The Vampire Slayer

Chapter 27

Iason didn't know how to react without seeming suspicious. The irony was that he was right all along. The prophecy was unveiled, becoming true after all doubts, and the many nights of studying different books about signs, biographies, and witch books made sense currently. Yet numerous questions were rising inside his head. Different scenarios were building up, bad ones and good ones. He just hoped the good ones would fall through.
            But, on the other hand, the puppy was happy and incredibly cute. Michaela was playful, not appearing to be the protector of saving Maeve from anything dangerous. Iason knew that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover.
           "You want me to babysit her?" He glanced up at Maeve, who was looking lovingly at Michaela. "More than that, actually..." Maeve mumbled, her face turning red.
            Iason got up, looking straight at her with a confused facial expression. He raised his eyebrow, studying her, trying to read her thoughts, although nothing seemed wrong or out of place. Then visions of Acalan kissing her came through his mind. "I'm fine," Maeve said as if she could see right through him, catching him off guard.
           "Am I that transparent?" He joked, yet deep inside, he was anxious. No woman has noticed his real feelings, read his expressions, or even grasped his thoughts. Nor has his previous girlfriends or love interests made him feel the way Maeve had. She was the only one, and Iason knew it long ago.
            "I can't keep her, Mr. Jason. I have to find someone that can..." Maeve glanced back at his thoughtful face. "So, you are asking me to take care of Michaela?" Iason crossed his arms. "You know that having pets at the institute is forbidden?" He continued and saw how Maeve's face gloom. She then unexpectedly gave him a cocky smirk. "Aren't you the one that breaks the rules?" Maeve smiled pretty big; her eyes fluttered like a butterfly.
            He couldn't keep a straight face; he grinned, amused that she knew him too well. She glimpsed at him, then at the Van Helsing book on the coffee table, and suddenly back at him. "Can I sit on the couch? We have to discuss the matter." She tilted her head to the side, smiling though her eyes told a whole other tale.
            Iason nodded and sat down close to the book. He was twisting his mind if he should put it away or if it was too obvious to do that in the first place. "I can have her full-time. I can build a fence on the backside of my house." He said confidently, yet his fingers were shaking due to nervousness.
           Although she responded to his statement by nodding because Maeve's eyes were glued to the book, she sat on the opposite side, facing the coffee table and him. Michaela walked past Iason and lay down beside Maeve's feet.
          He cleared his throat loud enough so she could snap out of her thoughts and eyes away from the Van Helsing book. "You can come whenever you want to see her." Iason glanced down at the puppy, who he would be responsible for.
          He never thought he would have a dog again after all those years. The last time Iason had a dog was when he ruled Sparta. However, he still remembered what the dog looked like: a big black wolf-like dog. Mostly a watchdog but still very kind and friendly. His name was Aegeus, and even though it was over 3000 years ago, Iason will always cherish the good times with him.
          "Have you ever had a dog?" Maeve asked, waking him up from his daydreaming. He just nodded, although still being caught deep in his thoughts.
          "Where did you find the puppy?" Iason asked after a while of silence. Maeve didn't respond; she seemed cold suddenly, even secretive. "From a murdered old lady." She stared blankly at him. All he could see was anger in her eyes. "Maeve..." He muttered, shocked. "Miss Molony." She replied strictly, although he brushed that away as he always does.
           "What happened? Talk to me." Iason reassured her that she was safe with him. Yet she observed the book, and something in her expression changed.
           "Do you believe in God?" She looked back at him, although something was off. As if her soul had departed from her body, and all that was left was this distant senseless person. The caring and tenderness in her eyes vanished. Her voice was different, sounding deep, almost dangerous. That statement itself appeared more like a threat than a question.
          "I'm agnostic." Iason took a deep breath. "You know I hate to repeat myself. But please talk to me." He continued trying to open her up, yet she was shielded from talking. Maeve seemed unbothered and confident, with a chilling look on her face. As if she was about to reveal something he was utterly terrified of. Staring back at her made him uncomfortable; this wasn't the young lady he knew. She broke their prolonged eye contact by glimpsing at the book.
            "Something is lurking in the darkness, and I'm the light that will eliminate it, once and for all." Maeve stared back, half smirking at him. "Goodnight, Mr. Jason." She wandered away, leaving him stunned and frozen by her announcement.