Heartbeat [Alec Volturi]

Distractions

He was staring at me.

From the moment we entered, Alec had been watching me. Not glaring, not simply looking in my direction, just watching. And he wouldn't stop. Even as I disappeared behind bookshelves in my quest for nonspecific books, his eyes were still locked on me when I reappeared.

It was as if he were observing my every move, waiting for me to do something rash. The behaviour was almost protective - but then that would insinuate some level of care about my well-being or even simply, my existence. Which I knew was not the case.

The library was extensive, as only a library developed over hundreds of years could be. It was as if they had transported the library of Alexandria to Italy. There were rows upon rows of elegant bookshelves, each one entirely filled with books older than I'd ever seen. Plus, I think one might've been made out of human skin so I just skipped that section.

The shelves, by the way, were ordered by topics of interest but there was no structure beyond that. which was gathered by subject but surprisingly not organized past that. It wasn't careless, but I expected better from vampires who seemed to have all the time in the world.

We had settled in the very center of the library which was a rounded out area that reminded me of a university's library. There were four wooden tables, the kind where you would scratch out names and society letters. Only these were pristine. I couldn't even find a small dent in the corners of the table I'd chosen.

I had made myself at home on the table, scattering the collection of books I had gathered from around the maze. Books that included information that I had very little ability to comprehend, let alone apply for my intended purpose. Though, I had hope that I might find something that could at least give me an idea of where to begin.

Alec was sitting in an armchair a few feet away, with his elbow resting on the corner in yet another unexpectedly relaxed positioning. He didn't move and he didn't ask me what on earth I was doing, which I was glad for because I barely knew myself.

As I turned a page in an unbelievably useless text, I glanced up to see if Alec had finally found something else to focus on.

He hadn't. Even as I made eye contact with him, he only blinked. He had to be doing this on purpose. There was no way it was just happenstance that he'd literally been eye stalking me throughout the entire room. I took in a deep breath, reminding myself that I would not give in to his childish games. I was better than that. Then, he smirked and the action alone irritated me enough to break.

"Can you stop that?" He raised his eyebrow, as if to question my sudden outburst. As if he didn't know exactly what he was doing. "Looking at me. Can you stop?"

"I could." I sent him the darkest glare I could muster. Was he an English teacher now?

"When are the others coming back?"

He leaned backwards in the chair, lazily folding his hands behind his head before giving me an answer. "They are busy welcoming Aro's guest," he waved a hand towards me dismissively. His eyes had left mine and he closed them as he laid his head back. "I am to babysit."

"I'm not a child." He didn't respond. I was so done with him. "Why you?"

This seemed to get his attention and he probably saw the opportunity to exploit my 'lesser human emotions' because he eyed me from his position and said simply, "In case Aro's guest decides he'd like a convenient snack." I broke contact with him, automatically glancing towards the doors and my reaction seemed to satisfy him.

He chuckled deeply, "don't worry. I'll protect you from the scary vampires." His words sent a chill down my spine that had nothing to do with fear.

I scoffed at his arrogance, returning to my current book and pretending that the vast collection of medical journals inside it were the most fascinating thing I'd ever seen. But a growing impatience refused to dissipate because I could still feel his eyes boring into my head. Fine. If that's how he wanted to play, I'll play.