The Lonely Vampiress

Chapter 9

Hey everyone. Thanks so much for reading, and I'm so sorry I haven't updated before now. But now that I've submitted my college apps (crossing my fingers) and once finals are over next week, I'm going to try and get back on schedule. SO with that aside, here's your long overdue chapter. Enjoy, and a Happy (although late) New Year to everyone! (The instant I finish the next one, I'll have it posted. Thanks again for your patience).

Undergoing Intense Revisions

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What little Nissa could see of the apartment decor was obscured by Kendrick's hulking form standing in front of her, just beyond the entryway. Now that the door to the apartment was open, his former apprehension had returned. With a glance over his shoulder at Nissa, he said, "Are we to be your sister's snacks then?"

Her eyes widened for a brief second, before she said, "No, you won't be. For, as I think I proved at the bar earlier, you two are mine and mine alone. I will never let another vampire have you, and that is a promise."

Ayden, standing in the back, whispered more to himself than to her, "Why do you even want us?"

She winked, and said, gently ushering them into the apartment, "I guess that's something you'll have to find out."

In front of them there was a somewhat long hallway, decorated in the modern white. It was rather plain for Nissa's choosing, but the two hunters seemed to enjoy it. The hallway opened into a dining room, though the apartment had an open floor plan. Nissa could see right into the kitchen, which was straight ahead and to the left of where she was standing. To her left, and on the other side of the hallway's left wall there was a large living room with plush black couch.

The hunters took one look at the couch and ran right over to it. Nissa smiled, and the three of them sat in the living room in silence for a few minutes. Then Ayden said, looking at Nissa hesitantly, "Would it be alright if we checked out the rest of the apartment? We can't go anywhere and —"

Nissa held up her hand. "It's okay, Ayden. I trust you. As long as you don't leave this apartment, you and your brother may go where you please."

Before she was even done speaking, huge smiles formed on both of the brothers' faces, and Ayden had jumped off the couch. "Thank you!" She smiled, and they set about exploring the apartment. She stood up as well, and walked in the direction of the kitchen, hoping to come across a blood bag. Refrigerators had been invented during the time before her seclusion, so she knew what they were, and, better yet, the treasures they could hold. But to her stomach's disappointment, she found not even a trace of a blood bag.

With a grumble, she walked through the door at the back end of the kitchen, wondering where it would lead. It brought her into a small study. There were books on nearly every surface, and bookshelves lined the walls. Nissa smiled. This she could definitely get used to.

She settled into a comfy looking armchair by a small fireplace with Pride and Prejudice by her old friend Jane Austen in her arms. Nissa didn't look up until an hour or two later, when she felt a pair of bright blue eyes staring at her. Kendrick stood ten or so feet away, and when his eyes met hers, he quickly began browsing the books on the shelf he was standing next to.

She put down her book, and walked over to where he was standing. In an awkward attempt to be cool, he leaned his elbow against the shelf. A smile formed at the edge of her lips, and they both burst out laughing. Kendrick shifted his weight slightly at her close proximity, pressing his weight against a different book: a large green hardback with golden binding. The book clicked backwards metallically, and the entire bookshelf in front of them began to rotate.

The sudden nature of it nearly knocked Kendrick off his feet, but Nissa was there to catch him before he could fall. When he regained his footing, he looked at her, a slight blush on his face. "Thanks." She smiled, saying nothing.

All at once, the floor beneath them and the bookshelf in front of them stopped turning. It was dark, but Nissa could make out a switch on the wall. After leisurely walking over to it, she flipped the switch, a bemused expression on her face. Kendrick stopped fumbling around the room, quickly regaining his composure in an attempt to keep what little pride he still had left.

Now that there was lighting, the two looked around the room for the first time. It was very similar to the one which they were just in, with one small exception: there was a door on the far side of it. The door was a deep shade of mahogany, with a golden knob. It was far more ornate than any other fixture they had discovered, and it piqued their curiosities. Nissa, being the more adventurous of the two — and the more durable — walked up to the door and attempted to turn the handle. It moved slightly, but wouldn't budge. "Hmmm... now why would Talia keep a locked door in a secret part of her apartment?" Nissa mused to herself.

She didn't hear the hunter approach. "It's odd, isn't it?" He asked.

She nodded. "Very." They stood there a second, trying to figure out what it might mean. After awhile, she said, "Well, we had best get going. I wouldn't want my sister to come home and find we'd been snooping around her place." There was a small door right next to the 'bookshelf' that they had entered through, of the same deep mahogany wood and gold handle, though this one wasn't locked.

Once through, the two set off in search of Ayden, who they found snuggled in the guest bed under a heap of blankets, snoring. Nissa turned to Kendrick, whispering. "I think it would be best if you followed your brother's lead. Talia will probably come home late, so I want the two of you to get some good rest before she gets here." Closing the door behind her, she left the two of them in peace.

Instead of succumbing to the temptations of Pride and Prejudice, she decided it was high time she did some exploring of her own. Her first stop was the bedrooms, but she didn't find anything special there. Her bladder took her to the bathroom next, though, again, she couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. A grumble from her stomach took her to the kitchen, but then she remembered that Talia had no blood bags in the fridge. Which, now that she thought about it, was a little strange.

But, musings aside, when she passed the study for the second time, she simply couldn't resist the call of musty old pages. The hours flew by with the idiosyncrasies of Mrs. Bennet, and before she knew it, there was a loud knock on the front door. She could hear the sound of a key being inserted into the lock, and with a slight click, the door opened to reveal Talia's beaming face."We're baaack! Did you miss me?"

There will definitely be more action in the next chapter! Surprises, slight horror, and possible branding. ;)