Maia hit him once in the chest causing him to fall back onto his knees clutching his heart. She heard the slow heart beat and she hit him again. This time he fell back and his heart stopped beating. Maia straightened herself out and sighed deeply. She looked down at the body of the young man and felt a tad bit guilty. Guilty that she was alive and he had yet to live. Guilty that she had spent centuries wandering this Earth freely and he had to suffer for her. The House of Night would always come after her and she knew that. She accepted that.
“You have the most graceful way of fighting.” His voice ran through the alley causing her to look back at him. He looked as handsome as ever. That thought always seemed to run through her mind the moment she sees him. All those feelings from before had yet to disappear but she tried to cover it with hate and anger but that did not justice for her.
“I should have known you would follow, Bran.” Maia stated. He walked out of the shadows towards her. Maia looked down at the lifeless body of the hunter she had just killed. She kneeled at his side and lifted his body up so that his throat was near his lips. Maia smelt his blood and she closed her eyes taking in the sweet smell. Her razor sharp canines dug into his smooth soft flesh as if she was slicing butter. The blood was hot and sweet and it tamed her raging thirst. She pulled away when she was finished, her lips red with thanks to the blood and her color was a bit rosier. Maia looked up at Bran, and cocked her head to the side.
“Hmm, I never thought you’d be this tough.” He replied. Maia challenged his logic.
“Then again you never did think anything good about me.” She retorted as she lifted the body off her lap and onto the cool pavement. His body was pale and lifeless. Maia stood and positioned Chase so it looked as if he had died of natural death. Maia took the dagger knife out of his hands and looked it over. She placed the silver dagger in the sleuth that was attached to her leg.
“You’re never going to let it go, are you?” She asked as she started to walk away from him, the alley, and the dead body that she just fed from. Maia stopped and looked back into the alley.
“You killed a child, Bran.” She stated then took a step in his direction. “You killed the person in my family, my human family.”
“You act as if you can’t have kids.” He snorted. “You are well aware that vampires can have children, Maia and you choose not to mate with any of our kind.”
“I do not choose who I want to mate with, Bran. It’s just that no one I’ve met captures my eye and if they did I would gladly go after them.” She argued but he shook his head. He was right and they both knew it. Bran moved towards her. She didn’t realize what he was going to do and neither did he until his lips were on hers. Maia was shocked but didn’t fight him off instead she welcomed him and gave herself fully to him. Oddly enough, she enjoyed him kissing her until her head was spinning. He broke the kiss but stepping back into the shadows and walking away, leaving her there confused and dazed.
Maia stood there for a few seconds before she gathered herself together and stepped out of the alley for a second time that night. She didn’t understand and everything seemed to be dazed. Was this what it was like to feel human, she thought. It was different from before when they were together all those centuries ago. Bran wasn’t this harsh. He was sweet and took care of her yet he did was needed to survive and protect the ones he cared about. And yet she could not let it go. She could not let it go that it was her kin that he had killed…her bloodline.
She walked quickly to her apartment building and made sure that she was alone before she walked into her apartment. Her apartment was huge and dark themed. For some reason she enjoyed the dark colors that she surrounded herself in. Despite being unable to eat human food her kitchen was up-to-date with the most standard of appliances. The kitchen was her fascination. She had wanted children of her own but she just couldn’t. She was too sought after. Her children would be the target to weed her out.
Maia walked into her bedroom and automatically sniffed the air. The scent was wrong. Someone had been in her apartment and was still here! The scent was a honey scent with bits of vanilla… She walked around the room and stopped short of the closet. Maia opened to closet unsure of who would actually be in there. The scent was that of a vampire and a human. As she opened the door she saw the little girl that sat curled up in the corner of the closet with frightened eyes. Why was she here?
“Are you alright?” She asked the girl knowing that she was scared. Maia could feel her fear as if she was saying it aloud. The girl didn’t answer. “Do you want to come out? Do you have a name?”
Maia reached in and took the girl out, trying not to injure or harm her in any way. The girl was no doubt any older than five. She had long brown hair and smashing blue eyes. Maia held her against my chest and listened to her heard beat slow down. The little girl held on to her with such force that Maia was concerned.
“Would you like to tell me your name now?” Maia asked nicely. The little girl looked up at her and smiled.
“Tara.” She said, her voice was so angelic and sweet. Maia brushed back the strands of hair that hung in the little girl’s face. Tara, she thought, meant star.
“So, Tara, what are you doing here?” Maia asked her.
“Uncle said to wait for auntie to come home.” Tara told her. Auntie? Uncle?
“And who’s your uncle?” Maia asked as she put Tara down on the bed.
“Uncle Bran.” Tara said in a matter of fact tone.
“Bran dropped you off here?” Maia squeaked. He had dropped off a five year old girl by herself what the hell was he thinking. Tara nodded and Maia’s face paled. He had left her here by herself? What the hell was going on in his head? I groan and led her out to the kitchen to fix her something to eat. The poor child had to be hungry. How long had she been here? Just then she felt his presence. She turned to face Bran who she knew had come in through the open window from the bedroom.
“What the hell? You left a five year old alone in an apartment, Bran.” She yelled.
“Calm down, Maia.” He said softly.
“Calm down, can you imagine what would happen if someone other than me had come in here? And you left the window open. You put her life in danger.” Maia argued as she placed a bowl of mac and cheese in front of the little girl.
“Maia, Tara’s not a helpless human. She’s a vampire. She’s my niece and her parents were killed by vampire hunters.” Bran announced. Maia opened her mouth to speak but she was speechless and quickly closed her mouth. She looked down at the little child and watched her eat. Tara did eat the food Maia gave her without any questions. Maia watched as she ate the entire bowl and the little girl looked up at her and smiled. How could she have forgotten that young vampires ate human food? She mentally smacked herself.
“But what if another vampire had come in here?” Maia asked her voice small as if she herself was a child.
“They wouldn’t of.” She looked at him. Bran was grinning his ear off.
“And why not?” She asked her voice hard and angered by his assumption. Bran took a step towards her.
“Because by now I think they have all figured out not to mess with you.” He stated.
“Too bad you still haven’t figured that out, now have you?” She pushed teasingly and he grinned.
“I guess not.” Bran looked at his niece and sighed. “Can Tara stay here with you? I have to tie up some loose ends.”
“Yeah, she can stay.” Maia nodded.
“Thanks.” He turned to leave the way he came in but she stopped him by moving in front of him.
“You can use the door this time, Bran.” He chuckled when he saw her fold her arms. He thought how beautiful she looked and wished that he wasn’t going to kill the bastard hunters that had killed his brother and his wife. He knew he probably wouldn’t return and at least he would know that Tara was safe.
“Thanks, for everything. Tara has a bag in your room.” Maia nodded again knowing that he had meant it. How had t
hey gotten this far in one night. It was just one kiss, one kiss that made her take on the responsibility of caring for his niece. But why her? She had hated him or at least he tried to hate him and frankly she had no idea why he chose her. Maybe it was because he knew that she loved children and would do anything to protect them. As he was about to leave her home, Maia came up behind him.
“You don’t plan on coming back.” She stated almost heart-broken. It seemed too hard on her. It was as if she had read his mind or something. Maybe it was that she knew him and for a long time that they were close. That bond had not been shattered no matter how hard she had tried to be rid of him and his feelings. “I know what you are thinking, Bran. You’re going to find them and kill them, aren’t you?”
He didn’t answer and she knew that she was right. Maia sighed and walked towards him. Her arms came out and she wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him. Bran wrapped his arms around her. He didn’t want to let her go but he knew that he had to do this. Things were so complicated between the two of them. Why had it taken so many years to get to this place. To feel her in his arms again.
“Edward was killed because the hunters were using him to get to our kind…to get to you. They knew that if they took him that you would follow and if you did then so would I.” Bran told her hoping that she