by Lucy Lyons
“I didn’t understand before, but now I do,” Ashe said. “It’s not your fault that you need to drink blood, just like it’s not my fault I need to eat food or breathe air.”
“You don’t have to—” Peter started.
Ashe waved away his protest. “No, just listen. You need my dad to get blood for you, right? I’ve seen what happens when your kind goes hungry and I don’t want to be responsible for anyone getting hurt.”
David withdrew the needle from Ashe’s arm and put a bandage in its place. “I want to make an honest living for you and your mother. I’m done with this life.”
“No, she’s right,” Peter agreed. “We can’t ignore what we are and hope it goes away. We need people like you to make sure we don’t hurt those around us. This stolen blood is the only insurance against us losing control like we did tonight.”
“It’s okay, Dad. As long as you promise the blood is clean. No harming humans to get it,” Ashe said. She was already feeling stronger from the transfusion and the color was returning to her cheeks.
David sighed and scratched his chin. He nodded. “Fine, but your mom’s not going to like us moving around all the time. In this line of work, we can’t afford to stay in one place for too long. I know you’re graduating this spring, but if I have to move to a new city before that will you be okay here on your own?”
If her father had to move, that meant Peter would go with him too. Ashe didn’t like the idea of being apart from Peter, but then she remembered that she was mere weeks from getting kicked out of the school anyway. She was still short on tuition.
“Of course, if that happens we’ll get you a place on campus,” her father continued. “Your mother already told me about the financial situation and I’ve got it taken care of with the dean’s office. I’ve been running a pretty lucrative business these past few years, believe it or not.”
Peter snorted at this and Ashe couldn’t help but smile. She wondered just how much Peter’s clan was paying her father for the blood. Judging by his old grey coat and rumpled hat David didn’t seem to be wealthy, but looks could be deceiving.
“I’d better check on the others,” David said.
He packed up the blood transfusion kit and gave Ashe a small hug. “Your mom says she’s sorry too,” he muttered into her ear as his arm wrapped gently around her.
Ashe felt a swell of warmth in her heart, the first steps towards healing that ache that had been in there for so long.
As David left, there was a lightness to his step that hadn’t been there before. Things were finally starting to look up, for the both of them.
Peter put his arm around Ashe. “Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere without you,” he said. “I’ve seen how much trouble you can get into when I leave you on your own.”
Ashe wiggled out from under his arm and gave a look of mock-anger. “You’re already making jokes about this? I’ve still got bite marks in my neck.”
“Well, at least you’re going to ace that final paper for Professor Sharp’s class. Vampires, right?”
Ashe made a face. Sometimes Peter’s confident attitude could be infuriating.
“But seriously,” Peter said, taking both of Ashe’s hands in his. “I’m never going to leave your side and I’m never going to let what happened tonight repeat itself. I know your lifespan and mine are on completely different scales, but I promise to protect you as long as you live. I love you Ashe and I want to be with you.”
Ashe fell into his embrace, not caring about the lack of heartbeat or the coldness of his arms around her. She felt loved, and protected, and that feeling warmed her more than anything physical could. There was still so much she didn’t know about Peter and his kind, but her heart was open and she was ready to learn. For the first time in perhaps ever, Ashe found herself looking forward to what the future held.
The End of Book 1
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