Scarlet Lore

If thy brother wrongs thee-Chapter 11

Erek smiled warmly when I raced forward to give him a hug. Despite the fact Erek and I were almost polar opposites in our philosophical and moral viewpoints he had always been accommodating of differences. Perhaps in the modern age most of our kind were at least attempting that but throughout all the time I had known Erek it had been a relieving trait.

"Ah, excuse me? I dunno if that's normal vamp behaviour but I generally oppose just breaking into people's property." Mia crossed her arms against her chest in an attempt to look tough. The effect was contracted by the slight tremble in her legs as she avoided looking at Erek. In the end she focussed on me, the instinctual fear of unknown vampires winning over her desire to appear fearless.

"Yes, I too generally oppose breaking in but the door was open at a café and I don't quite call that breaking in." Erek kept a hand on my back as I turned away from the embrace. It was just natural instinct for him, I suppose. For as soon as his father had died and Kelsey and Leif's had come into the picture their mother had been less than present, of so Leif said, and Erek was the closest thing to a parental figure the siblings had.

Vampirism only intensified what people were as humans. I was brash and eager to take in everything around me and once I turned I became constantly hungry for books and paragon items from around the world. Leif was a temperamental jokester who adored meeting interesting people and he became as erratic as a toddler with a biting comment always on his tongue. And so Erek became implausibly protective of anyone he deemed remotely family.

Mia was taken aback by the comment, confusion wavering her soft features. Elbowing Erek playfully in the side I spoke up. "This, is Erek Sigurdsson-Leif's eldest brother. You shouldn't worry about Erek he is far too noble to do you any harm."

"I would not have done it, in a normal circumstance." Erek said, his voice as gentle and powerful as ever. "I try to avoid petty crime if I can. But I did need to get hold of this one and she was not picking up her phone. After so many years of bad manners it was all my fault to expect any change."

"Oh do shut up about that. It hardly matters now." I shot him the meanest glare I could but there was something ever so enchanting about the Family that I could hold the glare. "Who is in London, with you?"

"Kelsey and Valen arrived with me and we met up with Loke and Brandr at the airport. Finnr and Rana are already in Paris." The fact he did not even mention Kare sent my brain into overdrive. Was it simply that Erek knew Kare had been with me, and so assumed all that was covered? Or was it that whatever Kare had done to upset his family was so bad that he should not be mentioned.

As I mused a sharp pain shot from the base of my spine up to my temples, sending the world in a spin. If it were not for Erek's arm on my back, my sudden loss of balance would have left me at the very least unsteady. And then, as quick as it had come, the pain and dizziness that accompanied it all disappeared.

"What was that?" Erek and Mia chimed in together, though his voice was wholly more concerned and hers completely bewildered. I went to reply that I didn't know but Erek shook his head and continued before I could get a word in. "It doesn't matter. It was lovely to meet you young witch but we have matters to attend to and my dear sisters so despise being made wait."

"You look after Autumn, all right?" I said to Mia who seemed as totally confused as she'd been when Erek first burst in-the fear had subsided however and that was always a good sign. "And I'll see what I can do about what we discussed, okay?"

Mia nodded to both remarks and turned back to her cake silently. Erek seemed happy enough with that and disappeared back through the kitchen door. I followed after him half a second later, appreciating the rare London sunlight that touched my skin as I stepped onto the footpath.