Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Chapter 64

Upon hearing those words, Eliot's face lights up like a Christmas tree. I believe I have never seen anyone smile as broadly as he was at that precise moment.

It was both endearing and annoying at the same time. It was annoying because a small part of me wanted to fight against all the emotions that bubbled up on the surface of my dead heart. However, it was part of me that I was willing to bury deep down for Eliot.

"So I am your boyfriend, am I?" He asks with that overconfident smirk that I used to believe I despised.

"Yeah... maybe...whatever," I say on reflex.

I am so used to taking things lightly or at least trying to, that the words come out of my mouth before I realize that I am contradicting what I came here to do.

If I really want to make this work, I need to be honest with myself first and then with Eliot. We both deserve that much.

"Yes, you are if you want to be," I say, amending my previous statement.

What's even odder is that I feel nervous now. What if Eliot doesn't actually want to be my boyfriend? What if he was just interested in me because I was forbidden fruit?

"Absolutely. I would be honored to be your boyfriend," Eliot says, his eyes glittering in joy.

I have absolutely no idea what he sees in me, why he would be willing to jump into this relationship. He is ready to get into what is bound to be the most complicated relationship of his life for me. However, I am so glad that he is here with me. He is like a bright ray of sunshine in the bleak world of blood and darkness. Furthermore, I am amazed that he wants to be my light.

"Come here," I beckon him with my finger.

He lowers his head, expecting me to reveal some deep secret or peck him on the lips. What I end up doing surprises both of us.

I pull him onto me, ignoring the pain of my injuries, and start kissing him with all the love I have for him. It's not the passionate, hungry kiss that he is used to receiving from me but the gentle breathtaking one, singing the song of my heart to him.

"I love you," I say between the kisses.

Though I know the kiss itself is saying that and much more, I feel that he needs to hear the words themselves as much as I need to learn how to utter them.

"I noticed. I love you more than I thought I was capable of ever loving," Eliot replies, melting the dead shard of ice that is my heart.

"You need to know that this won't be easy. It will be hard and messy and, at times, impossible. Are you ready for that? After all, you have led quite a sheltered life," I say.

"That's true, but this is one adventure I have been ready for since the first day I met you," Eliot says.

"You mean that day when I threatened to kill you? You are one odd Healer, Eliot." I say.

"Maybe, but maybe I was just able to see all the things that you were hiding much clearer than you did. I could see what an amazing, fierce, and righteous person you truly are," he says.

"I have no idea how you can see so much in people when I am not even sure I can see any good in me anymore. Besides, I am far from righteous. I am a killer who has never been punished. Furthermore, I can't promise that I won't kill again. " I say.

"That's why I am here. To show you that even in the darkest storms, the sun can break through and show us the beauty of existing. As for the killing part, I know it's a constant struggle for you, but we'll find a way to curb your appetite. Together," he says.

"Please don't get poetic on me but kiss me, you crazy Healer," I say.

"Right away, my perky Vampiress," he says, kissing me senseless.

"I really wish you wouldn't call me that," I mumble against his lips.

Although the little nickname annoys me, it doesn't stop me from putting all I am into kissing the one man who saw me for what I truly am and still loved me.

"So what happens now?" Eliot asks, breaking the kiss.

He did so because I winced in pain as his hand tried to wrap itself around me, but luckily he doesn't say anything about it. He understands that I will be annoyed at him for treating me as if I were fragile. However, he still understands that I do need some space to heal and gives it to me in the most subtle way he can manage

Only when Eliot moves do I notice that he has some blood around his mouth from the kiss. It's definitely not his blood since I did my best not to bite him but the residue of the blood I drank before we kissed.

"You have a little something," I say, pointing at the corner of his lip.

He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, and he doesn't bat an eye when he sees his hand come out smudged in blood.

"Aren't you disgusted?" I ask.

"Not really. Drinking blood is part of who you are, and I love every part of you," Eliot says like the insane romantic that he is.

"Isn't the taste disgusting to you?" I ask, failing to understand his reaction.

"Okay, I'll admit. I'd rather not kiss you the moment after you've fed since now that you mention it, I do feel a foul metallic taste in my mouth. However, while I was kissing you, I felt nothing but the gentleness of your lips and the love I have for you," Eliot says.

"If you keep being so ridiculously romantic, I'll walk away as far from here as possible," I threaten him playfully.

"Okay, okay. I'll stop," he says with a goofy smile.

"You wanted to know what happens now, and it all depends," I say.

"On what?" Eliot asks.

"On how the vampire society accepts what we have done," I say.

"What are the options?" He asks.

"They will either be ecstatic that they have finally achieved the ultimate freedom to do as they see fit," I say.

"Or?" Eliot asks worriedly.

"Or they'll consider us monsters and do their best to murder each one of us slowly and painfully," I admit.

"Well, that doesn't sound good," he says worry making his voice tremble at the end.

"Don't worry, my guess is that they will be more than happy with this outcome. The Vampire Council has been a thorn in everyone's back for far too long," I say.

"How will we know which reaction they had?" He asks.

"Well, if no one tries to kill us soon, we are good," I say.

"So we just sit and wait to see if we become vampire food? That sounds like the worse idea ever," Eliot says.

"Well, technically, you and your people would become food. The rest of us would just be completely dead," I say.

"Helen, you know what I mean!" He says, sounding exasperated.

"I do, but now is not the time to worry. For the time being, both of us need some rest. Everything else we'll figure out later. Why don't you come and join me?" I say.

"Fine, but we'll have to do something to protect ourselves in case your people rebel," Eliot says.

"Sure, but a bit later," I say, yawning.

As he lies down next to me, I curl up to his side feeling more comfortable than I thought possible. I never believed that any vampire could feel anything beyond bloodlust, let alone me, as I've always seen myself as a lone wolf. However, Eliot has proven me wrong on many accounts, and I am grateful for that.