The vampire and the assassin

Chapter 21

The next morning, I woke up a little later than normal. Sarah had left a note for me telling me she and the girls had gone out together, and she'd left me to rest, knowing how much we'd done the day before. I appreciated what Sarah had done for me by covering for me and letting me rest. I got up, took my tablets, and got dressed into jogging bottoms, my new t-shirt, which was a simple white one, and a lightweight hoodie. I put my feet into my new trainers, deciding to eat after I got back, picked up my keys, locked the door, and headed out for a run. I had no plans to push myself too hard; I just knew I had to take baby steps.

I had no idea which direction I was going. I was trying to keep myself away from the main house as I knew Xander would be returning, and the last thing I wanted was him worrying over me because I'd decided to go for a run. I'd ran what I thought was a straight line away from the house and had begun to struggle for my breath as I heard two voices just slightly to the left of me. I glanced over to realize I was on one of the pathways in Xander's garden, and the two voices I could hear were Xander and what I now knew was Marie, his second in command. I guessed he was back already.

I bit my lip a little, but then I heard Xander talking, and it piqued my curiosity, so I moved into the tree cover to get a little closer where I could see them. I just hoped they couldn't see me and that they'd be too distracted by their conversation to notice me.

"How was everything while I was gone?" Xander stood all business-like in the middle of the walkway with his hands behind his back, looking at Marie.

"No trouble if that's what you mean." She answered. "Well, none from your new favorite person." Marie seemed to correct herself, which made Xander laugh.

"Did Dorian cause any trouble last night?" Xander brought his hand around to gesture towards the stone bench close to where they were standing but Marie shook her head.

"As far as I'm aware, no, no trouble. From what I'd heard from the lady's favorite, most of the girls took the night to go shopping, including your favorite and her friends." Marie answered as if she were bored with the whole conversation with Xander. "So I took the opportunity to talk to my new friend."

"Did he say anything?" Xander looked up at the sky, or so it looked; it seemed as if he was bored now.

"Nothing of interest, just simply saying he has a debt to settle with you, when I ask him what debt, he simply refuses to say. I cannot let him go if he is working for another."

"No, we might have to, umm... have a coup in the house, and he got injured during the rebellion."

"Won't that cause issues?"

"No," Xander answered. "No questions will be asked, we do not know who sent him, so we cannot risk whatever information he got getting out, although I'd argue it wasn't that much considering someone stepped in pretty quickly."

Marie looked at Xander. "What are you planning on actually doing with her, Xander?" The fact that she'd called him by his first name shocked me a little, as she'd always used his title around others unless it was exactly that. Around people, she used his title, and in private, it was dropped for a more friendly conversation.

Xander gave a sigh and seemed to run his hand through his hair. "I'm not sure Marie what to do with her. Part of me wants to get rid of her quickly because of where she came from..."

"But?" Marie asked.

"She has done nothing to harm me, and then there's the complication that seems to follow between her and I..." Complication? What complications? I thought I was fitting into his house and that I was keeping my distance until I needed time to strike, but it turns out I was massively wrong, and when we'd spoken, in some way I'd caused complications in his life. This was the last thing I needed to get back to Lucian; otherwise, I'd only imagine what he'd do to me.

"The other night, though, she caused madness by getting hurt, and on top of that, she broke something expensive..."

Xander began to laugh as he seemed to pat Marie on the head. "Objects can be replaced, Marie; you know that, and so do I; people cannot. She didn't cause that much chaos, as the others never seemed to even notice blood had been shed, as you'd acted so quickly when you'd smelled it."

"That's not the point, Xander; what the hell was she even doing in there in the first place?"

"Finding her friend who was working upstairs that night," Xander answered with a bored tone as if he'd gone over it for the thousandth time with her.

"No way you really buy that?"

"I do," Xander answered, as if that was the end of that conversation. It really was the truth. I'd finished, and I'd gone to find Sarah to see if she'd finished, as I hadn't wanted to walk to the house alone.

"I just don't get why she didn't run and shout when she saw someone."

"Fear makes us do strange things. Not only that, my brother had probably made her stand in the way if anyone had ever came for him, vampire or human; that is the type of person my brother is." A sigh left Xander's throat. "She's also not used to our way of life. I can tell you that life in my brother's house is far from the calm we have here."

"Then if she's struggling to accept this type of calm and life we have here, maybe the best thing would be to let her go. Dismiss her and make up some lie about her not looking comfortable or something. Surely that would be the kindest thing to do—allow her to go back to her family... Does she even have a family?"

I put my hand over my mouth quickly and bit my lip to stop myself from crying. No, I couldn't leave; I had to stay. I had to do what I'd been told to do; otherwise, trouble would follow not only me but also Xander. I knew how Lucian thought; he would send others, and the next time it wouldn't be just Xander, it would be them all.

"Knowing my brother probably not, and when I raised that very question, she was very reluctant to answer it, which to me only confirms my fears that he has done something to them or is holding something over her to be here for whatever reason or for whatever game he is playing." Xander's voice sounded dark, as if he didn't enjoy that line of thought for whatever reason. "Not only that, I couldn't bring myself to send her away."

My heart froze at the moment I heard him say that he couldn't bring himself to do it. Just what was going on?

Marie let out a sigh of frustration. "Of all people, Xander Akako..."

Xander seemed to laugh a little at Marie's comment, but the sound was light. "It has been such a long time since I have heard anyone call me by my full name."

I shifted slightly as it felt like my foot was slipping, and as I did, a branch under my foot cracked. Not wanting to feel both their wrath, I didn't wait; I simply turned away and ran as fast as I could back to the house. I knew if Marie or Xander decided to chase me, I wouldn't be that fast for them. I just had to hope and pray that they wouldn't chase me and that they'd think it was an animal who had run up a tree or something.

By the time I got back to the house and up to my room, I'd skipped my meal as I sat down on my bed, and my head had begun to spin a little about the conversation I'd overheard. My heart hammered hard in my chest. What had they been talking about when he said he couldn't bring himself to send me away? Marie seemed to know what he was talking about through her response. I shook my head as I now felt like I was on a tightrope balancing between the realms of being close to being kicked out and Xander not wanting to send me away.

I shook my head and headed into the bathroom. I grabbed a quick shower, as I was all sweaty from the run. When I got out, I got changed into something that had been easy to put on and decided to just sit and rest.

As I sat in my chair, a knock echoed around the room. I got up and answered the door, finding Glenda standing in the doorway.

"Lord Xander has asked to see you at the main house. Someone will greet you at the door when you get there. Don't forget your manners, and don't forget what I've been telling you." She snapped at me before leaving quickly.

I shut the door and stood looking at it for a moment as my heart hammered hard in my chest. Had he known I was there, and was I about to get scolded over what I'd done by listening to them? I had no clue but I was about to find out.

I quickly got myself ready and did my best to pin my hair back. I put my shoes on and was about to leave when I remembered the dragon, so I went and got it, put it in my pocket along with my keys, and left.

I walked over to the main house, where I was met by Xander himself as he looked at me with a smile. I had been expecting Dorian or even Marie or someone else to meet me, not Xander.

"Hello, Rosa. You look like you're doing better."

Slowly, I am." I told him with a smile. It wasn't a true smile, but I knew I had to muster up something for him so he wouldn't know that I'd heard him and Marie talking.

"Let's get inside; it's pretty cold tonight." He opened the door for me, so I walked in and waited by the side. "Can I get you anything?"

I shook my head at him and lowered my gaze a little, as I didn't want my heart to give me away that something was wrong.

"Ok, let's go and sit in the library, as it's warmer." I followed Xander to the library. I think he suggested the library because he knew it was my favorite room in the whole house. He opened the door again, and I stepped in and went and sat in the chair I'd sat in last time. Xander took the other chair.

"I'm sorry if I've upset you by asking you to come; I was worried about you yesterday and found myself not being able to enjoy the company of an old friend I met with." The comment caught me off guard, and I lifted my head to look at him as a blush crept across my face. The conversation had me on edge now, and I didn't like it.