AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“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 make 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.
“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.
