Did he just call my house home?I know that’s not the part of that sentence I should be most shaken by, but he keeps acting like he’s going to be staying here. The coffee maker, the breakfast, saying I protect him. “How did they find you if I keep you from being detected?”
He shows me the face of the compass. It’s spinning uncontrollably, round and round.
“I think your compass is busted.”
“No, no. It is not mine. It wastheirs.And it could not sense me until I was away from you. It has continued this incessant spinning since I entered your building,” he explains.
“Huh.”
“So you see. I must stay with you.” At the very apparent fear on my face, he amends, “Only temporarily. Once I learn how to maneuver in this new world, and find some of my own kind, Imightleave you be.”
I panic, spouting, “No. You can’t stay here.”
“And why not?” His indignation is palpable, “You have an unused room, and I have already proven to be an excellent house guest. I repaired the damage those men did to your home, I carried you to bed so you could have restful sleep, and I ensured that you were properly nourished.”
“Youdamaged my home,” I remind him.
“I did not,” he replies, clearly exasperated, “those men did. I just got a little blood on the walls, which I cleaned.”
While I’m sure I look like a fish with my mouth opening and closing, I guess technically I can’t argue with that. Eventually, I choose to follow the only lead I have on getting him out of my home, “How can we find more of… you?”
“And why are you so eager to be rid of me already, Little Dove?” at my lack of answer, he sighs, “My brethren gravitate towards places overwhelmed with sin. Large cities that are full of debauchery and the like. Where do your people go to indulge in their darkest fantasies?”
“Vegas,” the answer is out of my mouth before I can stop it. Las Vegas would be perfect for him to go to. Tons of people, all partaking in their sins of choice, and more importantly, far away from me.
“What is Vegas?” he asks.
“Las Vegas is a city full of places where people gather to gamble, drink, smoke, dance, and fuck.” Obviously, there are countless other things to do in Vegas, but if sin is what he’s looking for, that’s where he’ll find it.
“Sounds dreadfulanddelightful,” he perks up. “We must go there at once.”
“Whoa, slow down,” at the surprised look on his face, I go on, “I’m not going to Vegas. I’ll get you on a train or plane or a fucking taxi if I have to, but I’m not going anywhere.”
“Have I not already been clear that I cannot leave your presence?” he asks, “I’ll not go without you.”
“Caspian, I can’t just pick up and go out of town. I have a job, it would take us probably five hours to drive there, we would have to find somewhere to stay there since we couldn’t just turn around and drive right back, we would have to figure out what to do with the mess in my freezer, find places to eat along the way, you need clothes, we need—”
He cuts me off with both hands on my jaw, facing me towards him, “Breathe, Belissenda,” he soothes, “all will be well.”My name sounds like a sonnet falling from his lips.I nod and breathe in his dizzying winter scent. “If it is inconvenient, we do not have to leave immediately. So long as you remain by my side, the hunters cannot find me. I shall give you three days to make the arrangements needed, then we will be off, yes?” I give him another nod, incapable of much else with him cradling my face this way.
He releases me and stands, picking up the trash from our breakfast. “Where is your waste receptacle?”
Very Serious Business Props
Caspian
Bel informs me that she must dedicate a few hours to her work so we can begin our search in three days’ time. After briefly teaching me how to use the television controller, she excuses herself to her studio.
She didn’t quite take the news of our required proximity well. But she must feel this overwhelming pull between us. Even when we’ve had our… disagreements, and she’s spitting venom my way, her body reacts to me. It’s impossible to ignore, and I’m sure my intensity has her believing I’m equally angry. Truthfully, I’m just trying to resist the urge to lay her on the floor and rut into her like the feral beast she makes me.
But the way her cheeks constantly flush the deepest pink, her heaving breaths every time I come too close, it all points to her feeling this as viscerally as I do. Along with all those reactions, there was an undercurrent of fear, too.
Fear from mortals is something to be expected, but hers smells different. I was not only teasing when I asked if she preferred my true form over the mortal mask. She seemed less afraid of me when I was dripping blood than when I was wearing my more appealing face.
Stewing in my thoughts and watching the news has gottensoboring. Truly, mortals haven’t changed all that much. Cowards still run everything, hiding behind the bravery of those they deem less than them. Their methods are the only things that have changed. The weapons are larger and more advanced. But the people behind them are just the same.
Idoappreciate that many places do not punish same-sex attraction as they used to. It would appear that there are still those who choose hate, as there always have been. But many humans have created more spaces for their brothers, sisters, and siblings to live authentically.
If the media she’s shown me is any indication, nearly everyone in this new world is similar to Bel. She called the crassnesssentence enhancersand, begrudgingly, I understood. It will take a slight adjustment period, but finally saying whatever I please without judgment will be freeing.
