The Vampire and the Wolf (m/m open)

Farun let out a heavy sigh, reaching up to rub the back of his head. "Yeah... With what happened to her to trigger her vampiric side plus how hard she feels her emotions, we've been trying to work on that." He tilted his head back slightly, looking over at her and wondering what she was thinking about. "I've been thinking... Since we seem to enjoy each other's company, our pack house really is not that far away. Half a day's right to the north. I can come and visit on and off, instead of trying to stay around. You know, to avoid us end up hating each other."

Taking her arm from her eyes Jessie looked over at Farun when he spoke, “She has a lot of conflicting feelings” she said with a small sigh. She wasn’t about to tell him anything they had talked about as far as she was concerned it wasn’t her place to say anything. “I see you made yourself comfortable”she teased as she tipped her head to the side a little as she watched him. She knew if she could keep Farun in the house forever with how good he looked she would but she had never heard of a vampire and a wolf really making being under the same roof work for too long.

Eris had heard the slight movement outside of his door, he figured it was one of the coven members coming to complain to him about someone else. Getting off of his bed he opened the door expecting to find someone there but only heard the swing of a bag. Looking at the door handle he picked up the bag and went back into his room. Opening it he took out the box and studied the watch inside for a moment before he smiled, “So that’s what you bought Ceres” he chuckled softly before placing it on his bedside table so he could put it on at a later time.

Farun was sat back in a chair to the left of the couch, his arms crossed over his chest, his legs stretched out in front of him with his feet crossed at the ankles. He didn't stir when she came into the room, and it took him a bit before he finally took notice that Jessie had returned. "Ah... Sorry about that. I knew I would eventually have to tell her, I just didn't expect it to be right now."

- - - - -

After Ceres was finished with her soak, she let out the water and took a shower to wash out her hair. Wrapping her hair up into a towel, she managed to make upstairs in a robe she had found in the bathroom. Going into her room, she got dressed and as she got ready to get into bed, she looked at the small black bag she had gotten at the Men's Warehouse. Pausing for a moment, she went over to it and pulled out the long, thing black box inside it. Opening it, she looked at the watch in silence. Letting out a faint sigh, she closed the box and returned it to the bag before leaving her room. Turning to Eris' door, she hung the bag on the door handle, before going back into her room and settled into her bed for a nap.

Watching as Ceres got up she moved to her feet and stretched out her body a little, “We do” she said with a nod of her head. Without a word Jessie easily scooped her up into her arms and began walking back to the house with her, “Just in case you have hurt your ankles I don’t want you walking” Jessie explained. She carried Ceres as if she weighed nothing, once back at the house she easily opened the back door without putting her down and carried her to the bathroom on the lower floor that had a large tub. Placing her down on her feet Jessie set about running a hot bath for her and added epsom salts that she kept under the sink. “Towels are over there” Jessie said pointing to a stand with neatly folded towels, “Take as long as you need” she spoke gently before she left the bathroom to give her privacy before she headed back into the living room and flopped back down onto the couch she had been laying on with a sigh. “So much drama” Jessie muttered as she placed her right arm over her eyes.

Ceres was silent for a moment, before she sat up. Letting out a faint sigh, she slowly stood to her feet and winced slightly, as she could already tell she would have quite a few bruises in the morning. She ran her fingers through her hair, knocking out the tiny pieces of crunched up leaves that had been left in her hair after Jessie had taken out the larger ones. "Do you have a bathroom where I can soak in a hot bath? If you happen to have epsom salts that would be a plus."

Jessie gave Ceres a kind look as she explained that her father has passed on, "All you can do is hold onto what memories of him you do have. The positive, and the negative, big or small" she said gently. "There are small memories of our human lives that even us vampires hold onto and cherish them...it's what helps keep us human in a way" Jessie explained as she moved on the ground a little, "For example, when I was a small child I thought my mother was the most beautiful woman in the world. She had this small dimple on her left cheek that showed anytime she smiled or laughed and it made her even more beautiful" she said gently with a soft smile. "The point is, just because he is no longer living doesn't mean he is no longer with you" Jessie said as she tilted her head to the side a little as she looked at Ceres, "We should head back to the house soon as I do not know how long Farun will be patient and wait for you to come back" she said honestly with a soft laugh.

She looked back at the woman when she raised her head so they could look at each other. When she asked her if that was all, Ceres shook her head slightly. "My memories of my father are fleeting, brief. When Farun said that my father was Caine... I tried to reach out to that familial connection and found... nothing. He's always been a faint presence in the back of my mind and now... nothing is there. My father... he has finally passed on. I won't get to see him again now..."

Listening to her as she spoke Jessie continued to rub her back gently, "You remind me of her...not just because you are a hybrid like she was...but because she breathed life into Eris and I can see you doing the same" she said gently. Moving one of her hands she gently tilted Ceres' head up so she could see her face, "Eris wouldn't outright say it, but I can tell, even just being around you makes him happy" Jessie said kindly as she gently wiped her fingers under Ceres' eyes wiping away the tears of blood. "Is that all that is upsetting you?" she asked raising a brow as she studied Ceres' face.

Ceres was quiet for a while, needing time to catch her breath and try to calm her mind a little. "I know why she came to me..." She muttered in a voice soft from crying, the young woman slightly leaning into Jessie, to use the woman as her stability. "Because of who I am... even though it was something I didn't know I was doing, I made a connection with Eris. This was like a... beacon for what was rest of her soul, and she came to me. She told me about how she knew you two were trying to get to her in her final moments, and that she was happy. But then...." Ceres paused, feeling a faint stinging in her eyes. "Mira asked me to watch after Eris. She said that... even vampires should get second chances."

Jessie slowed her run down to a jog before she came a stop in front of Ceres once the younger woman had fallen over, looking down at her she sighed softly. Moving over to her Jessie sat down on the ground beside her, "Come here" she said softly as she wrapped her arms around her and gently pulled her into her. "Tell me what is wrong" Jessie cooed gently as she started to remove the twigs and leaves from her hair slowly, Jessie never let anyone see the tender side of her apart from Eris but everything inside of her told her that Ceres needed tenderness in that moment. Once she had gotten most of the twigs and leaves Jessie rubbed Ceres' back gently, "Anything you say to me, will stay between us and the boys will never find out" she added with a gentle smile.

Ceres probably would not have stopped for a long time, had it not been for a stray willow tree root. The young woman tumbled and ended up against a massive red oak. She sat up, twigs and leaves in her hair, crying tears of blood as she pulled her knees up close to her chest, wrapping her arms around them and hiding her face against her knees. She was battered, bruised and confused about what she had overheard. The girl needed someone to just hold her close, to let her know that it was going to be okay.

"If she's smart and spends more time with Eris she'll find him willing to be tied to someone" Jessie said before her eyes snapped open and she shot up from the couch. "Just...stay" she said to Farun before she took off out of the house and tore off after Ceres easily following the smell of her. "Ceres! Stop running!" Jessie shouted to her as she got closer to her, she knew it wasn't a good idea for her to chase a wolf let alone a hybrid but Jessie didn't care. "Come on! Stop and lets talk" she added as she finally caught up to her and kept pace easily not caring about the branches she was hitting here and there ignoring as they scratched at her skin and her dress.

Farun clasped his hands together, his gaze going back down to the floor beneath him. "I get an ominous feeling now when I think about our plan. I feel... like something is going to snap into place for her, and she is going to know who her father is. I am afraid she will try to prevent herself from getting close to anyone for fear of tying them to her against their will."

The man suddenly sat up as his sensitive hearing heard running down down the hall, a window being open and someone jumping out of it. "Shit! Ceres just heard that and jumped out the window. I hear her running out into the woods."

Listening as Farun spoke Eris sighed a little before he gave a small nod of his head, "I understand" he said with a small sigh before he got out of the armchair and headed upstairs to his room. He had never met a child of Caine before but he knew he would listen to Farun's request, he had no problem with getting bottles of blood for Ceres to drink if it meant keeping her and Farun both happy. Shaking his head a little he walked over to his bed and laid down on it with his eyes closed.

Jessie watched as Eris left before she turned her gaze to Farun, "I have a feeling his going to struggle not feeding her...but he'll get over it" she sighed. She knew Eris was too caring when it came to women that he would bend over backwards for them, "Looks like I'll be needed to order more bottles of blood for the duration of your stay for Ceres" Jessie said thoughtfully. She knew if Ceres wasn't a child of Caine that it would be fine to offer a feeder instead but she wanted to keep her and Eris both safe. "I swear, drama is always happening in this house" she laughed softly as she closed her eyes as she stretched out her body with a soft groan.

They would be able to hear a muted fuck come from Farun as he raked a hand through his hair with a sigh. "The reason many vampires believe in blood mates is because of Caine. For decades after he was cursed by God for murdering his brother, he spent that time alone... until he met a human woman named Lilith. She brought light and emotion back into his life. He fed from her many times, and a few years after they first came together... they found out she was pregnant."

Farun took a nearby seat, his elbows resting on his knees, looking at the floor. "When her children were born, they were like their father. After so many feedings, Caine had changed Lilith's soul to be vampiric, like him. His descendants were the ones who figured out how to change humans much later." The man sat back in his chair with a sigh. "I do appreciate you helping her out, but... It is best that you don't do that again. Ceres is not just a descendant of that bloodline...." He looked at them with a gaze that said he was being serious. "She is Caine's child. Because of that, if you continue to feed her, that friendly connecting you two have right now will become something much more... deep, and that is not a space she would want to step into without being invited."

Eris and Jessie had moved from the kitchen to the living room, he was sat in an armchair and Jessie was laying on a couch comfortably. Moving her head a little she looked at Farun when he came in and she looked over at Eris who looked uncomfortable. Eris looked over at Farun an uncomfortable look coming over his face before he sighed a little, "I told her, the dead often choose to those that they see a little bit of themselves in to give messages to...Ceres and...Mira had being hybrids in common so it does not surprise me that she chose to give Ceres her message" he sighed. He frowned at Farun when he asked if he had seen the mark of Caine since they had arrived and he nodded slightly, "Yes. Last night" he started slowly "Ceres needed to feed and since you were...preoccupied, I fed her" Eris explained slowly.

Jessie looked between the two of them curiously for a moment before she looked up at the ceiling, "Oh to be young and stupid" she sighed making Eris throw a pillow at her. "You are not much older then I am Jessie" he snapped at her making her laugh and shake her head a little, "I'm still older" Jessie teased.

Farun sat on the edge of Ceres' bed, the young woman having gotten under her covers and onto her left side. His right hand gently rubbed her back as he looked at the floor. Ceres had told him that she felt like an idiot, and when he pressed her about it, she told him that for a moment back at the cafe, even though it was not Eris' intention... his words made her feel invisible, as if she wasn't being seen as herself, but as something or someone different from herself.

Staying until she had fallen asleep, Farun got up and went back downstairs, taking a detour to get himself some water, before seeking out Jessie and Eris. "She told me... back at the cafe, your words made her feel like she wasn't being seen as an individual, but more like someone else. So now that she had a bit to think about it, she's mad at herself. She knows that was not your intention." Quiet for a moment, he looked at Eris. "At any point since we arrived, have you seen the mark of Caine?"

Jessie watched Ceres closely and she nodded her head a little when Farun said he was going to talk to her and placed her on her feet. Waiting until he let she walked up to Eris and hit his chest. “What did you do?” She demanded making him roll his eyes at her, “Nothing…she…she had a message from Mira” he said softly making Jessie look at him wide eyed as he explained what she had told him making Jessie sit down and sigh. “I’m sorry Eris, I know that must have been hard for you to hear” she said softly with a shake of her head. She knew clairvoyants had it tough, she wanted to help Ceres but she doubted she could help her like Eris and Farun could.

Farun jumped slightly when he heard Eris' voice, a faint heat flashing across his face at the man's words. He let out a heavy sigh when Jessie pressed herself against him, rolling his eyes when she teased Eris. He looked over and was going to speak to Ceres, but he kept silent as he watched her walk past and towards the stairs. Knowing her for as long as he had, he knew when something was weighing on her mind. "I'm... going to check on Ceres." He said in a low voice, standing up and placing Jessie on her feet before turning and going up the stairs after Ceres.

“Probably” Eris said and nodded his head in agreement before he stayed quiet for the rest of the drive back, once they were parked in the garage he got out, walked around her side and held the door for her. “Come on, let’s go see what those two are broken” he chuckled. Heading into the main part of the house he tipped his head to the side a little before he walked into the kitchen and raised a brow at the sight of the two. “Look, I know the kitchen is considered a room but you two should get a bedroom” he joked as he crossed his arms across his chest smirking as he looked at them.

“Some people are just naturally lucky I guess” Jessie sighed before she looked up at Eris in the doorway. Smirking at him she moved to pressed the front of her body against Faruns as she placed her chin on his shoulder, “Jealous” she teased.

Ceres gave him a faint smile when he held open the car door for her. Getting in, she buckled herself in and rested her head back against the headrest. "Hmm... If anything, I would not be surprised if a bed or a dresser was broken." She turned her head to look out the window as they drove along, only partially seeing the scenery on their way back. She found herself feeling a little stupid for the flash of annoyed sadness that had ran through her earlier.

- - - - -

When she mentioned soul mates, his wolf could feel the disbelief in her voice before she even let that be known, and his wolf retreated deeper into his mind, going silent. "My father did... Said after he met my mother at a party once, through a mutual friend, being with a woman didn't really do it for him, and she was always in his dreams. I have been around for a long time now, and since nothing has happened... I've come to believe that is was just a fluke for them. They were just lucky."

Eris watched her quietly for a moment before he finished off his coffee when she said she was a bit tired, “Alright, let’s get you back to the coven” he said gently as he got up. Like the gentleman he was he waiting for Ceres to get up before he lead the way back to the car, opening the door for her once again he was patient before he walked around to the drivers side and climbed in. “Too much excitement for one day” Eris teased gently as he started to drive back to the coven, “Hopefully Jessie and Farun haven’t destroyed the place” he joked lightly.

Jessie raised a brow as she tipped her head to the side a little as she watched him close his eyes halfway, “Sometimes short flings are the most fun” she said with a soft laugh. “Let me guess, you are both waiting for your soul mate?” Jessie asked curiously as she stopped her hand movements and just rested her hands gently against his upper back, “Or, are you like me, and believe it is all fairytales?” She questioned curiously. She had never believed in blood mates or soulmates it all seemed ridiculous to her.

Ceres let the moment hang in silence for a few seconds, before she let go of her cup, breaking the contact between them by grabbing one of her macarons. Eating it with a far away look in her eyes, there seemed to be a bit of distance that formed between her and Eris. Finishing off the French treat, she sat back in her chair and gave a smile. "It has been a while since I have gotten to just... be me. The morning was nice, but... I'm a bit tired."

- - - - -

Farun shook his head faintly, getting a feeling on what might be behind that odd sensation. "If you say so..." He leaned back slightly in his seat when she got up to sit back down while facing him. When she asked the same question he had asked her, he closed his eyes halfway with a sigh. "Forever... Short flings, but no one has called to us."

“The dead often choose those who they see a little of themselves in” Eris said with a small shrug of his shoulders as he sipped some more of his coffee. Putting it down on the table he reached out and touched one of her hands gently. “I don’t think Jessie would listen to such a message from anyone else but you…you remind us both of Mira and she trusted her so by default, it seems, she trusts you too” he explained gently. He knew that Jessie would see helping Ceres as repentance for failing Mira in her eyes.

Jessie laughed softly against his neck when she heard the faint click of his teeth, “Well since neither of you are trying to rip my throat out, I’ll guess it’s a good feeling at least” she said as she moved so she was sitting upright on his lap again. Without saying a word she turned around so she was straddling him so she could drape her arms over his shoulders comfortably. “So, how long have you and your wolf been alone?” Jessie asked raising a brow at him, “I mean, it’s only fair you tell me since I told you” she teased as she brushed her fingers against the top of his back as she played with the tips of his hair a little.

Ceres' hands tightened slightly around her cup, the woman keeping her head tilted down as she stared into the coffee through blurred vision. "I don't... There are people around in this city that have known Jessie and her coven for far, far longer than I have. I am nobody... and yet I do not understand why she chose me to give her last message to..."

- - - - -

Farun's teeth made a faint noise as they clicked together when she kissed his neck, taken off guard by the feeling like fire that ran down his spine. "You know... I find it very odd that every time you do something like that, it brings up an overwhelming feeling that we cannot quite put our finger on."