The Divine and the Damned

DRAGOS.

Dawn walked into the apartment gingerly and I couldn't take my eyes off her, wondering how someone so delicate could pose such a profound threat to the existence of my kind.

"Welcome to my abode," She said nervously, as we stepped into her small apartment.

It was modest, the mismatched furniture, sparse and bare.

Faded curtains graced the rails, filtering the daylight and a simple rug lay on the floor, worn from years of use.

"It's not much, but at least we have a roof over our heads" she muttered.

I flopped onto a sofa and shrugged out of my jacket "I'm not complaining"

There was no air conditioning and I could already feel a sheen of sweat coating my forehead. Dawn noticed and walked over to switch on the fan, turning it to the highest.

"So, how long did you say we'll be here for?" She asked.

"All night"

Her eyes rounded, her body shading to an embarrassed red "All night? Here? Alone with you"

There was no compelling her to forget seeing Azrael enraged, and there was no telling her the real reason behind this predicament was speculation that she was a supernatural being that was made to protect humanity by destroying vampires.

My eyes narrowed, my hands moving to support my head as I leaned in further into the sofa "You don't sound pleased. Many have killed for the opportunity"

Dawn had no idea the statement was literal. In the past, a group of three female friends had murdered themselves in a desperate bid to spend time with me and win over my affection.

Their supposed bonds of friendship had quickly changed into competition, leading to their tragic deaths.

"It's just a bit weird" She moved around to switch on the television. "And won't your mum..."

"Leave me to handle my mother and Azrael" I replied.

Dawn released a pent-up breath and ruffled her hair, moving towards me. Her brows were crowded in worry "But I don't get it"

She dropped onto the sofa and stared at me, her beautiful green eyes peering into mine. "What I did, what we did isn't enough to warrant the severity of this situation. You make it sound like he's going to harm me or something"

I was silent for a moment, before speaking up "Azrael is... rash and I don't want you getting hurt"

"But it's illegal if he attempts to hurt me," she said again.

I scoffed. She couldn't possibly understand.

"You sound like my white knight, by the way," Dawn's voice lowered as she spoke shyly, earning a smirk from me. "trying to protect me from him and all that"

"White Knight?" I shook my head gently "Darling, I assure you, I am far from that"

Our gazes held for a second and she asked quietly, "Why do you even care for me?" Her head dipped "I am no one. A nobody."

"No" I shook my head, my hand moving to tenderly touch the side of her face "Not to me"

There was that tension again.

I wanted to give in to my animalistic impulses and smash my lips to hers, while my hands tore off every piece of clothing she had on. That fantasy had haunted me for days.

It was torture.

Dawn broke the silence. "I've been meaning to ask you something".

"Okay"

"During the dinner, your people... they spoke like you were some sort of king. They called you alle...sool?"

"Alesul" I corrected with a smile, the tips of my fingers running through her hair.

There was nothing sexier than her trying to speak my language. "It means Chosen One"

"So, they see you as some sort of leader?"

"Yes. My people are very "traditional"

"Your mother mentioned that." Her gaze strayed to my mouth again, and I groaned inwardly, fighting back the urge to kiss her yet again. "She never fails to talk about it"

Her eyes dropped to her hands resting in her lap "Made me get all dressed up in Romanian clothes just to serve dinner. I still don't understand why"

I chuckled. "You get dressed one time, just one time, and you're still complaining."

Leaning back in the chair, I turned to face her. "I've been putting up with it for years."

"How long?"

"Since I was a kid," I replied.

Her brows lifted in surprise.

"My father started it," I explained. "After he passed, my mother was determined to keep the tradition alive. There's no changing her mind, she's set on continuing it until the day she dies." I exhaled and muttered, "And that's going to be a long time from now."

"I'm sorry about your father," she said softly.

"It's alright" I responded, smiling softly. "He's been dead a long time"

I could tell she was about to ask more questions and since I wasn't prepared to answer them, I rose to my feet, changing the subject.

"I'm hungry"

"Oh!" She got up "I'm sorry, we don't have food. Since I only come here during the weekends, I don't buy food till then. We could go get something around"

I nodded "I can't remember the last time I ate out"

Dawn smiled "There's a diner not too far away. We can walk"

I bowed mockingly "After you. My lady"

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DAWN.

As Dragos and I strolled together along the streets, passersby couldn't help but curiously stare at us. Many were surprised to see Dragos because their sightings of him were usually brief glimpses from his car.

Eventually, we reached a bistro that held a special place in my heart. According to my mother, we'd been dining here since I was a baby, and I had continued to visit regularly throughout my childhood.

It was like a second home to me, filled with warm memories.

"I'm sorry if the diner is not to your tastes," I said as soon as we got seated in a booth. "But you'll like it here and the food is good"

Dragos nodded "It's fine"

My elbows rested on the table, my face leaning on my knuckles. "Is this your first time in a low-budget restaurant?"

"No" He smiled, giving me a hint of his impeccable dentition again "I'm also not exactly known for frequenting posh restaurants either"

Sheila, a waitress came to take our order and she was smiling in excitement, all her attention focused on Dragos.

"Mr Vlad. I must say it's an honour to have you in our restaurant, sir" she enthused.

Dragos smiled again and I scoffed in jealousy, rolling my eyes.

"Thank you..." he glanced at her name tag "... Sheila"

She blushed deeply "What can I get you, sir?"

He looked at me helplessly and the waitress turned to face me.

"Dawn" she acknowledged with a smile.

"Sheila" I replied coldly.

We weren't enemies, but she was flirting with Dragos, and that infuriated me.

"We'll have some pancakes and waffles. He prefers extra syrup, berries, and cream on his"

Sheila took notes.

"I'll opt for scrambled eggs with bacon and sausages. Then we'll have your chocolate milkshake"

"Alright" Sheila turned to smile at Dragos again "I'll be back in a jiffy"

She left.

Dragos tucked a loose strand of silver blonde hair behind his ear and stared at me. "Everyone seems to know and like you here" he spoke.

"Well, I've lived in the neighborhood since I was born," I replied. "Everyone is family"

He leaned back into his seat and looked around the restaurant "My family moved around a lot. We never stayed in one place for more than five years. Sometimes we even moved before then"

"Was there any reason for it?" I asked, a bit curious.

His gaze lingered on me as if he was contemplating sharing more, but instead, he brushed aside the stray strands of hair that had fallen across his face. "It's complicated"

"You must have houses all over"

He scoffed. "You have no idea how many"

His chest pressed against the material of his T-shirt that I could almost make out the lines of his pecs.

I didn't know how long I spent staring lustfully at it until Sheila and another waitress arrived with our food.

In all my years of visiting that bistro, my order hadn't arrived that quickly.

As they arranged the steaming plates of food on the table, they kept stealing flirtatious glances at Dragos.

Sheila had loosened a few buttons of her shirt, revealing her cleavage, while the other deliberately continued to brush against him as she laid the food on the table. It was a pathetic attempt to seduce him, and an infuriating one too.

I was incensed by the sight but I kept mute, impatiently waiting for them to leave.

"If there's anything else you need, Mr. Vlad, anything at all, please do well to call on us," Sheila said sultrily, fluttering her eyelashes.

Dragos smirked "Will do. Thank you, ladies"

They giggled and left.

I rolled my eyes, muttering a curse in indignation, under my breath.

Dragos saw this and chuckled. "I find it adorable that you can't even hide the fact that you're jealous"

My cheeks reddened "Who says I'm jealous?"

He picked up his cutlery and sliced it into a pancake "By now, you should know you don't lie so well. At least, not to me"

I gave up and shrugged. "Whatever"

Even eating came gracefully to him, from the way he handled the cutlery to the fluidity with which he sliced through his food and brought the fork to his mouth.

I could sit and watch him eat all day.

As I scooped some eggs into my mouth, I couldn't help but feel uncultured in comparison to the graceful finesse with which he ate.

"How's the food?" I asked him, taking a slurp of my milkshake.

He chewed slowly "Good" he paused for a brief moment. "Really good, actually"

"I'm glad you like it" I set down my fork and stared at him "So, tell me. Why are you rarely seen outside?"