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make me choose: @princezagreusx asked angels or vampires

Vampire, also spelled vampyre, in popular legend, a creature, often fanged, that preys upon humans, generally by consuming their blood. Vampires have been featured in folklore and fiction of various cultures for hundreds of years, predominantly in Europe, although belief in them has waned in modern times.

@fandomaestheticnet: halloween event » [vampires]

She knew he was right. As long as they were in Black Watch and she was under contract, they couldn’t be equally powerful. She had no power here, her contract could be sold tomorrow and she might never see him again. But the illusion of it was tempting. After he kissed her forehead, she slowly reached out to place the incriminating documents back on his desk, a sign that she didn’t plan on using them against him. 

“You should never have trusted me to begin with,” she pointed out. Tonight’s actions didn’t change who she was, or the fact that he had already trusted her, despite having no reason to. She had made no promises, sworn no oaths, promised him nothing except a good time. “I didn’t promise you anything before, but now that I know your secret… I won’t tell anyone. You have my word now.” She knew he wouldn’t trust it, but he’d learn to trust it when she kept it.

He offered to let her sleep in another room, and she frowned. The truth was, Iona hated to sleep alone… even when she didn’t have any clients, she usually slept with one of the other girls, to keep the nightmares at bay. She lingered a moment after he turned away from him, wondering if he’d be angry if she asked. But they were supposed to try to trust one another, so she took a deep breath. “I… understand if you want me to sleep somewhere else, but I don’t really like to sleep alone…” She admitted sheepishly, biting her lip. If he didn’t want her to share his bed anymore, she wouldn’t be getting much sleep on the nights she spent here.

“You’re not wrong,” Alrick admitted, his eyes lingering on the papers. How was he supposed to believe her word? Still, he wanted to, and that counted for something. Though his back was turned to her, Alrick could tell something was wrong. He didn’t need to see her face to feel the change in the room. As awkward as things were between them, this was different. He turned rigid at her words, but not because he wanted to sleep away from her.

She didn’t flinch when he grabbed her wrist, his touch surprisingly gentle. She pursed her lips, wondering what more he wanted from her. She hadn’t been in an actual relationship since before she’d come to Black Watch… she wasn’t sure she knew how to be in one while the yoke of her contract, and the club, hung around her neck. She knew Alrick didn’t like to know about her other clients, but it wasn’t as though she could stop seeing them to give him the chance he wanted. 

She could see how holding leverage over him wasn’t fair; but this was the first time he wasn’t the one with all the power between them. “You’re right… it’s not real unless we’re equal first.” She agreed, pressing her lips together as she thought of a way to level the playing field, without giving up everything she’d gained. “So what if we make a different deal… one where I have just as much power as you do. You’ll still pay me, but not for sex. For secrets… just like I have access to your secrets, I’ll get you other people’s. And you can do the blackmailing, or whatever else it is you do, so I’ll be safe.”

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It had been half a century since Alrick had so much as considered allowing himself to have feelings for a woman that went beyond lust and obsession. This turn of events surprised him as much, if not more, than it surprised Iona. Given the chance, he would have shielded them both from the consequences of his attachment, but it was too late to do that now. Slowly, he brushed his hand over her shoulders, tracing the outline of her collarbone and her neck all the way to her jaw until his hand was softly pressed to her cheek. “We can never been equally as powerful. Not here. Not like this.”

But Alrick didn’t deny her proposition outright like he knew he should. He hated the fact that she would have such immense power over him - but the thrust of his frustration didn’t rest with the fact that she was blackmailing him for her own gain. No, his frustration lay almost entirely with the fact that she knew how he felt about her, and even if it was being used against her now, it could be used against him, by her, at any moment. Her offer was appealing, but he still didn’t feel like he had much reason to trust her, especially with his heart.

Placing his other hand on her free cheek, Alrick leaned in and pressed a kiss to Iona’s forehead. “Fine. We’ll make you blackmailing me and anyone else you choose a true business deal.” He could have, probably should have, killed her right then. It would have been easy to do with her in his grasp. But even with fear making him want to act wildly, Alrick couldn’t bring himself to do it. “I care for you, Iona, but I don’t trust you. Not after this. Not after tonight. Trust is earned. If you truly want us to be equals, if you want a chance at a real partnership, whether our hearts are involved or not, then trust has to be the goal.”