I interrupt him before he can finish his sentence, not interested in what he has to say.
“What’s with the dhampir smell, Fynn?” I ask, my voice laced with a hint of disdain, like the creature’s scent is getting on my nerves as I arch an eyebrow.
“You can smell that? That’s incredible,” he says, both confused and impressed, his brow furrowing.
He tries to move in for another kiss, but I keep him at a distance. Fynn unknowingly confirmed my suspicions, and I have to know more.
“Yeah… and it’s not exactly a turn-on; if anything, it instills fear in me,” I respond.
Fuck, saved by the damn dhampir; who would have thought that? I gently push him off me as if his scent is the reason my whole mood is ruined.
“I… euh… shit, look, after you and I… well… I got struck with pain again just… a bit later; that’s why I left so suddenly. I felt it coming. I’m sorry, I should have told you… I collapsed on the road, and Faas, I mean, the dhampir, found me and made sure the sun wouldn’t kill me or some creature wouldn’t in my weakened state, and… we ended up talking the whole night, about Aurum and the Witch Wars. It was pretty interesting. I can tell you more about the Aurum if you’d like. I learned a lot, actually,” he smiles sheepishly.
I contemplate his words for a while; interestingly enough, the dhampir didn’t inform Fynn that I already know about Aurum; all blood witches do. It’s a significant part of our history and the evolution of our magic. I don’t understand why he didn’t jump on the opportunity to expose me immediately. I chew on my lower lip, realizing I’m stepping into dangerous territory here, but I’m so, so close.
“I’d love that, and Fynn, be careful around that dhampir; his sole purpose is to destroy other supernatural creatures. Including witches… like me…”
“He told me, yeah,” he says casually.
I raise an eyebrow at that; the statement is vague. I narrow my eyes at him when he doesn’t elaborate further. The last thing I need is for Fynn to befriend that damn abomination.
“You’ll be safe, I promise,” he says as he rests his head against mine.
“I would never let someone hurt you, Caria… I lo…” he pauses and then continues. “I just wouldn’t. Trust me on that.”
“Thank you, Fynn, for protecting me and keeping me safe.” I marvel at him.
As if a puny human like him could ever be an equal partner to a death witch like me. Without that damn Aurum, he’s nothing; I grind my teeth, holding back my urge to lash out sarcastically.
Instead, I kiss him softly, and he instantly melts into me. I gently push him away once more.
“Jodelle is waiting for you, silly,” I whisper sadly, my hands splayed across his chest, keeping him at a distance.
He draws a heavy breath,as if Jodelle is an annoyance right now, which I’m sure she is. He gives me another demanding kiss, then leaves me behind. When I’m certain he is out of sight, I run to the bathroom and start to retch. I gargle water to clean out my mouth while my shadows rub against my skin to erase whatever is still lingering on me. I can’t believe what I got myself into. It was supposed to be a simple task: get the boy to fall in love with me. I was not prepared for this many pawns all moving on the same playing field. The Umbra, who’s supposed to be just a legend, the dhampir who arrived out of thin air, his damn twin sister soul-bonding with the strongest being alive. All ofthem complicate things—their involvement puts my life at stake, without them even knowing.
The whole place is empty when I return to the counter, almost as if all thecustomers have fled the inn. My eyes land on the pale man sitting in the middle, who is the reason for their immediate departure. His unnatural green eyes snap up, locking onto mine. I suppress a yelp.
“Ah, youngling, I was hoping I’d find you here,” he says with a broad smile, his impressive canines glinting.
“Young Fynn was nice enough to spill your name to me when he and I had a chat last night, and let's say the folks around here were more than eager to point me in your direction. You and I need to talk, death witch.”
I gasp, my eyes widening as he draws near.
“Caria,” he says my name with a rollingr, and a shiver slithers down my spine. “Such a lovely name, for a pretty witch. No wonder the young human is so smitten with you.”
I keep my eyes fixed on the dhampir. I don’t know where Reiner is, but I hope he is nearby. I’m scanning the area as he approaches, but there’s no way for me to get past the dhampir and escape. He’s faster and stronger; even with my shadows around to protect me, he’ll catch me. I snarl at him. In return, he tsks at me.
“Please don’t search for escape routes, little death witch; I’m not here to cause harm; as I said, I just want to talk. Why do all of you creatures always assume the worst of me?” he pouts, pretending to be offended by the fact that I want to flee and get away from him, a natural survival instinct.
“I know you’re important to Fynn, and he made me promise not to touch you. It’s adorable. He’s very fond of you; you handled that cleverly. So, I’ll comply with his request…for now.”
The monster in front of me picks at his nails, seemingly bored as he speaks to me. I furrow my brows at him, then even my breathing, willing my nerves to calm down. I don’t know what the hell Fynn did or said last night, but it had some effect, at least enough to keep me safe… for now, as the dhampir said.
“Fine,” I say through clenched teeth, “start talking, you monstrosity.”
He chuckles at it. “No need for hostility. You and I are going to help each other out.”
Not a query but a statement. I swallow the saliva pooling in my mouth as my throat feels drier than a piece of parchment. I raise my eyebrows in question.
