Splintered Circumstances

Vincent lifted Charlotte into a bridal carry easily with her feet leaving the ground and his hands tucked under her knees for support. She grunted from the quick movement and tapped Vincent's shoulder a few times to get adjusted before he moved again.

Charlotte turned to bury her head into Vincent's neck where she fitted perfectly and scented the cologne that he normally wore which was spicy and rich along with the sweat and stench of blood.

She wrapped her arms around his large frame and closed her eyes as he passed by the piles of dead vigilantes who were once alive and on a mission.

It was a bit unsettling for him to walk away as though nothing had happened, but he lived like this daily. One would have to get used to it quickly if one didn't want to go insane.

He pressed the button of the elevator, and Charlotte wanted to laugh at the normality of his actions but pushed it back. She wasn't a person to laugh at inappropriate times, but Vincent was changing her style.

Inside the elevator, Charlotte wiggled her legs to try and convey that she wanted to be let down, but he pressed a hand on her thighs to try and stop her movement. Charlotte rested her chin on his shoulder. "You can put me down now."

"And let you bled out with everyone watching?"

Charlotte lifted a brow. "I can walk on my own. We are only going one floor lower."

"You're lucky that there was no one on the elevator because I would have resorted to another tactic that you wouldn't have resonated with you."

"What?" Charlotte peered up with her frown. "You would have killed innocent standbys just because they were there?"

"It's not like I can erase their memories."

"There are other methods that are much better than taking a life."

"I'm doing what has been done for centuries, Charlotte."

"I... understand, but please see where I'm coming from."

Vincent remained silent until the elevator doors slid open still holding tightly onto her as if she would disappear any moment. Charlotte covered her mouth from his cold reaction, but she sincerely knew that it wasn't merely just a lifestyle, but what they were taught and will be teaching to ensure the safety of their lineage.

She was used to him being rigid, but at least he would respond to her. Now, she got the feeling that the distance between them had gotten even further apart. It was so confusing to describe what was happening between them.

Was she truly attracted to him or was it the circumstances around her that made her heart beat in a delusional manner?

There were many cases of people falling like that, and Charlotte knew that they were only together because they both needed something from each other in the end. She needed to stop acting as though she could change something because doing so would only put them both in danger from her foolishness.

He kicked open the door of the penthouse with Charlotte shielding her face away from the wood that splintered. It was too easy how the door immediately gave way, slamming into the hallway and causing more of a ruckus, and Charlotte grasped Vincent's shirt tightly when they practically stepped into another crime scene.

The chairs from the dining room were all kicked over and broken, the legs and pieces sticking out of the walls from the damage. The separating wall between the hallway and living room made out of glass panels was all shattered, the blue-tinted glass coloring the path inside the once beautiful and put-together space.

Vincent cautiously entered, his eyes darting around while he glanced down at her to check if she was alright. Charlotte kept a hand over her mouth in case she made a noise but nodded.

He walked over to the cracked vases and shredded cushions which made Charlotte bit down on her lip in anger because it seemed as though the vigilantes' usual MO was to absolutely turn over a house.

"Let's get you patched up first," Vincent whispered.

"Wait, shouldn't you go check around to see if there is anyone left in here?"

"I don't smell anyone. It's not as if they could sneak up from the kitchen since it was a view of everything."

"Okay," Charlotte murmured.

Vincent placed her down on the island and quickly took out the medical kit that was stashed away and opened it up to grab the materials that he needed. He grabbed the spare gun that was strapped around her waist pointed down in the back and placed it down on the quartz countertop.

He peeled off her black top leaving her clad in her undergarments with goosebumps going up her arms from the awkward paused moment before he brushed his fingers down her abdomen to inspect the damage done which was little in comparison to what could have happened.

His light touch made Charlotte inhale a quick breath from the warmth that he left behind. Vincent cleaned up her wounds which were little scratches here and there leaving the large one unattended.

She was biting down on her shirt he ripped and placed into her mouth to keep from making noise since she kept on flinching from the sharp sting.