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Chapter 15 - Dorian
When I returned weeks ago, Killian had gifted me a bottle of specially brewed alcohol for wolves. I hadn't opened it because, as a hunter, one needed to be always alert. Alcohol consumption was prohibited except for one night only, after missions, in small amounts.
I eyed the bottle before deciding to take a sip. I had no intention of getting drunk, but I needed to calm my nerves.
Marian was sleeping soundly upstairs, her steady heartbeat and low breathing soothing sounds. I could tell she was frightened after her run-in with Isaac because while driving home, she'd hugged herself, and I wasn't sure she'd noticed.
I couldn’t blame her. Facing an untamed, a predator keen on killing you or worse instilled a specific type of fear, the all-consuming that your death might be at the hands of a monster.
She’d finally faced what I'd been trying to protect her from, and the gravity of the situation sunk in. There was no joy to be had from being right, not when she was robbed of her smile and happiness because of it.
Marian was a jovial woman, funny and sweet. Tonight I saw her light dim as she blamed herself, and I hated that.
I took the first sip of my drink and then another and another. Putting the bottle back in the cupboard and the cup in the sink, I moved to the living room to lie down. All the lights were off, but I could see in the dark just fine.
I could hear everything, the leaves blowing in the wind outside, the flapping wings of a bird, and the water dripping from the faucet in the kitchen. For the past week, every night, I sat right here while Marian slept, remaining alert the entire night.
Sure, there was a warding around the pack, but I knew those could be breached.
I closed my eyes and exhaled steadily, allowing my body to relax. I was pissed at Marian earlier for going out alone, but I didn't voice that disappointment because I knew, while I was used to this sort of thing, she wasn't. She was told her life was at risk because of someone she trusted, and being here with me, while we had our relationship to figure out was a lot.
She was an independent woman being forced to depend on someone else, unable to move as she wished and go where she wanted. Like Isaac, she was leaning on a man she once trusted who betrayed her. The situations between her and him, and she and I, were completely different, but they shared the similarity of letting her down.
We should be focusing on ourselves right now. I should be focusing on fulfilling my promise of doing everything to make up for what I'd done, but instead, I was facing a past I’d escaped to have some peace here in Wolfcreek.
I'd done so much in the name of protecting life, and Marian's life was now in danger.
She hadn’t said how troubled she was about all of this, but she didn't have to. I could see it whenever I caught her staring into the distance. Even so, I had to admit that this last week, having her here was terrific.
We slept in separate rooms but waking up with her, seeing her in my space, cooking, and spending time with her, was all I needed. The moment she and I just shared, it was different from the first time last week.
It was a finality that she and I were meant for each other, no matter what. Our past was being put to the side where it wasn't forgotten but was no longer at the forefront.
I loved her. I'd never stopped; now, that bastard being after her was ruining everything. Nevertheless, she'd said she'd forgiven me, and I hadn’t expected to feel the way I had when she said it.
Relief was by far the most prominent feeling but sadness too. As much as she'd finally voiced her forgiveness, and I still intended to treat her like the blessing she was, the moment was overshadowed by Isaac.
I sat up when a wolf howled outside, Killian to be exact, and I frowned, wondering why he was stopping by in the middle of the night.
“Did you find him?” I asked as soon as I opened the front door.
Killian waved a folder. “I found somethingonhim. It only took a damn week. How’s Marian?”
"Shaken up," I grumbled while we walked to the living room. "She's worried that it'll be her fault if he hurts someone."
“She shouldn’t blame herself for a predator’s actions,” he gave me the envelope and sat down.
I opened the brown folder, and there was only one sheet of paper. Looking at Killian, I found him nodding.
“That’s all there is on him,” Killian said. “He’s squeaky clean, Dorian. No police record, no incidents from his untamed stage, nothing.”
I read the document, a short read at that, and it was as Killian said. Isaac worked in finance for a few years, but that was the only job and there was no indication of his age or past. There was his old address and a new one in the town over, but he'd given Marian the impression he lived here in Wolfcreek.
“Vampires don’t usually have such clean records,” I grumbled and laid the folder on the coffee table. "Except for those in high-standing like elders and royals and those directly beneath them because they can afford to wipe their past from history."
Killian nodded. “Yes, I know. You’ve met the guy, what do you think? Could he be a royal?”
"I'm not sure," I answered while reclining on the sofa. "I would only be able to tell from his blood. Royal blood doesn't smell as disgusting as other vamps."
