It does not take much to undress; I only have three items of clothing on. I run the bath. Lukewarm. I cautiously get in; the water starts to steam up. I notice the heat incantation that has been written on the bathtub. I reach for the soap and immerse myself in foam. I can feel my heavy eyes drifting. Distorted memories of my mother singing a lullaby run through my unstable mind.

“Hush now, V,” the memory of my mother says as I imagine her running her warm hands through my hair. I fall into a deep dream. I often have these dreams that remind me of what I am running from, why I am still alive, and why I need to keep going. The sound of my mother rushes around my mind.

“V, be brave for yourself because no one else will.” She starts to hum a lullaby that I know all too well. It is a violent lullaby that entangles my mind whenever I notice the unending darkness.

“Ave,” a deep, soothing voice says, “wake up, Ave.” Oh, it is not part of my dream. I start to slip back into reality.

“Ave,” the voice insists. I open my eyes to see Draven standing there but strangely with his eyes closed.

“Draven,” I say in a husky voice, “what are you doing here?” I think I am still dreaming. “Why are your eyes closed?” He turns around as I ask this question. I sit up in a panic, realising that I am no longer dreaming.

“How much did you see?” I ask, too embarrassed to even look his way.

“I came in when Lysander said you wouldn’t answer. I didn’t see anything; you’re drenched in foam,” he says, sounding half shy. “I didn’t see anything,” he adds.

I slowly stand from the tub and grab the robe that was hung on a railing to the left of the shower. I put it on and walk towards him.

“You’re still bleeding,” I whisper. “Let me clean the bandages.” He slowly turns to me and gazes into my eyes, moving the hair from my eyes and placing it behind my shoulders.

“Get dressed, and I’ll grab the bandages,” he says, arching over me. I nod, and he turns away. Within a few strides, he is at the door. He leaves, and I sink to the floor, embarrassed at myself. The most I had seen of him was his chest as I healed him. What a firm chest he has. I snap out of my thoughts. I quickly put on the purple satin dress that was prepared for me. Yet another strange occurrence, it felt as if Lysander knew we were coming. With all that I had seen so far, them using a mind incantation to communicate would not be shocking. It is a difficult type of spirit force, and the slightest wrong intonation could be fatal, yet still, I would not be surprised. I am convinced that nothing could surprise me about Draven anymore. I have enough questions about him to fill a small but pristine room. That is reason enough.

After a while, Lysander knocks on the door. I open the door and step out, only this time not into the same dismal hall but a dining room. Draven is sat at one end of a surprisingly small table for the grandeur of the room.

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“Take a seat, Ave,” Draven says as Lysander pulls out the chair. I take a seat. Lysander serves me food. It is a dish that I have never seen before. I do not react so as not to embarrass myself again. Draven starts to eat, and so do I. After a meal and dessert later, we are still in silence. What of my burning questions? He said he would answer every one that I had. After a while of silence and glancing back and forth at him, he finally speaks.

“It’s getting late, Ave. How about I show you the answers later?” Before I get the chance to respond, Draven has glided to the door and left. Lysander looks at me with a friendly grin.

“Let’s take you back, shall we?” he says, walking to the door at a similar pace to Draven.

Four days. Four days is how long I waited, eating meals alone, waiting for Draven. Four days is how long I stayed without a single question answered or even knowing where he was. Four long days.

“Lysander!” I yell silently. “I’m leaving.” I start walking in the direction that I thought was the door from the dining room.

“Wait, my lady,” Lysander says, walking cautiously behind me.

“Wait for what? I’ve been here for five days now, and I haven’t seen him since the first night here,” I say, beyond angry.

Lysander stops chasing me. “I’ll tell you,” he says with a sigh. “Follow me,” he adds, turning back to where I assumed we came from. Lysander knocks three times, and a shallow voice growls back. “Master,” he says, “I know you asked to be left alone, but please, Lady Ave is trying to leave,” Lysander says with a look on his face that I had not seen since I first met him. I was surprised that he had more than two emotions. Draven groans, and Lysander opens the door. He gestures for me to enter but does not follow. I look at him and take another step into the room. The air reeks of blood, and the room is pitch black. Lysander closes the door, and I feel a chill take over my senses.

“Wait,” Draven groans. I remain where I am. I see a shadow walk towards me, and I quiver. He walks past me and bangs on the wall. The lights come on. Draven is by the light, holding on to where his wound was, the bandages covered in blood. I instinctively bolt towards him.

“What is this?” I question, afraid. When did I grow to care about him? As I get closer, I see that his veins are protruding, black and pulsing. His face is grimly pale. This sight is oddly familiar. I had read about it in a book.

“You’re a night walker,” I say without thinking.

“How do you know?” he asks in a defeated voice.

“I read about this once, the walkers' curse.” I go to touch his stomach. “You can’t heal yourself right now, can you?”

He avoids my hand. “Sorry, Ave, please don’t come too close.” Draven looks to the ground and wobbles back to the blood-soaked bed. I go after him and watch as he painfully lays down.

I walk towards him and stop short of the bed. Draven closes his eyes, and by his breathing, I see that he has fallen asleep. A sense of desperation envelops my mind. He is near death. I have an unnatural sense for death. I had never cared before, but I feel a sense of deepening dread thinking that Draven would die. I start uttering a healing incantation. As I see the symbol of healing appearing in mid-air, I bite my lip. I climb onto the bed and hover over Draven, stealing a kiss. He kisses me back and drinks the few drops of my blood that are dripping. I finish the healing circle as he continues to kiss and suck my lips. I feel his healing take effect as I lose energy and his colour starts to restore back to normal. I try to pull away, sure that he is now fully healed, but he does not let go. He grips me tighter. He stops sucking and kisses me more intensively. I start to run out of breath and beat on his chest. Draven lets go, a blush on his face followed by a look of pure shock. I get off the bed, feeling how weak I have become, and stumble out of the room in a rush. Lysander does not stop me.