5 Chapter 4

Scarlett's eyes gazed out one of the many widows in the house. She watched people walk by along the cobblestone road. "Do you want to go outside?" Jax came up to her side, following her gaze. He tapped the window sill with his fingers, raising an eyebrow down to her.

"G-Go.. where?"

"Outside."

"Where o-outside?"

"Anywhere you want." Jax leaned into the wall, crossing his arms over his chest. Scarlett sighed softly, clicking her tongue in thought. "I d-don't know." She spoke after a minute. Jax paused, an idea coming over him.

"Why don't you go hunting with me?" He asked, placing his chin on his hand. Scarlett furrowed her eyebrows together. "H-Hunting?" "Mmhm," he responded, tapping her nose with a finger, "why not? It'll be fun." Scarlett wrinkled her nose at the touch, a smile on her lips.

"Can.. w-we not... hunt humans or... I.." Scarlett was unsure about the idea. She's never gone hunting before, let alone use her wolf for a long period of time. She was skeptical, especially if it involved other species. "We can hunt animals then. There's tons of deer prancing around." Jax rested a hand on her shoulder as she looked down. "No one will bother us. You're safe. Hardly anyone goes to the spot I'm showing you." "Y-You promise?" Jax nodded, sticking his feet in the first pair of shoes he saw. It happened to be a pair of boots, laces up to the mid-calf.

Scarlett still was nervous, no matter what he said. She picked at a scar on her arm, causing blood ooze from the old wound. Quickly, she rubbed the blood into her skin, not wanting Jax to see. With a short breath out, she turned her back to him. She continued to rub the blood away.

"Scar? Are you okay?" She only nodded. Jax didn't say anything otherwise, not wanting to push her. He waited for her patiently to slip her shoes on, scratching the back of his neck. He cleared his throat, standing by the door. "C-coming," She called, appearing by Jax's side a moment later. "Ready?" "Y-Yes." Her voice was softer than normal, her posture inward. Jax frowned gently, holding a hand out to her.

"It's okay. I won't let anything happen to you. People won't even look your way." Jax did his best to reassure her, wanting her to feel safe. It was the bottom line in everything he tried to do for her. Jax only hoped she was beginning to trust him more. There was little chance he would just ask her; he couldn't do that to her.

Scarlett took his hand, gripping it tightly. Jax's lips turned upwards into a soft smile. "It'll be okay," he promised, leading them outside.

It was now early spring, still chilly. Patches of snow still piled onto the streets. Scarlett shivered slightly, but as she walked, she began to warm up. She stuck close to Jax, her own arms now wrapped around his arm, still holding his hand. They walked in silence, just in the company of each other's presence.

❧

Scarlett raced through the trees, Jax following the white blur of fur. She picked up the scent of a deer, and, instinctively, like the wolf she is—immediately began to chase the deer down. It was a buck, wounded and alone, separated from the herd. It was an easy first target for someone who hasn't hunted before.

Jax was quick, but, purposefully slower than her, wanting Scarlett to catch the deer on her own. He watched her proudly, smiling as he chased after her. "Almost there, Scar. You're so close," he commented to himself, eyes following both her and the deer. Scarlett was, indeed, quite close. The deer was wounded already, but she managed to get a quick bite into his backside. The deer was slowing down significantly.

Seeing the opportunity to strike, Scarlett pushed with her hind legs into a leap. Her claws were freshly sharpened; sinking into the deer's flesh. It hollered in pain, rearing its front legs like a horse. Scarlett finally lets her canines follow through, also biting into the flesh. Once it was officially down, Scarlett tore into the throat of the animal, killing it.

Jax caught up to her less than a minute later. Flitting didn't cost any energy, nor did he need to catch his breath. Humans referred to the ability as 'super speed'. (Humans don't know vocabulary even if a dictionary hit them on the head).

"Look at you! Killed your first deer," Jax exclaimed, grinning. Scarlett swished her tail, sitting at the deer's head, proudly. Blood covered her maw, smearing her fur into a light pink color. Scarlett licked her lips, eyes narrowed hungrily at the buck. "Go ahead, you have your share first." She looked up at him reluctantly, sniffing the deer.

"Come on, you just killed it. You deserve a bit of meat." He spoke, tearing off a leg for her, which didn't have much meat, but he figured she's never had deer before. He waved it past her maw.

Scarlett put her paw on the leg, pushing it down, signaling she didn't want it. "It's fresh. Would you rather have it with the blood drained? I don't think so." Jax shook his head, letting go of the deer leg. Scarlett rested her head on her paws, watching him. He sighed. "More for me then."

Jax proceeded to drain the blood of the deer, while, Scarlett sat by him, eyes watching for danger. Eventually, Jax pulled away from the deer. He wiped the blood from his chin, petting Scarlett. She nudged her face into his hand, rubbing up against him. He grinned down at her, laying back in the grass.

Scarlett trotted back to where she had placed her clothing. She shifted behind a tree, dressing herself.

"J-Jax? Are you.. s-still there?" "Yes, right where you left me." He responded back to her, indeed, exactly where she left him, laying in the grass. Scarlett tilted her head to the side.

"Isn't the g-grass c-cold?" "Meh." He shrugged, eyes turned to the sky. It was the afternoon, however, the sun wasn't out. Clouds covered the skyline, reflected off in Jax's eyes.

Scarlett smiled gently, her body visibly relaxing. A sudden wave of safety washed over her, being with Jax.

"What? Do you want to leave?" Jax looked up at her, tilting his head to the side back at her. He noticed she was watching him more carefully than ever, thinking she wanted to say something to him. Scarlett only sat beside him, laying back.

A breeze came through, rustling up leaves that were underneath the snow. A few leaves stuck to Scarlett and Jax, but they both helped each other pick them off.

"Do you want to go back now? It's starting to get dark." Jax commented, running a hand through his hair. They had been out for a few hours now. The sky was beginning to darken, the clouds dissolving into the blue-purple sky. The trees had only started to re-grow leaves.

Scarlett nodded to him, standing up. Jax managed to stand himself up after her, bones aching. It didn't matter if he was immortal or not, it didn't mean his body wasn't old and couldn't hurt. He stretched, watching Scarlett yawn. "Come on, jump on my back. I'll carry you home." He mentioned, seeing as she was tired. "I'm o-okay." She yawned again.

Jax growled lightly, setting her on his back. He held onto her legs as Scarlett gently wrapped her arms around his neck. She leaned against him, her eyes closing. "Someone is tired." He chuckled, going off in the direction they came.

❧

Jax set Scarlett down softly on the bed. Her eyes opened briefly, staring up at him. She didn't need to say anything to him, as, he laid down beside her. It was a common occurrence between the two, growing more comfortable around one another.

"Did you enjoy today?"

"Mmhm.." Another yawn.

Scarlett rolled over to face him, eyes tiredly scanning his face. "Y-You can ask me... anything.. y-you know." "Are you sure?" She nodded to him, putting her arm under her face, trying to keep herself awake for a while longer. Jax paused, thinking of what he could ask her. He didn't say anything for many minutes, unsure whether or not certain questions would upset her. Finally, he spoke.

"Do you want kids someday?" Jax figured it was a simple question, a yes or no answer, something easy. Scarlett sighed, her face darkening as she heard the question. "I-I do, I just.. c-can't have any." Jax frowned, not knowing what she meant. "Why do you mean?" Now, he was curious. Scarlett bit her lip, pushing hair from her eyes. "I was s-sterilized when I-I was... f-fourteen. A-A few slaves are picked.. to have c-children, w-while.. while the r-rest are.." She gulped. "You don't have to say anymore. I'm sorry I asked." He huffed. "D-Don't apologize.. it was.. y-years ago. I.. I've moved on." She nodded, smiling for him, "you d-didn't know." She touched his face.

"I-It's okay. Do y-you want children?" She asked, scooting closer to him. Jax put his hand on top of hers, holding it to his cheek. "If it's with the right person, sure." He wasn't the biggest fan of children, but he would tolerate them, and, eventually learn to love them if they were his own, or, if he were to turn a child. The process of turning is exactly what the name implies—turning someone into a vampire.

Scarlett yawned again, her eyelids fluttering closed and open again, practically forcing herself awake. "One more question for you, that is, before you fall asleep." Scarlett rubbed her eyes, listening. It wasn't necessarily a question, instead, it was an action. Jax pulled her closer to him, their bodies touching. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her to him. One arm rested under her neck, the other, around her waist. Scarlett curled up against him, resting her cheek to his chest. Jax didn't have to say anything else to her, as, her eyes closed, seemingly comfortable with how close they were.

He kissed on the forehead, his own eyes closing. Vampires didn't need to sleep, but if they wanted, they could without issues. Jax was one that chose to sleep regularly since he had nothing better to do than to paint. His grip was gentle, yet, protective over Scarlett. Tonight, they were closer than ever. Scarlett shifted, rolling on her side, her back towards Jax.

Still, he didn't let go. If it was up to him, he would never let go.