“Meet me outside after your shift.”

“Wait, I don't understand.” Before Elliot could ask any questions, Leo dashed out of the door. 

Elliot was left there undoubtedly terrified and confused. Meeting Leo’s parents? The only other person who’s ever asked him for this kind of thing is his best friend Gale. And that was only after he had known the man for months. He barely knew this guy! Has it even been twenty-four hours yet? 

Elliots mind was on auto-pilot as he finished up his shift and clocked out. He waltzed outside with the sun that was still barely visible along the horizon and waved goodbye to the evening shift who went on their merry way home. Elliot also wished to go home but didn’t want to risk upsetting the only protection he had against his enemies in the dark.

“Hey.”

“Ah!” Elliot clutched his chest as he turned around looking at the culprit who decided that Elliot did not need a soul in his body at the moment.

It was Leo staring blankly at the man.

Elliot’s chest bubbled with anger and anxiety, “You can’t just sneak up on someone like that!” 

“Oh, sorry.” Leo sheepishly reached back to pull up his hood. What a cute gesture. This man never ceased to intrigue Elliot. He’s seen two sides of him so far. A vigilante stoic hero and a reserved yet kind being. But that didn’t deter Elliot from the fact that he was still a blood thirsty vampire.

“Look, as much as I would like to help you out with this favor of yours,” Elliot threaded cautiously, not wanting to upset the vampire, “I barely know you and my roommate will freak out if I don’t show up so-”

“Message them please, I need you for the night.”

For the night?! So not only did this stranger want to drag Elliot to god knows where, but he also wanted to keep him for the entire night? The more Leo talked about this little field trip the more Elliot wanted to scream and run away. But at the same time he was terrified. He saw what Leo could do to another vampire if tested. He didn’t want to know what he could do to a weak human like him.

Elliot sighed in defeat, his curiosity and cowardness winning over the logical parts of his brain that said run while you can. He whipped out his almost dead phone and shot Gale a message.

Staying at a friend's place tonight. Don’t worry I’m safe.

He shoved the phone back in his apron pocket and peered up at Leo who happened to be staring intently at him. Why does he keep looking at me like that?

Leo grabbed Elliot’s hand gently leading him to wherever their mysterious destination was. While Elliot was too scared out of his mind to say anything, he couldn’t deny the fluttering feeling deep in his chest. The vampire could be leading him off to be his dinner and yet he still followed his lead like a lost puppy.

The streets were almost empty and the cold of the night was nipping at the two men. Oddly enough at moments like this, Elliot felt comfortable around the vampire even more so than most humans he’d spent time with. 

However, Elliot’s heart felt like it was trying to leap out of his chest. He wasn’t sure if it was from the hand-holding or if it was the fear of being led to somewhere unfamiliar. 

“What’s going on?” Elliot asked quietly.

Leo made the same statement as earlier. “You’re meeting my parents.”

“Yes, but why?” At this point Elliot’s voice was beginning to shake.

Leo paused their walk and let go of Elliot’s hand. 

His face softened up as he spoke in a gentle tone, “You’re scared.”

Elliot only nodded in response, his eyes casting to the ground, not wanting to look Leo directly in the face. But the silence was unbearable, forcing Elliot to look up.

Leo’s expression looked pained, almost as if he accidently kicked a small animal and felt guilty for it.

“I’m so sorry. If you’d like to go home I’ll take you,” the vampire sighed sadly, “but I won’t be able to protect you anymore unless we do this.”

“Why?” Elliot pushed.

“It’s complicated, I really don’t have time to explain,” he seemed nervous, “Just please trust me when I say, I only want to keep you safe.”

Elliot’s heart was pounding again, but less of fear and more of excitement. This generous and powerful man wanted to protect him, of all people? Was he stuck in a vampire romance novel himself, or just dreaming?

Leo eyed the empty streets, “It’s not safe out here for the both of us right now, so I need an answer.”

Elliot wanted to think thoroughly about his decision but the words not safe coming from Leo’s mouth made him feel too on edge.

“Okay, let’s keep going,” Elliot smiled, “I trust you.”

Leo smiled back, showing off his dimples. He grabbed Elliots hand again and began the walk forward.

“Why aren’t we running like the other night?” Elliot was referring to Leo’s ability to move more quickly than the average person.

“Oh, well it’s actually not super healthy for humans to go that fast more than necessary, I don’t want to hurt you.”

Elliot had plenty of vampire related questions to ask him but withheld until they had a more comfortable setting to do so. They were currently walking down a very bare looking road surrounded mostly by trees and dead bushes, until they finally came up to a house that was guarded by a gate. Elliot watched as Leo punched in a keycode that made the gate whine and creak as it slowly opened. This led to a long driveway with a large house at the end of it. It was a dark grey and very Victorian style. It felt sort of cliche to Elliot in a way. This was exactly how he pictured a vampire's home to look.

“Okay,” Leo grabbed Elliot with one arm and pulled him closer to his side and whispered into his ear, “whatever you do, don’t ask about the blood urn.”

Elliot wasn’t sure what the hell Leo was talking about but nodded anyway. The closer they walked to the door the more nervous Elliot became. For the first time ever he was going to meet a family of vampires. Was this normal? Surely not, afterall Elliots never heard of such a thing before.

Without knocking Leo opened the door and pulled Elliot into the surprisingly well lit house. The front area was gorgeous with white and black marble tile and a large circular rug that sat in the middle. It was red and gold and had a crest that resembled what looked to be an owl. Two large marbled staircases on either side of the room led upstairs, and a gorgeous chandelier hung from the high ceiling.

“I’m home!” Leo shoulted, which nearly scared the piss out of Elliot. He’d never heard the man really raise his voice at all until now.

A gust of wind was felt and suddenly two formally dressed individuals, a man and a woman, appeared in front of them. Both had black hair and piercing dark eyes. The woman’s hair was down and she wore a tight fitting green dress that had a slit up the side. Her make-up was stunning and her black lipstick complemented her attire. The man had a well maintained beard and was wearing a black suit that was buttoned. Elliot was in awe of how beautiful and young they looked. Both looked no older than thirty.

The woman began stalking towards them. Her eyes staring directly into Elliot’s. He could feel Leo’s grip tighten ever so slightly on his hand. She softly gripped Elliot’s face with her well manicured hand, forcing the human to look her in the face. Elliot's breath quickened and he felt as if he might pass out from her overwhelming presence.

“My dear Leo,” she suddenly spoke, not once taking her eyes off of Elliot’s, “why didn’t you say he was such a handsome young man?”

Her dimpled smile immediately eased the pressure in Elliot’s chest. She released her grip and motioned for the two to follow.

Her proper tone echoed in the large room, “Come now children, we have much to discuss.”