I Want Her

The woman stopped in her tracks, Eric’s pale hand squeezing her hand that was clutching mine. “She is mine, Mabel. Release her.” Eric said lowly. Mabel’s hand instantly let go, and I hugged it too my chest, my eyes still watering. Judging by the lingering sharp pain, she must have broken my wrist.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know she belonged to you Sheriff” Mabel said, slightly inclining her head. Eric nodded, and she drifted away to find a different meal. When she disappeared from our sight, Eric turned on me.

“Are you alright?” He said, scanning me over. I nodded, trying to blink the tears away, but they only spilled over. I could feel my wrist beginning to swell up, and it was throbbing painfully. Eric looked down at it. “Let me see it.” He said softly.

I slowly extended my hand to him, and he took it. I winced, holding back the whimper. Eric’s eye looked at me, and then shifted back to my hand. “I think it’s broken, but I want to take a closer look.” Eric let go of me, and began to glide away through the dancing people. Slowly, I followed behind, dodging people so I didn’t do any more damage to my wrist. Eric disappeared into his office again, and I slowly followed behind him.

When I entered, Eric was turning on a lamp beside his desk. Slowly, I walked over to him, gingerly caressing my hand. He took it from me, rather roughly, and I whimpered with pain. Eric examined it for a few seconds, before looking at me.

“She fractured it. I need to set it. It will hurt.” He said, looking at me. I nodded, and he drifted away to find supplies. I glanced down at my wrist. It was so swollen it looked inhuman, and the dark purple bruising that was beginning to form right at the joint wasn’t helping. Eric appeared at my side, a splint, gauze and a bandage wrap in his hand.

Eric eyed me carefully, before flashing forward. My hand had hardly began its first throb of pain before Eric was sitting calming in front of me again, my hand tightly wrapped. Suddenly, I let out a gasp, the pain hitting me, and tears rushed into my eyes. My wrist pulsed almost audibly, and I focused on thinking of everything but the pain. Eric’s fist hovered over mine. He dropped three little orange pills. Motrin.

They disappeared down my throat before he could ask if I needed a glass. Eric continued to stare at me, his cold blue eyes burrowing into my face. Then, his lips spread to speak.

“Eric? Last call.” Pam said from around the main door. Eric stood and swiftly left the room. The commotion from inside the bar began to fizzle out, until the only sound that was left was clinking glasses and moving chairs. The music was off, the people were gone, and Fangtasia was quiet once more. I stood, and went into the storage room. I took off my clothes, and changed into my overly large Fangtasia Tee I had left on one of the shelves. I replaced it with my clothes, and then went out into the main bar.

Ginger was cleaning up the floor with a damp mop, Chow was cleaning glasses and exchanging liquor bottle for more full ones, and Pam was turning off the outside lights. Jessica looked at me from a red leather couch, and gave me a little sneer like smile. “Okay Eric” said Pam. “I’m going home. Come on Jessica.” And they both left out the back door.

Eric didn’t even seem to notice as Chow also bid him well and went home. He was writing something down behind the counter. When he was finished, he set the pen down, and looked intensely at me. His eyes burned with curiosity.

My heart pounded. There was no lying to him now. Not after what I had done to save myself. I don’t think the world best liar could have lied their way out of this one. I looked away from him and looked at my feet. He was next to me in a second.

“What are you?” He asked softly. He wasn’t trying to scare me or glamour me. He just asked the question. I sighed.

“I can feel people’s emotions. I’m an empath.” I said quietly, still not looking at him. He took my chin in his hand and lifted it so I would.

“Is that what you did tonight?” He asked, curiosity flashing in his eyes.

“Well… I’m not sure what I did tonight. I’d never done that before.”