“I honestly don’t know much about them. They tend to keep to themselves. Their lifestyles have changed drastically since the beginning. My father never fed on people, and I’ve never had to drink blood.” Freja wished she knew more, but her father hadn’t had the chance to teach her much about the vampire lifestyle.
“Eating a rare steak is sufficient for most of us now. Some of the less pure vampires do need blood to survive. We prefer the taste of human blood, and we do have our own feeding supply,” Jester added. “We have people that we keep, that we raise in fact. We don’t kill them, and they’re treated well. Those who live in the vampire kingdom feed off of them. It’s much better than having to chase humans down and possibly killing them during the chase.”
“So you’ve colonized them,” Chasen said, meeting with the amber eyes at his side.
“They’re treated well. They have their own little village where they live alongside us. They’re protected by us and are free to live how they wish. They’re used to us coming in and feeding on them. It isn’t scary for them since it’s all they’ve known.” Jester could see Jin and Ciana looking at him curiously. “Honestly, they’re not mistreated. It’s a win-win.”
“They don’t know any better. Maybe they want their freedom,” Ciana said, a bit of bite in her voice.
Jester chuckled. “I guess I need to further explain. Long ago, the village chief made a deal with the vampires. They were constantly being attacked by marauders and the village was being burned. He asked for the vampires’ protection, and as payment, they would allow them to feed off of them. It’s been this way for many many years now. Also, they’re not prisoners. They’re free to leave if they wish. They choose to stay. Some of them have fallen in love and become mates with vampires as well. If you’d like, you can visit the village and see it firsthand. Then you’ll understand better.”
“I admit, that does sound better. That they at least have a choice.” Jin walked to Chasen's side and smiled as he wrapped his large hand around her.
“Walking is so boring,” Ciana said as she kicked at a pebble on the path. “And it takes so loooonnnggg.”
“Sorry. We weren’t all blessed with wings.” Jester chuckled.
“You aren’t at all like I thought you would be,” Chasen said quietly.
Jester continued to look ahead and nodded. “I used to be different. I used to be someone to hate. I didn’t want to be that guy anymore. I wanted to be … me.”
Freja listened quietly, biting the inside of her lip. That was her. No wonder he understood her so well. Not too long ago, she had also been someone to hate, someone very different. Things started to change after her run-in with the fairy princess, and right after that, she met her mate. She smiled softly, feeling his warmth against her skin. What did she ever do to deserve him? She doubted there was ever a moment when he wasn't thinking of her, and it was the same for her now. She leaned her head into his side as they walked along. Hunter had changed her in ways that went beyond the mate bond. The way he looked at her showed her how important she was to him, and that made it easy to fall in love with him. Sure, he might have marked her without permission, but she would be forever thankful. He had forced her into the best thing that ever happened to her.
He gently rubbed her arm, and she looked up to see his silver eyes shining down at her. She smiled back. He was always checking on her, always making sure she was alright. She reluctantly admitted that if pairing them was the Moon Goddess' doing, then she truly was indebted to her. He was more than she ever felt she deserved.
“So how long is this trip going to take?” Ciana groaned as she dragged her feet along the path like a child refusing to walk.
Jin giggled as Jester answered, “We have another day's walk.”
“Ugh, another day of walking. I don’t know how you guys do it.” Ciana looked up at the sky wistfully. Flying was easy and fun. It was freedom. Nothing like being trapped on the ground and having to drag your feet along the dirt and thorns. She looked down at her feet and frowned, feeling sympathy for creatures who didn’t have wings.
Hunter gazed across a wide open field as they walked out from under the dense tree canopy. On the other side of that was another thick forest.
Jester pointed toward the other tree line. “We’ll camp there for the night.”
It had been one thing after another. Non-stop excitement, worry, and danger. Hunter was still in a great mood, though, despite having to go to meet with the vampires. Just earlier today, he thought his older brother was gone for good. Now, it was like having Brody back from the dead. Even though he hadn’t gotten to see him yet, just feeling his energy swirling inside him made him feel content. He knew Chasen must be feeling the same way, which probably accounted for how kind he was being to Jester. He was just in too good of a mood now.
When Sam heard where they were going, he wasn’t happy and had insisted on coming with them. However, Hunter knew he couldn’t very well march a werewolf army into vampire territory. It would look like a declaration of war. No, it was best to come as a small group. And hopefully, with Jester being with them, they would be well-received. If not, it was just another day in the life and death struggle that had become Hunter’s life. Good thing he was getting all of this excitement in now, while he was young. Hopefully, things would calm down when he got older. He chuckled inwardly at that. Knowing his family, life would always be interesting.
Jin made the wind dance around them as they walked through the field. It played with their hair and swirled around everyone. She was a bit bored, so she was having some fun.
“I could move us all on the wind, but I never can stick the landing, unless it’s just me. I’m afraid I’d let you all go splat.”
Chasen chuckled. “That’s quite alright, Jin. Call me traditional, but walking’s just fine with me.” Chasen looked up ahead at the trees they were approaching. He could feel the air shift around them as they entered into vampire territory. The energy changed and shifted as well. His senses began tingling with the heightened awareness of the dangerous area they’d entered. He looked over at Hunter, who was helping Freja collect firewood. He wasn’t sure what to expect of tomorrow's meeting, but he knew that no matter what, he would keep them safe. For some reason, though, he wasn’t overreacting like he normally would in this situation. Something inside him agreed with this move and almost encouraged it. This was Hunter’s calling as the King of the Werewolves, and it was his calling to protect him along the way.
Jester walked up to Chasen’s side. “Don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to them,” he said in a hushed tone. Chasen nodded and glanced at Jester.
“I usually don’t trust others this fast. But surprisingly, I trust you. Don’t make me regret it,” Chasen admitted, with a low threat at the end.
Jester laughed. “How good are you at hunting? Or are you too domesticated?” Jester raised his eyebrows with a smirk.
Chasen chuckled lowly. “You want to find out?”
“Yeah, I would. Let’s see if we can bring back dinner.” Jester looked over at Hunter. “Hold down the fort. We’re going hunting for dinner.”
Hunter turned and looked up from the wood he was getting ready to light. “Alright, sounds great. I haven’t eaten much thelast couple days and I am starving.” He turned his gaze to Chasen. “I’m so hungry I could eat a bear.” He grinned as Chasen chuckled lowly.
Chasen kissed Jin on the forehead and began walking away with Jester. “Better stick to your league, pup. You can’t eat what you can’t kill.” Chasen turned and followed Jester into the woods. He turned around once more and looked at Jin, then back at Hunter, who was already staring at him. A single nod passed between them, and Chasen disappeared in the thick brush.
