Kierra

Waiting for him to exit his car, I take a single step forward. Sweatpants, t-shirt, and damp hair all move with the playful breeze. The chill of it keeps me focused as I watch Benjamin unfold himself from his vehicle.

Blue-green eyes flare at me as he slams the door shut. Raising an eyebrow at his tantrum, my heart thumps from the sudden loud noise.

"Call off your dog, Kierra. You know me."

"I may know you Benjamin, but I seem to have a lot of enemies coming out of the woodwork these days."

He glares at me but gives a small nod.

"What are you doing here Benji?"

My use of the nickname I gave him seems to calm him a little, but he still looks angry at me. I'm really good at doing that. My superpower seems to be the ability to piss people off in a very short amount of time.

"I heard what happened through the grapevine, rumors are flying left and right. I wanted to make sure you were alive, since some of those rumors have you dead from wounds you sustained in a fight."

His eyes look honest enough, so I take him at his word.

"It's alright Xavier, you can come out."

I keep my gaze on the Vamp as a tall reddish canine comes from around some trees. The maned wolf moves around the man, keeping sand-colored eyes on him as he makes his way to my side. I drop a hand to his head to thank him for his help as well as sending it to him through his head.

Slipping in silently and asking him to watch over the others while I talk to Benjamin, he's unhappy about it but goes in when I open the door. It's shut once more before catching teal eyes on me again.

"Walk with me?"

He asks it, but there's also demand slipped in there. I raise my eyebrows but step out onto the frozen grass. He notices my bare feet, but since I don't make noise about it, he doesn't either.

I head down the driveway and he falls into step next to me, towering over me by almost a whole foot. Dark jeans are snug on him while a t-shirt hugs his shoulders, a chain is at his neck, which is new. Black combat boots crunch down on the frost-covered grass, the only noise he's making.

By habit, I'm walking on the balls of my feet. A habit I've had for years so it's not like it's something I started doing recently. Once I notice I'm doing it, I lower down to my whole foot, the frost on my arch feels queer. Not cold, more texture-wise weird, since it's low grass made stiff by the cold.

"Cold feet?"

"No, just new textures feeling different. First time recently I've been on the ground barefoot without shoes or paws. So, obviously, I'm not dead. What else did you need clearing up?"

Conscious that I'm not wearing a bra, fast movements are nonexistent right now. Bad enough I'm going to...yep. My arms cross when flesh peaks and hardens. So awkward, but hopefully he didn't notice since he's looking away from me.

"Word is you killed someone in front of a group of Vampires, that you're harboring a dangerous fugitive, and kidnapped a Vampire against her will. A crazy Werewolf who's going around killing other Werewolves."

I hear his sigh, but there's a smile tugging at his lips when I look over. I smirk at him.

"And what do you believe?"

His turquoise eyes direct themselves on me intently.

"I believe you are very good at causing trouble, for yourself and others. Also very good at pointing a spotlight at yourself and drawing lots of attention."

He's glaring at me, but he keeps going.

"I also believe that you found and rescued your sister. There's a group who want her found and terminated, claiming she's a danger to all Vampires."

My body stiffens, eyes flashing to their yellow hues as I stop and glare at him.

"Is that why you're here? To take her from me?"

He gives me a droll look, but what am I supposed to think? And people call females confusing. I think it's males that are.

"Seriously doubt your little sister is a danger to anyone. Only thing she's a danger to is your health for acting like the younger sibling she is."

He smirks back at me, trying to lighten the tension between us. I incline my head and continue down the driveway. There's silence for a few moments, then I speak up.

"I did kill someone. The Werewolf who helped take my sister and the one responsible for turning me. Was too injured from that scuffle to track down the Vamp that ran. There was a group of people around us, a mixed crowd. The only thing any of them did was talk amongst themselves and go nuts over my blood when it landed on the walls."

Didn't catch it during the fight, but after, there were a couple different ones who were licking at the walls and tables. Figured they were just that hungry, but if what Faline says is true and my blood is 'tingly', then I just got 'Nummy Snack' put next to my name. Just what one always wishes to be, eh?

Benjamin reaches out, capturing a lock of my hair. Most of it's dry but up close to my scalp it's still damp. My hair is long enough that he doesn't have to be right next to me to grasp it.

Normal colored strands are let go to fall back while he keeps hold of a silver streak. I keep walking, swallowing down the snappy retort that usually comes out when someone grabs at my hair. I know of women who love their hair to be pulled, yanked on, and grabbed roughly. I do not.

No tender head here, but pulling my hair is one of the quickest ways to piss me off. If someone's playing with my hair, who I trust, and it gets pulled, no big deal. When Ava is going nuts about trying some 'new do' on my head, I don't mind her yanking and pulling.

Anyone else trying to grab it to be funny or thinking it will turn me on? Baaad idea. I'd snap off before, and now I have the teeth to really back it.

"This happened when you turned?"

My strides are slow and even, his long legs keeping close with no problem at all. Turning my head just enough to see him, I nod.

"When I first saw it I thought it was gray caused by the stress from everything that had happened. But once washed and dried, that's what it looked like. Streaks on top and undersides."

I turn back to look in front of me, but I do catch his raising it to his nose. Being a Vamp, he can smell it just fine when it's in his hands. Since learning of what he is, Benji has become really weird. Going from a distant yet playful friend to a touchy-feely weirdness.

We walk for a couple more minutes with him fondling my hair. I stop at the end of the dirt path where it goes into pavement.

"Why did you come, Benjamin? If not for my sister, what was the point?"

He comes up even with me, letting my hair go, a crooked smile crossing his features.

"I believe you invited me."

My brow raises at that, but then I do recall, I did in fact. When I made the offer of him being able to come to my woods and shift whenever he wished. Whoops. Oh well, can keep an eye on him better that way I guess.

"So I did, but that isn't why you came this time. You're angry."

Felt it as soon as he got out of his car. His anger had surrounded him like a living cloak, only dissipating when I called for Xavier to go in.

"I can't be upset with you putting yourself in harm's way even more than you are already? Do you not get upset if a friend of yours does so?"

My expression of disbelief has him chuckling. His anger is still there, but it's mixed with other things. Things that come as a shock if I'm reading them correctly.

Dear Benjamin has a soft spot for me it seems. Fondness and protective waves are coming from him. This ability evolves anymore and I'll probably be able to see those waves. I'd rather not, personally.

"I was worried for you, still am. You don't think I can smell your wounds? How serious it is? Why has your sister not helped you?"

His anger rises again so I whirl towards him and poke him in the chest, eyes narrowing as my anger level evens with his. His eyes widen for just a moment, but he stands firm.

"Listen here, sir, your acting all hardcore is not going to work with me, so back off. For your information, she has helped me. The wound was just that bad."

Before I can get any more out, I'm backed against a tree, getting pushed by just his body as he walks into me. Eyes flash at my having a very unintentional female reaction happen within me. Dammit, there's no full moon for a few more weeks yet, that should not have happened.

My breath catches as the hardness of the tree digs into my spine, riled Vampire standing so close to my front that a deep inhale will have us touching. Hands have gone to the tree to brace myself as Benjamin's scent fills my nose.

Faint cologne and laundry soap comes from his clothes while the dryness of Vampire and him come from his flesh. The odor of his tiger intermingles with the scents coming off his skin, having been made stronger by his heightened emotions. A long arm pressing into the wood beside me brings the smells that much closer and potent.

Even before becoming a wolf I was a sucker for good scents. Having them become stronger has made some better and others horrid. The scent of a good looking male mixing with a nice cologne or deodorant has always been one of the best. Benjamin's scent is now becoming intoxicating, his show of aggression heating my blood in a whole different way than it should have.

My shallow breathing stops when I feel his hand at my side, above my hip and below my ribs and moving down. Yellow eyes flashing back and forth with my bright green are held by his heated gaze. Being able to feel my eyes change is not a good thing when it's going back and forth like this, it actually kind of hurts. I want to close them, but I don't dare.

The large hand only drops to grip at my thigh-length shirt and pull it up, other hand staying to the side of my face. Pretty sure I look like a cornered rabbit right now, which is downright annoying. Cool fingertips touching heated skin causes me to jump, bringing a gasp.

His eyes darkening has me looking away. A hand raising to the bandage over my ribs also raises my shirt. Bringing up my own, I hold my shirt tight under my bust.

The arm next to my head finally moves and I think of moving away, but that would make things even more awkward, so I stay put. I keep my face averted while he pulls off the gauze square. Would have been taking it off soon anyway.

Benjamin's emotion of anger spikes to rage, having me look back to him in question. His heated gaze is hard as he looks over the big healing wound to the new scars that go over my belly.

"Where else?"

I shake my head at him and try to pull my shirt down, feeling very uncomfortable. He lays his hand over my ribs, a wince and low whimper escape before I even know they were there. I bite my tongue hard while he glares at me.

"Where. Else?"

"The ribs were the worst, bones having gotten shoved into my lung and liver. Nothing else was near as bad."

He hasn't moved at all, not even a shift from breathing. I can hear his heart, it's just very slow. Pleading with my eyes gets me nowhere. Sighing, I hang my head and whisper my left shoulder.

Ripping the collar is much preferable to removing my shirt, so I accept it with no complaint. The Vampire's deep growl vibrates within my chest, having my already pounding heart skip a beat. My eyes close as I face away from him.