Page 12 of These Eternal Bones
“Others?” I breathe out, my heart pounding in my ear as he shifts closer, eating up all the air between us.
“Humans who hate beings like me.”
His thumb moves over the scar on my ring finger, tracing the outline as if he’s determined to memorize it. “I did not know there were beings like…you.”
All at once, his hold on me releases, reclining back to his bench in a swift movement. All the breath in my lungs releases at once, leaving me lightheaded and my heart fluttering. “Then perhaps things have changed a great deal more than I had thought.”
I watch him, trying and no doubt failing to hide the horror on my face. “I-I oh god–”
“Molly…”
Panic brackets in my chest, my eyes darting wildly as my stomach churns. Monsters are real,he…hewasn’t lying, the tales that shaped my childhood… the thingshetaught us to fear. And I’m trapped, being cared for by-
“Molly, it’s been over a month, yes?”
My eyes snap back to his, black and consuming, but for a moment, his question stills the rapid working of my lungs. I simply nod, words failing me.
“In all that time, you have felt safe, yes?”
My brows furrow, my knuckles white with their grip on the bodice of my dress as I weigh his words. The reality of them hitting me with an assuredness I hadn’t expected. “Yes.”
The man- er, thebeing,cannot hide his approval of my answer, his attention ripping from me to gaze at the passing trees through the window. “I admit, I know little of the world outside of Port Clyde, how times and people have changed, but you will come to no harm when I’m near.”
The clopping of hooves on rock and the jostling of the coach are the only sounds that follow his statement, the sudden lack of sound only adding to the strange way my stomach swirls, only this time it’snot nausea, but butterflies. What an alluring concept…to be safe with something I was taught to fear. I suppose that’s the biggest joke of all, mind bending, world shattering, panic aside…I have feltsafe,if not…cared for this past month. I was taught to trust, to adore, to lovehim…taught that there was no one better to love or admire…but I knew years before it was my time to be scared.
The being in front of me allows me to sit in silence, my mind spinning as I lean back, watching the trees with him.
Monsters are real.
I’ve escaped two of them.
Please Elric, don’t be the third.
8
A Vampire With a Name
Molly
I keep my head down, ensuring my copper-colored hair is tucked deep inside the hood of my cloak as Elric rounds the coach to open the door. His eyes consume every inch of my covered flesh, coveting every breath like he relies on it as he offers me his hand, his gloves discarded on the seat inside. My eyes are level with his chest by the time I step down onto the gray cobblestone road, the very one I ran along before veering into the woods. A very similar feeling is taking root in my gut now, one that screams at me to run. To hide and evade.
My cheeks flush as I dip my head in thanks. “Thank you for the ride, for everything, Elric.” But instead of letting me go, I gasp as his hand finds my lower back, steering me down the road.
My head snaps up, my eyes widening on the bold plum colored flag of the Tabot in the distance. “Oh god, I need–”
“Supplies, yes? I assume that’s why you’ve come.”
“No, I–”
My heart shudders as he stops cold. Suddenly, I’m aware of the eyes on us. Townspeople all but gawking in the street, drawing attention to… him. They’re staring at him. “I…have no coin, I need to go–”
“Coin is of no issue.”
My heart is whooshing in my ears, my head going light as my blood rushes around my skull. That’s when I feel it,him…inside me. Reaching and prodding. My mouth goes dry; panic again rearing its ugly head.
“Molly,” he breathes, his gloved hand brushing my cheek, upsetting my hood. “Your pulse is racing. Why?”
My feet act before I do, my mind swirling as I pivot and run. His voice is a growl as he calls out to me, everything soft gone, traded for liquid malevolence–a warning. My boots knock loudly against the dock as I barrel toward the closest boat. Old habits die hard, I suppose, as I rush into it, my heart slamming to my throat as a man steps out, making me collide against him. “Please, I-I have coin. I need to go now!” I plead, my hands shaking as I try to extract myself from his rough grip.
