CHAPTER 24

Bianca

I want to get lost in his embrace, so I wrap my arms around him as well. Although for now, things seem to have quieted down, but I know all this is far from over. He knows it as well.

When he releases me from his grip, he cups my face and looks straight into my eyes.

"You were marvelous," he says with so much tenderness that it makes my heart want to burst.

"I was?" I ask, blushing. "I didn't even know what I was doing."

"See?" he nods. "That is exactly what I told you. You will know what to do when the time comes. Your mind might not know, but your body will, because your body will finally recognize who you are."

"A dryad?" I ask, the word still sounding strange and unfamiliar. But with each passing moment, I am starting to accept who I am, especially taking into account that the new me is a wood nymph. Who would have thought that a lost little baby would be a dryad? Certainly not me.

"Yes," he nods.

"I have to ask you something," I suddenly say, with hesitation.

"You can ask me anything," he assures me.

Upon saying those words, he looks at me as if he is seeing me for the first time, truly seeing the real me. I want to see myself through his eyes. I want to see what he sees. But I guess I have to learn how to do it on my own.

"Did you mean what you said back there?" I ask, with trepidation in my heart.

Maybe it was just a spur of the moment thing. Maybe he thought we were going to die, and he said it because he thought it was what I wanted to hear. Truth be told, it really was what I wanted to hear, but now it's obvious that we won't die. At least not for a long time. And I need to know if his words were true, if his feelings are true as well.

"That I love you?" he asks.

"Yes," I nod. "Because I meant it. Every word of it. Whether or not we were going to die, I still feel the same. I can't fight my feelings any longer. I know that I am not worthy of being a vampire queen, but at least– "

"Not worthy!?" he interrupts me, sounding incredulous. "You're kidding, right?"

"No," I reply, a little puzzled, not really sure what he means now. "I'm really asking."

"Then, you must be blind, because I see before me a dryad, a warrior, a woman who would make any man, vampire, shifter, werewolf or whatever other supernatural creature damn proud to be his partner. I am no exception, Bianca." He pauses to take me by the hand, then places a soft kiss upon it.

A million little butterflies start swarming inside my stomach the moment he does it. There is nothing erotic about it, but rather in this one simple kiss, he made a promise that no other kiss ever could.

"Nothing in this world would make me happier than having you as my vampire queen," he continues.

"But I'm not a vampire," I remind him. "What will your clan say? Do you have rules for this?"

He shrugs. "Sometimes, rules are meant to be broken. I'm sure that my clan wants me to be happy, as their leader. And only you can make me happy."

"You have no idea what it means for me to hear you say that," I say, my voice on the verge of breaking. I'm not usually the type to cry when overcome by emotion, but this time is different.

He kisses me softly on the lips, then continues. "We have to go back for the well."

"But what about the shifters?" I ask.

"They won't dare attack us again," he sounds sure. "Not when they know that we have a dryad on our side."

"But I am not that dangerous."

"You are still not that dangerous," he corrects me. "You will be soon. You will be dangerous beyond your wildest belief. But at the same time, you will be kind and benevolent, because it is in your nature. Loving to those closest to you, the worst enemy to those who dare to impose on what is yours and what you love."

This sounds exactly like me. Only, I never had the strength to act upon those emotions. Now I have. Now I have more strength than I ever thought I could fit inside the small frame of my body and mind.

"Follow me!" he says, shouting to all the other vampires, and without any more words said, they all start following us, as Edmund and I walk hand in hand, leading them.

It is a silent moment, and I am in awe of where I am now. I dare not say anything. Edmund's hand in mine is enough to assure me that this isn't a dream. This is reality. This is my reality now.

Somehow, both Edmund and I know exactly where we are going. As we're walking through the woods, I can hear everything. I can hear the wind blowing. I can hear the birds chirping in the tree branches. I can hear the grass growing. I can feel the warmth of the sun on my cheeks. The woods are speaking to me in a language no one else but me seems to understand. It is telling me exactly where to go, and Edmund follows.

When we finally reach the place, the stones are still there. Everyone gets down to business, and within the hour, a small square patch of land is unearthed. The well has a narrow hole, far too narrow for someone to fit inside, but there seems to be water in there still.

"We need to make the hole larger," Edmund suggests.

"But we need tools for that," Kano points out. "There's nothing we can do right now."

"At least we found it," Edmund nods.

He sounds a little disappointed that they can't make sure that the well is still filled with precious water that they so desperately need.

"I can see whether there is still water inside," I suggest.

"Can you?" Edmund wonders.

"Mhm," I nod, lowering myself to the ground, onto my knees.

I stretch my arms downward, and branches immediately extend from my fingers down into the dark hole. I feel a chilliness inside, then a few moments later, water. I make a small bowl of intertwined branches, tightening them enough not to lose a single drop of this precious liquid, then I extract it out, for everyone to see.

A loud gasp is heard. I can see joy on everyone's faces.

"Would anyone like a sip?" I offer, smiling.

They all stand in line, and everyone takes just one sip. No one wants to drink more than is allowed right now, and that strikes me as so wonderful. Their desire to keep each other safe, to take less of what is needed for oneself in order for someone else to have enough. That is something that has always been missing in the town of shifters.

I've seen many instances of selfishness, where they think of themselves first and others second. Vampires are completely different. I can't believe that all this time, I thought vampires were the enemy, while in fact, I've been living with the enemy all along, thinking they were good.

One sip at a time, and quickly enough, everyone has tried it. I don't know if one sip is enough to make a change in their body, but at least it's something. It is the first step towards something better, something wonderful.

"This is where we shall return," Edmund announces. "We will take as much as we need, and then, we will hide the well again."

"I will help you with that," I smile, standing by his side.

I hear the woods whisper to me that we cannot leave such a precious resource out in the open like that, unattended. We need to keep it safe, for those who truly need it, for those who will not exploit it for their own benefit.

"We can't allow the healing properties of the well to fall into the wrong hands," Edmund continues. "We have to keep it hidden from the shifters as well."

"But what if they find out where it is?" someone in the crowd asks.

"They won't," I assure him. "I will make the grass grow over the well. I will put the stones back. The cherry tree will keep it safe. When we leave this place, it will look like nothing was ever disturbed."

They listen to me for a moment, then I get a few nods. They like the idea. I still don't know where they stand on a dryad as their future vampire queen, but that is a bridge that I'll cross when we get to it. There has been enough excitement for one day.

"I say we slowly head back then," Edmund suggests. "We have spent enough time away from our loved ones." He turns to me and takes me by the hand. "Will you do your magic?"

I nod, smiling. I turn my attention to the well. "Can everyone please stand aside?" I ask. Everyone does as I've asked them. The look on their faces is one of curiosity and eagerness. They all want to see how the woods will hide its most precious resource.

I lift my hands into the air. This time, only flowers blossom at the tips of my fingers. The branches of all the nearby trees start to sway softly, as if the wind has suddenly gotten stronger. Only, there is no wind. The air around us is steady. But the branches are still moving.

At the same time, the grass becomes greener, spreading everywhere, over the well. Moss appears. The stones roll back to their place on their own. It only takes a single minute for everything to return where it once was, then silence reigns once more. A bird chirps somewhere in the distance. The branches of nearby trees stop moving. Everything is as it always was. No eye would ever be able to tell the difference.

"Amazing," Edmund says silently, looking at the well. "I wouldn't be able to tell it was there at all."

I smile. "Nature knows how to hide itself well. It had to learn, because so many creatures were starting to exploit it for their own selfish reasons."

"Nature is glad to have you to keep it safe," he says.

"We all should do that," I correct him. "Nature will keep us safe only if we return the favor."

"That is what we shall do," he nods. "Now, let's all go home."

He takes me by the hand. The word home is something I've never heard said to me in this context. No one has ever offered to take me home, to my real home.

Only this time, this home is a place I've never seen before, but I feel like it is exactly where I need to go, exactly where I need to be. With Edmund by my side.

Everything is finally alright with the world. I've found out where I belong. Now, my life can truly begin.

This is what I keep thinking as we walk out of the woods, which is silently bidding me goodbye. But I don't return the greeting, because we will be seeing each other again… very soon.