Bitten

Eyes.

They say they are a gateway to our souls.

But what if you don’t have a soul, then are they a gateway to your darkness.

The air that gushes out of Mason makes my demon side subside as I take in his shocked demeanor.

He must hate me. To see what I really am and that is a killer.

Instinctively my head bows down and close my eyes, “I’m sorry,” I turn around ready to run off into the darkness.

Where to? Who knows.

“Abigail,” his voice makes me look up at him.

Is he relieved?

“Yes,” I whisper my eyes locking on his gaze and the small smile that pulls at the corner of his lip makes me tilt my head to the side to get a better look at him.

The shadow that casts over his face darkens his right side but with my vision, I can see that he seems happy that I am here.

“Are you okay? That’s not your blood is it,” his eyes lower down to my bloodstained clothes and I follow his gaze.

“No, I don’t even have a scratch,” I say raising up my gaze and he huffs out in relief.

He comes to me with long strides, “Come here,” his arms wrap around me tightly, “you don’t know how worried I was about you. I thought I was going to go insane,” his lips brush against my hair as he places a gentle kiss on my temple.

Standing there stiffly I do not know how to react. He is not reacting the way a normal human would and that would be by running for the hills with his daughter.

“Mason,” I sigh and pull away from him, the hurt in his eyes makes it to hard for me to look at him, “why are you still here?”

I refuse to look at him, “Because you told me to meet you back at the apartment and since you know what happened out there I thought we were going to talk,” he runs his fingers through his hair flustered with what is occurring at the moment.

What was happening?

I need to let him go for his own good — his safety.

“Mason, what happened in the field,” I inhale slowly, “it can’t happen again. I’m sorry if I would have met you as a human maybe it could have worked out.”

“Do you hear yourself?”

His sudden outburst makes my demon side angry.

“If you were human, human,” his eyes dart in every direction trying to fathom what he is saying, “if you were a human do you think we would even get this far?”

Pushing my demon down I look at him, “what are you talking about?”

“Abigail, we would have not met if you weren’t a vampire. If you were human you wouldn’t have been at the park that day with Wes or in that street that same night that I got attacked.”

That much is true I can’t argue with him on that.

“The reason I met you is that you were a vampire.”

“I’m a monster,” I hiss at him trying to bash that bit of information into his thick skull, “I kill humans to survive. I can lose control on split-second kill you Mason. Think about your daughter!”

Raising my voice towards the end. I feel defeated making my way towards my couch I sink into it and roll my head back. My mind wants them to leave and stay safe but my heart, oh my be stilled heart, wants to have them here close to me.

“I’ll find an apartment for Hannah and I that way you’ll be away from her,” my breath gets caught in my throat.

I wouldn’t see Hannah every day.

“Mason,” I straighten up and look at him, “I don’t want you to leave.”

“Then what do you want Abigail,” he marches up to me and sits next to me, “I know what I want and now it is your turn to decide whether you want us to stay or leave. You’re right I have to think about my daughter and the fucked up part is that all the females in her life have disappeared, the one that was supposed to love her unconditionally ran off with some other man and left her behind. Now she met this amazing, sweet, loving, and caring girl and she is on the verge of losing that as well.”

“You know that I want to rip your ex’s throat out and feed it to the dogs,” the normal reaction would be for him to call me crazy or at least be grossed out but the smile on his lips surprises me.

“You should be happy or I am at least,” he releases a carefree laugh, “you have to see that brighter side of everything. If she would have never left I would have never got a hold of my little Hannah and then you would have never met, thus us never meeting.”

I tighten my lips trying to hold back my smile. The memory of Hannah stumbling upon me on the park invades my mind.

“You’re right,” I laugh and then sink back into the couch.

“If you want to stay with her here I won’t argue with you,” he opens his mouth but I stop him, “if you ever feel unsafe with my presence you promise me that you will leave. You don’t have to give me an excuse just grab Hannah and run.”

He rolls his eyes and nods his head.

“If you would ever put my daughter in danger you wouldn’t have to tell me twice to run,” he shrugs and sinks into the couch.

“I’ve already put her in danger and you’re still here.” I counter and he shrugs at that as well.

“It wasn’t your fault,” he points out, “Chris was after you but now he is...” he trails off and looks at me waiting to see what I say.

“He’s dead Mason.”

Dead.

Dead would have meant that he was alive when I got to him. I just killed him so he redied.

My brain is a hay mess thinking about Chris that I shake him out of my head.h

“He’s dead so now we have nothing to worry about,” nothing but the man that sends Chris after me.

We sit there in silence for a moment when Mason then decides to speak again.

“Maybe you should shower,” arching an eyebrow I look at him. “You don’t scare me but if Hannah sees you in this bloody mess you’re probably going to give her a heart attack.”

I shower and Mason is sitting on the couch where I left him. He does not glance over at me instead he has his eyes trained on the black screen of the television.

“Mason,” I whisper as the gut-wrenching feeling hits me.

Hannah?

Her soft breathing fills me and I suddenly relax.

“Can you sit with me for a moment?” I slowly make my way to him and sit crossed legged on the seat next to him.

“What’s the matter?” His eyes stay on the television.

“I am afraid,” he breathes out, that makes two of us, “You went to take a shower and when you left the room I tried. I tried really hard. I just can’t see it,” he drops his head and I stare at him unsure of what to do or what to say.

“I don’t ─”

“Abigail, I can’t see my life without you.” His head snaps up and his eyes show me how sincere he is, “just like Hannah I see you in everything I want in my future. I know I’m being selfish ─”

“Mason ─” he pushes himself up and his lips capture mine in a swift motion.

His warm lips against mine send a shiver through my body and I push myself closer to him. He groans and pulls away.

“Sorry,” he breathes in deeply and sinks back onto his seat. “I’m telling you in my head I see myself buying a house and you’re there right by my side with Hannah in your arms, I see myself growing old and your there as well, and I look into your eyes now and all I see is my future ─our future.”

“I ─”

I see it.

The beautiful picture he’s painting but...

“I get it but you can do so much better. Someone you can be safely around.”

“Tell me you don’t love me, tell me that you don’t have any feelings for me and I’ll walk out that door and you won’t see us again.”

Just tell him. Lie. Make him leave.

The stinging in my eyes is all in my head since vampires can’t cry.

Can I do it?

“You know how I feel about you and your daughter. I would say I don’t love you but who am I lying to? Myself? Mason, I am terrified that something might happen to you two because of me.”

“If I let fear rule my life I would have abandoned my daughter, I would have stayed with my parents and acted as if everything was normal, and I would have never stayed with a complete stranger.”

“Do you really want to stay by my side?”

“I’m still here aren’t I? Abigail, I think I’ve fallen in love with you.”

The smile that spreads across his face is mirrored on mine, “the scary part is I think I’ve fallen in love for the first time ever,” his arms wrap around me and he pulls me into his chest where I surprisingly feel safe and sound.

Mason lets our bodies fall onto the cushions of the couch as I rest my body on top of his.

I can get used to this. After a while, Mason relaxed breathing intertwined with Hannah’s sends me into the most peaceful slumber that I have ever had.

Mason and Hannah are my entire life now...

~FIN~