Freya couldn't hide her fluster. She wanted answers and she wanted them now... But she also didn't want to yell at the only person who had been nothing but the epitome of a gentleman so far. Suddenly she had found herself in quite a deadlock.
They had ridden until a small cave came into view. The woods were still quite thick, but not enough, so moonlight could light the area a little. They quickly dismounted and prepared a small camp inside. There was enough place for their bags and furs but not enough for them to have even a smattering taste of privacy. All three of them could rest there easily, but the woman couldn't hide her scowl at the thought of Qadir joining them.
"The thought about him joining us here makes me want to puke," she muttered. "Does he have to accompany us at all? You look capable enough for me as a vampire bodyguard..."
"Aren't you the sweetest, Princess?" Leander replied with a smirk.
"I don't understand what his deal is... It's not that I did something for him to dislike me so much. Far from it, that should be me giving him... Well, frankly... You both, quite a hell for your arrogant request," she stated her thoughts aloud, hoping for the vampire to engage in this conversation.
He did. "Yes, you should. That's the thing that surprised me the most when it comes to your person..." He smiled while arranging their camp. "But you appeared to be the pleasantest of pleasant surprises."
Freya chuckled. "Now, who's the sweetest?"
"I think we can already agree, that among the sweet things, we're both cherries on top." He winked making Freya strangely warm inside.
"I guess we both are..." Freya admitted with a blush.
They walked outside, assessing their setting. The area was quite charming, even in the dark. There was a small space in front of the cave making the perfect spot for the fireplace. The vines growing on the solid rock were enough protection from the sunlight, once the day was in their peak. The nearby boscage was good enough for some privacy if they were to relieve themselves.
The area was the perfect spot for camping, making Freya reminiscing some of her lonely ones. Every time in the wild woods she was alone—escaping from the constant reprimands her stepmother used to give her. She also didn't have a friend who might want to accompany her on these kinds of outings. Giselle was her closest person, but she wasn't the hunting or camping sort of woman. To be honest, none of the women she met were.
All of her life the constant feeling of not belonging accompanied her. She was too wild and emancipated to feel good at the palace, but she was too much of a royal with her father's bastard daughter label to feel good among the common people. If she was to choose, she would gladly stay far away from the palace's grounds, but her father's love and her own feelings toward him and her siblings made her choose them instead.
Persistently misunderstood, wild and lonely, she used to escape to her beloved forest, where nature was a more gentle company. There was nothing judgmental about the seemingly endless calm of life. The repeated cycles of dormancy and regrowth were a welcome relief for Freya compared to the unpredictable expectations placed on her on a daily basis.
Sometimes, she truly wished to be just a leaf on the tree's crown. She would have some company at least.
The Prince was on his knees preparing a small fireplace. He didn't look in her direction focused on the task at hand. "Sadly, I'm afraid we both don't have any say in the matter of him joining us. He's our company because my brother said so, therefore it's a law... However would that displease me," finally he spoke and after one more look at his finished job he stood up and turned to face the woman. "I believe I owe you some explanations, though."
Freya sighed, "Yes, you do."
He sat on the rock big enough to accommodate two adult people and gestured for her to come closer. "Come. Sit with me."
Freya hesitated for a moment but quickly calculated that there was nothing beneficial in her standing there like a post—she was exhausted after all. Without breaking eye contact, she approached the Prince and calmly sat next to him focusing on the small flames in front of them.
"I have never actually explained to you how we feed. I'm sorry," he said softly joining in her admiration. "That was stupid and naive of me to think you don't need that kind of knowledge at this point."
Freya adjourned her gaze from the fireplace to Leander's face. So damn handsome... He looked genuine and gave her the sense of a person truly caring about his conversation partner's feelings.
"We can drink animal food and be sated, yes. After all, without this particular ability, our entire species would rather go extinct, or wipe out the entire human population and then go extinct..." He paused for a moment. "But once in a while, we need to feed from humans. It's essential for our sanity. The human blood—nothing can replace that."
"How often do you have to feed on humans?" She asked.
"It varies depending on the specific vampire, but the general rule is that younger ones have to do it quite often. Their control over their thirst is gained over a few decades usually."
"Is it what is happening here?" Freya asked with caution. "For Qadir to need human blood?"
Leander quirked his lips. "Unfortunately."
"What about it, then?" She dwelled on the subject.
Leander looked at her with what looked like pity. "He needs to feed."
Freya swallowed loudly. "And how do you plan to make it happen? Do I have to offer myself to him?" The thought was outrageous but if Qadir was to suddenly turn on random people, Freya could imagine herself standing in his way with her veins.
He road her face with his gaze just to stop at her neck. If Qadir ever looked at her like that, she would probably kick his ass for even thinking about her veins, but somehow Leander's company gave her the exact opposite feeling.
"You don't have to do a thing, Freya." His eyes landed on hers eventually. "Keep your precious body to yourself. He'll feed in the city."
"What?" Freya inquired sharply. "Not my people, Lee, I beg you."
He sighed. "He must. Believe me. It's not a matter of choice. It's a matter of when and this has to happen before we enter the ship." A quick apologetic glance from the Prince didn't calm her nerves this time.
"What about now? Where did you send him?"
"He's hunting... For animals, don't worry." He quickly explained seeing her panicked expression. "That gives him some extra time, but not much. We hella miscalculated with this one."
Like it should comfort her.
"Does he..." The thought was so hard for her to say aloud. "Does he kill while feeding?"
If Leander wanted to hide his true thoughts he did a very poor job out of it, because his scowl told her everything.
"He does kill, doesn't he?" She whispered. "Oh, gods..."
Leander took her hand in a calming manner. "He had some incidents in his past..." He started, visibly trying to sound gently. "But in Carda, I'm personally overseeing things. I will be there to watch over him and take action if he's too far."
Freya wasn't sure if that part reassured her enough, but she felt a bit better at the thought that Leander was going to supervise him. She had to believe he would have it under control.
Now, she understood where the forest track came from and what motivated this decision. It was easy for her to forget about danger. So far, she hadn't caught any dangerous vibes from her companions but what was at the moment more clear, was the fact that she would be more exposed to danger if not for the Prince himself. Freya didn't see it until now, but he was like a guardian, watching over the other vampire's behavior and controlling the outcome.
"What about you?" She murmured.
Leander stood up, leaving the place near Freya strangely cold and empty. He was in front of her—standing so close, that she had to raise her head to have a good look at his face. His gaze was piercing and seemed to set the woman on fire. Then, he kneeled on the ground between her slightly parted legs, making their noses almost touching.
"You don't need to be afraid of me." He whispered. "...Nor your people or any people in general." He took one of her loose strands and put it behind her ear. The shivers overwhelmed her by that tender gesture. "I can control myself pretty nicely and because I'm much older, therefore much experienced, I don't need blood that often."
Freya's heartbeat was probably very unhealthy at the moment, but she couldn't make herself escape his haunting company. She didn't want to.
"How old are you, then?" She asked.
"One hundred and thirty-three years old, " he replied.
Freya gasped. "That's... That's a lot of winters..."
Leander chuckled, "I'm not even at the peak of my age and power yet. Don't be so cruel, darling."
Freya smiled as if to assure her of her good intentions. "I'm not trying to be. I guess I do have a lot to learn about you people."
"Yes, you surely do—"
"But even though I know so little, one thing is quite clear to me." She briefly focused on his lips but bounced back to these insanely dark eyes. "I'm not afraid... Of you, I mean."
The prince reciprocated, looking at her lips for a moment. "Besides my previous assurance... Why?"
"It's so easy to trust you, Leander... So easy not to be afraid."
He leaned even deeper, being now only inches away from her. "Even knowing that I could just..." His hand caressed her neck, undraping her bare skin from the rest of the loose hair. "...That it could be so quick to dive in." His thumb touched her skin making little circles giving Freya goosebumps all over her body.
"Even then," she whispered, never taking eyes off his face—now so focused on the smoothness of her skin. Freya couldn't understand what was happening between them, but she was pretty sure that she didn't want it to stop.
He was so close... Freya could feel his breath on her skin and hear the gulp of his throat when he stared at her bare neck. That should give her a warning. It definitely should. Somehow though, all she could think of was his closeness, his fingers against her skin, and the way he caressed her.
So delicately, so intimately.
Suddenly, his thumb was replaced by his lips. The movement was so fast, that she needed a few seconds to understand what was happening. The touch was delicate though—so desirably addicting, that her hand landed on his hair without thinking, drawing him closer.
His lips were only brushing, but the mere gesture sent shivers all over her body. His caress was soft—so very gentle. She would never suspect him to be such a dangerous predator basing her knowledge only on his way of dabbing.
"You should be scared, little human. You shouldn't trust me this easily," he whispered, now lip-touching her ear.
Freya was no stranger to man's touch. She had never shared a bed, but she had a few kisses and maybe some wandering fingers on her body along the way. Goosebumps. Shivers. Delicate pleasure... But that was nothing... Absolutely nothing compared to this feeling—this kind of caress. She never wanted this to stop and even the cold thought that she was supposed to marry another didn't stop her from enjoying this moment.
She moaned.
She fucking moaned.
And that was like a bucket of icy water for Leander. He retreated, looking as if it cost him a significant amount of strength and self-control. His eyes were deep black and focused purely on her. Freya had no doubt he was feeling the same—like it was a barbaric sin to stop, whatever it was.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have..." He started, looking ashamed and quite confused, making Freya feel like it was her mesmerizing him. Not the other way around.
She cleared her throat to gather the thoughts wreaking havoc in her head. "I guess that could count for one hell of a demonstration, don't you agree?" She asked teasingly.
His eyes told her all she needed to know about how truly confused and lost he's been. Quickly though, he came to his senses like suddenly remembering his task. Deliver her to his brother. The king she was supposed to marry.
"Come, princess. You should get some rest. I know you're exhausted." He pointed at the furs inside the cave.
"I'm perfectly fine, thank you," she responded acting more strongly than she had felt. And she felt a lot of emotions right now—starting with undoubtful lust, ending with a weird disappointment linked with the Prince's sudden disruption.
"I have eyes, you know," he laughed, trying to bring their usual light atmosphere. "You cannot lie to me. Come. I will be back shortly with some food."
She gave up her acting. Not very helpful with this man, it seemed. "Be quick and wake me after you're back."
"As you wish, my lady." His brief smile was all the encouragementshe needed to enter the cave and lay on the furs. Freya didn't have much timeto consider her emotions. She fell asleep immediately.