Let's Play!

Darryn's smile faltered.



Sorry...

No sorry. Your here to do.



she purred, smirking again.

Darryn's eyebrows drew together and up. It was a mixed expression, though not a bad one. Perhaps... surprise and curiosity? Or maybe it was amusement and something else. It was hard to tell, especially since he didn't say anything.

Ashleigh giggled at his silence, shifting and poking him in the chest.



" You know.. you could be fun."

"What do you mean by that?"



A faint smile tugged at the edges of his eyes.

" Oh, I was just stating you had some form of potential."



she stated cutely, looking off.

Darryn leaned up, kissing her cheek.



"You know what I can be."



He was being honest at the same time as he was teasing her.

But I dunno if I do remember...



Clearly tease as she turned back to kiss at him.

Darryn smiled lightly.



A little to the imagination never hurt anyone.

Oh, but what if you could not live up to the imagination?



She teased futher.

Oh come on. Men long and desire to fit all wishes and fantasies, and surpass them too.





Taunt, tease, mock.

Darryn leaned over and kissed her.



Call me an outlier. I don't need to be what you create for me. I am satisfied with just being me.



Which was more than he could be in a lot of cases.

I like what you can do to me. Don't worry.



she purred with a small laugh, pulling him closer to her.

Darryn now let his hand slip beneath her as he leaned over her from being tugged on.



I'm sorry - did I seem worried?



He joked lightly. No, he definitely wouldn't be kissing her if he was worried.

I was just reassuring.



She cooed cutely, having zero guilt in stripping him the rest of the way. What? He was more fun naked, even if they did nothing.

Darryn smiled faintly.



My poor ego.



He lamented this in half-jest. At the same time, he slid his hands across her back from where her shirt had bunched up to expose her midriff.

Ashleigh continued to laugh at his antics, slowly climbing atop him, looking down at him.



Oh, pity you, pity you. You have a little woman at your ever loving mercy, and you chose to milk the minor wounds inflicted upon your ego.

Darryn gave her a full grin now as he looked up at her. That was good to see. It made him a different person.



I don't want to talk to whoever this woman is that's at my mercy. I like talking to you. I'd pick you over her any day.

Oh, but this woman is trying to decide if she wants to take you, or just torment you.



Ashleigh chuckled and proceeded to tease, ever so slightly.

That's alright.



Surprising, perhaps. Odd, definitely. Nice, probably.

Ashleigh was okay with the weird response, leaning down and claiming his mouth with her own. well, that wasn't all she claimed, but it's what she started with.

Darryn was almost tentative, but then he fell into that familiar and comfortable place between the two of them. After, he tugged her to his chest, speaking sleepily.



I hope I did not just outlive my usefulness.



After all, he was just here to do, 'member? He was teasing, though.

Never.



She purred, eyes closed, clinging to him adoringly.

Darryn smiled and burrowed his face into her hair. However, for the second time, he immediately withdrew, instead putting his chin on top of her head. When his face was in her hair, he could smell something on her that he didn't like. He couldn't put his finger on what it was, and he could only smell it that close. Then again, that was neither here nor there. He was sleeping.

ashleigh snuggled him some her own self, slipping to sleep with him.

Darryn slept alongside her, perfectly comfortable. It was nice, having pulled himself out of that horrible place again. It was nice, being here with her. It was nice.



Too bad it wouldn't last. Breaking away would not be so easy this time.



"AHHHHHH!"



It was the next night when Darryn was jerked from his sleep. His entire body was tensed as he shot up, grabbing his head. The man was gnashing his teeth together. He knew was this was... and Ashleigh should know too as the man with extended teeth cried out, especially if she caught a glimpse of the eyes that were currently scrunched tightly shut. The scleras had turned red and bloody, the substance oozing out of the corners of his eyes. Also, if she ever doubted that he was what he claimed to be - a born vampires, this would prove that he hadn't lied.



Born vampires have a weakness that made ones lack. Because the blood had never been human, it lacked the confusing tainting - it was purely and wholly what they were now. There was a process to be done, but one could - for lack of a better term - summon a born vampire. The only thing was that Darryn didn't know where they had gotten a sample of his blood from. It would have had to be about the amount of a vial - any less and it wouldn't work, any more and a vampire would have noticed. They must have gotten it some time while he was staying with them.



If he just stayed as he was, blood would begin to creep from his nose after ten minutes. After thirty, his ears. After an hour... well, let's just hope he didn't get that far.

ashleigh woke, uttering something softly, eyes raking over him, hissing softly, hands working over him quickly to assure herself that he was indeed just being summoned, and she tried not to have a break down. if he went back without her...



If she went with him... Well, begrudgingly she leaned over and kissing his temple, speaking softly.



" I'll always want you."



She reminded him softly, soon finding herself sitting beside Darryn ( Though both were dressed) beside Damian, why? cause he was the one ripping at Darryn so. it would stop now... but.



" Why?"



She could not stop herself, looking over darryn.



he's no threat, and neither am i as long as I'm with him. I am one of many you could marry into or with, so why?



She was the most beneficial of the group he could marry, but that did not matter to her. She'd throw rank and clan in his lap if he'd just leave her be with Darryn.

Darryn sat now silent and still, glaring darkly at the floor as Damian walked over, putting a hand on his head. Damian looked up at Ashleigh with a gentle smile.



You shouldn't be here, you know. People have been going crazy over finding you.



That much seemed genuine, unlike what he said out loud.



"It's a family thing, just between me and my little bro."



There was laughter from the others in he room, especially as Damian tilted Darryn's face up. It only grew louder as he licked away the blood that had run down Darryn's face from his eyes. Humiliating.

Ashleigh rolled her eyes, pushing Damian away from Darryn now, frowning slightly.



Stop it. Just freaking stop it.



Something about her tone left one to wonder what she intended to do if he didn't. Watch it. Little woman could only be pushed so far. She was being forced into things as it were. Her clan would leave her the hell alone if she married the head of this clan.. and if she took out dumb sh!t, that would make her snugglies head <3 as much as Darryn didn't want it, it made things tempting.

Damian moved to retaliate - either to shove back or maybe smack her. It wasn't obvious. It was just instinct, reflex as she was standing on HIS territory. And, either way, it wasn't done in a way that would have been damaging. It was just to express the fact that she couldn't treat him that way.



However, there was a single sound that silenced the entire room.



Thwap.



That was the sound as Damian's arm collided with Darryn's hand. As Darryn held the arm that he had caught, his sky blue eyes had lifted to stare at Damian's face. The entire room was holding its breath.



"Excuse me?" Damian spat this at Darryn, glaring.

Ashleigh's blood was near boiling, for those that care to know. However, she did give pause as she glanced to Darryn, clearly keyed as she considered Damian.



She could comment, she was definitely the sharper tongued of the pair. But she held it, for this second, watching. She was not about to let Damian do anything that would hurt Darryn, anymore then she'd let him do something that would hurt herself...

"Let it go."



As he released the man's arm, Darryn spoke simply, though his brother was fuming.



"Who do you think you are to ask such a boon of ME?!"



Then, Darryn summoned all the courage that he could. It was hard. He had to glance as Ashleigh before he could dare to respond. However, he sounded sure of himself, even if that wasn't the case.



"I'm not asking."



Damian's hand came around and grabbed Darryn's collar.



"Come with me."



Damian proceeded to call Darryn a very nasty insult, tugging him away into the next room. The others that had been left behind eased considerably.

Ashleigh slowly moved, deciding that leaving them alone was not a favorable idea, having zero reservation about following them or not, tossing Damian back before the first hand could be tossed in Darryn's direction. Damian's territory or not. She could not care less.



" Your not doing a damned thing to him."

Damian was not knocked off of his feet for a moment. He just slid back a little. Now, he moved forward again.



"This has absolutely nothing to do with you."



As a random observation, this was truth.



"You have overstepped your boundaries. Leave."



Darryn was looking at her now with wide eyes. He could tell his brother was all but starving for a fight at this point.



Please, Ashleigh. I'll be fine.

The issue was Ashleigh wasn't too far behind Damian, not even looking to Darryn, though she did shift slightly.



I swear...



the rest was implied as she looked to Darryn now, the loo rather clear. She left on his request only... And with a rather odd parting statement.



I could kill him.



Grumble, not happy...



She did NOT return to her clan, for those that wanted to know, she actually didn't even leave that far.

Three hours and one *ehm* conversation later...



Darryn moved, not seeming any worse for the wear except for a busted lip. The man actually ran once he exited the building. He ran straight into the woods, as though he was afraid that someone from inside would try to take him back. The man sat down at the edge of a natural hot spring.

Ashleigh had no issues tailing him, sitting down beside darryn, hand reaching over to gently touch him.



" Love?"



She asked curiously.

Darryn exposed that he was wound up. How? Well, he dodged Ashleigh's hand. Not caught - dodged. Then, realizing what he had done, he pressed a hand to his forehead, bending forward.



"I'm sorry."



He hadn't meant to.