CHAPTER 8

Edmund

I should be used to seeing her in the woods by now. She's always alone. Always. Solitude suits her. But no one should be alone.

She is sitting on a tree stump, resting her upper body on her arms, which she's propping behind her. Her face is turned up to the skies. Her eyes are closed. She is completely vulnerable.

I should probably just turn around and go. But I can't do that. I've already reached that conclusion. Even when I am not actively seeking her out, fate places her in my path somehow, somewhere, just like it is now.

I wait for a few moments, then I purposefully step on a dry branch. It cracks under the weight of my feet, and Bianca immediately opens her eyes. Her entire body tenses. She pulls her hands close to herself, to make herself smaller. That is the posture of a scared animal, someone who knows they might be attacked at any moment.

"It's just me," I say again, like the last time.

Me. A part of me hopes that this word has some relevance in her life. I don't know why. I know that a human like herself can't be a good match for me. She can't become the vampire queen. It's simply not how these things are done. The others wouldn't accept this match. I have to think of the other vampires as well. Being the king comes with a great deal of responsibility. It's far from just following one's heart.

There is a flicker of recognition in her eyes. She smiles, but it's a sad smile.

"I thought it was someone else," she explains, but this explanation makes me even more confused.

"Are you supposed to meet someone here?"

For some reason, the thought makes me silently explode with jealousy. I grind my teeth at the thought that someone else might get to caress her like I did, that she would allow such a thing. Then I remind myself that it was me who left her in the middle of the night. I don't deserve any explanations. She can do whatever she wants, with whoever she wants.

That all sounds great in theory. But it's far from that in practice.

"No," she shakes her head, with a sigh. "I'm actually here to hide from everyone."

"Hide?" I echo her words. "Who are you hiding from?"

"The shifters," she says, lifting her gaze to meet mine.

"The same ones who were harassing you that night?" I ask.

Instantly, that urge to protect her awakens in me. We don't owe each other anything, but for some reason, I can't imagine anyone loving her, just like I can't imagine anyone harming her. I can't allow either of those two things. Something inside of me just won't let it happen.

"From all of them," she clarifies.

She stands up and starts walking deeper into the woods. I rush after her, and start walking alongside her, although I have no idea where she is going or where she is taking me.

"What happened?" I ask, although at this point, I have a pretty good idea.

"They found out I have been talking to you," she says. I don't ask about the sex. Even this is bad enough in the eyes of the shifters.

"So, I happened, huh?" I ask, raking my fingers through my hair a little nervously.

I shouldn't feel bad. I never forced her to do anything. I sought her, yes. But she could have said no.

Would you have let her be? A treacherous voice inside of me asks.

I know the answer to that question. I know it, and I don't dare say it out loud.

"It's OK," she shrugs. "I can't say that I've ever truly felt a part of their community. This just proves it."

The sadness in her voice is palpable. Her entire body seems to lean slightly forward, as if she is carrying the weight of the world. I want to pick her up in my arms, and just tell her that things will be alright. I have no idea if that is true or not, but I want her to hear it at this moment. I want her to believe it.

Then, I realized something else. She is taking this way too easily. Shifters, just like vampires, can be very unforgiving when it comes to being disloyal. If they deemed her an enemy of the clan, they might want to do more than just banish her from the town. They might want to make an example out of her, hurt her just to prove a point. Once again, that rage inside of me comes to a boil. I know what I have to do, but the question is, will she accept my help?

"Come with me," I suggest.

She stops instantly upon hearing me say that. She turns to me, with a confused frown. "With you?"

"Yes," I nod.

"I think it would be best for me to be alone," she tells me.

"No," I tried to convince her. "You've lived your entire life with the shifters, but you have no idea how bloodthirsty they can truly be. You have no idea how cruel and unforgiving they can be. I'm very glad that you didn't get a chance to experience that, but I think now, you are very close to that."

"But if I stay with you, it means that the shifters were right," she suddenly says. "They will be sure that I betrayed them."

I should tell her that it isn't so, but the truth is, she's right. They will think she's betrayed them no matter what. Just by talking to me, she violated their code. That violation costs dearly.

"They will be looking for you," I remind her of something she probably already knows herself.

"Rose said the Elder just wants to talk to me," she hesitates when she says those words. I can hear it in her voice that she doubts this as well. "But she said I should still get out of town for a while."

"And where?" I wonder, looking around. "Here in the woods on your own? What if they find you?"

The question lingers in the air between us. She doesn't reply at first. She's thinking about it. I know she's considering all options, even the worst ones. Then, her entire body seems to shudder with fear. I know she's just seen the worst option of them all with her mind's eye. She may not have seen what they can do, but she knows what they are capable of. The shifters, those same shifters she has considered family. But even families can break apart.

"I'll hide well," she says stubbornly.

"You can't," I point out. "You need help."

"Your help will get me in even more trouble than I already am," she manages to make me shut up for a moment with this statement.

In a way, she's right. I've already done enough damage just by being seen talking to her. If they knew we had sex as well… that would seal her fate. I can't let her be on her own, not now that she is in danger.

Then, I came up with another strategy. Maybe this one will work.

"What if I tell you that I need your help?"

The moment I say these words, I can see her eyes light up with interest. That's good. I managed to catch her attention.

"My help?" she repeats.

"Mhm," I nod. "You probably figured out that I am here for a reason. There are a few vampires here in the woods as well, hiding from the shifters, just like you. That reason is the Well of Salubrity."

I wait to see her reaction. "But… that's a legend."

"That's what everyone wants you to think," I correct her. "That's what the shifters want us to think. We know better than to believe them."

"You think it exists… here?" she asks, spreading her arms around her, pointing at the entire woods, and at nowhere in particular.

"Somewhere around here, yes," I confirm. "We just can't figure out exactly where. That's why I need your help."

"You think I know where it is?" she asks, sounding incredulous.

"I think you may know something," I explained as gently as I could. "You may have heard or overheard something, without even realizing they were talking about this well in particular."

She shakes her head at me. "I don't remember anything. Sorry."

I smile, taking a step closer to her. Instantly, every nerve in my body tenses up. It reacts to her closeness perfectly, like a caged animal about to feed.

"I'm not asking you to remember now, right this very moment," I make that clear. "I know that a lot has happened to you and being in danger makes you forget about stuff that you knew. I'm just asking you to think. Nothing else. If you come up with anything that might be important, you let me know."

She considers it for a moment, then seems to agree, but not before stating some of her own conditions.

"And you'll protect me?" she asks.

I nod. I don't have to tell her this in any other way, but I still do.

"I will keep you safe from all harm," I promise solemnly, surprised at how seriously I truly mean it. "I won't let any shifter come near you."

Her eyebrows suddenly knit, and she appears to be on the verge of tears unexpectedly.

"Do you think they would hurt me?" she asks in such a way that it almost breaks my heart.

I want to tell her that they won't. I want to tell her that it's not as scary as her friend told her, that it's not as scary as she might believe, but it is. It's probably even scarier than that. But looking at her, so vulnerable, so tender and endearing, it is difficult to tell her the truth, because you don't want to break her heart.

"It's best that we don't find out."

It doesn't escape my attention that I used the term we here instead of just you. I'm not sure if she notices it as well. I quickly continue talking, so I don't have to explain that.

"You shouldn't risk being on your own now," I advise. "It's not safe."

"And being with you is?" she asks, in an almost daring way.

I sense the shift in the conversation. She is afraid, but there is a rebel inside of her. There is someone who refuses to be silenced, who refuses to be frightened into obedience. I'm immediately aroused at seeing this in her.

"Being with me is always dangerous," I grin, stepping closer to her. All the hairs on the back of my neck are standing on end just from being this close to her. It's hard not to give in to the temptation to ravage her right here. The animal inside of me is rattling the cage.

"That's exactly what I'm referring to," she says, tilting her head a little.

She takes a step back, trying to create some distance between us, but that only pulls me towards her even more.

"Maybe I should keep my distance from you," she is suddenly purring almost. The tables have turned so unexpectedly, and I love it.

"You can try," I tell her, equally playfully, diminishing the distance between us.

I place my hands softly on her shoulders. She shudders under my touch. She feels so soft, like silk. Instantly, my mind is flooded with memories of what she tastes like, of what she sounds like in the throes of ecstasy and I want to hear her moan like that again.

Before I can say anything else, her lips crash against mine, and all I can do is reciprocate in the same way.