CHAPTER 6

Edmund

It's early in the break of dawn when I find my way back to our hideout. I know that sneaking out in the middle of the night is the coward's way out, but I'm not sure if I would be able to look her in the eyes and tell her that's all we would ever have. I hate myself for disappearing like a thief in the night. I keep reminding myself it's better for us both.

When I reach our hideout, I notice there is some commotion. I rush over there, when I notice a trail of blood leading me there.

"What happened?" I ask before I can even see anything.

They're all huddled around someone. As soon as they hear my voice, they move to let me pass. Halim is down on the ground. Leo is next to him. Blood is trickling down Leo's face. One of his eyes is swollen shut. It's a blotchy red and purple, and I imagine it will only get more colorful. Halim is pressing his hand to the side of his torso. Only now do I notice that he is bleeding profusely.

I look around. Callum is already running back to us from the woods, carrying witch hazel in his hands. He quickly starts ripping apart the plant into small fragments needed for the wound. It should stop the bleeding quickly.

I can see that Halim is in a lot of pain. He is breathing heavily. Thin trickles of blood are oozing through his fingers.

At that moment, Kano appears by my side, then starts helping Callum.

"We… got attacked," Leo tells me, lowering his head into his hands, as if it's too heavy to carry.

"The shifters?" I ask, but it's an unnecessary question. There was no one else who could have attacked them.

"We stumbled onto them by accident," Leo continues. He is speaking slowly, as if every single word is difficult to pronounce and he has to use all of his brain power, which is causing him even more pain. "We hoped they didn't notice us, but they did. I think they weren't expecting us there. They were shocked to see us. But we were outnumbered," he adds, believing he needs an excuse. "At some point, we managed to run away. I don't know why they didn't follow us."

I place my hand on his shoulder, lowering myself closer to him. "It could have been worse," I told him. He knows it himself, but it's a good reminder for us all. "We need to be more careful," I let everyone know. "Much more careful. You see now that the shifters don't want us here. They don't want us to find the well, because they know what it means for us. But we'll find it, no matter what."

I squeeze Leo's shoulder one more time, then I walk away, needing a few moments to myself. At first, I believed that the shifters knew we're here. I'm sure that Bianca didn't lie to me. Maybe her friend lied to her and told their Elder about us. After all, I'd expect a shifter to have more loyalty towards the wellbeing of the clan than a human would.

I sigh, looking into the distance. The space seems endless. The well could be anywhere. Literally anywhere around us. Hell, we could be walking over it and not even know it. We just have a vague idea of where it could be. It's a good start, but too much time has passed. Sometimes I wonder if we're just wasting our time here.

"Are you alright?" I hear Kano's voice from behind me.

"We almost lost two of our own," I say, instead of replying to his question. To be honest, I wouldn't even know what to say. I've been better. Much better than this.

In addition to this attack, I just slept with a human. I can't even say fucked. It wouldn't be fair. It would be a lie, because I did so much more than just fuck her. I can't very well spit it out and tell it to Kano. Something is preventing me from doing so. Bianca is a secret. She needs to stay a secret.

"It's a mistake we won't let happen again," Kano assures me. I can hear the confidence in his voice. I wish I had some of that.

"I'm afraid our time is running out," I whisper. "Now they know we're here. They'll come after us."

"What do you suggest?" Kano asks. "Should we give up?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure," I shake my head. "I was hoping that we'd have more time. But this proves otherwise. I'm sure they're planning an attack as we speak. They won't let us stay here, on their territory."

"We're nowhere closer to finding that well," Kano reminds me.

"I know," I reply with a heavy sigh. "We have to keep looking."

"Maybe we could speak with the Elder?" Kano suggests.

I turn to face him, just to see if he's really serious. I can tell that he is.

"You know that's not an option," I shake my head. "When was the last time vampires and shifters were in the same room, and they talked normally?"

Kano doesn't say anything to that. We both know the answer. Such a thing hasn't happened in ages. I doubt the Elder would be willing to even see us, let alone talk to us. Maybe he'd accept just so they could ambush us.

No. It's not even an option.

"We have to continue looking for that well," I tell him.

"If we only had the map…" Kano releases a sigh.

I know what map he is talking about. All we know about that well is what we've heard from old stories. Of course, there have been thousands of versions, but everyone knows that this one version is the oldest one. However, there is a map. Well… there was a map. Word is it used to belong to a vampire, then a shifter stole it. After that, no one really knew its whereabouts. Again, both vampires and shifters kept saying that they saw it here or there, but no one could prove it for real.

"Yes, that map would be of great help," I nod. "But we don't have it. We'll have to find our way around without it."

Suddenly, I remember Bianca. Maybe she knows something. Maybe she's heard something. I know it might be too much to ask of her. After all, she owes her loyalty to them, but it's obvious that things aren't really that black and white. She is an outcast there. She hasn't been accepted as one of them. That much is obvious.

Also, she decided to help me. She claims it's because I helped her first, and that makes sense, but maybe there's more to it than she's willing to admit.

When I close my eyes, I can see her. I can hear her. I can feel her.

The animal inside of me is rattling the cage, demanding to see her again. Silently, I made a promise that I'd go to her tonight as well. I could ask her about the map, about the well.

"Edmund?" Kano calls out to me.

"Yes?" I ask.

"Is there something you want to tell me?" he wonders.

For a moment, I suspect he knows. I should tell him. This would be the perfect moment. I could share my secret with my best friend, with my right-hand man. He would understand why I'm doing this. I know he would.

Only, I can't force myself to say the words out loud, that there is a human woman who has captured my attention, who has captured so much more than just that. I can't tell him this because I myself am fighting this attraction, without much success.

When we find the well, we'll be gone. If she isn't close to me, I'll forget about her. Isn't that how these things usually work? Far away from the eyes means far away from the heart.

"No," I shake my head, trying to sound as convincing as possible. "Just trying to figure out how to go about this without getting any of us in more danger."

He looks at me as if he's weighing the strength of my words. Finally, he nods.

"Will we go again tonight?" he asks.

"Every night until we find what we're looking for," I reply, my voice not allowing even a slight disagreement.

Not that I expect Kano to disagree. I know he'd follow me to the end of the world, if I asked him to. He'd be on my side even if he knew I was wrong. That's what loyal friends do.

He lingers for a moment, as if there's something else he's been meaning to ask me. Then, he seems to change his mind at the last minute. He turns around and leaves me. I listen to the sound of his footsteps. I know he's gone off to check on Halim and Leo. I should do the same.

I look around. Usually, the woods are a friendly place for vampires. They've been hiding us away from the humans and other creatures who wished to do us harm for centuries. This time, however, I don't feel like these woods are protecting us. It's a false sense of safety. I don't trust it.

The wind murmurs through the tree branches. I feel like it's whispering something to me. Only it's not a lullaby. It's not something reassuring. It's a warning. A threat, even. It is telling us to get out, to get away, because this won't end well.

I shudder at the thought of what might happen if we cross paths with the shifters. We are greatly outnumbered, like Halim said. We don't stand a chance against a whole town of shifters. They would eat us alive. They would burn us at the stake. It wouldn't be the first time.

I close my eyes, trying to drown the screaming sounds of so many vampires who had died at the hands of shifters. It is in my blood, this feud, and no matter how much I'd like to end it, there is no way to achieve this. Too much blood has been spilled. Too many wrongs have been undertaken, and no number of rights would change that.

All we want to do is live. Isn't that the right of every single creature on earth? But without that well, we shall perish. We are growing weaker with each passing day. I know we're all trying to pretend like it's not happening but turning a blind eye to the truth doesn't make it go away. It is still breathing down our necks, a reminder that our days are numbered, unless we find a way to cheat impending death. We have to find that well. We simply have to.

I inhale deeply, trying to catch a scent, any scent. There is nothing but the fragrance of wilderness around us. The shifters aren't close, but that doesn't mean that we're safe. We're far from it.