The vampire and the mistress

Chapter 10

I realised as I went on to the landing that I didn't know what Xander actually was. I knew I could have gone back into my room to find my phone and text him, but I couldn't be bothered. I just wanted to find him, curl up in his arms, and warn him about Claire. I first headed into his bedroom, thinking he might have ducked into his room after finding us all sat talking, I knocked on the door and then went inside to find it was empty. I shut the door and then headed next to his office, thinking I'd find him there working over some papers or even on the phone yet again.

When I got there, he wasn't in his office either, so I headed to the library. If he wasn't there, then I had no idea where he was, so I'd have to call him and find out, or I'd have to find Marie and ask her where he was.

I walked into the library to find Xander sitting in his favorite chair. He looked up at me as I shut the door, and I went and sat on his lap and curled up in his arms.

"What are you reading?" I asked him curiously.

"Nothing interesting." He muttered as he shut the book, put it down, and wrapped his arms around me. "Did you have fun with your friends?"

"Kinda." I muttered as I closed my eyes, allowing myself to relax a little.

"What do you mean?" I could hear his surprise at my comment in his voice.

"You need to be careful around Claire." I told him softly.

"Is she still bitter about when I told her I'd no longer take her blood?" He asked casually as he kissed my head lightly. "I should have told you when I did it, but with everything that had been happening at the time, I forgot. And just so you know, it was never anything more than me taking her blood, I promise."

"It's fine, and I believe you." I told him softly. I figured once Mara had said it out loud that she'd been bitter towards me because of how close he and I were. "But she's upset, and she has it in her head that you've picked me over her."

"I have." Xander told me as if he did not understand what I had said properly.

"I don't mean like that. I mean, I think she knows that there's something between us, but she's not sure what, and I just want you to be careful." I looked up, looking into his beautiful sage green eyes, and then leaned up a little higher for a kiss on the lips.

"I will remember that." He told me as his breath tickled my lips. "I'm sorry if I upset you at the market." He stroked my cheek with his hand lightly as he left a current under my skin where his cold skin had touched my cheek.

"You didn't." I told him quietly. "Like I said to you that day that we went out together, family is a little complicated and a bit of a sore point for me. Which is why I don't talk about it, why I try not to think about it, and why I try not to miss them." I told him simply as I reached up my hand and touched his cheek lightly.

"I want to say I understand, but the only way I understand families being complicated is with my vampire family." He laughed. "They are complicated."

"Are you talking about the rogues in this house or your twisted brother and your situation-controlling master?" I asked with a grin.

"Both." He answered simply. "So I can semi-understand complicated things." I couldn't help but laugh and smile at his answer as he tried to cheer me up. A yawn escaped my lips as I cuddled into Xander's arms again.

"Are you coming up to bed?" I asked softly.

"No, I need to wait for a phone call back. I'm afraid my love. Once I have that call then I will rest tonight better."

"Is it about Lucian?" I moved a little so I was now more sat up in his arms so that I wouldn't fall asleep on him.

"No." Xander shifted me a little so we were looking at each other properly. I didn't like this at all. This isn't Xander, this isn't my Xander, this is business Xander that wanted to talk seriously. "It was about Liam."

My breath caught in my throat at hearing my ex's name. I closed my eyes for a moment and forced myself to breath. What did he have to do with what was going on with Lucian? I had no idea but I got the feeling that Xander was about to tell me.

"Rosa, are you ok? The colour has just drained out of your face." I opened my eyes to look at Xander as I forced myself to take a few more breath to calm myself down as I could feel my whole body going cold.

"I wasn't going to tell you, but you have a right to know." He stroked my cheek lightly.

"Know what?" I asked him simply. I was terrified for whatever he was about to tell me if it involved Liam.

"He's been asking about you and he asked the wrong person and they called me straight away." I saw no humour in Xander's eyes at all. "He won't get to you sweetie. No one will get to you. I promise." He kissed me lightly again as if he was trying to keep me calm.

"It was only time." I answered. "I knew I couldn't run and hide from him all my life." I curled up in his arms again this time bringing my legs up close to my chest.

"Is that the reason your always looking around in crowds? I noticed you doing it tonight."

"Mmhmm." I took a sleep deep breath as I closed my eyes, but all I could see was those cold eyes looking at me in a hateful manner. "You have to promise me something Xander." I looked up at him seriously as I needed him to promise that he'd stay away from Liam at all costs. "I need you to stay away from Liam and if he turns up you let me take care of it."

"Rosa..."

"No, please Xander. You told me earlier that things with Lucian was personal... This between him and I is very personal to me." I wiped my eyes a little. "You don't know what he's capable of."

"Your forgetting I'm a vampire not a human sweetie."

"I'm not and I'd gladly let you fight most of my fights, but Liam... Liam is different." I turned left arm over and looked at a scar on it and then turned it back over. Xander must have been watching me as he moved one hand free and then raised my arm and kissed one of the scars as if telling me it would be ok. "Please Xander, I've never asked you for anything, but this..."

"Ok." Xander whispered to me. "But if it came to it and you two had to fight, I want to be there to make sure you were ok, even if he didn't know."

I went to argue but he put his finger on my lip.

"If I had to, I'd even hide from you and if it looked like you were going to lose then he'd soon be the one at a disadvantage."

"No Xander. I can't have you dragged into whatever it was he got me involved in. Liam is a piece of work and he is controlling and manipulative and the worse part is, he's part of something bigger than you and I. I don't know what he's part of because he ran off during the chaos, but I'm hoping one day I can find out and fix what I did so I can forgive myself."

"Rosa, you have nothing to forgive yourself about."

"What about those people?" I asked.

"They would have been killed anyway, if not by you, by someone else." He kissed me lightly again. "I promise princess, it will all be over soon and then we can start all over again and I can give you the time you deserve rather than a small bit of my time."

I nodded as I cuddled down as my mind turned over everything for a moment and then I looked up at Xander. "Everything will ok right?" I asked.

"It will sweetie." I let out a sigh and then moved and sat up to look at him.

"And there's no more secrets between us? You've told me everything?" I looked at him as I bit my lip a little hoping that he was going to say there was one more thing he had to tell me and that was about the chaos and why he'd told Marie and Dorian to not tell me.

"There's no more secrets between us, unless you have any you want to share with me."

"So what about the chaos?" I asked him simply. "Why does no one want to tell me about it?"

"Because it's complicated and because Marie and Dorian don't know everything."

"So why are you keeping me in the dark over it?" I asked.

"Because I'm trying to protect you." Xander told me.

"Please don't treat me like a child Xander. Don't make what we worked for, for nothing. Don't make us for nothing, please."

Xander sighed a little and ran his hand through his hair a little. I could see the way I'd made him uncomfortable in the moment. "Ok." He sighed. "Go and get a coffee and we'll talk." Xander helped me get off his lap.

"Promise?" I asked.

"I promise." He told me quietly as he looked at me. "It's going to be a long night." I went out the library and headed to the kitchen as my mind began to spin a little. Just what had Xander and the rest been keeping from me? I had no clue, but I wasn't going to lie, I was actually pretty terrified.