Who Said Chivalry Is Dead?

Sleep beckoned the wolf like ice water to a man in hell. He breathed slowly, in and out, slower and slower as the moments passed. Eliza’s voice grew further and further away, but Arian could do nothing to fight it. He had been a warrior, but now found no strength in keeping his mind focused. He let darkness grab hold of him, but it wouldn’t keep him for long.

As something slid down the wolf’s throat he choked at first, then swallowed it down hard. His brows knit and he tossed his head to the side, then to the other side and shifted his body. What in the hell was he swallowing? It tasted… there were no words to describe the smooth liquid going down his throat but it brought him out of his restless slumber. It was slow at first, and minutes passed before he moved again. The black faded some from his body, but would linger there for a few days until he was strong enough to shift into his wolf form to fully heal. That was on the back burner for now, because Arian soon opened his eyes.

“Eliza?” He blinked, staring drowsily at her face before lifting his hands to rub his own. He felt as though he had been hit by a truck, then dragged for miles over a dirt road. He groaned and tried to move, but quickly put his hand over his side and hissed. After a few more moments passed he pushed himself up slightly on the couch, but his head was heavy and he laid it back down against the wet arm. By now the couch was ruined completely, what would a little more sweat do? Arian blinked a few times, then kept his eyes shut as he ran his hands over his face. “Am I dead?” If so this was a horrible afterlife. It was no better than the first!

Can you hear me? The vampire hardly received a grunt in return. It was a small, short sound but he did his best to let her know he could hear her. Slowly but surely he came out of his coma, only to be beckoned by sleep once again. He blinked hard a few times to try and keep his eyes open and focused on Elizabetia, and soon a small smile turned his mouth. Was she crying? The wolf lifted his hand long enough to touch her cheek and wipe away a few tears with his thumb before he relaxed again.

Relaxation wasn’t the right word to describe how Arian felt for long. He grunted when she hoisted his arm around her shoulder and tried his hardest to stand up and walk on his own. He was never the type to feel insecure about his masculinity, but he did feel guilty about putting so much weight on her. He moved slowly to the bathroom, still too much in a stupor to ask why they were going there and he sat down like an obedient boy where she placed him. Hell, he didn’t even stop to ask why she was undressing him.

Little by little he was coming back to his senses. By the time he was being washed he tilted his head up and closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of her nails on his scalp and he groaned though it wasn’t the painful groan he made before. “Don’t attract trouble.” He quipped back in a deep and tired sounding voice and opened his eyes. “You’re trouble, girl.” Ari gave her a smirk as he teased her.

Leaning back enough to see his wound he sneered hen he touched it, his hands running over the dark skin as if to try and get off any last bits of poison. He helped Eliza by getting off the last remaining bits of blood off his skin, then cleared his throat and stood up on unsure legs. “You need to rest.” Not him. She needed to rest. Arian hardly covered himself, though his boxers clung to him, as he stepped slowly to get a clean towel and began to dry himself off. “Shower, then rest. You can sleep here.” The wolf wasn’t the most eloquent of creatures when he felt so exhausted, but his intentions were admirable. He grabbed her a clean towel from the closet and set it ontop of the dry sink and nodded to the shower before he left the bathroom to change into something non-bloodstained.

Ari scoffed when she swatted his hand away, but didn’t fuss over his wound again. Whatever she had given him had saved him so she must know best about the Hellhounds – but why? Why did she know so much about the strange creatures? He had heard tales and legends of them but had never heard anything about a cure for their bite. “I have a hard time believing that.” She knew too much about danger to avoid it for very long.

“No.” He argued and insisted she take a shower. First get her to shower and clean herself off, then he could convince her to stay and sleep. The wolf gave her a stern look until he left the bathroom and changed into a pair of black pajama pants. Normally he would have eaten something before sleeping, but instead cleaned up some of the mess in the living room while Eliza showered. It would take hours of cleaning later, but he got the majority into a few towels and into the trash before he washed his hands and froze on the way back to his bedroom. If it hadn’t been for the lack of blood he would have lost his composure in front of Eliza and turned into a sly dog at the sight of her. “Don’t worry about it.” Was the only sentence he managed to spit out as his eyes roved down her thighs then back up and he cleared his throat.

After a few more seconds Ari regained himself and motioned for her to follow to his room. “There’s room for both of us. I would sleep on the couch but…” Well, she knew why. He shot a sheepish look towards the living room before pulling back the grey comforter on his bed, hoping she wouldn’t argue about where they slept. He really, really just wanted to sleep, but he also wanted to make sure Eliza was comfortable. Without offering her any more condolence he crawled into bed and left room on one side with the better pillow for her.

To others it may have been awkward, but not much ruffled the old wolf’s fur. It was just sleeping, and he was offering to share his bed with her. What could possibly be wrong with that? It’s not like he was asking her to bend over. He noticed her blush and would have smiled and enjoyed it more had he not been so tired and sore. Instead he simply gazed at her face a little longer before crawling under the lush blanket and taking a deep breath. “Goodnight Eliza… Thank you.” Thank you for saving him, thank you for keeping him company, and thank you for igniting something in him that he hadn’t felt in who knew how long.

The wolf could have slept for days. He slept through the sounds of cars outside and the few chirps of birds that sat near his window. Not a single noise disturbed him and his deep slumber. In fact, he was so deep in his sleep that he rolled closer to Eliza in the midst of it and curled his arm around her as she did the same to him. It was nice to have another body in his bed that wouldn’t sneak out in the middle of his sleep, or that he would have to wake up awkwardly next to and avoid giving them his phone number.

When the sound of the phone rang Ari was last to stir from it. He inhaled deeply and turned his face into the pillow and caught the scent of Elizabetia’s hair, his arm still draped over her until she rolled out of bed. Wait… what? She was in his bed? For a few moments the wolf stayed still, then rolled onto his stomach into the cool spot where she had been laying. Her voice in the next room was muffled to him and he kept his eyes shut even as he heard her come back. Finally he opened one eye and raised a brow to look at her sleepily. “I’m dead.” He said in a deep, groggy voice and closed his eye again.

After a deep breath he threw the blanket off of himself and forced himself to sit up, running his hands over his eyes and face. “Do you drink coffee? I could drink a gallon of it after last night.” If only that was as exciting as it sounded. Soon the wolf got up and didn’t bother pulling his pants up higher than his hip bones as he dragged his tired feet to the kitchen and robotically gathered things to make a pot of coffee. After it was started he looked to the mess dried on the couch and made a face. So much for seeming heroic to her, now she had been the one to save his ass. “Thank you… Again, Eliza. I’ll have to make it up to you somehow.” Did she eat breakfast?

Part of Ari wanted to drag himself back to bed like a tired old dog. He wanted to curl up and sleep under the covers for days, but he also wanted Eliza’s company. Maybe he should have carried her back to bed like a caveman and locked the door so she’d have to stay with him. The thought made a smile cross his lips as he maneuvered around the coffee pot to get it started.

He was about to twirl around and face her until he looked down at his side to see her investigating his wound. “It’s fine. Doesn’t hurt a bit.” Actually it stung like a bitch when she touched it, but he was a big boy and didn’t let it show. Instead he watched Eliza and let his eyes rove down her sides until she stood back up. Even then he continued to watch her as she hopped up on the counter and toyed with the cup.


With a smirk he went back to making the coffee and pushed the final button to get it going. He then leaned against the counter across from her and crossed his arms over his chest. “So how did you know what to use to save me last night? I didn’t think there was a cure for Hellhounds.” He thought for sure he would have been dead. He had even considered praying.

Arian had been a wolf for a long time, and there was little that threw him off save for witches and their craft. The things they used still perplexed him even though he had heard their tales more than once. “Cheshire cat…?” The baffled and unbelieving expression on his face was clear how he felt. “Whatever. It saved my ass and I thank you for it. You’re my nurse. You saved me.” To him it was entirely thanks to Eliza and no one else why he was standing there that morning.

He glanced at her phone and turned to check the coffee to give her privacy to answer, btu was slightly glad she didn’t. He didn’t want her to leave, still being the caveman he was inside and he wanted to keep her for as long as possible. He soon turned back to her and moved very close, his hips barely brushing her knees as he took the coffee cup from her. “What will our excuse be to keep seeing each other?” If they didn’t owe one another how would they meet again? He smiled. “Unless you need your car fixed.”

As if it were a queue in a movie there was a knock at the door. Arian looked past Eliza to the door and hesitated, then set the coffee cup next to her thigh. “Shit. I forgot. Sorry, Liz.” Rather than saying ‘Liz’ like most, the nickname ‘Lies’ came out as he headed to the door. It was his petite little neighbor who took a good look over him, then under his arm that propped up on the doorframe to Eliza lingering in his kitchen. “Sorry, Kelly.” So he didn’t give everyone a nickname. “I got sidetracked last night… Yeah, yeah. I’ll fix it.” She scowled at him from outside the loft and pouted her lip. “Don’t look at me like that. It will be done within a few days.” He muttered some more before promising her he’d get her car fixed within the week and she left, but not without looking to Eliza with a devilishly curious and jealous expression. Shutting the door once again with the moment ruined Ari went back to Eliza and took her cup to fill it with coffee.

“How do you take it?” He asked over his shoulder, falling gracefully back into their conversation. “And how long can you stay?”

“You make a phenomenal nurse.” The old wolf didn’t remember much from the night before, but he knew enough that he would pick Eliza for an aid again if he had the choice. “I’ll keep you in mind next time I’m risking my life.” Which was more often than most. Ari didn’t really care much to weigh the danger of things. He had lived long enough, and didn’t take safety into account very often anymore.

They certainly did not need an excuse to see one another. Ari felt his breath grow more shallow as they became closer and his light eyes fixated on her. How was it that he was so attached to a woman he knew for such a short amount of time? Normally the lone wolf didn’t get close to anyone. It just wasn’t like him to open up or allow someone so close, but Eliza was different.

But soon the moment was ruined by the knock at the door and it left Ari internally growling and kicking his feet. He was so eager to get back to Eliza, but took his time as he walked across the drafty loft. One hand ran over his sore wound before he took her cup and poured her coffee.

“What is the typical day of Elizabetia like?” What did she do all day? “Saving orphans and donating to charity?” With a smirk he handed her the cup then poured his own. His stomach growled but he ignored it, instead leaning against the counter and doing his best to not look her up and down repeatedly. “You could help me pick out a new couch with your exquisite taste.” Really it was just an excuse to keep her around a little bit longer.

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It was obvious in the way Kelly stared past Arian that she was jealous. The smell stung the wolf’s nose but he ignored it, only giving her a slightly funny look as she left. Women were such bizarre creatures. Centuries had taught him that. Even female animals were alien to him. Males were so simple. They wanted food, sex, sleep, and the occasional good conversation. It had been too long since Arian found the sort of good conversation he had found in Eliza.

He grunted when she popped his hand and looked surprised, like a dog swatted with a newspaper, and he continued to stare at her with such an expression even as she told him to take a seat. “What?” The wolf quipped, tilting his head to the side. “You can cook?” Blood didn’t need to be cooked.

Obediently the wolf went to take a seat. He propped himself up on the stools near the island in the kitchen and watched her. His body hunched slightly as he sat, it was evidence that he was still incredibly sore but trying his best to hide it. A few times when she wasn’t looking he examined his wound and touched it again but quickly learned why she swatted his hand in the first place.

“Do you ever have time for yourself?” Or time for him? He bit his tongue to keep the last bit in. Their ‘morning’ was going smoothly and he gazed upon her as she cooked as if she was some sort of saint. All was well until yet another knock came at the door when she was finishing up his breakfast. This time the knocks were much harder, and there were two voices arguing outside the door. With a sigh the wolf made his way lazily to the door. “Jesus, I’m popular today.”

Before he could even fully open the door it was pushed opened and a Hispanic looking vampire stood impatiently. “Can I help you?” Arian was hardly able to growl the words out before Francesca Boticelli gave him a shove and burst passed him gracefully into the apartment. The mixture of scents threw off her senses and she immediately went towards her foster-maker. “Eliza! Where the hell have you been?!” Worry showed in France’s eyes, a very rare emotion in the normally arrogant and stern vampire.

Even more rare was Arian becoming as territorial as he did. Within a split second he was in front of France, pushing her back towards the door to her surprise and dismay. The wolf growled and pushed her back to stand near the old looking vampire who stood patiently in the doorway. “I didn’t say you could come in.” The wolf growled lowly and propped his hands on the door frame. “What do you want?”

Eliza would have to be introduced to the world of a bachelor if she thought she couldn’t cook. Arian hardly had food in his fridge besides left overs and basic foods for breakfast (and c’mon, what man didn’t have bacon in his fridge?). He rested his elbow and propped his chin in his hand while watching her, drinking coffee sparingly to put the spring back in his step. “That’s more than I can cook.”

“Getting bored easily is a sign of intelligence.” So what did that say about him, the man who was always alone? Or so he thought. Arian always had someone who was around him, he just never let them close.

The relaxing mood of the ‘morning’ was quickly changed into tension with the two vampires at his door. Every muscle in Arian’s body tensed as he kept the young vampire at bay. She hissed and clenched her fists, tapping her foot irritated as she stood at the door. “What are you doing with her? Who are you, mutt?” Francesca snapped, ignoring the subtle hints Niles gave her to simmer down. Once an assassin, Francesca normally kept a cool head and only portrayed a bitchy demeanor… but Eliza not coming home at night put her on her nerves ends.

“Fuck off, I asked first.” The wolf only stepped back once Eliza seemed to recognize the two. Every muscle was still tense and his breathing was short as he stood between the two female vampires. Francesca’s honey eyes roved up and down the wolf with a judgmental expression.

“Eliza what are you doing here? Why didn’t you come home?” Her voice softened when speaking to her foster-maker, but her eyes were still heated towards the wolf. Who did he think he was? Soon France looked past the wolf and to his disgusting couch, then back to him as she looked him up and down. What the hell was going on? It wasn’t like Eliza to have a one-night stand. Boldly the vampire crossed her arms and took one step in, leaning around to look at the loft. The judgmental look off her face, but she wasn’t thrilled either.

Eliza may have been one to enter Francesca’s private world, but this afternoon she wouldn’t have it. She stood still in the doorway, an irritated expression on her sharp face that portrayed only a percentage of how vicious she could be. The young vampire wanted to knock down the wolf and take Elizabetia home, but by the scent of him and the ease in which he pushed her out of the loft she knew he was much, much older than her.

“The mutt?” Okay, maybe she should have been a little nicer. She swore she could hear Niles’ thoughts that were telling her to bite her tongue and settle down. Ladies didn’t have tempers, but France wasn’t always a lady. Finally she tried to relax and exhaled the breath she had been holding, her arms dropping down to her sides.

Ari watched Eliza warily. He glanced at the vampires again before stepping aside to let them in, and locking the door behind them. It was strange to have so many walking dead in his home, especially ones that he already didn’t care for. His blue eyes watched Francesca as she rounded the loft and looked at the couch like it was roadkill in the living room before she took a seat at the island in the kitchen. “Do you know how to use a phone?” The vampire asked coolly, raising a brow.

As the older looking vampire bowed Ari raised a brow and looked surprised. He cleared his throat roughly and took the cup of coffee after a surprised hesitation. “Uh… thanks. You don’t have to do that…” No one had ever bowed to him before. Wolves didn’t bow, and people in villages didn’t bow to strangers. It was an awkward first.

“Did he manage to kill the Hellhound?” By the sound in her voice it was obvious Francesca doubted it. “How long did the remedy take to cure a lycan?” She crossed her legs as she sat on the barstool, offering Niles a curt smile and tiny ‘thanks’ for the coffee. Meanwhile Arian stood in his kitchen, watching each vampire until he focused on Eliza. Was she always this taken care of? Curiosity peaked in his eyes again as he watched her and was only distracted by what Francesca said next.

“Thanks, mutt.” The youngest vampire said bitterly, trying her ‘best’ to sound sweet. She bit her lip, an obvious sign that she was mulling over what she would say next rather than just blurting it out. “So what’s your deal? Why would you help a vampire and not stay with your pack? Is there something wrong with you?”

Ever since Francesca had met Eliza she respected her. It had taken her time to get down to the base of who she really was, but Ms. Romanov knew France to her core. France was comfortable being exactly who she was with Eliza, but could also be put in her place by the older vampire. Though it wasn’t an easy task. Even the heated glares didn’t get to her right away.

“How?” France questioned, looking to the wolf. If anything there was still a morbid curiosity in her as to how to kill the nearly immortal creatures. Call it part of an old hobby. She tilted her head as she looked him over again, this time more curious than the last. Each time she looked at him it was slightly less judgmental.

Before Ari had time to explain France asked another question only to lead Eliza to her outburst. The wolf raised his brows and took a long drink of his coffee, hesitated, then went and began to eat the breakfast Eliza made him. He glanced to Niles and wondered if this was a regular thing between them.

“It wasn’t meant to be rude, Elizabetia. I was asking him what his deal is since you failed to fill me in. I want to know more about him. That’s far from rude.” She exhaled slowly, then resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she looked to Arian and smoldered. “I apologize, Arian. Where is your pack, or are you a lone wolf?”

The blank expression on Arian’s face was enough to tell how seriously he took her apology. He finished chewing the bacon that Eliza had cooked for him and shook his head. “No pack.” With that he drank the rest of his coffee and got up to get himself more. “Any more questions?”

“Yes.” France muttered, but a glance to Eliza told her not to ask them as bluntly as she wanted to. “How old are you?” That was polite, right?

“Don’t know.” He didn’t want to explain why, and an amused look teased his features when he saw it bothered the vampire. She made a face but quickly regained composure. and ran a hand through the ends of her hair. She glanced at Eliza again and knew that her number of questions was limited, and she was drawing up on that limit.

“Will you be home soon?” The vampire asked, running her finger around the rim of the coffee cup she had yet to drink from.

There hadn’t been so many people stuffed inside his loft since he had moved in many years before. Nor had there been so much tension before. Arian leaned against the counter quietly eating his breakfast while observing the vampires. Did they all react to each other like this? The wolf hadn’t been invited into a nest in God knows how long and he couldn’t quite remember how it worked. A smirk crept on his face at the old vampire’s tease and he laughed.

That laugh received a heated glare from the youngest vampire in the room. If only looks could kill. Another glare was turned on Niles then Francesca rolled her eyes. She would get him back later by prodding at him or playing with him to the point of an awkward ending. For the moment she focused her energy back on Arian rather than Niles. She quizzed him a few more questions, all earning very short answers (if any at all besides an expression). Once Eliza came back Francesca was up on her feet, leaving the cup of the mutt’s coffee completely full, though she wasn’t planning on leaving until she was satisfied that Arian was decent. He had answered her questions but Eliza was still to be quizzed.

Taking the cue that they weren’t done, Arian raised a brow at Eliza. He rose to put his empty plate in the sink and touched Eliza’s shoulder. “I’m going to shower before we go.” The old wolf glanced over her new outfit with a small smile, then headed towards the bathroom to wash off all the grime and foul feeling from the night before. As he walked Francesca watched him, tilting her head to the side and leaning a little off her chair to see him go.

“So you just found him in the woods like some sort of caveman?” The vampire asked as soon as she heard the water run. Once Ari was out of sight she drank from the coffee, enjoying the taste of it. “And last night … What happened last night after you saved him?” With that Francesca smirked and crossed her legs. “He looks like he would be an absolute animal.”

“You’re awfully trusting of him, Eliza. What do you know about him?” Sure he had saved her life, but what else did she know? He could have been some creep, or working to get some money out of her. Francesca was cautious when it came to opening up to people and the hillbilly wolf was no exception.

Francesca glanced to Niles to look for any sort of support, knowing all too well she wouldn’t find support from him in an argument against Eliza. Instead he was doing the hillbilly’s dishes and France tapped her fingers on the counter. She stopped when Eliza said it was the best sleep and a smirk came over her face. It was about time the old vampire got lucky.

Unfortunately that wasn’t the case, and she still gasped when she found out France thought so. Just as France decided that Elizabetia needed to get some the water stopped and within seconds Arian walked out of the bathroom in a towel, running his hand over his wet hair to push it back. The wolf had lived too long to be embarrassed about anything or be modest in front of those in his home. As he went to his room to get dressed Francesca took a good look then turned back to Eliza. It wasn’t like her judgment to hinder simply because of a good looking man. “Just be careful, Elizabetia. You hardly know him.”

“Come on, Niles.” Francesca hopped off of the bar stool and headed towards the door, reaching one hand out to take Niles’ arm. “Let’s leave Eliza to help the wolf find a nice, bouncy couch.” The younger vampire smirked at her foster-maker and winked playfully, leaving shortly after with Niles.

Within minutes Ari was out of his room dressed in dark jeans and a plain black teeshirt, the usual attire of the simple wolf. “Oh damn, did they leave?” He was less than enthusiastic about it. The wolf smirked and pushed some stray hairs back behind his ear. “Does your butler follow you everywhere?” He teased, interested to find out the connection between the three of them.