“You know what I mean, Hay.”
Rolling my eyes, I went to walk past him and back into the hallway when he grabbed my wrist and pulled me back a little, looking at me with puppy-like eyes.
“Sorry, I don’t mean to offend. I just saw the way he looked at you and suspected something.”
I dropped my eyes to his hand, and he quickly let go before going back to crossing his arms again. There was something between Eric and I, and if I wanted a safe relationship, something like a fairy-tale where I could be happily married and make babies, Eric would be the best choice, but that wasn’t the life I wanted. I wanted independence. I didn’t want to be someone’s wife, let alone someone’s mother.
“Eric and I have history, and that’s all you need to know on the subject.”
Walking away, I headed across the hallway and into the bedroom, leaving the door open and stood there contemplating why I had suddenly become angry with him asking me questions. I was in his home and for the first time, we were on our own for longer than five minutes and not being attacked by some vampire or other creature.
“Hayley, I just want to get to know you.”
“Why?!”
I shouted at him as I turned around to face him, he stood in the doorway looking helpless with a questioning look on his face, and all I wanted to do was scream at him. No one wanted to know me. Not one person wanted to know what I thought about, or who I really was. I wasn’t allowed to break; I was a leader and that was who I was born to be.
“What the fuck do you want to know, Darius? I am Hayley Van Helsing. I kill your kind and here you are, welcoming me into your home as if we are friends.” I paused, letting my words just fall out.
“We are not friends; we will never be friends. Accept it, for fuck’s sake!” I screamed at him.
“Wow.” He growled and stepped in the room.
“And I thought I was damaged. Fine, you don’t want to be friends, I get it, but you can get off your high horse for both of our sakes.” His eyes changed to a slightly darker shade of blue as he came up to me, just inches away from my face as I looked up at him, not willing to back down.
“You’re a spoiled brat, that’s what you are. You live in that big fancy mansion with your big group of friends and your parents, and let me guess, you got whatever you wanted, when you wanted – you think speaking to people this way is ok? Well guess what, it’s not.”
“I will speak to anyone the way I want!” I spat back.
“Well, you can just get that idea out of your head right now!” He shouted back as he put his hands on my shoulders and I batted one away.
“Woe is me, my parents died. Well guess what, Hayley, so did mine. So have most of the parents in this goddamn city, and you know what, they’re stuck with you protecting them. God help them.”
“What do you even know about this city? You were hidden away; you know absolutely nothing!”
Going to turn away, he grabbed me again by the wrist, this time it was tighter. I retaliated with a punch to his face, hitting him square in the jaw.
“Get the fuck off me!”
“What the hell is your problem?!”
He shouted back, as I punched him again. He still held firmly to my wrist, and for a moment I thought he could easily break it if he wanted.
“Are you that broken you can’t see when someone wants to know you, to help you?”
“I already told you; I don’t need your help.”
Tears stung my eyes as I fought back tears, I had no idea why I had become so emotional all of a sudden. This man just knew how to push my buttons, and for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why. He loosened his grip as he looked at me, his eyes returning to their beautiful blue, and I felt my breathing slow as I tried to stop any tears from escaping.
We were silent then, only for a moment, but the moment felt like hours as he held my wrist still. I hadn't noticed my towel loosening itself, but I grabbed it quickly from falling off me with one hand, and narrowly avoided almost exposing myself to Darius.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t shout at you.” He apologised first, finally letting go of me and turning away.
“It’s…” I wasn’t good at apologising, but I kept going. “I am just not used to letting people in.”
I wasn’t used to it. Jackson, Eric, and Molly were the exceptions as we all grew up together, went through our training together, watched all our parents and mentors die, and we had grieved together.
They knew about the darkness I kept hidden from the world, and the life I wanted to have if I never became leader. They knew all my secrets, and it wasn’t as if I knew Darius enough to share those parts of me.