Chapter 16

With sweat soaking his through his clothes, Rob stood up from the hour long workout he'd put himself through this Saturday morning. He found that he was craving Elaina's special touch and the only thing that would take his mind off of it was exercise.

It had been nearly a full week since he'd told her he loved her, and she hadn't been back since. He had started to regret having said anything to her, thinking it was too soon or not what she wanted or...

His conscience reared back and gave him a mental thump, reminding him that this didn't have to be all about him. It could be she was still shaky about her near fatal encounter with sunlight.

He started feeling guilty for that and garnered another thump. "Stop overthinking things," he muttered to himself, wiping his face with a hand towel. "She's a big girl and can look out for herself."

He went to take a shower, throwing the wet towel into the nearly full hamper. Padding naked to the bedroom, he threw on clean jeans and a sweatshirt, remembering socks this time. He took a clean hand towel and wiped down the workout machine before stowing it in its upright and secured position. He gave the blackout curtains a quick shake to settle them against the machine, then straightened out his bed covers.

After gathering a few stray articles from the floor, he bundled up his laundry and headed to the laundromat in the basement.

Years agos some enterprising tenant had rented the basement from the landlord and set up a coin-op laundry. The original tenant had left, but the landlord saw the advantage of the set-up and kept it going. Someone had dragged in a couple of old recliners and some small tables to give the tenants somewhere to hang out while waiting on their clothes.

Rob spent the intervening hours in the basement reviewing documents from work and catching up on his reading.

Rob had just finished lunch when the front door slammed with a resounding thud. The forecast was for mostly sunny with scattered clouds, and since Elaina was the only one who could drop in unannounced, he hadn't expected any company.

When he got to the foyer, the sight that greeted him was startling. He recognized the cloak, but it was what was showing in the hood that surprised him.

"Elaina?" he asked with concern. He couldn't see her face.

"Yes, Rob, it's me," came her muffled voice.

What Rob saw was a dark mask made of a stiff material that appeared to completely enclose her head, or at least what he could see of it under the hood. In place of eyeholes were two very dark curved lenses secured to the mask. Combined with the cloak, heavy boots and thick gloves, Elaina was entirely covered in leather. She presented a mysterious and vaguely alien appearance.

Taking off her gloves and stuffing them in her pockets, she tipped back the hood and opened the cloak, removing it and hanging it from "her" hook. He now saw that her head wasn't completely enclosed: there was a network of straps holding the full-face mask in place. It reminded Rob of a goalie's mask, only more so. Grabbing the chin, she peeled the mask up and back and laid it on the side table. Reaching to the back of her neck, she released a buckle that secured a throat guard, also like a goalie would wear, which surrounded her neck and had fit under the edge of the mask. There was no more room on the table so she placed it on the shelf beneath. The last thing she did was toe her boots off.

Looking at her with appreciation in his eyes, he saw that her outfit resembled buckskins: a soft, thin, light tan doeskin shirt, untucked, with matching breeches that disappeared into the folded top of the calf-high moccasins she'd had on inside her boots. The top had modern buttons in lieu of ties, and a leather drawstring hung down from under the shirt.

"This is a surprise," Rob commented as he pulled her into a hug. She was stiff in his arms, eyeing the curtains in the living room. Seeing where her concern lay, he said, "The sun's over the building. You're safe here."

She sighed and put her arms around his waist, finally hugging him back. Rob let the silence grow, knowing she would explain in her own time. He was just glad she came back.

"I couldn't stay away," she whispered. "I was hunting this morning, before dawn, and..."

Her voice trailed off and she shrugged.

"And... ?" Rob prompted.

"I couldn't do it," she said. He waited. "She was walking, staggering really, going home I think. Probably did an all-nighter at the clubs. Easy prey. But..."

He rubbed her back and told her to take her time.

"I knew you were near," she continued. "I knew you were near and you would give willingly what I was about to take. She was so young..."

"I understand..."

"No, you don't! You can't!" she yelled, pulling away. She still had her eyes on the windows, even though she knew it was safe. Anger replaced sorrow as she continued.

"I can't be this weak, Rob. It's not what I am ... who I am."

"Why would you see that as weak, Elaina," Rob retorted. "You're a predator, not an animal, and you made a conscious choice to take the high road. You chose to seek the least harm, when it would have been convenient to take the easy prey. That shows you are an intelligent predator, and not just some savage beast. That. Is. Not. Weak!" Rob ended his rant somewhat angry himself, with his color up and his fists clenched.

Elaina blinked, stunned at the intensity of emotion Rob was displaying. She frowned as she considered his words. He could see her acceptance of his reasoning when her eyes softened and she stepped back to him. Once again wrapping her in his arms, he bent to kiss her, she meeting him halfway. When they separated, Rob saw that her irises were glowing.

"Come on, you," he said, taking her hand and drawing her to his bedroom. "Let's take care of that thirst of yours. Then we can talk." She purred as she was led toward the door.

Sitting on the bed, he tugged off his sweatshirt to keep anything from spilling on it. Elaina growled at the exposed flesh but allowed him to pull her to his lap regardless, sitting astraddle his thighs and resting her head on his shoulder. He inhaled deeply, filling his lungs and absorbing the pheromones her body was emitting.

She began with licking his throat, stopping to kiss and nip the skin lightly. When she felt him relax in her embrace, she tilted her head and sank her fangs into his throat. She was still for a heartbeat, allowing her saliva time to ease the pain. He rubbed her arm letting her know it was all good, and she began to draw at the wound. Rather than pulling hard like the first time, she instead suckled gently with a long slow pull. He felt the difference right away. The sensations curled his toes and sent chills up his spine. It was like his spirit was soaring and he didn't want her to stop.

Fortunately for him, she did.

She stayed in his lap, licking like a kitten, healing the wound she'd created. When she was through, he pulled her closer, feeling the warmth of the blood she'd ingested suffuse her body.

She sighed and closed her eyes. He realized she'd fallen asleep when her head slipped lower on his chest and her breathing slowed. Moving carefully, he laid her on the bed and pulled the covers to her chin. Before he left the room, he closed the blackout curtains – griping at how long it took – so she would feel secure upon awakening. He wondered if there were a better way to deploy them.

He snagged his sweatshirt off the bed as he left the room, tugging it on before closing the door. He made himself a hot drink and then sat with a good book, waiting for her to come to him.

"I really love what did with your bedroom."

Rob smiled and put his book down. "Glad to see you're up. How'd you sleep?"

"Thank you," was all she said, and all she needed to say.

Rob knew it when the moment had passed and went to the foyer to pick up her mask. Holding it out, he asked, "What's with the mask?"

"Normally I wouldn't expose myself on a day like today," she began, taking the mask in her hands and staring back at the vacant lenses. "The clouds were too chancy to risk going out ... but I really did need to see you. When I absolutely must go out in the sun, I wear this. Along with the throat guard and the cloak, there is very little chance of sunlight reaching my skin."

"Are you telling me this is your armor against the sun?" She nodded in answer. "Huh. The ultimate sunscreen. Makes sense, actually. Why leather, though?"

"Leather, unlike cloth, doesn't have a weave that light can pass through. Simple physics, really," she said casually.