Burning Passion (Discontinued))

It was dark, I could feel how damp it was inside. It was a little humid, and I heard water droplets fall from the ceiling, making an echoing sound when they hit the ground and cave walls. Almost like the noise when the faucet is dripping. I felt myself clutching closer to him, whimpering into his chest. I was always afraid of the dark, but I'd never admit that to anyone. Especially not Ryan. He seemed so manly, and well, not me. I could feel his biceps flexing as we moved deeper into the tunnel. I could've sworn I heard the screeching of bats and started biting on my lip til it was numb. I heard Ryan chuckle and looked up to find him staring at me.

It was so dark all we could see was our eyes and teeth, even with our sharper vampire sense. I could barely make the outline of his face, and I felt my cheeks flush, glad that he couldn't see. After a few moments of silence I saw a dim blue/green light in the distance and furrowed my eyebrows confusingly at it. Ryan had set me down on my feet and I started inching closer to the curve of the tunnel. When I turned around it, there was a beautiful spring.

It lit up brightly, making the rocks around the cave walls shimmer silver and glitter almost. I gasped softly, staring at it in aw. I leaned over the spring, staring down at it noticing little bugs that looked almost like fireflies swimming under the water, realizing they were the cause of the beautiful light. “What are they?” I whispered softly, amazed. I felt Ryan's breath at my ear as he whispered, “They're little water nymphs. They're almost extinct. There's not enough star fruit left for them to evolve from the tadpole like state.” he said, a little bit of sadness in his voice.

“That's too bad.” I said, half frowning. It was too beautiful to be sad over. I leaned my hand down, touching the surface of the water, It was cool and refreshing. I was about to dip my hand in further to touch the nymphs when Ryan abruptly stopped me, surprising him. My eyes were wide and I looked at him confused, he had a hard expression on his face. “Never, ever touch them. Patrick do you understand me? They're too pure for our type of life form and one touch will poison us. We would die a slow, painful death, the disease spreading throughout the rest of our body.”

I sighed, my eyes softening as I looked up at him, nodding in understanding. My mind wandered, everything seeming to float around. I felt like I could think about more things at once, I felt enlightened. There was more space in my head for everything. Nothing was as crowded and confusing anymore. I started thinking about how from now on, everything beautiful to me would be out of my reach. Even Ryan was out of my reach, him being the most beautiful and torturous of all. He was just fooling around earlier. Those kisses earlier couldn't have meant anything to him earlier. Did they even mean anything to me? I know I felt something, but I was just so confused. I couldn't like him. I had just met him. He was very....different, to say the least. I couldn't read him at all.

He was too good at shutting people out and hid every emotion he had from his face. I knew he was in pain from a past experience and that's why he was shutting people out. It had to be the exploitation he acted the way he did. Why he was rude one moment, cocky the next. But when his guard fell, I could see all the hurt and pain in his eyes. He must have thought I haven't noticed, but I have. He has so much passion and emotion stored away inside him and he's not willing to show anyone.

I furrowed my eyebrows and shook my head, coming back to reality to stare at Ryan who had a glint in his eye and was staring at me curiously. I smiled softly at him. He stood up and offered his hand to me, I took at and this time he used his vampire speed to have us out of a tunnel. Everything went by in slow motion around us, and I inhaled deeply the musky odor of the outdoors as he stopped infront of the car, letting me down to open the door for me. I looked around to notice it was already past sunset and the sky was slowly starting to fall to darkness.

Pushing all the questions I had about Ryan to the back of my mind, I slid into the passenger seat and looked next to me as he revved the engine to the car and backed out, turning to the path that led us back home. I closed my eyes, not really paying attention anymore. I let the drowsiness take over me and welcomed the black that clouded my thoughts and eyes. I was asleep in seconds, my breathes coming even and deeper.

Ryans P.O.V

I stopped the car, pulling up in front of the house where my so called “Father” was waiting outside for us. I looked over to see Patrick sleeping on the seat, his hair slightly tousled. I felt myself looking at his facial features, his nose slightly upturned, his soft pink lips, his strong set jaw. I tore my gaze away and got out of the car, walking to Skyler deciding to see what he wanted before bringing Patrick up to his room. My strides were even and casual as I pulled up to him, my hands jammed in my pockets as I stared at the ground, stopping in front of him.

I didn't look up, waiting for him to speak as I shuffled my feet awkwardly. Right when I was about to look up as I felt the tension was too thick, he spoke, his voice concerned. “Ryan...” his voice was exasperated and thick. My eyes softened as I looked up at him, my walls coming down a bit. I waited for him to continue to speak. His eyebrows furrowed and he opened his mouth a little, a bad habit he had when he wanted to say something but was too nervous.

Or maybe he was just scared of me.

“Don't hurt him, please....He's not one of your many play things...He's family now. I saved him and I know he's gone through great hurt and pain. You have too, I know, don't think I'm disregarding your feelings, but...he wants to be helped. Don't fuck around with his feelings, please. He's fragile, very fragile. But I do think that in time, if he were to open up about his situation and angst to anyone, it would be you, Ryan. Please, for me...” his voice broke slightly, the pleading tone in his voice strong.

I put my hand up to stop him from speaking and turned around, not wanting to answer him. The anger towards him that I had at the moment was boiling in my gut, I clenched my teeth together and turned around, appearing at Patricks side of the door in a split second. Carrying him bridal style, I walked past Skyler and into the house, staring down curiously at Patrick once we had reached the base of the stares. His breathing was a little more controlled. I wondered if he was awake and had overheard any of that.

I dismissed the thought, taking the steps two at a time and reaching his room, laying him on his bed and pulling the blanket over him. I half considered staying with him, and shook my head. I wouldn't let myself get attached. Not again. It never ends well and there's no need to. I had to stop whatever need to care for him I had. He was nothing to me. I peeled his shirt off of him, then his shoes and jeans, leaving him in his boxers. I felt myself leaning forward to kiss his forehead and stopped myself, staring at his forehead with my eyes struck of horror. No. Fuck. God Damn it, Ryan. I ran a frustrated hand through my hair as I retreated from his room, closing the door softly and hearing the small click. I wasn't tired and felt myself retreating to the last room on the left. The marble white door stood out. I twisted the door knob softly, walking in and leaving it cracked open behind me.

This had been the only room I had to myself. No one was allowed in here and they knew it. It was my music room. I had paintings and drawings on the walls, literally. Not on paper, but scattered around the walls. I felt the wall was a much more appealing canvas. In the middle of the room was an old fashioned oak grand piano, a small wooden stool in front of it. In the corner was a violin, and there was another room towards the back where I stored all my art supplies, and it had a small sink for washing things. I strode over to the piano, marveling at it, my breath hitching in the back of my throat.

It got to me every time. Never, not once, had it failed to take my breath away, I stroked my palm over the piano, feeling the smooth wood I had recently polished yesterday. My fingers trailed lightly along the keys, careful they might break from how fragile they looked. I sat on the stool, closing my eyes and taking in a deep breath, exhaling as my fingers pushed down on the keys. It felt like my body breathed with every key, life flooding in and out of me as the keys went up and down. It was exhilarating. I played gracefully, letting my pain and agony fill the keys and melody.

I was afraid to open my eyes fearing my eyes would reflect the emotions I was feeling. I stopped playing, the song coming to an end as the final notes hung in the air, an eerily silence overcoming the room. I opened my eyes, relief filling my features as my walls came back up and my face became blank. I turned my head slightly, staring at pink eyes through the crack of the door. My body froze still. He saw.