Between Rubies and Opals

As Erin and Alex approached La Vlad, her mother’s favorite restaurant, which also happened to be Algharakh’s most expensive and exclusive vamp-only restaurant, Erin felt the irritation rise inside her almost instantly. She could see her parents and Nikolai already seated at their usual table by the artificial blood waterfall. In front of each of them was a crystal glass filled with a dark red liquid, which was most likely fresh AB-negative. Their favorite.

“Whoa, isn’t it too early for drinks as hardcore as that?” Alex whispered and Erin looked at her friend.

“Oh my god, I am so glad you came,” Erin whispered gratefully.

“Really? After you basically told me to go decapitate myself last night?” Alex whispered.

“Yes, I honestly don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“You know I just don’t want to see you get hurt, or killed by an out of control wolf.”

“I know, but you can’t protect me from everything,” Erin said, tilting her head at Alex. “You’re still my best friend though, and I would never replace you with any guy.”

“Good to know,” Alex nodded with a small smile and put her arm around her friend’s shoulders. “Come on. The sooner we go in, the sooner it’ll be over.”

“Let’s do this then,” Erin nodded.

Alex gave her a nod and the two girls walked into the restaurant. The metallic smell of blood shot up into Erin’s nostrils and she wrinkled her nose momentarily.

“Miss Lewandowski, Miss Muldovan,” the hostess greeted them with a friendly smile and escorted them to their table. The staff at the restaurant knew them all by name, as her mother regularly had small gatherings in their restaurant, so it was of no surprise to the two girls that the waiter greeted them in such a manner.

Countess Cassandra and Count Arjen, along with Nikolai stood up and greeted the two girls.

After ordering drinks for everyone, Arjen looked over at his daughter. “The manor is very quiet without you, Erin.”

“I’m sure Nikolai makes plenty of noise on my behalf,” Erin smiled at her father, running her finger along the edge of her glass. “Having all those loud friends of him over.”

“They’re not that loud,” Nikolai said with a frown.

“How is the apartment, Erina?” Cassandra asked.

“It’s wonderful. Thank you, Mother. I love the white walls,” Erin smiled gratefully at her father, who winked at her.

“I will never understand your love for white walls, Erina.” Nikolai also shook his head.

“I’m glad to see that it’s not only me that she had baffled with her love for white and wide open spaces.” Alex looked over at Nikolai, taking a sip of her drink. “She does love her white walls, doesn’t she?”

Erin placed her elbow on the table and rested her chin on her hand, looking at Nikolai and Alex.

Alex had been secretly – or not so secretly to Erin – crushing on Nikolai ever since they met. Of course Alex denied it with her life, but once again, Erin could see the way Alex’s eyes sparkled when she looked at Nikolai. Nikolai on the other hand, was completely oblivious and did not reciprocate any of Alex’s advances. Probably because they had known one another for so long, that Nikolai considered Alex like a sibling, and not as a lover. Purely platonic, to Alex’s dismay. Alex was also a bit too wild and aloof for Nikolai. He was serious and very rigid, not knowing what fun felt like even if it had to bite him in the neck. He was smart and scholarly, and even though he was a complete racist, for reasons that Erin did not quite understand, he had a good head on his shoulders, and she loved him.

He had always been the protective kind of brother, who would always hold her hand while crossing the street, and the kind of brother that would not approve of the boy she brought home – not even when her parents liked him. He was the kind of brother that, even though he showed very little emotion, only had his sister’s best interest at heart, and even though he exuded the appearance of a tough male, he always had time to read his little sister a bedtime story, or sit with her until she fell asleep when she was afraid of the dark.

“Earth to Erin. Hello?”

Alex’s pitchy voice snapped Erin out of her daydream and she looked at her family staring at her impatiently. “Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.”

“Clearly,” Nikolai frowned and took a large mouthful of his drink, almost finishing it.

“Where is your mind, Erina?” Cassandra frowned, her lips tightly pulled into a scowl.

“Nowhere near where it should be, if you ask me, Countess.” Alex rolled her eyes.

“That’s enough Alex. Thank you,” Erin muttered as she nudged Alex in the ribs.

“Erina…” Cassandra looked at Erin and Erin raised an eyebrow at her mother. Erin had grown so accustomed to her friends, and even her father, calling her Erin, that when her mother called her by her birth name, it sounded so formal. Too formal for her, but there was not much she could do about it. “Since you have your third century switch,” her mother continued, “We have decided to have a little get together at the manor.”

“Mother, that’s really not necessary-”

“Nonsense, Erina. It’s a big event in your life, it needs to be celebrated.”

“Exactly,” Arjen winked at Erin.

“I don’t know. I just don’t feel in a celebratory mood right now.”

“Come on, Erin. It’ll be fun,” Alex whined.

Erin looked at her friend, then at her family, and knew she really had no say in the matter. No matter how much she protested or argued with them, she knew that it was a battle she was going to lose.

“Fine,” she surrendered.

“Fantastic! It will be a wonderful affair.”

Erin shot a brief glance over at Alex, who had a raised eyebrow, and shrugged lightly as her mother continued rambling on about plans for her switch party.

Sam opened his eyes and stared at the pale blue skies above him. The snow was cool against his skin and he took a deep breath, the refreshingly cool air filling up his nostrils.

After he exhaled, he brought his arms up and rested his head on his hands. A frown appeared on his face and his jaw clenched as he remembered why exactly he was where he was.

If finding out that Erin was a vamp had not been bad enough, finding out that she was associated with the person that he hated more than anything in this world brought his rage levels to new heights. Even the thought of Nikolai possibly being a previous boyfriend of hers drove him insane beyond all reason. He closed his eyes and all he could see was Erin’s face. Even though he had been upset about who her family was, it didn’t really bother him as much as he thought it would.

She was a vamp, he was a wolf. They could make it work, couldn’t they? They were both adults, they had been around for more than a few centuries. They also weren’t oblivious to what was going on. The thing that confused the hell out of Sam was, if Erin was a vamp, why didn’t he pick up on that? What was it about her that gave away no blatant signs that she was a vamp? And why didn’t she tell him? Was it because of his clear distaste for her race that he expressed when they were at Specter Hill? Was she afraid to tell him, because he hated them so much?

Sam pushed himself off the snow and sat up. He had to hear it from her. He had to hear her say it. He stood up and looked out into the distance, at Algharakh. The sun was low in the sky, as sunset was approaching and Sam looked at his watch. He had to find her, but he had no idea what he wanted to say. What could he possibly say that would justify his behavior? He took his phone out of his pocket and saw the fifteen missed calls on the screen. He cringed as he scanned through them, as most of them were from Erin.

Erin looked around her for the millionth time with a frown and checked her watch again. She had been sitting in The Forte Lounge for the last hour, waiting for Sam, but he never showed. She checked her phone for any messages, but there were none. She honestly thought that he would have called by now. He didn’t seem like the kind of guy that would not show up and leave her hanging. On the other hand, she thought Lukas looked like the type of guy that would never cheat on her, but that happened sooner than she could say erythrocytes. Erin frowned and banished all thoughts of Lukas from her mind and dialed Sam’s number again. It went straight to voicemail.

“Hey Sam, it’s Erin. I’m just calling to hear where you are. I thought we arranged to meet for drinks, but you are yet to show up. Where are you? Call me when you get this, okay?”

She dropped her phone back into her bag and sighed. She could not believe that he didn’t show up. Her phone rang and she fished it out of her bag again, hoping it was Sam. “Hello?”

“Hey, where are you?” Alex’s voice came over the speaker.

“I’m having a drink,” Erin answered simply, trying her best not to sound disappointed.

“By yourself?”

“No.”

“He didn’t show up, did he?”

“He’s just late.”

“I told you he wasn’t going to show. Those wolves-”

“Goodbye, Alex.”

Erin hung up on her friend and dropped her phone back into her bag. She stared at her hands for a few seconds, finished her drink and left. She was angry and disappointed, maybe more at herself than at Sam.

Maybe he found out about her family, and decided not to call her, or see ever again. Not that she blamed him. He quite clearly expressed his feelings towards her kind the other night.

As she was not type of mood to talk to anyone, being close to tears and all, she climbed into her car and sped off, heading home. As she drove through a red traffic light, she turned her head and saw Sam, or someone that closely resembled him. She narrowed her eyes, activating her night vision and glanced over at him again. It definitely was him! She stopped at the side of the road, climbed out and locked her car.

“Sam?” she yelled as she crossed the street and ran towards him. “Hey!” Erin called out to him again and grabbed hold of his shoulder. He seemed surprised by her sudden pull on his shoulder and looked at her with wide, angry eyes.

“Where the hell were you? I waited for you for over two hours,” Erin asked, her voice shaking slightly.

Sam frowned and stared at her wordlessly, clenching his jaw.

“Are you going to answer me or not?” Erin frowned at him, but he still did not say anything. He just looked at her. There was a wild flicker in his eyes, but that didn’t stop her from growling at him. “What the hell is with you? Say something!” she growled angrily at him, and herself, and ran her fingers through her hair.

Sam turned away again, his jaw clenched tightly and she threw her hands in the air. “I don’t have time for this, Sam. When you feel the need to talk to me, you can call me.” She spun herself around and marched off in the opposite direction.

Sam took a deep breath and watched as she walked away. Something inside told him to go after her, and he sprinted towards her. She was standing by the traffic light, waiting for the pedestrian crossing light to flash.

“Erin, wait!”

“Get away from me, I-”

Before Erin could finish, Sam grabbed her by the arm and semi-dragged her to the other side of the sidewalk. He pushed her against the wall of the building and stared at her.

“What are you doing?” she shrieked.

“You lied to me,” Sam growled.

“What are you talking about?” Erin struggled against his grip. She had to give him credit; he was stronger than she thought. She cringed slightly and he dropped his arms to his sides.

“Gowan told me…”

“He told you what?” Erin asked, her eyes flashing.

“He showed me…”

“Complete your sentences, Sam. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Gowan told me that you are a vamp, and I didn’t believe him! You’re nothing like them, and I tried telling that to him, but then he showed me who your parents are...” He frowned at her and wiped his face. “Didn’t you ever think that it might be important to tell me who they were?”

“You never asked.”

“So, you’re a vamp then?” Sam backed off a bit and looked at her.

“Sam, I-”

“Are you a vamp? And don’t lie to me, Erin. I want the truth.”

“You already know the truth by now.”

“Just tell me, I need to hear it coming from you,” Sam glared at her, his blue eyes flickering like stars. “Because I have to be sure…”

“Sure of what?”

“Are you?”

“Yes, Sam.” Erin clasped her hands together and looked at Sam. “I am Erina Lewandowksi, daughter of Count Arjen and Countess Cassandra Lewandowski, and I’m a vamp.”

“And Nikolai?”

“How do you-”

“Erin, just answer the question, please.” Sam closed his eyes for a few seconds and then glared at her. “Please tell me he isn’t your boyfriend, or was.”

“No, he’s my brother,” Erin shook her head in disgust.

“Your brother?”

“Yes. I swear.”

“I can’t believe this…” Sam took a step backwards, as if he was punched in the stomach and stared blankly at her. “I thought you were…”

“You thought I was a wolf.” Erin uncomfortably shifted her weight and looked up at Sam with a frown.

“You don’t even smell like them. You smell like us. Why is that?”

“It’s not on purpose, I swear.”

Sam looked at her, long and hard, and Erin knew that he was deliberating with himself in his mind. When she saw his nostrils flare, she shook her head at him.

“You aren’t allowed to be angry with me, Sam. You never asked me what I was. You came to your own conclusions about me, thinking that I was like you.”

“I can’t argue with that, but you could have told me.” He crossed his arms across his chest.

“Unlike you, I hate what I am and unless I’m asked, I don’t particularly like revealing what I am to everyone.”

“You’re ashamed of your kind?” he asked her with a frown.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“I have my reasons.”

“Okay, you don’t have to tell me.”

“I will, maybe someday.”

“So secretive.”

Erin looked at him, with narrowed eyes and crossed her arms. “Speak for yourself.”

“I’ve been honest with you from the get-go.”

She winced at his snippy remark and raised her eyebrows in slight disgust.

“Okay, so is there anything else I need to know?”

“Like what?”

“Like anything else that’s going to make me feel the way I am feeling right now.”

“And how is that?” Erin frowned.

Sam looked at her, but could not pinpoint the exact emotion that he was feeling. Shock? Betrayal? Disappointment?

“Sam?”

“I don’t know, okay. First I thought I was shocked and disappointment, then I was angry, but now I actually feel relieved, now that I know what you are.” Sam looked at her, and she could see that his eyes were settling down.

“Well, that’s a first,” Erin frowned and dug her hands into the front pockets of her jacket. “So what do we do now?”

“Well, I did kind of stand you up on our drink date.”

“Yeah, you did.” Erin dropped her gaze and pouted slightly.

“How about I make it up to you?”

“Are you for real right now?” Erin asked in disbelief.

“Actually yes,” Sam nodded, looking pleased with himself.

Erin looked at Sam with a frown, not quite believing what she had just heard. “You want to take me out, knowing what I am?”

“If you want to, that is.”

“Why though? Why would you want to?”

“I never thought I’d ever say this, but it doesn’t really matter to me. I like you, that should be reason enough. ”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course.”

“And you don’t care what everyone else thinks? Not even your family?” Erin asked.

“No. I’m the one taking you out, not everyone else. Besides, no-one is going to tell me who to take out, right?” Sam looked over at her.

“Right. You’re a grown man; you can ask whoever you want on a date.” Erin agreed. “Besides, you owe me.”

“Exactly,” Sam grinned and Erin felt a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. “Tomorrow night?”

“I suppose,” Erin shrugged nonchalantly.

“You suppose?”

“Tomorrow night is perfect.”

“I’ll pick you up at seven then?”

“Why don’t we meet here?”

“Why? Are you ashamed to be seen with me?”

“Of course not. It’s just that my apartment is in Coldora,” Erin cringed.

“Right, the heart of vamp town.”

“Sorry.”

“That’s okay,” Sam shrugged. “I guess it comes with the territory, dating a vamp.”

“Right.”

“Why don’t we meet at Methys Park and go from there?”

“That sounds good.”

“Great, I’ll see you then.”

“Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Erin gave him a nod and watched him walk away with a smile. A strange fluttery feeling started in her stomach and as she caught sight of her reflection in the glass window next to her, she noticed a smile on her lips.