Chapter 144: 144
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"I don't know why you insist on so adamantly refusing that you like my advances on you," he chuckles darkly, eyeing me for any reaction I might give. "But of course, if you want me to stop, I shall not touch you. For a month, or a year, and we shall see how desperately you try to deny me then."
"The only one suffering through that will be you, I will be just fine without you" I tease lightly, prodding him in the chest. Swiftly, he scoops up my hand in his, pressing his lips against the back of my hand.
"We will see about that, little dove."
Irritably, I puff out my cheeks. Once a hedonistic vampire, always a hedonistic vampire. I have learnt to expect as much from Soren- for as sweet and gentle as he can often be, that is not the only side to his personality. A lot of the time he can be incredibly, incredibly, naughty.
The silence of the room is interrupted by a low gurgle of my stomach, bringing us both to a startled attention. I give a tentative glance down. How long exactly has it been since I have eaten? A day? Three?
For a moment I stand there, puzzling over my lack of food consumption, wondering when on earth I got to be so slack.
Quite obviously hearing the noise, Soren gives me a long and poignant look, as though trying to figure out something but coming just short of the answers. His black nails tap with a slight deliberation against his arm, hands crossed over his chest. He clicks his tongue disapprovingly.
"When exactly was the last time you ate something? Please, dear gods, tell me you have at least had something recently," he asks, the words forming on his lips with a deliberate and reprimanding slowness. I bite the inside of my cheek, gnawing away with a nervous fever. Aside from a few mouthfuls of blood, I haven't had anything of particular sustenance for the past couple of days at best. Unfortunately, being in stasis, as well as having a prolonged period of worrying about having to find the flame has rendered me rather hopeless at remembering to do basic necessities.
"Well…" I start, but trail off, knowing the hopeless futility of even trying to start an argument with the Scarlet Prince, much less one I am on the losing side for. My stomach growls again, illustrating his point. Sighing light-heartedly, he loops and arm round me.
"You are hopeless, darling" he chuckles, seeing that I have no valid answer to give him. "You need to look after yourself. Even if you do have a hybrids body now, you need to take good care of it. No wonder you weren't able to use your powers efficiently- you don't give yourself enough fuel for your fire,"
"Enough with the puns already," I groan, but cannot help the smile that grows on my face. Soren gives me a wink.
"Come on," he whispers softly, leading me out of the bedroom, through the living room and through another door which I had not noticed before, veiled by a thin curtain of lace that drifts slightly in an unknown breeze. "You must be starving."
The fact isn't exactly false, in fact, it has more merit than I had cared to give it. I haven't eaten for days- at least not a proper meal, my attempts sullied by being too nervous to approach the dining room of vampires alone, or the urgency of missions that have rather unfortunately taken priority over my dietary needs. I suppose I should be a bit more careful- even if Soren's blood had made me stronger. Soren is right- regardless of puns. How on earth should I expect myself to fight if I can't even supply my body with sufficient nutrients?
"You have to be more careful, you don't want to be caught anywhere with an empty stomach. It's alright for me because blood is usually rather readily available, but I am uncertain whether you can rely solely on that. Look after yourself, darling," Soren scolds, leading me to a seat in the middle of the white tiled room, sitting myself down at a slick black table that holds just enough room for two people to sit end to end, perhaps a third in the middle if you are lucky. It is a nice room, well lit by gas lamps on the wall, shiny white tiles on the floor and a black wall untouched by the clawing hands of the vampire before me. It is relatively big for something that doubles up as both a kitchen and a dining room, with enough space that Soren can twist and turn round the table with ease as he makes his way over to the kitchen appliances on the opposite side of the room. I watch as he saunters over to a stove, flickering on the gas lit hob with practised precision and placing a frying pan over the top. He turns to me.
"Anything in particular that takes your fancy? I am especially good at cooked breakfasts, but for you, I will make just about anything,"
I chew on my lip thoughtfully. It's been such a while since I have had a substantial meal, and even longer since I have thought over options for eating that weren't berry breads, jams or rice cakes. Such foods are staples for the angels of Illistrae- light weight and easy to carry, and equally easy to snack on after attempting to escape the borders for half the day.
At last I shrug lazily.
"What do you have?"
Soren ponders over my question for a second, bringing up a hand to list each item off on his fingers as he says:
"Eggs, bacon, toast, mushrooms, ham, steak, sausages, cheese, a lot of fresh produce, a ton of bread, curtesy of Delina, oat cakes, biscuits…"
Frantically, I wave my hands for him to stop. Stilling to a halt, Soren drops his hand.
"Whoa, whoa, okay, I did not expect you to have so much. Err, I will have some bacon, if that's okay?"
Soren shoots me a frown, followed by a look that seems nothing sort of judgemental disbelief. I recoil a little, splaying my hands out in silent questioning. Nervously, my feet begin to kick under the table. What have I done now?
"What?" I ask when he doesn't stop staring, eyeing him suspiciously. Have I done something wrong? What on earth was that look for. Soren's frown only deepens.
"Bacon. Just bacon. Really?"
I wrinkle my nose at him, turning my head to the side slightly so I won't have to continue to face the wrath of his persistent stare.
"What? You think bacon is the worst thing out there? You are the guy who drinks blood on the daily- my blood too might I add."
I cross my arms over myself, pouting a little. Must he be so obstinate? If a girl wants bacon, let her have bacon, dammit! Grumbling under my breath, I turn myself from him.
All at once Soren's arms are around me, sliding down my stomach, his head resting behind me, my back pressed tightly against his chest.
"Hey, no, no, I was not belittling you, darling," he murmurs, pressing his lips against my shoulder, his cool breath floating in plumes over my skin, causing a shiver to run through me. "I just thought having only bacon would probably not fill you up, and I would prefer that if we are going to visit Azrael in the morning, you feel your absolute best. I did not mean to offend you, my apologise, little dove. But please. Allow me to make you something more- an early breakfast perhaps?"
Lightly I lean my head against him. Admittedly, the thought of that does seem rather nice. Wonderful in fact. But surely such a task would be a huge inconvenience to Soren, after all, this kitchen barely looks used, and I would rather not throw my husband into the deep end, especially if he doesn't fully know how to cook.
As these thoughts run through my head, Soren chuckles a little.
"I assure you, Serena darling, I know very well how to cook." He laughs once more, placing a light kiss on my cheek before withdrawing himself from me, his body swaying amorously as he moves around back to the stove, spreading his hands wide.
"I haven't lived all these centuries for nothing." I watch with faint amusement as he pulls open his cooling cabinet, a blast of wintery air hitting me from across the room as he does. Soren pulls out a carton of eggs and what looks to be several thin sheets of bacon wrapped neatly in parchment paper. I shiver slightly, tucking my arms more tightly around myself in an effort to try and maintain some memory of warmth inside my body. Fortunately enough, feeling flows back into my fingers before I can really start worrying that my body has turned fully cold blooded.
As Soren pours a globule of oil into the smouldering pan, I clear my throat over the smouldering hiss to catch his attention. The tentative tilt of his head in my direction indicates to me that my efforts are successful.
"Hey, Soren?"
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"I don't know why you insist on so adamantly refusing that you like my advances on you," he chuckles darkly, eyeing me for any reaction I might give. "But of course, if you want me to stop, I shall not touch you. For a month, or a year, and we shall see how desperately you try to deny me then."
"The only one suffering through that will be you, I will be just fine without you" I tease lightly, prodding him in the chest. Swiftly, he scoops up my hand in his, pressing his lips against the back of my hand.
"We will see about that, little dove."
Irritably, I puff out my cheeks. Once a hedonistic vampire, always a hedonistic vampire. I have learnt to expect as much from Soren- for as sweet and gentle as he can often be, that is not the only side to his personality. A lot of the time he can be incredibly, incredibly, naughty.
The silence of the room is interrupted by a low gurgle of my stomach, bringing us both to a startled attention. I give a tentative glance down. How long exactly has it been since I have eaten? A day? Three?
For a moment I stand there, puzzling over my lack of food consumption, wondering when on earth I got to be so slack.
Quite obviously hearing the noise, Soren gives me a long and poignant look, as though trying to figure out something but coming just short of the answers. His black nails tap with a slight deliberation against his arm, hands crossed over his chest. He clicks his tongue disapprovingly.
"When exactly was the last time you ate something? Please, dear gods, tell me you have at least had something recently," he asks, the words forming on his lips with a deliberate and reprimanding slowness. I bite the inside of my cheek, gnawing away with a nervous fever. Aside from a few mouthfuls of blood, I haven't had anything of particular sustenance for the past couple of days at best. Unfortunately, being in stasis, as well as having a prolonged period of worrying about having to find the flame has rendered me rather hopeless at remembering to do basic necessities.
"Well…" I start, but trail off, knowing the hopeless futility of even trying to start an argument with the Scarlet Prince, much less one I am on the losing side for. My stomach growls again, illustrating his point. Sighing light-heartedly, he loops and arm round me.
"You are hopeless, darling" he chuckles, seeing that I have no valid answer to give him. "You need to look after yourself. Even if you do have a hybrids body now, you need to take good care of it. No wonder you weren't able to use your powers efficiently- you don't give yourself enough fuel for your fire,"
"Enough with the puns already," I groan, but cannot help the smile that grows on my face. Soren gives me a wink.
"Come on," he whispers softly, leading me out of the bedroom, through the living room and through another door which I had not noticed before, veiled by a thin curtain of lace that drifts slightly in an unknown breeze. "You must be starving."
The fact isn't exactly false, in fact, it has more merit than I had cared to give it. I haven't eaten for days- at least not a proper meal, my attempts sullied by being too nervous to approach the dining room of vampires alone, or the urgency of missions that have rather unfortunately taken priority over my dietary needs. I suppose I should be a bit more careful- even if Soren's blood had made me stronger. Soren is right- regardless of puns. How on earth should I expect myself to fight if I can't even supply my body with sufficient nutrients?
"You have to be more careful, you don't want to be caught anywhere with an empty stomach. It's alright for me because blood is usually rather readily available, but I am uncertain whether you can rely solely on that. Look after yourself, darling," Soren scolds, leading me to a seat in the middle of the white tiled room, sitting myself down at a slick black table that holds just enough room for two people to sit end to end, perhaps a third in the middle if you are lucky. It is a nice room, well lit by gas lamps on the wall, shiny white tiles on the floor and a black wall untouched by the clawing hands of the vampire before me. It is relatively big for something that doubles up as both a kitchen and a dining room, with enough space that Soren can twist and turn round the table with ease as he makes his way over to the kitchen appliances on the opposite side of the room. I watch as he saunters over to a stove, flickering on the gas lit hob with practised precision and placing a frying pan over the top. He turns to me.
"Anything in particular that takes your fancy? I am especially good at cooked breakfasts, but for you, I will make just about anything,"
I chew on my lip thoughtfully. It's been such a while since I have had a substantial meal, and even longer since I have thought over options for eating that weren't berry breads, jams or rice cakes. Such foods are staples for the angels of Illistrae- light weight and easy to carry, and equally easy to snack on after attempting to escape the borders for half the day.
At last I shrug lazily.
"What do you have?"
Soren ponders over my question for a second, bringing up a hand to list each item off on his fingers as he says:
"Eggs, bacon, toast, mushrooms, ham, steak, sausages, cheese, a lot of fresh produce, a ton of bread, curtesy of Delina, oat cakes, biscuits…"
Frantically, I wave my hands for him to stop. Stilling to a halt, Soren drops his hand.
"Whoa, whoa, okay, I did not expect you to have so much. Err, I will have some bacon, if that's okay?"
Soren shoots me a frown, followed by a look that seems nothing sort of judgemental disbelief. I recoil a little, splaying my hands out in silent questioning. Nervously, my feet begin to kick under the table. What have I done now?
"What?" I ask when he doesn't stop staring, eyeing him suspiciously. Have I done something wrong? What on earth was that look for. Soren's frown only deepens.
"Bacon. Just bacon. Really?"
I wrinkle my nose at him, turning my head to the side slightly so I won't have to continue to face the wrath of his persistent stare.
"What? You think bacon is the worst thing out there? You are the guy who drinks blood on the daily- my blood too might I add."
I cross my arms over myself, pouting a little. Must he be so obstinate? If a girl wants bacon, let her have bacon, dammit! Grumbling under my breath, I turn myself from him.
All at once Soren's arms are around me, sliding down my stomach, his head resting behind me, my back pressed tightly against his chest.
"Hey, no, no, I was not belittling you, darling," he murmurs, pressing his lips against my shoulder, his cool breath floating in plumes over my skin, causing a shiver to run through me. "I just thought having only bacon would probably not fill you up, and I would prefer that if we are going to visit Azrael in the morning, you feel your absolute best. I did not mean to offend you, my apologise, little dove. But please. Allow me to make you something more- an early breakfast perhaps?"
Lightly I lean my head against him. Admittedly, the thought of that does seem rather nice. Wonderful in fact. But surely such a task would be a huge inconvenience to Soren, after all, this kitchen barely looks used, and I would rather not throw my husband into the deep end, especially if he doesn't fully know how to cook.
As these thoughts run through my head, Soren chuckles a little.
"I assure you, Serena darling, I know very well how to cook." He laughs once more, placing a light kiss on my cheek before withdrawing himself from me, his body swaying amorously as he moves around back to the stove, spreading his hands wide.
"I haven't lived all these centuries for nothing." I watch with faint amusement as he pulls open his cooling cabinet, a blast of wintery air hitting me from across the room as he does. Soren pulls out a carton of eggs and what looks to be several thin sheets of bacon wrapped neatly in parchment paper. I shiver slightly, tucking my arms more tightly around myself in an effort to try and maintain some memory of warmth inside my body. Fortunately enough, feeling flows back into my fingers before I can really start worrying that my body has turned fully cold blooded.
As Soren pours a globule of oil into the smouldering pan, I clear my throat over the smouldering hiss to catch his attention. The tentative tilt of his head in my direction indicates to me that my efforts are successful.
"Hey, Soren?"
"I don't know why you insist on so adamantly refusing that you like my advances on you," he chuckles darkly, eyeing me for any reaction I might give. "But of course, if you want me to stop, I shall not touch you. For a month, or a year, and we shall see how desperately you try to deny me then.""The only one suffering through that will be you, I will be just fine without you" I tease lightly, prodding him in the chest. Swiftly, he scoops up my hand in his, pressing his lips against the back of my hand."We will see about that, little dove."Irritably, I puff out my cheeks. Once a hedonistic vampire, always a hedonistic vampire. I have learnt to expect as much from Soren- for as sweet and gentle as he can often be, that is not the only side to his personality. A lot of the time he can be incredibly, incredibly, naughty.The silence of the room is interrupted by a low gurgle of my stomach, bringing us both to a startled attention. I give a tentative glance down. How long exactly has it been since I have eaten? A day? Three? For a moment I stand there, puzzling over my lack of food consumption, wondering when on earth I got to be so slack.Quite obviously hearing the noise, Soren gives me a long and poignant look, as though trying to figure out something but coming just short of the answers. His black nails tap with a slight deliberation against his arm, hands crossed over his chest. He clicks his tongue disapprovingly."When exactly was the last time you ate something? Please, dear gods, tell me you have at least had something recently," he asks, the words forming on his lips with a deliberate and reprimanding slowness. I bite the inside of my cheek, gnawing away with a nervous fever. Aside from a few mouthfuls of blood, I haven't had anything of particular sustenance for the past couple of days at best. Unfortunately, being in stasis, as well as having a prolonged period of worrying about having to find the flame has rendered me rather hopeless at remembering to do basic necessities."Well" I start, but trail off, knowing the hopeless futility of even trying to start an argument with the Scarlet Prince, much less one I am on the losing side for. My stomach growls again, illustrating his point. Sighing light-heartedly, he loops and arm round me."You are hopeless, darling" he chuckles, seeing that I have no valid answer to give him. "You need to look after yourself. Even if you do have a hybrids body now, you need to take good care of it. No wonder you weren't able to use your powers efficiently- you don't give yourself enough fuel for your fire,""Enough with the puns already," I groan, but cannot help the smile that grows on my face. Soren gives me a wink."Come on," he whispers softly, leading me out of the bedroom, through the living room and through another door which I had not noticed before, veiled by a thin curtain of lace that drifts slightly in an unknown breeze. "You must be starving."The fact isn't exactly false, in fact, it has more merit than I had cared to give it. I haven't eaten for days- at least not a proper meal, my attempts sullied by being too nervous to approach the dining room of vampires alone, or the urgency of missions that have rather unfortunately taken priority over my dietary needs. I suppose I should be a bit more careful- even if Soren's blood had made me stronger. Soren is right- regardless of puns. How on earth should I expect myself to fight if I can't even supply my body with sufficient nutrients?"You have to be more careful, you don't want to be caught anywhere with an empty stomach. It's alright for me because blood is usually rather readily available, but I am uncertain whether you can rely solely on that. Look after yourself, darling," Soren scolds, leading me to a seat in the middle of the white tiled room, sitting myself down at a slick black table that holds just enough room for two people to sit end to end, perhaps a third in the middle if you are lucky. It is a nice room, well lit by gas lamps on the wall, shiny white tiles on the floor and a black wall untouched by the clawing hands of the vampire before me. It is relatively big for something that doubles up as both a kitchen and a dining room, with enough space that Soren can twist and turn round the table with ease as he makes his way over to the kitchen appliances on the opposite side of the room. I watch as he saunters over to a stove, flickering on the gas lit hob with practised precision and placing a frying pan over the top. He turns to me."Anything in particular that takes your fancy? I am especially good at cooked breakfasts, but for you, I will make just about anything,"I chew on my lip thoughtfully. It's been such a while since I have had a substantial meal, and even longer since I have thought over options for eating that weren't berry breads, jams or rice cakes. Such foods are staples for the angels of Illistrae- light weight and easy to carry, and equally easy to snack on after attempting to escape the borders for half the day.At last I shrug lazily."What do you have?"Soren ponders over my question for a second, bringing up a hand to list each item off on his fingers as he says:"Eggs, bacon, toast, mushrooms, ham, steak, sausages, cheese, a lot of fresh produce, a ton of bread, curtesy of Delina, oat cakes, biscuits"Frantically, I wave my hands for him to stop. Stilling to a halt, Soren drops his hand."Whoa, whoa, okay, I did not expect you to have so much. Err, I will have some bacon, if that's okay?"Soren shoots me a frown, followed by a look that seems nothing sort of judgemental disbelief. I recoil a little, splaying my hands out in silent questioning. Nervously, my feet begin to kick under the table. What have I done now?"What?" I ask when he doesn't stop staring, eyeing him suspiciously. Have I done something wrong? What on earth was that look for. Soren's frown only deepens."Bacon. Just bacon. Really?"I wrinkle my nose at him, turning my head to the side slightly so I won't have to continue to face the wrath of his persistent stare. "What? You think bacon is the worst thing out there? You are the guy who drinks blood on the daily- my blood too might I add."I cross my arms over myself, pouting a little. Must he be so obstinate? If a girl wants bacon, let her have bacon, dammit! Grumbling under my breath, I turn myself from him.All at once Soren's arms are around me, sliding down my stomach, his head resting behind me, my back pressed tightly against his chest. "Hey, no, no, I was not belittling you, darling," he murmurs, pressing his lips against my shoulder, his cool breath floating in plumes over my skin, causing a shiver to run through me. "I just thought having only bacon would probably not fill you up, and I would prefer that if we are going to visit Azrael in the morning, you feel your absolute best. I did not mean to offend you, my apologise, little dove. But please. Allow me to make you something more- an early breakfast perhaps?"Lightly I lean my head against him. Admittedly, the thought of that does seem rather nice. Wonderful in fact. But surely such a task would be a huge inconvenience to Soren, after all, this kitchen barely looks used, and I would rather not throw my husband into the deep end, especially if he doesn't fully know how to cook. As these thoughts run through my head, Soren chuckles a little."I assure you, Serena darling, I know very well how to cook." He laughs once more, placing a light kiss on my cheek before withdrawing himself from me, his body swaying amorously as he moves around back to the stove, spreading his hands wide."I haven't lived all these centuries for nothing." I watch with faint amusement as he pulls open his cooling cabinet, a blast of wintery air hitting me from across the room as he does. Soren pulls out a carton of eggs and what looks to be several thin sheets of bacon wrapped neatly in parchment paper. I shiver slightly, tucking my arms more tightly around myself in an effort to try and maintain some memory of warmth inside my body. Fortunately enough, feeling flows back into my fingers before I can really start worrying that my body has turned fully cold blooded.As Soren pours a globule of oil into the smouldering pan, I clear my throat over the smouldering hiss to catch his attention. The tentative tilt of his head in my direction indicates to me that my efforts are successful."Hey, Soren?"
