Page 25 of Making Haven
Fuck. I grip my hair, tugging on the strands until my scalp prickles with pain. The pain seems to get things moving, unfreezing myself from the spot.
No, none of this is right. None of this is okay.
I need Devin.
The time that he’s been here has been some of the best since the world went to shit and there’s no way I’m just letting him go. Devin is worth fighting for.
I’ll find him, yell at him, tell him how I’m actually feeling, and if he still wants to leave, then so be it. But there’s no way I’d ever be able to forgive myself if I just let him go without somesort of fight, especially because he seems like he’s not in the right headspace to be making these types of decisions.
God, I hope I’m right.
Her Majesty rubs herself against my leg, looking up at me with wide eyes. She gives me an incredibly pitiful meow that tugs at my heart. Reaching down, I give her a quick scratch.
“Don’t worry,” I tell her softly, “I’ll bring him home.”
As I make my way outside, my chest does a little flip, almost like my heart is beating once more. Home. I called this place Devin’s home. Things changed between us so gradually that I barely even noticed it happening. One moment he was an antagonizing asshole and the next I have genuine feelings for him. I want him here. I want him to see this place as his home as well.
God, how the hell did things get so fucked up?
If I wasn’t sure about my feelings before, now they’re cemented. I care about Devin. Imagining life without him here is almost unbearable. I have to get him back because I don’t know what I’ll do if I don’t. I don’t even let myself think about coming back home without him.
The stars twinkle above, giving me the illusion of a beautiful night if it weren’t for Devin’s escape act. This is the type of night I would usually share with him. I would tend the bees and he’d sit on the back porch with Her Majesty to watch on. He hides his soft sides but when he doesn’t know I’m looking, I see the soft smiles and softened edges.
This can’t be the end.
I make my way to the gate, slipping through it easily. I tilt my face up, breathing in deeply. It might be creepy to track someone using my vampire senses but I don’t care. Devin’s always known what I am and hasn’t had an issue with it recently. I’m going to use every advantage granted to me.
Maybe being a vampire isn’t a curse if it keeps the people I care about safe.
I know this area like the back of my hand and even though Devin has a head start, I’m much faster. I should be able to catch up to him quickly. Once I have his scent and the general direction he was heading, I’m off.
Devin and I have been in this direction before. This is where we go when we want to bathe in the creek. My stomach is a mess of worried anxiety but also warm as I think about shaving Devin’s face, watching him bathe, seeing him naked.
I’m so distracted by everything that’s happened tonight and the thoughts jumping around inside my skull that I don’t notice the scents in the air until it’s too late.
Humans.
I cry out in pain as a trap snaps around my right leg. I look down, my eyes wide as I stare at the metal contraption holding onto my leg. It’s similar to a bear trap but something manmade, thank fuck, otherwise my leg might be too far gone to try to save.
What little blood I have in my system sluggishly wells up against my skin, dripping down my leg below the trap. The pain makes my vision white out, fuzzy dots dancing around the edges.
I don’t remember experiencing pain like this before and it takes everything in me to bite down on my bottom lip instead of screaming. I can’t alert the owner of this trap that they’ve caught something. I can’t let zombies hear easy prey.
God fucking damn it.
I breathe in through my nose, ignoring how shaky the noise is as I lean down, trying to find a switch or something to get this thing to let go. I can’t get my body to stop shaking and I realize I’m going into shock. I’m avampirefor fuck’s sake, this willnotbe the thing that ends me.
Not finding anything, I reach my fingers into the damn thing. Using every ounce of strength I possess, I pry it apart and flingit away from my body. My pants are ripped, showing off my pale skin dripping with dark blood.
Who the fuck laid this trap? Who the fuck is invading our area? What was their intended prey?
My head is growing foggy from the pain, but it’s fine, I can push through it. I take another step. Then another in the direction I’m pretty sure Devin went. I’ll be fine so long as I can get my fangs sunk into something soon. A bird. A deer. Anything really, and then I’ll be right as rain.
Just have to find Devin first.
I limp my way through the forest, doing my best to avoid the trees and stumps along the way. My leg hurts so badly that I know I’m not being as stealthy as I want to be. Every creature nearby can probably hear me fumbling around, huffing and hissing in pain. I’m a moving target.
I should get myself back home. I’m just a liability to Devin.
