Flirting with Danger Bk 1

He stepped across the threshold into an awed silence. Everyone in the room looked at him with respect and adoration. Connelly could feel a sense of relief and happiness sweep through the room at the sight of him. There was hope restored and Connelly could feel that in a way, everyone seemed to relax, like an enormous weight had been lifted off them. Yes, Connelly felt more relaxed himself and somehow he knew that everything would be okay. They would get through this now that he was here.
He was tall, with dark brown wavy hair that fell a little passed his shoulders, and had sharp features, such as was the characteristic trait of the vampire kind he was part of.
He stood there tall and strong, with confidence that confounded and confused Connelly, but that he admired to no end. This was the man who started it all, the one who did it all. Connelly looked at him with admiration and respect flowing through him so strong, he thought his veins would burst. He stood straighter in his presence, and tried to exert a confidence he himself didn’t hold at that moment. Connelly was still worried that everything would be a disaster, but pushed the thought away. This was not the time to be negative. Connelly told himself this and then focused back on their guest.
Moran.
He looked them all in the eye and then a smile spread across his thin lips. “Amelia.” he said in a silky voice with a distinct accent belonging to Transylvania. He stepped towards Amelia, his arms opening wide. “Amelia my dear, you grow more ravishing with my every visit.” he said as he embraced her warmly.
“As do you.” Amelia smiled at him. He smiled back and then turned to Mathias.
“Mathias my good man. What times we’ve been through.” Moran said, not wasting time with a handshake and instead pulling Mathias into another embrace.
“Many good years Moran.” Mathias let go of Moran and looked in his eyes, which were an odd color. They were copper, with blood red rings around his Iris and pupil.
“Yes, but a many bad ones we’ve had too.” Moran’s voice grew sad as he spoke and his face fell, his eyes traveling down and seeing something in his mind. “And I have a feeling that more bad times are to come.” He looked Mathias in the eye.
“We got through the ones past, and we will get through the ones on their way.” said Mathias, assurance in his voice as well as his eyes. Moran nodded, smiling once again and patted Mathias on the shoulder.
“Yes, I believe we will.” he said as he turned and continued into the sitting room. He chose the couch by the stairs and everyone clustered around, all eyes on him.
“Now, I came here on the request for help about two ladies?” Moran said, looking them all over before finally landing on the twins.
“Yes and we appreciate it so much. We know it was a long way for you to travel.” said Mathias, his hands intertwined as he looked at Moran as if in apology.
“No need to say sorry.” Moran said, looking at Mathias. “I have known this family since its start and knew that you were a very unique and special bunch. That is why I have decided to stay and see this thing through. I have seen these things before, but I have a feeling that this particular one will be surprising.” Moran then looked back at the twins.
“So, now that I am here, I need to be brought up to date on what has happened so far.” Moran settled back in the couch and looked at the twins, waiting for the story.
The twins obliged and started, telling Moran everything that had happened. Ivan and Connelly would take turns talking, mostly because it was about two girls and because they could say what the girls had felt and thought. And while they talked, Moran seemed to be in rapt attention, very interested in their story, seeming to absorb every word.
Connelly felt that at some points Moran was approving, happy, sometimes unsure, and sometimes disapproving. When Ivan and Connelly had finished with their stories, the room went quiet again and Connelly anxiously waited for Moran’s ultimate decision.
“So, you have revealed to her what you are.” Moran said to Connelly. Connelly nodded.
“Yes. She was far too observant for me to keep it from her any longer. The incident in the theater had revealed so much already and she would not take it as just a joke. Though she at first believed it was Alister, she still went far enough to look up the legends online. And even before then, she wouldn’t give up on persuading me to show her my eyes.” Connelly said, nervous that he had made too many mistakes to be forgiven.
“And how did she react to it all?” Moran cocked his head to the side, looking at Connelly in a fatherly way.
“Well, she had nightmares for about a week until I told her it was me, and then she surprised me by instead of being scared, she got angry. And she got even angrier when I was trying to explain what I was. She laughed even, thinking that I was still playing tricks on her. And she persisted on believing that I was wearing colored contacts and that I was an albino. But when I showed her how fast I could move, she seemed to be in denial, but knew she couldn’t blow off what she had seen.” Connelly explained.
“And how does she act now?” asked Moran.
“Well, she’s accepted what I am and seems to be pretty happy. She’s got questions of course, but has never treated me being a vampire as a bad thing. In fact, she’s convinced herself that I’m not dangerous to her. She says that just because I’m a vampire, that doesn’t mean that I’m evil or hell bound. Kota’s got such a sweet and innocent heart.” Connelly said, looking down and smiling as Kota’s face sprouted in his mind.
“But you aren’t evil or hell bound.” Moran said and Connelly looked back up at him.
“Soon you have to realize this. You didn’t choose to be a vampire, but just because you are one doesn’t mean that you are destined for hell. You are what you are and you have to deal with what you have been dealt. Everyone on this earth has their hardships and problems that they have to deal with every day of their life. Yours just happens to be a little bit harder, but that doesn’t mean you give up. Giving up on something small like a test or a goal is okay because you can try again until you succeed, but giving up on something just because of what you were born as is not acceptable. If you do that, you lose all sense of reason.” Moran looked at Connelly seriously.
Connelly nodded and looked back down. He in fact had almost given up when he met Kota, but she’d brought him back. She had given the hope he had been desperately seeking. She had shown him the light in his dark world. He had been the most dangerous one to humans out of his whole family, but now that he had Kota, he was quickly becoming as accustomed to being around humans as his family was, and even more.
“Well,” said Moran, looking down slightly, but then back at the twins, “it has been made clear to me that you two feel for these girls more than I previously thought. And that is both good and bad, or rather; it has the potential to be good or bad.” He sat up more now, taking his back off of the couch.
“Now that we have finished discussing Kota, we need to see about Sue.” Moran looked now at Ivan. “Now, am I to understand that you have not told her what you are?”

Ivan shook his head. “No, I haven’t told her.”

“Why not?” Moran asked gently.

“Well, Sue is so different from Kota. She is sweet and mostly carefree. Ever since the first time we met, she’s been ecstatic to get close to me and spend as much time as she can with me. I think she’s happy with the way things are right now and I don’t want to mess things up by telling her something that she might have a hard time understanding or accepting.” Ivan looked down mostly as he spoke and Connelly could feel that he was scared and nervous about what to do.

“You are afraid of how she will react.” said Moran. Ivan looked up at him, and then nodded slowly and it seemed to Connelly, a little sadly.

“Well, if things are going alright between you two and she hasn’t noticed anything unusual, I will leave the decision up to you to tell her.” Moran said and Ivan smiled.

“Thank you.” said Ivan.