Chapter 9- Unpredicted.

 The morning sun beamed through an opened window along with a cool autumn breeze. It tickled my nose and made me shiver a bit before waking me. I sat up, feeling a bit groggy and confused. I had slept not that long ago, so I shouldn't have fallen asleep last night, but not only that, the sleep was so peaceful. Not a single nightmare or traumatic vision from my past stirred me. I hadn't had sleep that undisturbed in over a decade. Not to mention the fact that normally I'd wake up nearly ravenous from thirst. I wasn't the least bit hungry. I had eaten a few human snacks yesterday to stretch out the time before I needed to use Ayah's blood bags, but other than that I hadn't fed since I led that guy to the Gier hound field house. I shivered again before standing and moving to throw a few longs into the fireplace, only furthering my confusion when I realized the coals were still warm. In all my years of being a Vampire, it was always the same cycle. Stay awake for weeks, sometimes even months, be hit with fatigue and sleep for days on end then waking up having to go hunt before I became unstable from the pain of the thirst. The barely burnt-out fire told me I had only been asleep for a few hours, unless Ember had relit it and then for some reason put it out. 

 The thought of her made the confusion subdue a bit, only to be replaced by another feeling. I couldn't tell if her climbing on my couch with me last night had made me uncomfortable or if I slightly enjoyed the warmth of her skin and the pattern of her breathing beside me. I know I felt less lonely, but I still wanted my space. I had woken up alone, assuming that at some point she had went back to her room, either to eat or read after realizing that I had fallen asleep. Maybe she had just woken up and didn't want to disturb me, it still seemed weird to me though. I had learned to be a light sleeper. Waking at the slightest sound to escape danger if need be. I must have slept through her awakening though. I went and closed the window and sat by the fire for a bit to warm up before going to Ember's room to check on her and wake her up. I knocked on the door softly before turning the knob. "Hey, Em. Up and at 'em," I said with a slight chuckle before entering her room. The smile on my face turned to a look of puzzlement when I received no reply. Her chair lay in its reclined position, empty with the worn-down comforter I had gotten her thrown across the broken arm. 'Someone named Eva' sat on the faux seat cushion with its cover bent over the spine, revealing its final few chapters. 

 "Ember?" I called out, again receiving no response as I grabbed the book off the chair, marking her place before closing it and placing it on the shelf I had given her. I left the room and started up the stairwell to the next floor of the library, thinking maybe she had gotten bored and wanted to look around. I called her name through every floor and every room, never getting a response. I walked back downstairs, and passing her room again caught a familiar stench that made my stomach churn, and my heart drop a bit. It was a strong, musky odor. That of sweat and wet fur and it made my nose scrunch up. I followed it back to my room, the trail ending at the window I had closed when I woke up. I noticed claw marks on my old curtains. My blood ran cold as my suspicion became a reality. A wolf had been here, and Ember was nowhere to be found. The Alpha from when I found her more than likely had healed and woke up, tracking hers or my scent shortly after. Stupid, I thought as I kicked myself. I should've never brought her here, especially while she was vulnerable. Now those brutes, and probably their entire pack, knew where I lived. Not only had I not kept the promise I made to myself to keep Ember safe, but I had also put Ayah and my little safe haven in jeopardy. 

 I screamed in anger as I rushed to get my bag together, downing one of Ayah's bags for strength while I hurriedly shoved necessities into the small pack and threw it over my shoulder. I rushed into Ember's room, tearing a piece of her sheet off her chair to track her scent more easily. This girl was starting to become more trouble than it was worth, honestly. What was I doing? She was probably already long dead, yet here I was running to her rescue again when I hardly even knew her. But I had made the commitment to keep her safe while she recovered, and I couldn't break that promise to myself. Helping people occasionally was the only sliver of my humanity I still had left, and if I couldn't get this girl back on her feet and she died on my watch I feared I'd lose the rest of it and go completely insane. Not only that, but for some reason I was drawn to her. I had to know who she really was, to turn the pages. And I hadn't even gotten the chance to flip the first one yet. She couldn't just be gone. There was still time. I just had to make one quick stop first. Normally, I tried not to fly during the day to avoid being spotted, but as worry, anger and panic clouded my judgement I took off into the cool autumn sky, the breeze stinging my eyes as I let my wings shoot me like a bullet. Back to Móðir's. If anyone could track her better than me, it was her.