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I flinched, taken aback by the hostility in his tone. This was the first time he'd brought up his displeasure with banked blood since he’d first told me about it. Over the past few months, he’d insisted that it wasn't as bad as he remembered. I never believed him, but he also never threw it in my face before.
"I'm sure Brooke would be more than willing to help you with that." Childish, I know, but apparently I couldn't control my temper.
"Don't be ridiculous, my love. You know where I stand on that." Leo's tone was back to normal, so it seemed he had better reign over his emotions than I did.
"Yeah? Well, if I'm not mistaken, you don't seem as satisfied with banked blood as you've previously claimed."
"My stance on the issue has not changed."
I knew him well enough to call bullshit. "C'mon, Leo, how many times do we have to go over this? Quit denying yourself. I'm a big girl; I can handle it."
"I'm sure you can, my dear. It is I who cannot handle taking from another, as I have told you many times. There is no equal. Once I had your blood, I lost all desire for any other. I drink what I must to survive, but whether it's from some random woman's vein or a glass doesn't matter. It's all complete and total shite!"
Ah crap, he was totally pissed. Not only did he rarely curse, but his British accent rarely came out. At worst, his sentences were punctuated by it. Right then, it sounded like he walked straight out of Parliament. Clearly, my previous statement about his emotions was incorrect.
I took a deep breath. "Leo, I'm sorry. I don't mean to continuously bring the subject up; I just feel so bad because you're suffering and I can't do anything about it."
"Can't? Or won't?"
"Can't," I insisted. "Not now...not after everything that's happened over the past few weeks. I'm still so...raw."
He reached over and enveloped my hands with his own. "My love, let's agree to disagree on this. I don't want to spend my time with you fighting about things that neither one of us are willing to change." He pulled my hand towards him and kissed the inside of my left wrist. "Can you do that? Will you do that?"
"Yeah, I guess I can—"
"Excuse me, sir," Brooke interrupted as she handed over his scotch. "The captain asked me to tell you that we're beginning our descent into Dublin. We should be on the ground in about twenty minutes. Is there anything else I can get you?"
Leo cleared his throat. "No, that will be all. Thank you."
"Very well." She disappeared behind the galley door, giving us privacy.
"Leo, I—"
He held up his hand, prompting me to stop. "My sweet, please let's end the discussion. I'd like to rest a bit before we land." He leaned back and closed his eyes.
I decided to do the same and before I knew it, the wheels were touching down on the ground.
The co-pilot opened the door for us just as a small set of stairs was being connected to the plane. Leo and I descended the steps, officially setting foot on foreign soil. It was dark, so I couldn't see much more than the main building with planes parked at each gate. The air was chilly and filled with mist, causing me to shiver. The ground attendant handed something to Leo, which he promptly placed over my shoulders. It was a wool shawl that I was incredibly thankful for at the moment.
A short man with a light complexion came up to me, tipping his hat in greeting. “'Oweya, love? Ya look tired; let me take yer bags for ya.” It took me a moment to translate through his thick brogue. How are you, love? You look tired, let me take your bags for you. “That's yer car,” he said, jutting his chin to the right. “Why don't ya take a load aff?” That’s your car. Why don’t you take a load off? Hmm. English, but not English.
The man loaded our bags into the car. Leo had arranged for a nondescript black midsize sedan that was very un-Leo like. He was addicted to fast and flashy when it came to cars. I raised an eyebrow in question.
Easily reading my thoughts, he said, "The majority of the roads in this country were built for horses or are in poor repair, making them difficult to navigate with a larger or sportier vehicle. Not to mention the fact that we will need to be discreet, and a more ostentatious vehicle would not allow us to do so."
"Makes sense." I made my way to the car, wanting to get away from the chill that soaked into my bones. I opened the passenger side door and found myself staring at the driver's seat. I was such a dumbass; I knew better. Habit, I supposed.
Leo chuckled as he opened the actual passenger door. “It’ll probably be easier to let me drive, my dear.”
I tried to cover my blunder. “Go for it. I’d like to look around anyway.” His only response was another laugh.
We headed straight for the motorway after a brief lecture on some electronic toll system that was spread throughout the country. There was heavy construction outside of the airport leading towards the city center, but Leo navigated the roads like a pro. Driving on the opposite side of the vehicle and roadways was clearly not a problem for him. The highway bled into rows of older, brick buildings on both sides, with large cathedrals interspersed throughout.
Before I knew it, we were passing the iron gates of Trinity College. I’d almost signed up for a study abroad program during school, so I’d know this building anywhere. It was a gray brick behemoth decorated with intricately detailed pillars. Its most recognizable feature was a blue Roman clock centered inside a triangular roof truss. Directly below that at ground level, was an arched wooden door. I knew from my research, courtesy of Google, that the main courtyard was located right behind it. The intersection out front was incredibly congested, even at this late hour. It reminded me of Vegas a bit with the heavy mix of both pedestrian and vehicular traffic. That was where the similarities ended though; this was a completely different world.
Our hotel was located directly across the way, in the heart of the city. Leo pulled up to the curb as a valet ran out to meet us. “Good evening, sir. Are you checking in?”
Leo stepped out of the car and handed the keys over. “Yes, we are. Our bags are in the back.”
