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I keep walking slowly, inhaling deeply, hoping that I will find a way out of this trouble. I guess I should have seen something like this coming. I should have stayed away from Edmund. I should have known that getting involved in any way with the vampire king himself would lead to trouble.
I’m smarter than that, and yet, I did all those things, without even thinking. My heart managed to switch off that light inside my brain that advised me on what I should and should not do.
What’s done is done now. There is no point in regretting anything. Not that I do. The thought of Edmund still fills me with awe. It thrills me in a way I never thought one could be thrilled. But I know he’s trouble with a capital T. And that’s exactly where I am now.
I walk until I feel my legs rebelling against the strain, so I sit down on a little tree stump to take a breather. I lift my face to the sun. I feel like it’s caressing me with its rays. It feels soft and warm, almost like a mother’s hug, something I’ve never felt. For a few precious moments, I can actually convince myself that everything will be alright.
Chapter Eight
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 only that. 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.
