HUNTED

Aila stared at the white-haired vampire like he\'d gone mad. But the events leading up to her death in Damon\'s arms were crystal clear, and this new sensation of feeling hungry, or as Cassius put it, \'craving blood\' along with this strange need to make sure he was happy, only meant that his words were correct. She looked away and stared at one of the paintings on the wall while she ignored the burning in her throat and tried to rearrange her thoughts.

She then scoffed. "So, you are my master?" She turned to look at him again, her features now composed. "What does that even mean?"

Cassius smiled and leaned towards her, Aila wanted to move away, but she stayed still and stared back at him expectantly. "It just means I am responsible for you. I awakened your vampiric side, and now I need to show you the ropes," He replied nonchalantly with a shrug. Aila knew there was more to this whole \'master\' concept than what Cassius said so simply. 

Like how she had a mate bond, this felt similar. She felt connected to Cassius in a way that she couldn\'t quite explain. "It is called a sire bond," Cassius interrupted her reverie. "We can feel each other\'s life force and emotions. So, it is similar to a mate bond."

Life force..

"So, if I was injured, you\'d know?" Aila asked though it was more of a rhetorical question now. Cassius nodded as his fingers started to play with some of her hair falling behind the sofa; she could feel the small movements on her scalp. A shiver ran through her, not from fear but because she didn\'t feel uncomfortable with him, and that in itself was scary. 

"You keep portraying me as a villain, Aila. You know it does hurt me that you think this way," Cassius whispered; his eyes were on her hair before slowly returning her gaze. He looked sad, and it made her feel sad. "I saved your life, not only this time but times before when the hunters came for you.. I just hope maybe this experience might make you open your heart a bit more for me."

Aila lowered her gaze from the pinching in her heart. His words were hard to hear; she didn\'t want him to be sad. "Cassius.." She began, pushing down this unwanted feeling and remembering all of what she knew about the vampire. "I am not Amelia." She locked eyes with him and watched as his own became icy; the sad expression on his face fell to one of a stoic mask.

"I know you are not Amelia," He drawled in a low, menacing voice. It made her hands tighten together in her lap, but she held her own. 

"And you know I am already mated-"

"You know.." Cassius cut in and leaned his face closer to hers, his lips near her ear. "I think you are getting the wrong idea about me. Did my brother make me out to be such a bad guy?" He pulled back slightly to stare at her. Aila\'s eyes widened at how close their faces were, and so she turned her head away slightly, staring at the wall. Cassius chuckled and leaned away, giving her that space she wanted. "I thought you might trust me a bit more than Gabriel, but I see your mind is already made up. Not that it matters.. I have sired you, so you will come to understand me more as time goes on."

Cassius stood up and walked to the fireplace, resting his hand on the mantelpiece before turning around to look at her. She had been observing him as his words registered with her. He planned to keep her by his side. 

"What is your plan?" She asked, not bothering to hide her thoughts. Maybe her \'master\' might tell her. 

"Hmmm, why would I trust you with such information?" Cassius tilted his head to the side and arched his brow. 

That was true; she\'d only been there for three days.. Cassius wouldn\'t tell her his plans, just how she didn\'t trust him; for obvious reasons, the vampire did not trust her. 

"Are you going to tell me why we were sharing a bed? It\'s a little creepy how you were holding me and makes me feel uncomfortable just thinking about it…" She decided to change the subject until she figured out exactly what to do next. If only her wolf could talk to her right now, maybe she\'d relied on her too much lately, but just her voice would be comforting.

 

"I\'d also like to hear more about this encounter," A low voice spoke from the other end of the room. Aila whipped her head to the side and gaped when she saw Davian Cross sauntering towards the sofa, his hardened eyes on Cassius. He was dressed in jeans and a navy t-shirt, his feet bare on the cold floors. 

"Sheesh, you both make it sound more perverse than it was. Davian, you know why I had to sleep in the bed with her," Cassius replied irritably, tapping his finger on the mantlepiece.

On the other hand, Aila was now standing and staring at the only other blood relative she knew. Thee Davian Cross was standing in the same room as her, the same Davian Cross whose journal she read to understand more about her own abilities. Davian Cross, who seemed to hate Amelia and Cassius, was speaking so casually to the vampire who had changed his life. Even though his presence brought her comfort, she had to question why the hell he was here.

Was Davian his accomplice?

No, no, no, that didn\'t make any sense. But why was Davian here? Did he have something to do with Cassius kidnapping her? If anything, she\'d assume her ancestor would want revenge more than anything.. She eyed him warily, not putting all her trust into him, blood relative or not, she didn\'t know him, and he had no obligation to her.