Page 18 of Vampire Bite

She knew now, who I was, what I’d lost, what I still held onto. And somehow, I felt lighter for having told her.

Chapter Eleven

Annika

“I know that feeling…” I told him quietly, looking down at my feet. “When you have something… someone to fight for.”

Something inside of me broke open. I didn’t want to share my own burdens. They felt too personal, too raw. But in this moment, I felt as if he were the only person who would understand.

When he heard my words, he didn’t say anything. His gaze simply softened, the hard edges of his handsome face easing. He was listening… truly listening.

“It’s my mom,” I began, feeling the ache surface even as I spoke. “She’s been fighting cancer for years now. Just her and me—always has been, ever since my dad left. It’s been… hell, honestly. Between all the treatments, the bills, keeping a roof over our heads… it’s been a struggle just to stay afloat.”

I swallowed, the guilt rising with each word. “That’s why I took this case. It paid well, more than anything I’d made in months, and I thought... maybe it’d fix everything. But I was supposed to be with her.” My voice caught, and I had to close my eyes for a moment, steadying myself.

“She didn’t want me to take it. She told me to stay, that it was too dangerous, that she’d get by somehow. But I didn’t listen. I thought I knew better. Thought I could handle it. And now… now I don’t even know if she’s still alive. I can’t reach her, can’t check on her. And if she’s gone…” I trailed off, my chest tightening painfully. “If she’s gone, I don’t know if I’ll ever forgive myself.”

The silence that followed was thick, and I felt his presence beside me, warm and steady. He didn’t say anything—he didn’t need to. His hand reached out, just barely touching mine, and I let him, surprised at how comforting that small connection felt.

“I didn’t think it’d be like this,” I murmured. “I wanted to help her, but now all I’ve done is put myself here, away from her when she might need me the most.”

Lucas didn’t say anything for a long moment, and somehow, that was exactly what I needed. Just the quiet, the steady weight of his presence beside me. But when he finally spoke, his voice was low and calming, steady as a heartbeat.

“You did what you could, Annika,” he murmured, his thumb brushing softly over the back of my hand. “You wanted to help her, to make things better. Sometimes, the choices we make—especially the hard ones—they don’t give us what we hope for right away. But that doesn’t make them wrong.”

I looked up at him, surprised by the warmth in his gaze, the way it softened his usually sharp, intense features. His eyes met mine, dark but understanding, as if he could see every heavy feeling I was carrying, and yet it didn’t make him pull away.

“I’m sure she knows you love her,” he said, his words gentle but certain. “She knows you’re trying to protect her, even if she might be frustrated right now. And she’d want you to be safe. Just like you’d want for her.”

My throat tightened, and I found myself squeezing his hand back. Somehow, it felt grounding, his hand steadying me when everything else felt like it was crumbling. The comfort in his touch was more than I would have ever expected from him, from this vampire who, at first glance, seemed built from stone and shadows.

I tried to smile, though it felt shaky. “I know. I just… I should be there right now.”

He shook his head. “You’re here for a reason. Maybe that reason’s not clear yet, but there’s something in this for both of us. I believe that.” He leaned in a little closer, his gaze unwavering, as if he could somehow will his confidence into me.

A wave of warmth bloomed in my chest. “Thank you,” I whispered, the words coming out soft, almost fragile. But he just held my gaze, nodding.

“Anything,” he said almost as if it were a promise.

As we sat there in the dim quiet, Lucas’s expression shifted, taking on a sharper edge. I could feel his intensity, that constant undercurrent of determination he carried. He leaned forward, voice dropping slightly.

“I know it might seem now as if you’ll never leave,” he told me in a conspiratorial manner. “But I promise you, I will find a way for you to return to your mother.”

My heart swelled with sensations I couldn’t explain. I barely knew him, and yet, I trusted him more than I trusted some people I’d known for years, decades even. But even those decades didn’t mean anything when I needed their help with my mother’s medical bills. No one cared.

And Lucas… I wondered how deeply he cared, too. I was nobody to him, just someone he’d just met, someone he could use to his advantage in this rebellion they were upholding. I wanted to help. But that was all. I didn’t want to stay here. I wanted to go home, to see my mother, to hold her hand in her last moments. I owed her that much.

The thought of her alone filled me with dreadful sadness. Tears prickled at my eyes, and I blinked heavily in an effort to banish them. It barely worked.

“There’s more happening than you realize,” Lucas said, almost as if he was letting me in on a secret. “The raid the other night? That was just the start. The rebellion has been building for years, and we’re closer than ever to something big.”

I nodded, holding his gaze, feeling his conviction settle into me. “What kind of plans are we talking about?” I asked, surprised by how calm I sounded when everything he was telling me felt larger than life.

His jaw tightened as he spoke, his voice barely above a murmur. “We’re planning a coordinated strike. One that’s meant to hit their core operations. It’s not just about the weapons or freeing a few prisoners anymore. This… this would be the beginning of the end for the shifters here.”

The enormity of what he was saying washed over me. I’d known he was involved in something bigger, something dangerous, but this was more than I’d anticipated.

“And you’re really willing to risk it all for this?” I asked softly, searching his face.

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