Chapter 26
"We can't stay here for much longer," Kelly says.
I load my plate up with another helping of cheese, fruit, and French bread. The platter of softened butter has found a permanent home next to my plate, and I swipe up my knife to generously add a layer to the bread.
Fiona watches me from across the table in silence. A single cracker and slice of cheese lay next to one another on her plate, both of them as untouched as when Kelly served them to her. She shifts in her chair and glances at Bogdan. I think he terrifies her.
"We've been keeping a close eye on Leo's group," Kelly continues when no one responds. "To put it lightly, they feel the act of retrieving Fiona was an act of war – one they would like to rectify."
Fiona's focus shifts to Kelly and their eyes lock. The hunger in Kelly's gaze is palpable. Fiona must notice it too, because she quickly looks away with a blush deep enough to light a small town. It's not the first time Kelly has looked at her like this. When he was human, every time their eyes locked you could feel the love coursing between them.
But now he's immortal, and to Fiona, that makes all the difference in the world.
"You think they're trying to find a way to get Fiona back?" I ask through a mouthful of bread.
Kelly grudgingly tears his eyes away from Fiona's delicate features and shakes his head. "Not quite. If they can get Fiona back, that will just be a bonus. But it's not their main mission."
"What is?" I ask with a sinking suspicion that I already know the answer.
"To capture you, Finn."
I swallow down the bite of bread crust, its corners jabbing me on its way down my throat. This shouldn't come as a surprise. I'm sure word got around Leo's camp that it was me who saved Fiona. Besides, I'm a Nirv. That alone is a strike against me.
The fact that I saved Fiona?
Strike two.
The added perk that one of their leaders allowed me to escape in order for me to save Fiona? A definite strike three.
I pick at the bread in my hand. I know I shouldn't care what happens to Leo, but I find myself stifling down guilt for the possibility of him being punished because he let me escape too. Is he now Mark's captive? Or did he find a way to explain himself? The latter seems more likely, and my guilt turns to apprehension realizing he's probably the one leading the rebellion towards us.
"So what's the plan?" I ask.
"We will leave tomorrow night," Bogdan answers.
His voice is always quiet, and yet it commands the attention of all us. It seems I'm not the only one who's susceptible to his confidence and dominating presence. Kelly leans in to hear Bogdan's plan. Even Fiona's posture straightens as she waits for him to elaborate.
"They're trying to locate us through the immortal detectors," Bogdan explains. "And they're getting closer every day. I would give it another two days before they're at my doorstop."
"Yea, but when that day comes, I'd much prefer not to give them the satisfaction of being here," Kelly adds dryly.
Bogdan nods, and his red eyes zero in on me. "My sentiments precisely..."
_______________________
It only takes a moment for me to notice Bogdan standing there, and I become rigid waiting for him to speak. He leans against the doorway to my room, crossing his legs at the ankles.
"Come take a walk with me," he says quietly.
I shuffle off the bed and slip into my tennis shoes. They're becoming worn, the sole thinning to the point of falling away from the rest of the shoe. I give myself a sideways glance in the mirror. My face is gaunt from sporadic meals and constantly being on the move. I'm sure when the two of us stand next to one another, I look like as plain as wallpaper compared to Bogdan's haunting beauty.
Now that I think of it, though, Bogdan probably isn't attracted to me like that. Yes, he craves the taste of my blood, but physically I don't even reach the cusp of his radar. I stuff my hands in my pockets and follow Bogdan out of the bedroom.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Fiona's bedroom door closing slowly. Kelly's voice resonates from inside the room and I squint. Did Fiona invite him inside?
Bogdan opens the grand front door and ushers me out of the house.
"Why are we taking a walk?" I ask.
He adjusts the ties to his cloak and nods for me to continue. The two of us walk in silence until we're a good distance away from the house.
"It's Kelly's first feeding," Bogdan finally replies in a whisper. "He needs privacy."
Mixed feelings rise within me. Part of me is glad that Kelly and Fiona are getting a chance to talk, to possibly rekindle what they used to have in a new way. The other part of me is worried sick for her. This is her first face to face feeding, after all. She has no idea what to expect, and after all she's been through, the anxiety she must be feeling...
I shake my head, trying to will away the thoughts. There's nothing I can do about it right now. Even if I wanted to stop Kelly, I couldn't. It's not like going in to a holding room and freeing Fiona from other humans. This is trying to prevent an immortal from feeding – a different game entirely.
A cool breeze sneaks up behind me, tickling my arms until I cross them over my chest and huddle away from it as best I can. The cobblestone pathway leads us up a small bridge, the kind that reminds me of the opening scene of a chilling nightmare. Cobwebs spiral around the branches of the trees looming overhead. A crisp leaf falls from a low-hanging branch, and the wind catches it as it makes its escape. The other houses along the street are dark and desolate. Only the faint street light at the end of the bridge provides light to this edge of the immortal realm.
"Why are you afraid, human?" Bogdan whispers, tucking his hands behind his back while we walk.
I sigh. How nice must it be for him to never have to guess how I'm feeling. He can smell it in my blood; he already knows.
"This place is creepy," I admit.
"Why – because it looks abandoned?" Bogdan asks, glancing around his street. "If anything, that should be a comfort, human."
He's right of course. The fact that none of these houses look occupied should be a good thing. Yet I still can't shake being afraid. The emotion seems to be sewn into my very being.
We walk down a few more houses, nothing but the heels of our shoes clicking down the cobblestone pathway. The timid streetlight is long gone now, and now the only thing guiding our way is the translucent hues of Bogdan's fiery gaze. The color reminds me of his hunger, and I take a deep breath before once again broaching the subject of Leo.
"So about what I said earlier," I venture hesitantly. "About Leo."
Bogdan stiffens beside me, and there's a pause to his step. When he doesn't say anything to stop me, I continue.
"I'm...I'm sorry," I say. "I'm sorry I kissed him. It was. I don't know. I was scared. And, and I thought it could help me escape."
My voice tapers off. Is there more to that I need to say? The reason I kissed Leo truly was with the sole intention of finding my freedom. But what I leave out in my apology is that during the kiss, a few sparks still managed to fly between us.
Bogdan is quiet for a moment and then comes to a stop near the end of the road. Another bridge is just a few feet ahead of us, this one even longer and creepier than the last. His gaze swivels to meet mine, and my stomach quivers when I drink in the undiluted jealousy radiating off his features.
It's the first time I've seen this look on him. My breathing quickens and my knees feel wobbly.
"You still desire him," Bogdan says icily. "I could feel it when you kissed."
He takes a step towards me and I shudder. Goosebumps radiate across my skin, trailing along the nape of my neck and into my scalp. I stay statuesquely still as he raises his arm and trails his fingers lightly against the side of my neck. When the pads of his fingertips slide over the holes on my skin, a streak of heat travels through my veins.
"I was possessive over you before, human," Bogdan whispers silkily. "But now that I've fed on you – truly fed on you – my emotions have worsened."
"H-how so?"
Bogdan takes the needed step towards me to close the distance between us. His fingers slide under my chin, firmly holding me in place with nothing more than the pads of his fingertips.
"I could feel it when he looked at you," he explains, and the anger ebbing away the calmness in his voice makes me shiver. "That he wanted you. And when he kissed you..."
Bogdan closes his eyes, and his nostrils flare as if remembering the scene all over again.
"If he lays a hand on you again," he warns after a moment of silence. "I will either kill him or trade him to another immortal for your protection."
He doesn't say it to be romantic. He says it prove a point. To prove that I am his and his alone. Forever. It's not because he is in love with me; it's because he can't survive without me. My blood is now his addiction, his treasure. And as pathetic as it sounds, his words mean more than a thousand love poems combined.
I tentatively reach up to touch his face. Cool, marble skin brushes against my fingertips and Bogdan's anger softens with curiosity.
"I don't recognize this emotion, human," he whispers, squinting into my eyes.
I stand on my tip toes and lean into him, pressing a soft kiss against the edges of his lips. My chest squeezes tightly and I wrap my arms around his broad, sturdy shoulders.
"That's okay," I respond. "Eventually, you will."