My Blood on Your Lips, Your Money in My Bra

"What do you plan to watch today?" I asked as I watched Eli head over to my couch. He'd already removed his shoes. My boots were giving me trouble, though.

"Do you think there are any good movies on?" The vampire sat down on the couch, grabbed the remote, and leaned back. He was already transfixed by the television, and it wasn't even on yet.

I leaned against the door and tugged on the zipper of one of my shoes, but it wouldn't budge. "Probably. There are three hundred channels, after all. Always a movie on." I huffed when I still couldn't get the damned zipper to work. Eventually, I just grabbed the whole boot and started yanking at it, trying to get it off.

Eli didn't look over at me until I was laying on the floor, my stubborn-ass boot still on my foot. With a sigh and a shake of his head, he got up and walked over to me. The TV was left on some music channel, playing a slow, pretty love song.

Yuck.

I sat up as Eli kneeled before me. It took him only one calm pull to get the zipper to move, sliding easily down my ankle. He slipped the shoe off, then moved on to unzipping the other one.

I found myself oddly fascinated by him. His big, strong, dangerous hands, hands that had spilled so much blood, had nearly broken my arm on more than ten different occasions, were so gentle now. And the look on his face...No longer was he stoic or cold or sad. He was focused. Focused completely on helping me to get my boots off...

"There," the male said, jerking me out of my trance. His pretty green eyes moved from my pale, delicate feet to my pale, delicate face. "You're free." He moved to stand, but I reached out and snagged his hand before he could leave my side.

"Wait a minute, Eli," I said softly, my voice barely loud enough to be heard over that annoying love song. He cocked his head, confused, but I just shook my head and let his hand slip from my own. "Never mind." He merely stared at me for a moment before standing and going back to the couch.

Soon, that song was gone, replaced by deep male voices and the occasional high-pitched shriek. I sighed.

Story of my life.

-

I awoke at three o'clock Sunday morning to the sound of my phone ringing from the nightstand by my head. It was loud and annoying and I nearly threw it across the room, but I stopped when I saw the name lit up on the front.

Why the hell would Terrence call me at such a time? Usually, he would just show up if he needed me...

"Yeah?" I said the moment I had the phone open and to my ear.

"Elyria," the vampire began, sounding incredibly aggravated, "I need you to come here."

"Why?" I asked, my curiosity piqued. I sat up and slid out from under the covers, already preparing to leave. If he was this irritated, something bad had to be happening.

"The human," was the only explanation he gave. "Come dressed normally. You don't need to look special for this." He let out a low growl, then hung up.

I cocked an eyebrow at the phone as I laid it on my nightstand. A human was giving him trouble? The one he'd captured while I was there the night before? Interesting.

I took a quick shower, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, then left the apartment. I made sure to walk quickly as I headed to Terrence's mansion.

As I entered the building a while later, I wondered whether leaving Eli passed out on my couch was wise or not...

"Terrence?" I called while closing the door behind myself. I glanced around the dark hall. "Anybody here?"

Terrence seemed to appear out of thin air a few feet from me. "Follow me." I obeyed without hesitation.

I was led to the second floor, past all the rooms Terrence kept his blood slaves and colleagues in, until we reached a room I'd never been to. It was just a normal bedroom, though this one, unlike most of the rooms in this house, was well-lit, and the table lamp by the bed was being put to good use.

And, of course, there was a human there. That was new.

The red-haired male from before was asleep on the bed, sprawled on his back and drooling on the pillows.

Sexy.

"He wouldn't stop asking for you," Terrence told me, still sounding fairly annoyed. "I knocked him out, but I figured I'd bring you here, anyway, just to shut him up."

"Oh." I stared at the unconscious human for a few seconds, then glanced at Terrence. "What does he want with me?"

"No idea." And with that, he left the room, closing the door behind himself.

I looked back at the human with a sigh. "Well, then..."

I went over to the bed and sat lightly on the edge of it. I allowed my appearance to shift to that of my necromancer form, my glowing eyes roving over the male's face. He was handsome, I thought. And I felt the strangest attraction to him...

Almost ten minutes passed before the boy opened his eyes, the pretty green finding my face in a matter of seconds. He blinked a few times, groggily, then slowly sat up.

"He finally listened to me," he mumbled tiredly, soon stifling a yawn. I began to wonder whether Terrence had actually done anything to him or not. It seemed like the human had really just fallen asleep on his own...

"Why did you want to see me?" I questioned while calmly watching him. He studied my face just as I'd studied his, slowly taking in every feature.

"You aren't one of them," he stated.

"But I'm not one of your kind, either," I pointed out coolly.

"You don't seem as different, though." His head tilted to the right thoughtfully. He laid a hand on my cheek, though he pulled it back almost instantly. "You're cold."

"Still think I'm not different?"

"Do you drink blood, too?"

"I don't have to, but I've begun to enjoy it on occasion."

"Oh." He didn't necessarily seem pleased by this revelation, but he didn't seem afraid or anything, either.

"So, what's your name?" I asked, laying back on the bed and allowing my eyes to slip shut. I hadn't gotten much sleep yet, thanks to Terrence's call, and I wasn't above getting the rest of it here on the human's bed. I wouldn't fall asleep in the middle of our conversation, of course. That would be rude. As soon as we were done talking, however, I was going to sleep whether the human liked it or not.

"Gabriel Huntley," the male answered simply. "Most of my friends just call me Glass, though."

At this, I opened my eyes, an eyebrow cocked. "Glass?" He nodded. "And why is that?"

He smiled a mischievous smile, the little devil inside showing through. "Windows and I don't get along well."

"Oh." I closed my eyes again and decided not to question him further on the subject. "You were in my choir class for a while."

"What?"

"Last year. You stood by me, in the bass section."

"You...were in choir?"

"Mhm."

"So, you...went to school?"

"I still go to school." I opened my eyes once more when the only reply to my words was a shocked silence. "It's not that big of a deal," I told the wide-eyed male. "Necromancers have brains just like humans. Ours may be a bit more advanced, but we need the education nonetheless."

"But, I've...I've never seen your kind before..."

I sighed. "Our eyes don't glow all the time, you know." And, to prove my point, I shifted to my human form.

He relaxed almost immediately. The sight of pale white human skin and normal brown hair seemed to comfort him slightly. I was sure the non-glowing gray of my irises was even more of a relief for him, though.

"So, when you're at school, you...look like that?"

"Yes," I answered with a single nod. "And when I'm at the store, or walking down the street, or anywhere I could be seen by humans. No one is supposed to know that we exist. No one is supposed to know that vampires exist, either, which is why you won't be getting out of this place alive."

And in an instant, the human's calm was gone. "W-what?"

I sat up, shifting back to my necromantic form as I did so. "You're pretty much dead, Gabriel," I said calmly. "Terrence might keep you alive for a while, but he'll tire of you eventually. And when that happens, he'll kill you."

The human opened and closed his mouth several times, though no sound came out. It took him almost a full minute to manage, "Out. I have to...I have to get out."

"There's no way to escape."

"There has to be a way." He grabbed my hand, not flinching away from the cold, not even noticing it as his wide eyes locked with mine. "Help me find it."

I glanced down at his hand, so tightly clenching my own, then let my eyes move back to his. "I can't. If you escape, you'll tell everyone what you've seen. That just can't happen."

"I won't tell anyone!" he cried, desperation in his voice. "I swear!"

Slowly, I shook my head. "You can't promise that."

"I can! I do!"

"You can't." I yanked my hand from his grasp, causing him to fall forward on the bed. He reached for me again, but I stood and moved away. "Now just calm down and accept your hopeless position," I said far more coldly than I'd intended.

"How could anyone just accept this?!" the human screamed at me, standing quickly.

My eyes narrowed, their glow increasing to mimick my anger, as he stepped toward me. "Stop yelling. Stop bitching, too. You're acting stupid."

"Stupid?! Is that what you call fearing for your life?!" He grabbed my wrist, holding it far more tightly than he needed to.

"No. That's what I call screaming like a fool and begging for help," I answered, annoyed. I tried to pull my arm out of his grasp, but he wouldn't let me go. Instead, his hold tightened painfully, and I swore the bone was about to break.

My expression of anger turned into one of surprise. I'd figured out why I was so attracted to him even though I didn't know him.

He was just like Eli.

He said something to me, something loud and angry, but I didn't hear him. I was too busy studying him again, looking at all of his features in a whole new light.

Green eyes...like Eli's. Red hair...like Eli's. Pale skin...like Eli's. He was tall, handsome, lightly muscled, even dangerous and strong without meaning to be. The only differences I could see were that he was a bit younger, a bit shorter, a bit more willing to let his emotions show, and, of course, a human.

How had I not noticed this before, back when we'd had choir together? Had he not been like this then? Had I not known Eli at the time?

"I think I know how I can help you," I said suddenly, interrupting a panicked, angry rant.

The male seemed confused by my sudden willingness to help. "What?" His grip on my wrist loosened, and I gently moved my arm out of his grasp and to my side.

"I don't think I can completely free you right yet, but I can at least get you out of here."

"You can?" I nodded slowly. "Where will I go?"

"To my apartment." I took his hand and headed toward the door. "Follow me." He did so without question, just as I usually did for Terrence.

I led the human down the hallway, stopping at the bottom of the stairs that led up to Terrence's room. "Wait here," I commanded while letting go of the human's hand. "If you don't, I can guarantee you'll be caught by someone far meaner than me and dragged back to your room. Hell, you might not even make it that far." After he'd nodded about sixteen times, I made my way up the stairs.

"Who is it?" Terrence's now-calm voice questioned at my soft knock.

"Me." The door opened not even half a second after I'd spoken.

"What do you want?" the tall male asked, cocking an eyebrow down at me. "Has the human given you trouble?"

"Quite the contrary, actually," I replied. "I've decided that I want to take him."

Terrence's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Take him where?"

"To my apartment."

"For what purpose?"

"My amusement." Any confusion he may have had disappeared the moment a sexy, sadistic smirk made its way onto my face.

"Ah. I'm rubbing off on you," he said with a smirk just like mine. "You don't need to take him, though. You can do whatever you'd like to him here. And I could even have someone clean up for you after you've finished with him."

"No. I want him to be my pet, Terrence," I stated in the sexy purr I often used when speaking to this particular vampire. Or anyone I wanted something from. "He can't be all mine if he's in your house."

The male chuckled. "All right. You can take him. But you can't let him escape or come into contact with anyone else. And you have to kill him if he gets to be too much of a liability."

"Of course." My smirk grew.

This had been easier than I'd anticipated.

"Feel free to call if you need someone to clean up any messes. I have maids to spare."

"Thank you, Terrence." I leaned up and kissed him without even thinking about it. I meant for it to be a quick thank-you kiss, but a hand on my back kept me from pulling away. I didn't fight him, though. There was no reason to.

"Hurry home, Elyria," the vampire said a moment later, after finally releasing me.

I laughed softly. "Get to bed, Terrence." And with that, I left his room.

"Can I leave?" Gabriel asked as soon as I was in sight. I nodded and continued past him at an unhurried pace.

I stopped by the doorway to his room. "Get your shoes." He obeyed, and, while he was distracted, I murmured to myself, "Good boy."

Maybe I wouldn't bother finding a way to smuggle him back into the human world...Having a pretty pet might prove to be too much fun for me.