distracted. I blame you." I said with a shrug.
"You always blame me darling," Andreas pointed out.
"It works doesn't it?" I spoke frankly as I leaned back against the air conditioner. "Besides, I'm not going to blame Julian, he's bigger and stronger than me and I can't really blame Desari. She's too…too…good."
Andreas sighed and shook his head. "What am I going to do with you little one?" Andreas chuckled.
"Love me just the same." I informed him.
"Oh there is no doubt of that little mate. I would not be able to tolerate any other woman who treated me this way," Andreas stated this all very matter-of-fact. There was no doubting his earnestness.
"There are some who question how you tolerate me." I said raising my eyebrow.
Andreas shot a dark look at Julian who shrugged. "I have said nothing my old friend so I do not know why you would presume that it would be I who would do such a thing."
"Exactly," I said. "He wouldn't bother to say it out loud. You'd hear him and then God only knows what would happen."
"God and I both know that I would win," Julian said a twinkle lighting his eyes.
Desari and I rolled our eyes. We were both thinking the same thing. Men! Can't live with them, can't really kill them.
Andreas gave me a look that said clearly: Just remember that thought when we're married. Most people would have afraid. I probably should have been too. I think I would have been…if I could've stopped giggling.
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Ten twenty-one. I was done. No more finals. No more classes for a few months. I would be leaving to fly home in an hour to fly back home. My family would meet Andreas. They would love him. I would marry him and then I could worry about training him later. The very thought made me laugh though. Train. Andreas. Yeah right. It wasn't likely to happen. I could only wish. It was Andreas after all. He isn't one to be trained or tamed. My best hope was that we could eventually reach an uneasy truce.
I stretched as I stepped off the steps outside of Hulitt and felt waves of happiness wash over me coming from Andreas. I did good honey, I thought merrily. And I did it without your help too.
You did very well little lifemate, Andreas assured me lazily telling me he was getting tired.
You'll be able to sleep soon Andreas, I promised. Here's Antonio now with the car and we'll come pick you, Julian, and Desari up and then we're gone. I already checked out of the dorms and my stuff is in the moving van on it's way to the jet…it's so weird. I sent as an extra thought as Antonio held the door to the dark limo.
What is so weird? Andreas asked a small chuckle coloring his thought.
You're used to all of this Andreas so don't laugh at me, but…it's weird for me to around all these nice really expensive things. I grew up poor. I'm a cheap college student. I don't know what to do around all this stuff. It almost makes me feel like an evil, conniving gold digger.
You are none of these things little one. I have told you many times and if I must, I will tell you every day for the rest of eternity. You are beautiful and pure. If anyone is evil it is I.
Oh please, don't even start that, I lectured. Then I laughed. We sound like we're having a romantic pity party. We need to get a hold of ourselves, before someone catches on.
If you insist Layla, Andreas sent. I could see him shrug his shoulders as Antonio pulled into the garage and Andreas opened the door. He got into the limo and pulled me into arms and just held me there. We will sleep like this on the jet.
Only because I know you won't sleep otherwise and you'll need your wits about you when you meet my family tonight, I indulged him. Really, I didn't mind it that much.
Good.
I rolled my eyes at the arrogance he could muster even his dazed state. Men.
"We are sorry Layla," Desari said with her bright smile and musical voice. "We shall try to be quieter."
I mumbled something, not even I really know what, and turned back to the notebook sitting open in front of me. My last final was Western Civilization. Our teacher had been kind enough to have one of the required textbooks be a notebook full of the notes for the entire class. It made studying for the test a lot easier that it normally would have been. I had finished all my other finals over the last two days and the next day (or rather that day since it was already twelve-oh-one.
I was fully awake. It was the curse of having spent over a week with Carpathians. They don't sleep at night like we humans are supposed to and so it makes life very interesting to put it nicely and bluntly. I still had a few more pages to review before I could be done. I looked slyly around me and sat up, ignoring the notebook. Because of my funky sleeping hours I wouldn't be going to sleep for another four or five hours. And then it would only be a four hour nap before I had my last final. Desari and Julian had found and bought a house just outside of York so that I could stay at the school and Andreas could be nearby. His own house was a lot farther out and his residence there would have made it more difficult for the both of us to handle.
My days for the last little while now had been spent like this: wake up and go to classes talking with Andreas until he really does have to sleep and trying not to think about the fact that he isn't nearby and overriding the ingrained desire to want to die. After classes and chapel, I nap all afternoon. I wake up about six-thirty and go to dinner. I hang out with my friends (who are for some reason really suspicious of my behavior) or take another nap. A little after nightfall, Andreas, and sometimes Julian and Desari, come by Thomas Parlor and hang out with me downstairs until eleven-thirty when we boot the guys out. Then things get kind of tricky. It's at this point we all go up to my room because I've scanned in for the night. The only thing is my dear Carpathian friends have to shield the room. Otherwise, I get found out and I get in big trouble. I don't know if it would be worse if they caught me "out and about" York after having scanned in or if they caught my three Carpathians (two of them male) hanging out in my room without anyone's prior knowledge. I don't want to find out.
"I thought you said you had to study my love?" Andreas questioned. I could hear the chuckle in his voice so I stuck my tongue out at him.
"I tried, you guys got me thoroughly distracted. I blame you." I said with a shrug.
"You always blame me darling," Andreas pointed out.
"It works doesn't it?" I spoke frankly as I leaned back against the air conditioner. "Besides, I'm not going to blame Julian, he's bigger and stronger than me and I can't really blame Desari. She's too…too…good."
Andreas sighed and shook his head. "What am I going to do with you little one?" Andreas chuckled.
"Love me just the same." I informed him.
"Oh there is no doubt of that little mate. I would not be able to tolerate any other woman who treated me this way," Andreas stated this all very matter-of-fact. There was no doubting his earnestness.
"There are some who question how you tolerate me." I said raising my eyebrow.
Andreas shot a dark look at Julian who shrugged. "I have said nothing my old friend so I do not know why you would presume that it would be I who would do such a thing."
"Exactly," I said. "He wouldn't bother to say it out loud. You'd hear him and then God only knows what would happen."
"God and I both know that I would win," Julian said a twinkle lighting his eyes.
Desari and I rolled our eyes. We were both thinking the same thing. Men! Can't live with them, can't really kill them.
Andreas gave me a look that said clearly: Just remember that thought when we're married. Most people would have afraid. I probably should have been too. I think I would have been…if I could've stopped giggling.
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Ten twenty-one. I was done. No more finals. No more classes for a few months. I would be leaving to fly home in an hour to fly back home. My family would meet Andreas. They would love him. I would marry him and then I could worry about training him later. The very thought made me laugh though. Train. Andreas. Yeah right. It wasn't likely to happen. I could only wish. It was Andreas after all. He isn't one to be trained or tamed. My best hope was that we could eventually reach an uneasy truce.
I stretched as I stepped off the steps outside of Hulitt and felt waves of happiness wash over me coming from Andreas. I did good honey, I thought merrily. And I did it without your help too.
You did very well little lifemate, Andreas assured me lazily telling me he was getting tired.
You'll be able to sleep soon Andreas, I promised. Here's Antonio now with the car and we'll come pick you, Julian, and Desari up and then we're gone. I already checked out of the dorms and my stuff is in the moving van on it's way to the jet…it's so weird. I sent as an extra thought as Antonio held the door to the dark limo.
What is so weird? Andreas asked a small chuckle coloring his thought.
You're used to all of this Andreas so don't laugh at me, but…it's weird for me to around all these nice really expensive things. I grew up poor. I'm a cheap college student. I don't know what to do around all this stuff. It almost makes me feel like an evil, conniving gold digger.
You are none of these things little one. I have told you many times and if I must, I will tell you every day for the rest of eternity. You are beautiful and pure. If anyone is evil it is I.
Oh please, don't even start that, I lectured. Then I laughed. We sound like we're having a romantic pity party. We need to get a hold of ourselves, before someone catches on.
If you insist Layla, Andreas sent. I could see him shrug his shoulders as Antonio pulled into the garage and Andreas opened the door. He got into the limo and pulled me into arms and just held me there. We will sleep like this on the jet.
Only because I know you won't sleep otherwise and you'll need your wits about you when you meet my family tonight, I indulged him. Really, I didn't mind it that much.
Good.
I rolled my eyes at the arrogance he could muster even his dazed state. Men.