The Vampire's Maid

Part 15. The Vampire's Maid

I stormed into Ashley's room the next morning with a look of frantic determination set on my face. Ashley was still asleep. His eyelashes caressed the thin, fragile skin beneath his eyes and the look on his face was so peaceful and harmless that I wanted to stay watching him forever. Ignoring my thoughts, I coughed loudly. Ashley sat up blearily and scratched his head in bemusement. I paused in the doorway with my hands on my hips, and Ashley's eyebrows shot up beneath his fringe. Perhaps it was the look on my face or perhaps it was the fact that I'd been too agitated to brush my hair that morning, but he stared at me as if I was a wild blot upon his perfect landscape.

"Good morning Elizabeth."

His voice was bemused but still polite. I detested how he was continually polite, even while he was unconsciously pushing my heart around my chest like a toy.

"Will you get me some breakfast?" He asked.

Short orders such as this, phrased as questions, were the only words he'd spoken to me in the past few days. His eyes roamed over his bedroom. He wasn't even paying attention to me as he ordered me about in his tiresomely polite tone! I felt my hands curl into fists and my chest stiffen with anger.

"Can you not get your own breakfast?" I asked with an unfittingly tranquil smile on my face.

"Of course I can. But why should I?" Ashley replied, shocked that I wasn't dashing off to do what he wanted.

"Because, Ashley, I'm not getting it for you unless you give me something in return."

"What do you want in return?"He sighed with a trace of interest contained within his voice.

I could tell that Ashley was just humouring me and that he had no intention of giving me what I wanted. I had to suppress a grin because although the conversation was not pleasant, it was still a conversation. His perfectly full mouth was moving again, addressing words to me.

"I want you to talk to me." I said simply.

"I am talking to you!" He snapped exasperatedly.

"No, I want you to really talk to me and explain what the hell is going on."

"Nothing's going on! I suggest you go get me some breakfast now. Or go and kiss that mechanic boy some more."

Ashley's voice had risen in volume at the same moment as he stood up from his bed. He was a few inches taller than me and with his black clothes and his glinting eyes, he created a threatening figure. I blushed although secretly I was pleased that Ashley sound angry that I'd kissed Joe.

"What will you do if I don't? Hurt me? I doubt it. I'm not scared of you at all Ashley Paul Sancruor."

I narrowed my eyes and approached him. My hand rested on his hard chest and I pushed him forcefully onto the bed. He could have resisted but he let himself fall so that he was sprawled on the black cover.

"How do you know my middle name?" He asked irrelevantly in an amused voice.

I had a feeling that if somebody else was in the room he'd look towards them and roll his eyes at my behaviour. Fresh anger boiled up inside me. He saw me as nothing more than a slightly amusing girl working herself into a temper. The sentences I'd been planning to say to him disappeared from my head and instead a torrent of words erupted from my mouth.

"Quite frankly, you're a bit of a jerk. At least Dane and your father make their opinions clear; I know that they don't like me. But with you, Ashley, I honestly have no idea. One minute you talk to me like we're almost friends. The next you're ignoring me! You're just a stupid teenage boy messing with a girl's mind!" I yelled at him.

The amused look had vanished from Ashley's face to be replaced with a sad smile. I hated myself for thinking it, but he'd never looked more gorgeous.

"You make it sound like I'm a human." He whispered.

I couldn't tell whether he liked the fact I'd regarded him as a human or not. All I knew was that I'd like very much to kiss those soft lips that were forming the words.

"Well, you're human enough to know that you're a jerk. Do you ... do you hate me?" I asked curiously, amazed to hear that no anxiety entered the question.

There was a pause in which finally, gloriously Ashley looked into my eyes.

"Elizabeth. I don't hate you. I can't hate you. You're the best company I've had since my mother died when I was a baby."

It was the first time he'd mentioned his mother since the night when he'd broken down. I noticed this at the back of my mind but what I was focusing all my attention on were the words he'd just spoken. I was touched, overjoyed and confused.

"Why?" I asked.

"Well, when you're half human and half vampire, there aren't too many opportunities to make friends." He said, a blush creeping into his pale cheeks.

"No, I meant why have you been ignoring me for the past week?"

"Look, I'm sorry about that. I didn't realised you'd noticed."

I snorted at his ignorance.

"Okay," He continued. "I didn't realise it had bothered you. It just scares me how I can confide in you so easily when I shouldn't be able to! Elizabeth, it's not safe for you to be friends with me for either of us!"

I tried not to acknowledge the sinking of my heart at the word 'friends'.

"Yeah, and when we're not friends it's real safe around here. What, with Isaac lurking around corners and the regular vampire feasts, it's so risk free."

Ashley bit his lip, not realising how hard he was making it for me to resist him. Finally he looked up at me and nodded.

"What are you nodding at?"

"I agree with you. As your sarcasm made clear, it's stupid for me not to be friends with you because I think it's unsafe."

"I'm sorry, but how is having a half vampire as my friend dangerous? I can understand that you might not like hanging around with a human but if you're trying to tell me it's for my safety then I'm just not buying it."

"Yes, and in case you forgotten, I've killed people before."

"Yes, and in case YOU'VE forgotten, I'm not scared of you."

"Speaking of Isaac," mused Ashley. "I think I need to teach you some self defence."

And somehow, bizarrely he was speaking to me again. I could feel the smile that had been tugging at the corners of my mouth now displayed openly on my face.

"Come back later Elizabeth and we'll begin our first self defence lesson. But for now, can I go back to sleep?"

I grinned at him as he lay back on his bed and fell asleep again quickly, as if I had never been there. But I had been there and so much had changed. Ashley was back.

..........................................................................

So yeah, I couldn't keep ashley being mean for much longer :) Oh, if you're confused about anything in this story then just leave it on a coment and I'll try to clear it up next chapter. Please vote :) And comments are great too!