Chapter Four

Graceona

I removed my shoes as Leonard slept in the other room to soothe my sore feet. Sighing, I sat down in the chair, massaging my weary feet. Today was dreadful. The encounters with Christian and the woman at the bakery reminded me why I found humans so irritating as I thought of Leonard.

Although Leonard was human, I had waited for him for over a century. My wise creator, an older man who recognized my potential from the moment I was turned, had foretold his birth and our destined happiness together. I became a vampire. Unfortunately, he met his demise at the hands of vampire hunters, which led me to take up the art of fighting. The man had become a father figure to me after my father's untimely death.

I touched my neck, remembering the night I cradled my dying creator after the hunters had dispersed. He had envisioned my future happiness with a human man who perfectly matched Leonard's description, right down to his lavender eyes - eyes that appeared as pools of beautiful mystic to me. I had yearned for those eyes for so long, and now they were finally within my reach. Leonard's freedom was no longer something the Royals could steal from him; his life was now in my hands. I paid a significant price for his release, but I will never regret relinquishing my title as a general. I embraced that I no longer held the lives of those I had once sworn to 'protect.' 

Their downfall was broadcast on every news anchor in every city. A 200-year-long battle had finally ended. I had avenged my creator. A grin spread across my face. Trusting the enemy had proven to be a mistake. The rustling of covers filled my ears, disrupting any chance of peaceful sleep. As the sound of the bedroom door shutting reached me, I turned to see Leonard entering the spacious sitting area. He sighed and settled on the couch beside me, catching my gaze. "Trouble sleeping?" I asked.

 "It's nothing new for me. I haven't slept properly since I started running," he replied. 

"I've told you before, you're not to blame. The Royal Guard stopped suspecting you two years ago. They can't touch you anymore. You should celebrate being a free man and get some well-deserved sleep." Leonard looked at me, doubt in his eyes.

 "You don't understand, Graceona. They will always know me as the man who supposedly killed an heir. Even if not by the family, their followers will continue to talk." 

"Words are cheap, Leonard, just like the people of Infernias. You should know by now that corruption has taken hold of them. They willingly accepted their fate and turned into a bunch of complainers. Why does their opinions matter to you?"

He glanced in my direction and spoke, "Sure, you can say that and provide evidence to support your claims. But I'm not some invincible being who can take on an entire army of sensitive individuals. Thanks for trying, Grace, but I'm no longer welcome in the country where I was born and raised. I was driven away by false accusations stemming from past disagreements. You seem well-regarded by those people, while I am no longer a part of that circle."

"You're assuming things again so that I know. Do all humans make assumptions about things they know nothing about, or is it just you? Asking questions is not a crime. I won't snap at you for seeking clarification. I'm interested in building a relationship based on open communication. I don't have time to make baseless assumptions."

He stared at me and replied, "All humans make assumptions, Grace. It's not just me. I had assumed that you, as the captain of the guard, taking a vacation, would hold a higher position than me. It was a harmless assumption."

"Ah, a harmless assumption. Those exist. However, you're mistaken. I have my reasons for working with the Royals. We understand they stay in their territory, and I stay in mine. They are my subordinates, not my leaders. I am my leader. I don't rely on them to make money. The earnings from these tournaments are on par with my Royal Guard salary; there's no comparison. I didn't amass wealth through corrupt means."

He glanced at me curiously and asked, "How much do you earn from those caged tournaments?" 

I looked back at him and replied, "I make 5 million just for showing up."

 He raised an eyebrow and inquired, "Are there human versions of these caged matches?"

 I chuckled and responded, "Leonard, we're vampires. You're the only human who has attended this event in over fifty years, so no. Darin pays people to help and organize everything if you're so eager to make money. Since you can't cook, you could probably earn money by cleaning up. Of course, the other option is still available." He sighed and looked at me as I threw my hands up in exasperation. "Yeah, it's still a no. Got it, but I just wanted you to know it's an option."

 He then asked, "Where is my jacket? I remember hanging it on the coat hanger when we came in last night." 

I pointed to the coat hanger and explained, "I had it cleaned. Don't worry; your money is in my pocket." I reached into my jacket pocket and handed him his money. He glanced at it, and I said, "Aren't you going to count it?"

He replied, "I trust you. But why did you have my coat cleaned?"

 I explained, "It got wet from the rain last night, and there were some stains on it." 

Curious, he asked, "What about the food?"

"In the cooler beside the chair. I also put some Diet Pepsi in the cooler beside the chair. I assumed you drank the soda,"

 "Is there anything else?" he asked as I glanced at him. He stood up and walked over to the cooler. 

"The apple pies sound tempting right now." He opened the cooler lid, grabbed what he wanted, and sat back on the couch.

 "Aren't you going to warm those up?" I asked him.

 He looked at me and replied, "With what? Hotels don't have microwaves."

 "Oops, I forgot about that. I'm going to take a shower. Are you still up for being my plus one?" he asked, looking at me.

 "Only if you promise me you won't get hurt in this fight," he replied.

 "How can I make that promise? Leonard, I'm fighting vampires, not humans. You can stay here if you're worried," I told him. 

He looked at me with a sigh and said, "Fine, I'll go, but you know I'll be worried the whole time." I responded, 

 I responded, "Then stay home."

"Grace, I'll worry whether I go, so it won't make a difference. I want to be there for you, at least in spirit. Can't you reconsider, and we can both spend time in town or stay here? Please don't do this. It just doesn't feel right."

"Is this because I'm a woman, Leonard? Really?"

"No, it has nothing to do with you being a woman. You can handle yourself. It's something about this situation that I can't shake off. Fighting is one thing, something your body is familiar with. But this feels different, like something bad is going to happen. Please, Grace, stay home. Don't go to this."

I looked at him, opening my mouth to respond, only to notice a hidden tear in his eye. I sighed.

"Fine. Do you want to go apartment hunting?"

"Your not upset?"

"No, something tells me you're being honest. I can afford to lose some money. Get ready, and we'll grab some breakfast, then look at apartments."

He smiled, walking towards me, kissing my forehead, and resting his head on mine. I watched him as he left the spacious sitting room.