10. Oria

Ididn't know what to do with the liar in the bedroom. He was lying about coming here for a vial to save his friend. The vampire was hiding something, but I didn't know how to get to the bottom of it. He was so good at lying I almost believed him.

The day after we had our conversation I was irritated all day. When night came, I was wound so tight my shoulders and neck were hurting. I must have been extremely crabby because Loki moved out of my way like I was a tornado causing destruction. Instead of making dinner, I paced by his room feeling like I had to be near, I had no idea why, but I needed to be close to him.

When pacing started to grow old, I turned on the new phone Tay had gotten me, listening to some girl named Taylor Swift singing about love songs, Romeos and shaking it off. Then I listened to Lizzo, Kelsey, Kaci and some man named Michael Bublé. Don't get me wrong, I loved my hundred songs on my iPod, but this felt like I had an awakening. There were hundreds and hundreds of songs saved to this thing and I appreciated Tay even more. As I listened, I checked all of my traps and also watched outside to see if anyone was coming for me.

The music helped ease the anxiety in me, giving me something to focus on instead of the man in the tower and my dilemma about what I was going to do with him, a very sexy vampire who I couldn't stop thinking about. Why was I having such a reaction to him?

By the third day, I was starting to entertain the idea that maybe he was telling me the truth. No one had shown up to save him and to take me with them. It had been relatively quiet other than Loki as I got back into my schedule, trying to make up for lost time.

I was infusing the moon water when I realized I needed to talk to him again and maybe he would be more willing to offer up some more information. My heart raced as I thought about seeing him again. The naive part of me wanted to be around him again because it seemed like I didn't have a danger meter in my brain to warn me off dangerous men.

He wasn't going to hurt me with the number of artifacts on his body, but he was still a stranger… right? My mind felt jumbled as I picked up the work room, feeling lethargic from the water I had just infused. This wasn't normal, I had never felt like this before, and it was worrying me about what was happening. The reality of losing my magic seemed like it was a big possibility.

What would I do if I didn't have my magic anymore?

Once I finished in the workroom, I walked into the living room, immediately going for the sofa. I let myself fall onto it and before I knew it, I had passed out.

Loud purring woke me up.Loki was laying on my chest as I tried to figure out what the hell had happened. My mind was sluggish, and I was starving. I sat up, pushing Loki off me, receiving a hiss from him as I looked around the room.

I had skipped lunch and dinner because I had wanted to finish the chores I had been neglecting. What I didn't understand was, why I was getting so tired after every infusion. I thought that maybe it was just something temporary, but every time lately, I felt more tired and it took me longer to infuse the water.

A peanut butter and jelly sandwich would not cut it, so I grabbed some chicken, rice and some green beans I had harvested yesterday. I made dinner quickly, the smell making me more ravenous as I plated my food quickly. Loki walked out of the hallway and I knew he had visited our prisoner.

I took a break from seeing him to clear my thoughts, since no one had come to rescue him, his words had stuck with me. What if he was saving a friend? Why couldn"t he purchase Oria like everyone else? These questions plagued me, and I decided it was time for some answers.

I walked to the room he occupied, admiring him for a moment before removing the artifact from his chest, giving him a few moments before letting Loki wake him up. I noticed a silver chain around his neck that I hadn't noticed before. I ran my hand along it feeling its immense power. It felt oddly familiar like the power Mother used. Loki jumped into his lap, pushing my hand away. He hissed in his face, batting at his cheek as I sat down before the vampire growled back at Loki.

"Don't you have something better to do?" he groaned, adjusting himself on the seat. "How about you jump out that damn window and leave me alone."

Guilt clawed at me as I realized he was probably very uncomfortable sitting in that chair for so long and in the same position. He rolled his wide shoulder, moving his neck side to side before I saw him strain against the rope I had tied around him.

Loki hadn't moved from his lap as he tried to move until he saw me. We locked eyes and an indescribable need to go to him clawed at me. I imagined what it would be like for me to sit on his lap, capture his lips with my own and get lost in him.

Why was I feeling this way?

His green eyes held me captive until Loki moved my hands holding my bowl of food, sitting in my lap, trying to get my attention. Once our spell was broken, I was left with a feeling I didn't understand.

"Who is your friend that is dying?" I started petting Loki, scratching behind his ear.

"Does that mean you believe me?"

"I haven't decided, but I think if I heard the story, I might be more inclined to believe you," I said, glancing up at him but not holding his gaze, instead occupying myself with my food.

"Just saying she's dying isn't enough for you?"

I scoffed. "Would it be enough for you?"

He scowled. "Doesn't matter what I think."

"Of course it does," I said with my mouth full. "Why ask me to do something that not even you would do."

"What's your name?" he asked, changing the subject quickly.

"What's yours?" I retorted.

"Gray," he said immediately. "Yours?"

I shook my head because there was no way to say my name without giving myself away. He studied me, his gaze was intense, making my heart beat faster.

"How long did you keep me asleep this time?" he asked when I didn't say anything else.

"A couple of days," I said, taking a bite of my chicken.

His face fell, as his nostrils flared and his jaw clenched.

"Are you meeting someone? Am I ruining your schedule?" I scraped the bowl, getting every last bit of food, but still feeling hungry.

Looking up, his brows furrowed with his chest moving quickly.

"My brother," he said through gritted teeth. "Look I don't know how to say this, but my twin is going to come looking for me soon and I don't know what he's going to bring with him."

My heart rate skyrocketed.

"What or who?" I tried to keep my voice neutral while I panicked on the inside.

"Look, I came here to save someone or at least give them a fighting chance to survive the bullshit hand she was given." He took a deep breath. "We can't find Oria anywhere, it"s like, one day the supply magically dried up and it might be the only chance she's got to survive. When we heard about this tower, we knew it was a risk we had to take."

I perked up when he talked about not finding Oria anywhere. That shouldn't be possible, we had been fulfilling an order every three weeks for years.

"My brother isn't going to be happy that I haven't returned, and he isn't so lenient. I'd hate for him to do something stupid because I haven"t come back. So please, I'm begging you to let me have a vial of Oria and I'll be on my way."

My heart was racing at his admission, still feeling like he was telling the truth, but what he said just felt like a threat. What was stopping him from coming back? Did that mean I had to keep him here as my prisoner? Mother would be livid when she came back, but a part of me wanted to show her that she was wrong. I could take care of myself.

"Is that a threat?" I stood up.

His eyes trailed up my body with a scowl on his face, but his eyes held a hunger that felt like it was my own.

"No, I'm just stating a fact," he said, not looking away from me, his gaze making me shiver. "Look, I don't want you to get hurt. I just know my brother is going to lose his shit since I've been missing for almost a week."

"So, you want me to let you go so you can just bring more people back and take what I didn't give you," I snapped, as the anxiety in me went through the roof.

My breathing was becoming shallow, my vision blurred and my ears started ringing.

This was it.They were going to take me just like Mother had predicted.

I heard his voice, but my brain couldn't decipher the words. It was like he was mumbling over the loud roar in my ears. Sharp pain dug in my legs as my senses started to clear. I was sitting on the floor with Loki on my lap.

Meow. Loki's claws dug deeper until I yelled.

"What the fuck, Loki?" I snapped, pushing him off of me.

"Are you ok?"

I looked up to see the vampire looking at me with concern. I didn't know what to tell him except the truth, but if I did that and he got away he would tell my secret. I couldn't have that. As much as I felt like I could trust him, I didn't know him.

"Hey, look, we can talk about this and work out whatever we need to. I'm not here to hurt you and just the thought of that makes me extremely uncomfortable," he said, looking over me. "I just need to tell them that I'm ok and…"

"No," I snapped. "All of you are the same and if you think I'm going to be stupid enough to believe your lies, then you have another thing coming."

My panic was coming back in full force.

"You're all the same, always looking to get ahead of this world at any chance you get, even if it means you stepping all over me," I said, finally looking at him.

I didn't expect the pity, and I didn't expect the concern in his gaze.

"Ok, I'm not looking to get ahead, but just help someone I don't want to die. Give me what I need, and I can leave. I promise I will never return," he said, with desperation in his voice.

He seemed genuine, but all it took last time was for me to believe the wrong person.

"I'm sorry, I can't," I said, walking away from the room, but as soon as I left I immediately wanted to go back in again.

What the hell was going on with me?

A loud hiss made the hair on the back of my neck stand straight up as I felt the first tripwire get triggered. Fuck. This was it. I had no idea who was here, but I couldn't let myself be taken. I couldn't be that defenseless girl again. This was it. The moment of truth. I just hope I survived so I could show Mother that I was capable of defending myself.

I ran to my room to hide my identity and to grab a few things I had stashed there for a moment like this; and to grab my trusty frying pan.