36 Into the Woods

SLAP!

My hands burned and I retreated it and tried to shake off the pain, not taking my eyes of the manner less boy in front of me. 

But Adrien didn't flinch, he only stopped and looked at me in surprise, "Why did you slap me?" 

I pushed him away and he fell back on the bed beside Romeo. He hadn't taken his eyes off me and he was smiling. Smiling! I just slapped him and he was smiling! What the…

"Because you needed one."

He touched his face, "But it didn't hurt." 

I frowned. Oh. Adrien was from another world. I almost forgot that I couldn't directly hurt him. I groaned in frustration while he laughed at me as I threw a mini tantrum in the bedroom. I turned back to him, "You better keep your hands to yourself."

"But I'm hungry. I don't think I'll be able to live without blood now, I was never able to in the game," he pouted and stared at the ceiling. He lifted his head, "Please give me your blood, Ashe. It won't hurt. Literally." 

I hugged myself, "But I like my blood. It's a part of me. You can drink the blood of the deer in the woods outside," I pointed to the back of the house. 

He raised his eyebrows, "There are animals there?"

I nodded my head, trying to act normal. Adrien was a blood sucker. Out of the hundreds of skills in the game, he just had to acquire that one. So whether he was the nice Adrien or not, I feared him. 

He got up and smiled, and I caught the two canines sparkling in the sun coming in through the windows, "Take me there, then."

I narrowed my eyes at him and after a long pause, I said, "Fine. But after we come back, you need to take a thorough bath."

"Huh?" he tilted his head, "Why?"

I sniffed the air in reply, "I hate stinky boys."

He laughed, "No! You can't hate me yet!"

I punched his arm and made my way out of the room after ordering Adrien to bandage Kai's wound while I took care of Saye.

She was breathing and I let out a sigh of relief. I picked her up with some effort and made her lie on the bed, next to Romeo. I was too tired to carry her up to her room. 

After Adrien and I fixed the two up for now, we went to check on the other boys. They were unconscious too.

"How long do you think they'll be passed out for?" Adrien shrugged. An hour maybe? Maybe two. I nodded and glanced at Adrien before walking. Hopefully they would still be passed out when we return back. I needed to switch off their Survival Mode while Adrien would go to bath later. If I hadn't made him promise that, I doubted I would have had a chance to do it without him noticing. 

It was a close call last time, I wasn't willing to risk it again. 

...

"This way," I ordered and we took a left that made us leave the meadow filled estate grounds into an area full of looming trees. The sunlight decreased around here and only little beams escaping here and there gave us the light we needed to walk by.

I held a branch aloft so that he could pass under it. When he walked past, I let the branch go and followed him, careful not to step on the thorny shrubs.

"So," he looked back at me, "Is this where you originally live?"

"No, I'm simply here for two weeks' time. I live about an hour away from here, in a house little deeper into the city."

"Do you have friends?" he asked further and I narrowed my eyes at him. He shrugged and side stepped to avoid a squirrel. I giggled at his frightened expression, "It's just a squirrel."

He looked up at me with wide eyes, "They can kill you!"

I bent down to pick up one and stroked its fur. I extended it towards Adrien and he screamed, running backwards, "Don't bring that thing any closer!"

"But look, it's cute!" I walked forward, giggling even harder, "Try touching it."

The squirrel was perfectly still now and looked here and there in confusion. Adrien took in a breath and looked at me. I nodded as encouragement.

I watched him as he reached forward, his green eyes bright with fascination and a little of his new canines showing. He placed an index finger on the crest of the animal's head, hoping for the worst. 

The squirrel didn't flinch. A slow smile on his lips, he placed another finger on its head and gave it a stroke. 

"See? It's harmless."

He let out a nervous laugh, captivated by the little creature, "You were right, it didn't kill me. There were things just like this in the Forests of Auria. They grow huge when they sense that your mana level was more than half and come to devour you."

"Carmires. I know, when a lot of mana come together, it emits a smell only a few creatures like Carmires could sense. And they get energized by it. How did you ever escape them?"

Adrien let the squirrel hop on to his hands, "The six of stuck for each other. All the time. None of us were ever alone," he sighed sadly, "Until now. I made Ethan promise that we'd finish Hermann, but never his whole bloodline. All this was completely his choice."

He looked up at me with determined eyes, "Whatever happens, I'll be here to protect you, alright? So don't be scared because of Ethan and the others."

I couldn't say anything. Was it guilt? Or was it that overwhelming feeling when someone says that they care for you? Maybe both. 

"I trust you," I admitted, even though he was nothing but a folder, even though he shouldn't trust me back, I was the to-be killer after all. He was nothing but genetically engineered code. I blinked out of my trance and glanced at the squirrel as it jumped off and disappeared away into the distance.

I took in a breath as Adrien grabbed my chin and pulled me closer.

A few song birds fluttered away.

"You sure about that?" he asked me seriously. 

"I don't know," I admitted. I was still very confused. Before he could say anything, I let go from his grasp and walked past him, "Come on, we have to find some deer for you before evening."

He followed me silently, still dazed from the way I just flipped him off.

But then I stopped midway and turned around to look back at him. 

"Adrien, if you have plans of falling in love with me, abandon it. It won't end nicely for either of us."

He opened his mouth in shock at my words. That was when I too realised what I had just said and I closed my eyes covered my mouth in embarrassment, 'Shit, shit, shit.' 

"When did—"

"Just forget what I said!" I yelled and turned back around and walked away. A hand grabbed my wrist and turned me around.

"Ashe."

I took in short, quick breaths, unable to tell myself how stupid I was. What had made me say something as absurd as that? I was the one who was falling in love with every little thing he did, not him! Ugh, Ashe, you're really the most stupidest when it comes to things like this.

Just give me a program to design already! I was going crazy!

"Earth to Ashe? Did you just hear what I said?" he asked, still holding my left wrist as tight as he had that night in the streets of New York.

I shook my head. 

"I asked," he repeated again, slowly, "Are you falling in love with me?"