Chapter 5 One Day at a Time

Pain. All he could think about was pain. His body felt like it had been covered with thorns and his heart felt like it was being chained, being squeezed tighter and tighter with each passing minute, until it couldn't take it anymore.

Demitri tried to act as quickly as possible, but as soon as he set foot inside the small apartment in the neighboring town, he collapsed and fell to the living room carpet, feeling the worst pain since it all began. He almost regretted not accepting Isabella's invitation to stay with her. He should have stayed. But there was no going back, just as he didn't know if he would be able to get up so soon.

It was night when he fell into that situation, and when he blinked against the brightness, confused by the change, he realized that it had already dawned. He mentally thanked the sorceress who did work for the Ventrue. If it weren't for her, he would be burning up right now.

The realization of that fact seemed to seep into his mind with great force and finally Demitri managed to sit up, taking a deep breath and letting his consciousness return, pushing the disturbing thoughts away.

"Come on, it's time to get up and start resolving your situation", he muttered to himself, managing to stand up and pushing the pain out of his thoughts as well.

He needed to find Isabella and start putting his plans to get to know her, and let her get to know him better, into practice.

There was also the matter of those vampires in town, Demitri had not forgotten about them and in his mind ideas of how to get them away from Isabella were already beginning to arise. Whether she was with the vampire boy or not, he doubted that she would have pulled away completely. Demitri needed to act.

...

Isabella was tired, exhausted actually. From the moment she had entered the school parking lot until that moment, the predictable break, she had felt the vampires' eyes on her, watching her movements. Those reactions made her think that Arvin had shared her little lie about Demitri, which led her to the possibilities that change could offer. She just needed to find the vampire full of pain. Which reminded her that she had also woken up distressed, wondering where he might be and if he was okay.

It had never crossed her mind that one day she would need to worry about a vampire and his health, but there she was, and she didn't quite know how to handle the situation.

As soon as the bell for the last class of the day rang, she ran to her car, leaving the school even before the vampires, avoiding questions about the vampire who had been with her the day before. As she was driving home, she noticed a tall, strong, blond man. She could recognize him very easily, Isabella realized.

Confused by her thoughts and feelings towards him, she stopped a little ahead, smiling as the vampire's eyes finally recognized her. Demitri smiled too, looking anxious as he approached her car, showing that she wasn't the only one who wanted to meet him.

"Good morning,"said Isabella, still smiling.

"Good morning, Isabella. Are you going home? " asked Demitri, also smiling, leaning on the driver's door.

"I was, but now that I found you... we need to talk."

"Do we?"

Demitri looked surprised, confused by Isabella's renewed interest in him. He had no idea what this might be about.

"Yes, would you like to come in? It's strange to talk to you like this."

The vampire took a few more seconds to nod and walk to the passenger door, getting into the car with his human. He would do whatever she wanted.

Isabella ended up driving to the park, indecisive for a moment, wondering if she wanted to be seen with him around town and if the vampire was okay with the situation, but as she stared at Demitri she realized that he remained calm, just waiting for her to stare at him for reassurance.

"I don't mind being seen in public with you", commented Demitri, as if he were talking about the weather.

"Are you sure? I don't mind either, but I don't want to cause trouble for you".

" Come on, Isabella. I'm looking forward to meeting you."

He didn't wait for her answer, he just got out of the car, walked across to the driver's door, and opened it for the human. Isabella took a deep breath, calmed by Demitri's obvious reassurance, and accepted his hand. The warmth of their bodies seemed to fill them, and they both held back the sigh that wanted to escape. The vampire had never felt calmer. The human had never felt that connection before. It was as if this was her place, beside the vampire, holding his hands.

"Let's do this then", said Isabella, getting out of the car.

They ended up on a bench farther away from the park, looking at the people passing by, who looked at the two of them curiously, surprised by Demitri's presence beside the young woman.

The vampire had been transformed many centuries ago, already 25 years old and with a planned future that was obviously behind him. He worked in the fields, which gave him a few extra muscles that remained in his vampiric form, as well as a tan, which ensured that he did not look like the living dead, like many vampires he had met throughout his existence and travels around the world.

"So, why do you feel pain when you walk away from me?", Isabella asked, when Demitri remained silent, reflecting on the situation and how different his life was from when he was just a human.

"I really want to explain, but I don't know if this is the right moment", Demitri said, turning his body to the human, letting her look into his eyes, the same way he did with her, although he was at that moment holding back from looking down her body, not being very successful in that, of course.

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to complicate things before I get to know you. It is important to me that, despite everything that is going on, we are friends and really like each other, without pressure".

Demitri thought he had said too much, understanding seemed to appear in her gaze, but it was quickly disguised. Isabella then fired off questions about her life with the Ventrue, and the vampire told her what life was like in Austria, from the company of the vampires to the landscape and the human people of the place, which Demitri had learned to blend in very well.