The Heart Of A Vampire

chapter twenty five: a kitten

But the next thing she knew, he had pulled away, leaving the necklace hanging limply at her collarbone, and walking off.

She immediately followed him, jogging a bit to catch up to him before grabbing him by his arm, trying to slow him down.

"Why did you buy it? I told you I didn't need one! Here let me pay you back."

"I have an endless supply of money. I can assure you that four coins is nothing," he responded bluntly, pushing her hand away from the coin purse at her belt.

"No, no, I insist. I must. Really."

"And I insist that you mustn't. I'm sure your father hasn't given you much money since you came, and I doubt that he allowed you to bring most of whatever jewelry you had either. So it's the least that I can do to purchase a little something for you," he assured her.

"No, no, I don't care. I feel bad," she said, pulling out a few coins from her purse and holding them out to him. "Just take them. Please."

"I'll shove those coins down your throat if you keep insisting. Accept my gift. It's not the end of the world," he said with a chuckle

Evangeline, startled by the thought of him shoving coins down her throat, faltered slightly before giving in, sighing as she placed the coins back inside of her purse, though she didn't look happy doing so.

"Good," he murmured quietly, nodding in approval before taking her arm once more and leading her deeper into the marketplace.

They walked for a little bit in silence before she spoke. "You wouldn't really shove coins down my throat, would you?"

"Perhaps if you asked nicely I might. And I'd even throw in another necklace to make the offer extra juicy."

"How gracious of you."

"I know, I know. Save your praise."

She went silent.

"I didn't mean it literally," he quickly said.

"I know. I was joking."

"Sarcasm suits you more."

"As for you, nothing suits," she retorted.

"Ah, my poor heart," Vlad responded, feigning pain and clutching his chest as one would if they had been stabbed, arching his back slightly.

She gave him a playful shove. "Oh, stop it with your theatrics! You drama queen!"

He straightened up immediately, coughing awkwardly.

As the two continued walking, suddenly, Evangeline stumbled. Something was in her path and she had accidentally stepped on it.

She felt herself tumbling forward, but Vlad grabbed her by the back of her collar, pulling her back to a standing position.

She took a few steps backwards and looked down to see what exactly it was that had caused her to nearly fall, and was surprised to see that it was an adorable little kitten.

It was grey, hunched over on the cobblestone, with big green eyes and tiny white paws, looking up at them in a fearful manner.

Immediately, Evangeline felt guilty. Luckily the animal appeared to have been unharmed, as she had pulled her foot away before stepping on it fully.

Vlad watched as she knelt down and picked it up, cradling it against her chest and beginning to gently stroke it's fur, clearly attempting to soothe the frightened animal.