blood

nine

chapter nine

"Hey, man."

Looking up from the bulk of files on his desk, Ares ran a hand through his hair as he came face-to-face with Ilya. Standing at 6'3", muscular and spotting a well-groomed long blond hair tied into a bun, the vampire walked in silently into the study.

Ilya was not the one to make small talk so if he was showing up at Ares' space, it had to be something crucial which had the brunette sit up straight. He stared at the older vampire whose eyebrows involuntarily quirked up as his sharp eyes scanned through the study and even then did the scar on his left eyebrow stand out.

There were times in which Ares wondered what backstory that scar carried with it. Ilya had this mysterious aura which he carried around with him and any attempts to know why that scar existed was rendered futile.

Ares knew he had tried, even drunkenly asking Andrew yielded no results as he had stiffened and immediately changed the topic. Was that scar that much of a sensitive topic to Ilya?

Taking his attention off the scar, Ares observed Ilya for a moment before gesturing to the seat in front of his desk. Ilya nodded and took his seat as Ares leaned back against his chair.

"There has to be a reason for you making your presence known. Inspecting my study is definitely not one of them," Ares grinned with a halfhearted attempt at a joke.

The blond could only chuckle as he took a seat in one of the armchairs, sprawling across the seat, "έχεις δίκιο, πρέπει να μιλήσουμε"

At that, Ares straightened with a frown marring his features, "τι πρεπει να μιλησουμε?"

"Άκουσα από τον Άντριου ότι βρήκες την αδελφή ψυχή σου," Ilya said, now taking on a proper posture as he faced Ares.

Ah, so that was why he was here. His little boyfriend had decided to tell Ilya all that had transpired in the club that night, so it seemed.

He scoffed, shoving away the binder in frustration. "It's nothing worth your questioning, Ilya and I'll appreciate it if you do not poke your nose into this one."

An eyebrow was raised as Ilya stared at Ares who looked as if he was on edge. The telltale signs were written all over the vampire's body with his usually tan knuckles turning blanched white and his body getting rigid.

"You cannot run away from her, human or not, you two will eventually cross paths," the blond vampire pointed out as he reclined against the armchair. "You cannot work against what the fates have decided."

Ares snorted, crossing his arms over the desk, his muscles rippling under the movement. He wondered if Ilya was purposely trying to rile him up, but the older vampire did have a point. Well, Ilya was not the type for that kind of games, so he was probably serious about this.

Even though he did not want to admit it, he had been looking for ways to avoid running into her again. After all, she was a human and he was a vampire, why did she have to be a human?

Standing up, Ares scoffed. Now, he faced the wintery landscape as viewed through his windows. The trees and building stood tall capped with snow and the chilly wind blew some speck of snow away. Most of the buildings had tinsels, mistletoes, candy canes and Christmas lights adorning them.

Then, against his volition, his mind went back to her and he wondered what she was doing now. Was she decorating her room, her home, with Christmas adornments? Was she planning an event with her family over the holidays? Was she the type who spent her early Christmas mornings at Mass?