CHAPTER 24 — BUSTED

He pulled a wrap of frozen meat from the freezer and took it to his nose. He shook his head after a few sniffs. "This isn't fresh. I think it was part of the ones left behind. We'll go get some in the market." He turned towards the metal dustbin close to the kitchen worktable and dumped the meat inside.

"No!" Elsa screamed and followed the direction of his hand towards the meat, brought it out and started to unwrap as she sat on the floor, her legs crisscrossed.

"What are you doing?"

She turned and gave him an offended glare. "Why would you throw away good meat?" He shook his head and attempted to take it from her hand, but she held on tight, and he was soon stuck on some sort of raffle draw with her. "Leave it!" She screamed and attempted to kick him, but he moved away just in time.

"Elsa, that meat is not good anymore. Stop!" She shook her head.

"No meat is not fresh anymore. Leave it, you punkhead!"

He rolled his eyes. "It’s not good, Elsa. Take it from me."

"No." She pulled harder towards herself, and he pulled harder towards himself.

"No cheating, you vampire-ish, werewolf girl. Use your human strength."

She rolled her eyes just as they started to shine a bright green. "Thing is, I am not human." She pulled extremely hard, and in an attempt to hold on, Dale was flying backwards, only holding the freezer on which his back had landed not so gently. The half-wrapped meat was now flying across the room, and Elsa followed it on all fours, looking more like a puppy than a wolf. Talk more of the big, gracious white wolf she was.

"Yes!" She screamed as it landed on the floor, where she picked it up and took one large bite. She closed her eyes to savor it and turned to Dale who had turned white, looking over her and not at her. "What? You're still gonna be petty about it?" She turned back to her meat and that was when she saw it. The shadow looming over her. She slowly raised her head, her mouth still carrying another chunk of meat open wide. One thing she knew was that the people of the house were not supposed to know she was a vampire. When she looked up, her eyes met Seth's shocked ones and he shrieked in horror and bolted out of the kitchen. She swallowed the meat and turned To Dale who was rubbing his forehead in frustration.

"Sorry,” she said, making a face where she put her teeth together, exposed them and combined it with an apologetic face. He smacked his forehead came to her and extended his hand towards her. She blinked and took it, and he dragged her up. The meat fell off her hand and she landed on his chest, where she decided to lean on a little. "After fighting with me for meat now you are all cuddly?"

She rolled her eyes and gave him a playful slap on the chest. He covered it instinctively and gave a laugh. "Let's go check on Seth. I just hope he's not passed out somewhere."

She nodded and he took her hand and tucked it into the hoodie. "Why do you like doing that?"

"Doing what?"

She shrugged and smacked her forehead. "That."

He laughed as they walked, making their way into the sitting room. "I do it when I am frustrated when I forget something...you know. In crazy, disappointed, silly situations." She nodded and gave her arm a little lift.

"And this?" He looked at it before looking back at her.

"What?"

“Putting my hand in your clothes."

He shrugged. "Its to keep me warm."

She raised a brow. "I am cold, mister." She said and attempted to withdraw her hand, but he only pulled it back.

"You're my warmth when I’m cold, Elsa. My cold when am hot. And you are every single thing in the universe that can heal me."

She smiled and looked down at her feet. "Really?"

He nodded. "Believe me." She smiled up at him, the fact that she was pleased written all over her face.

"I do. I trust you too."

'That's my girl." He said and pecked her forehead.

Seth was nowhere to be found all around the house. "Where could he be?" Dale looked frustrated, his hand on his waist as he looked around.

"Give me something of his so I can trace his smell."

"Fine." He said and trudged up, while she waited. He entered Seth's room, opened the closet, and took out a black turtleneck shirt. "Here." He said once he got back, and she sniffed once.

"well, well...if I haven't smelled something like this." She started to make her way around the sofa constantly sniffing. Dale followed behind her, and sure enough, Seth was there, hiding. Dale smacked his forehead and Elsa turned to him, then did the same.

"Seth, get out of there."

He put his shoulders together and made a no sign. "I won't. She'll kill me."

"Why would she?"

Seth ignored the question and turned to Elsa. "Please don't eat me."

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Okay, then. Come out of there "

He sprang up, actually shaking and came out of his hiding place. "Well, now you're his remote." Dale whispered in her ear and laughed. She chuckled, then went around the sofa, Dale following closely behind and sat next to Seth. He attempted to move away, but she gave him a glare that didn't particularly motivate him to.

"Seth, I can't eat you." She said it in an obvious tone, like if she wanted to, she would have eaten Dale up, or even he, Seth himself. "I just really like meat and I like it raw. He looked at her, and when she met his eyes, he looked away fast, his lips actually trembling.

"What…what are you, really?"

She shrugged. "I am a vampire." She watched as his face completely drained of blood again, his eyes growing wider. There was a triumphant smile on her face as she added, watching his expression, and Dale almost laughing his insides out. "And a werewolf."