TELVIN

We headed up the north road, getting as much distance between us and the palace as possible. Every time we saw someone coming, we tried to duck our heads. If anyone asked questions, I let Charlotte do the talking. For her abrasive nature she knew how to talk her way out of a lot of things. No one stopped us though, to my relief. I slowed when the sun started to set. I knew everyone must be tired so I pulled off the cobbled road and led us into the forest. I stopped when I was sure we weren’t visible from the road. A small stream ran right next to us and the trees offered plenty of cover in case it started to rain.

I began to help set up camp, rolling out some pelts to sleep on. Iara set up a spot for a fire, positioning a circle of rocks. She was in her element in the forest. She always looked as though she belonged among the trees. Malachi stopped next to her, a bundle of sticks under his arm. I turned my eyes away when he noticed me staring at Iara. He gave me the slightest frown as he dropped the wood next to her. The watered down emotions he barely showed pissed me off. I clenched my jaw and turned back to my pelts.

“So what do you think of them?” Yula asked. She was helping Charlotte adjust herself on the pelts I helped lay out. She lifted her legs to straighten them out as much as she could, her hands always more gentle than they needed to be.

“Iara and that beast?” Charlotte frowned. At least she was calling one of them by their names.

I sighed. “Please be nicer. Iara is helping you after all. She didn’t need to come with us.”

“She certainly didn’t need to bring that thing either,” she snapped. Charlotte crossed her arms as she glared at Malachi.

“I think he’s nice too,” Yula chimed in. “He doesn’t speak too harshly, and he’s-”

“If I didn’t know better Yula, I would say you have a crush on him,” I teased the young girl.

She gave me a light laugh. “He’s older than me. Not to mention, married.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. Don’t remind me. “He’s probably older than all of us,” I commented. The thought of how expansive a vampire’s lifespan can be made my head spin. Malachi could be anywhere from thirty to five hundred.

“He’s only in his twenties,” Charlotte defended. Her eyes weren’t even looking at us. She picked at a loose thread on her black shirt.

“How do you know?” I asked, my brows knitting together.

She looked back at me with a glare, but then her face fell into shock. She reacted as if she said something she shouldn’t have. “I mean, you certainly have heard stories of the princes, right?” she stammered. “News travels far and wide when a vampire is born.”

I shook my head. “I lived in Oaknail my entire life and never heard news from Bloodtide,” I said.

“Yeah, come to think of it, Charlotte, dwarves are almost never this far west,” Malachi said coolly. He came over to sit next to Yula. He turned his stoic face to the dwarf woman.

Charlotte only glared at him in response.

Malachi leaned back on his good arm and sighed. “No answer?”

“I have nothing to say to you. You have no right to say anything to me,” Charlotte snapped. Her fists clenched around the fabric of her pants.

Iara stood from where she sat. “Don’t start another fight please,” she called. She sounded like a tired mother. The witch lifted her hand above the fire, snapping her fingers together. With the motion came a cascade of sparks from her fingertips. The sparks settled into the wood and caught fire. The warm light illuminated our small camp circle. When she was done, she found her place next to her husband.

Her husband. The thought spoiled my mood.

“I simply wanted to know what crimes she commited to be exiled from Oreshire,” Malachi replied. He sounded almost innocent, giving Iara a wide eyed look.

“Yes, actually. What happened?” Yula asked, turning to her dwarf companion. Her curious nature always got the better of her. Malachi didn’t help, urging the conflict to ensue.

“Nothing,” Charlotte cried out. “You better watch sitting so close to him. He might bite you.”

“Iara is the only one I’m inclined to bite,” he replied smoothly. He reached over to grab her face with a gloved hand, his thumb and finger squeezing her cheeks. He tilted her head back, exposing her neck to us as her face reddened. My stomach twisted into knots when I noticed the small pink scar. Two little puncture marks showed themselves clearly even in the low light of the fire. “I could even tell you how she tastes, if you like gruesome tales.”

Iara pulled away from his grasp as Charlotte made a noise of disgust. She stood, her eyes shining with tears. “You are being awful,” she cried. Her lip quivered as she spoke. “All of you. I know a lot has happened to all of us, but the least you could do is not be at each other’s throats. I can’t stand any of you.” We all looked away from her as if we were scolded children. Ma was mad at us and we all felt guilty for it. “I need a moment without this,” she hissed, gesturing to our group. She turned away and rushed into the trees.

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“I’ll go talk to her,” I said, jumping up.

Malachi stood as well, grabbing my arm as I pushed past him. “She said she needs to be alone,” he snapped at me.

I shoved him back, making sure I hit his wounded shoulder. He winced and gritted his teeth with pain. “I want to talk to her,” I insisted, my voice low. I glanced back at Charlotte and Yula before turning. The look Charlotte had on her face almost made me stay. Her eyes looked up at me, round and pleading. She had never looked at me like that before. I turned away. I needed to talk to Iara without the influence of him.

I followed after Iara through the thick trees. She eventually stopped at a small clearing. She stood in the middle of it, fireflies lighting around her. She looked stunning in the moonlight. The pale light caught the curves of her body, highlighting her in silver. Her hair had gotten longer, reaching almost past her waist. The roots were a light brown though, instead of the sandy blond the rest was. It reminded me that she had been living a different life than the one I had with her.

I knew Iara heard me following behind her. She spoke without turning around. “Why do you have to be so childish?”

“I’m not trying to be,” I replied.

She spun around and met my gaze. “I thought you were Malachi. . .” she trailed off. She looked troubled, her brows furrowing.

“Sorry, should I send him instead?” I frowned at her.

“I just expected him,” she sighed. “I said I needed to be alone, Vi.”

I stepped forward, reaching a hand up to scratch the back of my head in a nervous gesture. “Can I please talk to you? I wanted to, without him around,” I mumbled.

“Without my husband?” She crossed her arms over her chest. She looked uneasy, unsure what I would say.

“After you help Charlotte, will you stay with us?” I blurted. I knew if I didn’t say everything I wanted to now, I wouldn’t get the chance to later.

She turned away from me. “No,” she said flatly. Her eyes reached back to the night sky.

I stepped closer to her again, almost within arm’s reach now. “You can’t actually love him. You don’t seem happy with him,” I told her, lifting a hand to touch her hair.

She ducked out of my grasp and frowned. Her eyes filled with anger when she looked at me. “How can I seem happy when the men you were with have taken everything away from us? You were conspiring to have us killed.”

“They weren’t going to kill you,” I yelled. “Our client wanted you alive and safe.”

She snorted and scowled at me. “As if that makes it better. Malachi’s parents were assassinated and you want us to look happy?”

“What I’m saying is,” I sighed, trying to keep my voice even. I didn’t want to yell at her. I knew there was a lot that had happened to the both of us since she left. “You have a way out now. You don’t need to be with him.”

Iara’s eyes flared. Rage rolled off of her in waves. “I’m not leaving my husband,” she said firmly.

I felt my heart sink. The thought of Iara being someone else’s filled me with dread. It made me feel half of myself was missing. “Do you really feel that way or is it because you’re blood bonded?”

Her hand tightened on her arm, her fingers digging into her flesh. “I know people probably never even consider my feelings when around me. It’s so easy for everyone to shove what they feel onto me.” She turned her head away, her hair covering her face from me. “And my feelings do get caught up with others.”

The tone change in her voice excited me. She sounded introspective. She had to be unsure of herself. “So you’ll stay with us?” I gushed. “I can help you find a way to break the bond-”

Iara lifted a hand to cut me off. “Don’t interrupt me.”

My excitement died just like that. I fell back, holding my hands up. “I’m sorry,” I whispered.

She set her eyes back to me. They felt intense, like they would burn right through me. “I don’t want to have a misunderstanding. I love Malachi. I felt this way about him before we bonded.” Her hand rested on her chest, just above her heart. “So don’t twist my feelings. The bond has nothing to do with what I think of him. I won’t leave him. You’ll always be a good friend, but nothing more than that.”

I let my hands fall to my sides in defeat. “So it’s over?”

“It’s been over, Telvin.” Her back turned to me once again. “You should leave me alone now.”

I couldn’t bring my feet to move. They were welded to the ground. I could only stand and stare at her. After a moment, she glanced back at me. Her brows knit together as she gestured back to the camp.

“Leave me,” she snapped.

I reached out to her, my hands on both of her arms. I couldn’t stop myself from pulling her to me. “You can’t mean that,” I croaked. My throat was thick, my eyes stung.

She pulled out of my grasp almost immediately. “I’m not here to fix all of your problems anymore. I will help Charlotte as your friend, but if you touch me again I’m gone.”

“I didn’t-”

“Please leave,” she yelled. Her voice shook, her eyes never leaving me.

I sighed and nodded. I pushed down my tears and headed back towards the camp. I had to wipe away the sour expression before anyone would see. When I reached camp again, Yula was already asleep. She snored lightly, leaned back on some of our bags. Charlotte shot me a questioning look. Malachi sat just outside of the warmth of the fire. He looked like a phantom, the orange glow only reflecting off of his eyes.

“You should go to her,” I grumbled.

He didn’t move. He didn’t even spare me so much as a glance. “I’m elated to have your permission, Vi,” he replied. His voice hissed my name, tainting the nickname Iara gave me.

“Don’t call me that,” I warned.

He stood in one fluid motion, finally turning his face to me. His eyes didn’t seem to look at me though. They cut right through me. “Or what?”

I ground my teeth and turned away from him. I wanted so badly to punch him as hard as I could in the face. I wanted to watch his stone expression break. I wanted him to spit out his fangs, just like Hark spit out his teeth. Instead I sat down next to Charlotte, keeping my hands in my pockets. Malachi turned and disappeared into the woods. I didn’t even hear so much as a step breaking a twig.

“What did you need to talk to her about?” Charlotte whispered to me.

I looked at her. Her face was hidden by her hood, but she sounded hesitant. Like she didn’t really want to know what we talked about. I didn’t really want to tell her either. The outcome of it made me feel ashamed. Iara wasn’t the same girl I knew anymore. “Nothing important,” I eventually replied.

Another long pause of silence passed between us. Her next question hurt though. “Do you love her?”

I did. I loved Iara with all my heart. But like she said, she loved someone else. She loved a vampire more than me. I couldn't bring myself to say anything to Charlotte. Instead I sighed and laid on my side, my back to her. She didn’t say anything else either. I let my eyes shut, but I knew sleep wouldn’t find me.