The vampire and the wife

Chapter 13

Hunter and I finished our coffee and he stuck to his word, so we ended up going to Creed's house. I was surprised at how small it was, but Hunter had told me that it was big inside as it was a long house. Hunter also told me that there were other buildings that were used as extra rooms for any hunters who came to visit from other cities.

"I'll wait for you out here." Hunter muttered as he turned the engine off the car and then turned on his radio. "Take as long as you need, but just remember."

"I will. Thank you." I got out and headed to the door. I was about to knock when the door was pulled pretty roughly away from the door frame and Jake was standing there.

"Rosa?" He frowned a little and then looked over at Hunter's car. "What are you doing here?"

"I, ummm... came to talk to Creed."

"Oh, yeah, I forgot. Dad did say... You want the third door on the right. He'll be waiting for you."

"Is everything ok Jake?" I frowned a little while looking at him.

"Yeah, just peachy. I need to get home to my wife." He muttered as I stepped aside and he barged past to go to his car.

"Ok." I muttered and then went in and counted the doors until I found the one. It was already open and I could hear two voices in the room, so I stood with my back to the wall, listening.

"You pushed him too much, Creed. Did you really just expect him to accept the truth about his mother?"

"No, but there was no need for him to react as he did." Creed muttered. "Maybe Isabelle will calm him down."

"How did you expect him to behave, Creed? You've just dropped on him the truth about his mother Creed."

I frowned a little confused as I tried to remember the night of the wedding and what Xander had told me, but Creed spoke again.

"You've raised him as your own, though, Evie. He's just being a brat."

"He's far from a brat, Creed, and if that is how you see your son, then I am disappointed in you, Creed, and it's getting time for you to step down from this job. Just remember why you started it." I heard the woman storm out of the room, so I stood up straight as she came out into the hallway. "Rosa. If your here to see Creed, he's inside." She walked past me and I turned to watch her walk away down the hallway.

"Come in, Rosa." Creed called from the office. I went into the office and shut the door behind me. I noticed the way he was hunched over his desk with his eyes closed and his hands balled up into fists resting on the desk.

"Umm, if this is a bad time, I can come back."

"No." I took a deep, measured breath and then stood up to look at me. "Do you want to take a seat?"

"I'm good, thank you." I really hadn't wanted to keep this man from whatever problems he was facing, as I could see in his dark brown eyes the worry and concern in them. I knew that look from my own eyes too much; it was the look of realising how much you'd screwed up.

"Ok, then I won't keep you. I would love for you to join our ranks. I know who you are and what you are capable of, which is why, at the moment, I do not want you out in the field. I also know the ties you have." I watched the way his face seemed to turn stoney at the comment about my ties.

"Umm, which ties?" I asked, unsure what he was talking about.

"Both to Liam and also to Xander. Both of these ties will come in handy when the moment strikes." As he mentioned Liam, my stomach felt like ice as I remembered what Liam had said to me about going back to him. "That is why I would like you to liaise with the vampires about anything that is happening; I want you to be the one they go to rather than coming here, as it is getting a little busy at the moment."

I dropped my gaze for a moment as I let the words sink into my head. Liaise with the vampires. Did that mean he expected me to talk to...

"Yes, I would like it if you and Xander were able to talk about important matters that need resolution and require our help. If they don't need our help directly, then you will come to us for the help. I am hoping you'll be able to help resolve any other issues that don't need us." I looked up at Creed to see that his face was stone-like again. He was serious. He knew the history between us both and yet he seemed to do this to me. What was his place? "I need to keep you in the dark until I need you fully, Rosa. I hope you understand and at the moment, this is the only job I can offer you."

"Fine." I lifted my head more to look at him. "As long as it is kept strictly business between Xander and I."

"I will arrange a meeting with Xander, myself, and you, and I will tell him what I am putting in place." Creed nodded. "When that meeting happens, that is when your role will begin."

"Ok, thank you." I told him simply, despite the fact that my heart was hammering hard against my chest. "I should leave you to deal with whatever is going on." I turned to leave.

"Oh Rosa." I turned and looked back at Creed. "I will be keeping a watch on you and what is going on. As much as I know about you, I still cannot help but not trust you considering the ties you have to the Order."

"I have no ties. Liam keeps trying to pull me back in, but I am not walking that path ever again. I do not want to be that woman again."

"I'll still be keeping watch over you."

"Fine. Do you have any objections to the fact that I am living with two vampires at the moment and that I am also hanging out with a werewolf?"

"None from me." Creed muttered. "Now, run along until I need you." I turned back, left through the door and headed back outside to Hunter. I stopped once I closed the door to take a couple of deep breaths to calm my racing heart. I wasn't so sure if joining the hunters had been the right thing to do now that Creed had said what he'd said. It was too late now; I'd sold my soul to another devil; hopefully this devil was nothing like the previous one.

"Rosa?" Hunter called from the car. I stood up, walked over to the car and got in.

"Sorry, that was a little intense." I told him, as my mind still seemed to turn over everything I'd overheard. "I think Creed was in a bad mood."

"That man's always in a bad mood." Hunter muttered. "Anyway, where to now?"

"The beach," I told him simply.

"Really? In the middle of autumn?"

"You said it yourself; your naturally warm and I'm wrapped up warm today, so I don't see any problem; besides, the breeze won't be cold; it will be rather nice."

"Rosa... you are crazy. Let's go." He muttered as he shook his head, still in disbelief at my answer.

"Welcome to Crazy Rosa's world. If you want to hang out with me, then you'll have to quickly learn that crazy is my life." I laughed as I belted up. As much as I'd not wanted to admit it, crazy had always been my world and as much as I tried to find normal, I knew normal never wanted me. If normal had wanted me, then my boyfriend would have been a nice human and all my friends would be nice normal humans too. Normal is overrated anyway; I'd live this life a million times over. I couldn't help but smile a little at myself, which caught Hunter's gaze.

"What are you smiling about?"

"Just thinking about how once upon a time I wished for normal, now... I don't want normal any more." I looked over at Hunter. "If I were given a normal life, what would I do with it other than be miserable? This crazy life of mine... as much as I wished it away once upon a time. I'm actually enjoying it now."

"What brought on that realisation?"

I shifted in the seat a little to look at Hunter, who was totally focused on the road. "If I had a normal boyfriend, then I'd have never known about all of these amazing... people? That I know about. Sure, this world is scary, but so is the normal human world. I'd actually argue the human world is a lot more scary because people tend to be nice to your face but stab you in the back. In this world, with your lot, your all honest."

"Not all of us." Hunter shrugged. "What you see in the normal world is what happens in our world too. The only difference is that ours is more interesting, as I get to run around like a wolf and you get to hang out with some wolves and also vampires... Although I'd argue vampires aren't as cool as me."

I couldn't help but laugh. "They can be on a night. Your fun during the day..."

"Rosa, you have no idea of the fun that we could have on a night." He looked across with a grin as I rolled my eyes.

"Urgh, that was such a bad flirt." I laughed quietly.

"I tried." Hunter shrugged a little. "Anyway, I don't think normal would suit you. I couldn't picture you dating a normal person... Your free and wild and it's not an accident you've ended up in this life. This life was shown to you for a reason."

"I guess," I muttered. "I just wish it was a little kinder at times."

"We all wish that when we're down on our luck. But it'll get better; I mean... you get to hang out with me."

"Focus on the road." I laughed, shaking my head. I took a slow breath and let it out and as much as I wanted to try and figure out what had stirred that up in me, I already knew. It was knowing that I'd have to work with Xander. If you want that job, then you'll have to put the past behind you, be professional for this job, and not let him sway you like Zack said about Dorian. I let out a sigh. That was going to be easier said than done, but I had to try.

We arrived at the beach and Hunter parked up and looked around. "So what now? Nothing's open except a few cafes and a few arcade places."

"Trust me." I took off my belt, got out, and went and stood on the path and leant on the railing, watching the sea rolling in as it crashed against the shore line. Hunter came and stood next to me and was pretty close, probably to keep me warm a little as we watched.

"What's the real reason you wanted to come here?"

"To just listen to the ocean and be with a non-judgmental friend." I looked over at him with a smile. "When I bunked off school, this was where Jen and I would come some days. There's a rock over there." I pointed just a little further down the beach. "We'd sit up there and just watch the sea when we'd had a bad day at school."

"Jen? As in Luna Jen? Nope... Nope... Not buying. She used to bunk off school?"

"She also used to party, drink, and smoke." I countered with a grin and then began to walk towards where the rock was.

"YOU HAVE TO TELL ME THESE STORIES!" Hunter called behind me as I could hear him chasing after me to catch me up.

"I'm not sure if she'd agree to you knowing." I retorted as I looked next to me to see him walking with me again. I could tell he wasn't normal because any normal person would have broken a sweat to catch up to me, but Hunter hadn't, but he behaved in such a normal way it was hard to forget.

"Too late now." He grinned as he put his arm around me. "We're friends and friends share embarrassing stories about themselves and other friends." This was going to be a long day I felt like now I'd opened my mouth.