“Yeah.” He caresses the back of my head as his earlier anger dissipates, my hair slipping through his fingers, and pulls me in for a kiss. I appreciate his silent apology.
“Adults told us those fables when we were kids to keep us away from places we shouldn’t go. Just some bullshit to keep us in line. Manni probably heard the same shit when she was younger.” He kisses me again, briefly and on the corner of my mouth, before pulling away. “Are you sure you weren’t just tired after the bloodbank, and that what Manni said had freaked you out more than you realised?”
There it is—the self-doubt. It rises as he attempts to connect the dots between my lack of blood and sleep.
I shake my head. “No. It wasreal.”
He gently cradles my cheeks with calloused hands. “Alright, I believe you.” Tears slip unexpectedly from my eyes, and he brushes them away. “It could be one of Serun’s watchers. Who knows what they’re cooking up in the fucking Undercity?” Another stroke of his thumbs wipes away fresh tears before they spill. “I don’t like the idea of that monster lurking above your bed.”
“It seemed weak. The creature tried to open the vent, but after I tightened two of the screws, it gave up and moved on.” He cocks his head to the side, questioning. To hide my lie, I lean into his warmth and say, “I was scared for you. Your vent was still unscrewed.”
“Saya,” he says, kissing my lips. This time, his tongue slips inside, meeting mine—hesitant but there, grazing against his silk. When he pulls away, he presses hisforehead to mine and says, “I’ll secure my vent tonight. Besides, we’ve got other shit to worry about. Like the private room.”
I quietly nod as two Bleeders enter the courtyard and announce that night will rise soon. As we make our way inside, Emily skips up next to me, nudging her elbow against my arm. “Are you alright?”
“Yes. We talked about tonight.” I face forward, linking arms with Emily, when I notice Cole beside me. His eyes narrow, and the deep, apprehensive look twitches across his face as we walk silently to our room. As soon as we get inside, Cole disappears under the covers.
I linger by the closed door, studying the vent, my hands clenching into trembling fists.
“Dan wants to come as well!” Emily blurts before quickly covering her mouth with her hands. She sits cross-legged on her bed, trembling with excitement.
Manni peers down from the top bunk. “You never could keep your mouth shut, Em!”
Emily tips her head back, drops her shoulders and whines, “The sex was too good!”
I sigh. “Are you coming?” I ask Manni.
She leans back in her bunk. Dark eyes fall to her lap, and her hands grip the rough sheets. “I don’t know. Vinny died on our last run, and as much as we knew it was a risk, Jax didn’t even care. Not even a ‘sorry for your loss’ when we all know that if something happened to you, he’d burn this place down.” She slumps back, and the bed springs creak against rusted metal. “I just can’t seem to trust him completely. What if I’m the next Vinny?”
“No,” I say. “I won’t let that happen. We will all hold hands to make sure we stick together.”
She laughs. “Sure, Saya…I like the sound of that. Survive the private room tonight…Then, we escape together.”
Emily giggles. “Youwillsurvive the private room. And when we escape, I’ll be holding Dan’s hand.”
Manni gets settled and rolls onto her side, eyeing me worriedly. “Are you gonna rest before dinner, Saya?”
Crossing the room should have taken a moment, but it feels like traversing galaxies. I finally reach for the bunk, and Cole gives me a funny look. Before he can question my awkwardness, I scramble to the top bunk and sink as deep as I can into the mattress, wishing I were the sheets as I stare into the darkness of the vent.
“Saya,” Cole whispers. “Can you chill down here with me? I want to hear one of your stories. The ones you told me when I was younger.”
“I thought you hated them,” I whisper back.
There is a pause, and after a long breath, he admits, “This might be my last night with you. I’d like to hear a story.”
Shuffling off the top bunk, I sit beside him and lean against the metal bars. “What one did you want to hear?”
“I liked the story about the lone traveller.”
“The daywalker?” I say with a lifted brow, and he nods.
Daywalker. It has been a while since I’ve told those tales. Back then, I’d have done anything to improve my situation. I wanted to tell a story about myself because I didn’t know where I belonged. Am I human or a nightwalker? Where’s my dad? Whoismy dad? So, with little tono answers, I created my own stories to feel less alone. This was what Cole fell asleep to when he was younger.
Cole looks away, a hint of a smile on his face when he says, “You can even make some bullshit up. Just keep talking so I don’t forget your voice.”
I lean back and settle as comfortably as I can against the bars. “There was once a daywalker who didn’t burn in the sun. Fierce, strong, and—” Whatever comes to mind spills out, regardless of whether it makes sense.
We aren’t here for the story.
