A bouquet of pleasant scents filled my nose; green tea, flowers, damp earth, and something subtle I couldn't entirely place.
Pleasant as the scents were, however, they didn't smell like home, which woke me up with a start.
I blinked my eyes open to a wooden ceiling—not like a house, but like an actual living tree. It was quite dark in the room, as all the drapes were shut. Outside, the wind howled. Branches creaked and leaves rustled, but our tree house stood unwavering and firm. It was old and strong enough to withstand the raging storm.
I was in the fey woods.
With the vampire.
That was the hint of unfamiliar sweetness I smelled in the sheets, blending in with the various flowers that adorned the walls. The vampire himself was nowhere to be seen, but I knew the fey wouldn't let him leave their domain.
It only reassured me a little. The vampire had plenty of ways to be a pain in the ass without leaving the woods or even the treehouse. I didn't expect him to try to kill me or any of the fey. But falling asleep beside a vampire still seemed like the kind of decision someone with a death wish would make.
Yet... I also felt something had shifted in the treehouse while I was asleep. A storm raged, but the treehouse felt exceptionally calm. It seemed the woods no longer harboured any ill will or ambivalent feelings towards Etienne now. Me falling asleep beside the vampire and him leaving me in peace had calmed the fey woods. Either that, or Etienne had stupidly tried to leave anyway and was dead now.
I knew the vampire must've slept in the bed, else his scent wouldn't still linger like an unwanted guest who didn't understand he'd overstayed his welcome. I shifted myself in a sitting position and then stood, getting away from the bed and Etienne's scent. It was bad enough that I had to admit to myself he appealed to my most primal senses while we were in a place that looked like a honeymoon destination.
The stairs creaked. Etienne ascended the stairs with a steaming cup of tea in his hands. He smirked at me. "Good morning, wolf."
"You're cheerful," I said. "What are you so cheerful about? We're in the fey woods far away from Pinewood last I checked."
Etienne clacked his tongue. "Oh, come on. You're not telling me you're more broody than a vampire now? There's lots of wildlife for you to hunt in these woods. That's what you like, no? Sniffing the trees and running after things? Deer, balls, fire trucks?"
I snorted, but Etienne wasn't entirely wrong. Not in the last place because I needed to find something to eat soon. I had dinner last night, but in my haste to get away from Pinewood I hadn't considered we wouldn't have food in here. At home, I'd simply hunt, but I wasn't sure if I was allowed to do that in the fey woods.
I glanced at Etienne. "Do you need to eat... or drink?" I asked him.
Etienne's smile grew. "Aw, look at your misplaced fussing. I'm good for a week. Vampires are much more efficient than you wolves... Unless you're asking because you want to play fetch and bring me something alive here as a gift?"
The vampire's remarks were sharp as ever, but his tone was lighter. Less snarky. I didn't know if I liked it. Maybe it was our environment making me feel weird. Probably it was his cent. Sniffing him had definitely been a big mistake.
Etienne walked closer to the bed, jutting the cup of tea in my direction. "Here."
I narrowed my eyes, breathing in deeply and smelling the tea. There were many poisonous plants in these woods, after all.
Etienne rolled his eyes. "Do you think these fey would let me mess with your tea? For beings that are said to be mischievous, they really hate fun."
"It concerns me you're implying you would consider messing with the tea if the fey weren't here," I said as I accepted the tea from his hands. "I can get used to this kind of service, though."
"Don't get too used to it," Etienne retorted. "You're still trying your best to send me home as soon as possible, after all."
His smile stayed pleasant, but some of that old sting was back in his voice. I decided to ignore it and shrugged. "If you're home, you don't have to deal with angry sentient trees or angry werewolves. Then again, vampires don't like each other either, so maybe you'd rather be thrown to the wolves."
A sardonic smile appeared on Etienne's face. "It's not so much a matter of liking each other as it is a matter of having a strict hierarchy to follow. You already know how it works."
"Yes, the older the better," I said. "Is there really no way to rise in ranks at all except wait until some older vampires die off or new vampires are turned?"
Etienne sighed. "It's not just age, wolf. But if I had to explain the intricacies of vampire society to your more... primal brain, we'd still be here next week. Let's say that if you are accomplished, you can also 'rise in ranks', as you so eloquently call it."
"And what does accomplished mean?" I asked. "Biting a lot of people? Finding new vampires? Helping other vampires finding new vampires?"
That could be his motive. Increasing his social standing by turning Pinewood's townsfolk. I discarded the thought quickly. That made little sense. If it was numbers Etienne and the other vampires were after, then there were much easier targets than the secluded and well-protected population of a werewolf forest. And while vampires and werewolves didn't like each other, we also didn't have a strong enough conflict that we sought each other out or went out of our way to fight.
Etienne rolled his eyes, but didn't respond to my questions.
"Are you even intending on going home? Should you get what you want here?" I wondered out loud.
Etienne's eyes widened in surprise for a split second before he scoffed. "Of course I will go home. I don't intend to spend my life living in your disgusting, musky pigsty."
I raised an amused brow. "Interesting that you think I'll let you into my house again after our month is up."
"Oh, but I would live with my boyfriend," Etienne shot back playfully. "With who else? What will the town say if you leave me out on the street?"
"I'll tell them we broke up, and you cheated on me, leaving me utterly heartbroken. You'll get chased out of Pinewood with pitchforks."
"Good. It'll feel just like home."
"People chased you out with pitchforks at home?" I asked. "Do they hate you that much? Not that I don't understand."
In the blink of an eye, our joking conversation was suddenly over. Etienne's smile grew rigid. "You certainly do not understand," he bit.
The temperature in the tree house dropped below zero. His moods seemed particularly mercurial every time the topic was his home, and it was really becoming noticeable.
"Can't you help me understand, then?" I asked.
"No." Etienne pressed his lips to a thin line, then turned abruptly and walked downstairs.
I set my tea down on the nightstand and followed him down to the living room. "You really don't seem to like your home," I said. "And you seem to do everything to stay away from it, even trying to live among the humans. Why is that?"
Etienne rolled his eyes up to the ceiling and sighed dramatically. "I know social rules and words in general are terribly difficult for you wolves to learn. But when people walk away, it means they don't want to talk to you—it doesn't mean follow them like a lost little puppy whining for attention."
"I just want to know what's going on," I persisted. "You almost seem scared at times when you speak about the other vampires."
There was a dangerous glint in Etienne's red eyes and his lip curled up, revealing sharp fangs. He no longer responded to my prodding.
"Is this—going to Pinewood—an attempt at escaping your home?" I asked anyway.
I knew I was really trying my luck now, and I did remember all too well that Etienne was discussing his plans with my town on the phone with someone. My mind told me his probably wasn't an escape attempt, but my instincts caught every sign of a cornered animal.
While I'd already expected to be met with more snarling, Etienne really looked pissed off now. He stepped closer to me. "I kept my fangs to myself around your children, and I played nice with you. But don't think that means you know anything about me," he hissed.
Despite Etienne being close enough now to catch his scent, which was dangerous as it sent pleasant tingles down my spine, I refused to step back. "I do know some things about you by now," I said. "That the fey woods decided you're not that bad, for example."
A hint of surprise flickered in Etienne's red eyes. He glanced at our surroundings and scowled.
"And I know the pups trust you. Though that may just be because they're reckless," I continued.
"The little furballs don't know what's good for them," Etienne muttered in agreement.
"And I know that you're not here with me willingly," I concluded.
Etienne stared at me with a blank expression, but in his eyes I read pain. Then, the emotion disappeared, and he smirked at me. "Whatever do you mean, love? Why wouldn't I be here willingly with my dear boyfriend on a romantic trip in the fey woods?"
It was over. When the vampire got like this, his mask fully up again, I wouldn't get anywhere anymore.
Flashing me a sultry smile, Etienne placed his hand on my chest and brushed his fingers up to my shoulder. The gesture wasn't meant as flirting. Etienne was only trying to rile me up, to gain control of the situation again by flustering me. This was a power struggle, and I hated how part of me didn't mind. I hated it even more how, despite knowing damn well what the vampire was doing, my mouth went dry anyway at our proximity and his hand gently resting on my shoulder.
We stood there in the living room, silent and seemingly both waiting for the other to make their move. To break eye-contact first. To concede and step back.
That was when the door behind Etienne swung open, revealing an utterly shocked Ivana.