Page 2 of Pieces of Halves

“Let’s go,” I mumble and tug at her.

With the hat still on, she follows me. We walk slowly as if shopping for nothing in particular, but her grip on my hand tightens even more. As we stroll, I look ahead and stealthily snatch a little lantern sitting on a shelf and stuff it in my brown bag. We will need it later.

Vampires don’t put this much effort into hunting humans, so who is this girl? I could use my abilities as a halfling to dig into her essence and learn what type of being she is, but I am enjoying the way her hand feels in mine. For someunexplainable reason, it feels right – as if a missing puzzle piece was found.

I lean in to whisper into her ear, “When we exit, take a right.”

“Yup,” she responds without looking up, but I notice her swallow nervously.

The vampires don’t scare me. I am strong enough to kill them with ease. Fighting is not my intention, though; I only want to help her get away. This is a welcome distraction from my mother and the unknown of my power. And she sure as hell is a beautiful distraction.

I push the wooden doors open, the bell on top rings, she jumps and tries to run, but I pull her steady. From the corner of my eye, I see the other two on the busy streets, so I bring her close to my side and shield her with my body.

“They are not looking for me,” I say into the top of her head, explaining my action. “If you run, they will notice you.”

She nods quickly, but her hand is sweaty in mine, and I hear her heart beating out of control. The streets are busy enough that we would not catch too much attention, so we walk, getting lost among the carriages, horses, and people.

“Where the fuck is she?” someone growls from behind us.

She jumps, her hold on my hand tightens, and she stops breathing. Pulling her into a dark alley, I press her against a wall with my body, letting the brick side wall hide us from the searching vampires.

“We need to wait them out for a few minutes,” I tell her, and keep her pinned under me, shielding her.

Her chest heaves, so I look down. The pink on her cheeks from earlier is gone. Her face is now white with sweat beading on her forehead. It’s sunny and warm, but she shivers and shakes.

“Get off me,” she wheezes.

Confused by her reaction, I move and press my back against the wall as well. Our hands are still intertwined, so I relax my grip, thinking she wants nothing to do with me, but she does not let go. Every breath she takes is shallow and fast as she stares ahead of her.

A panic attack.That is my first thought, but I am not sure if it’s because of me caging her, because the vampires are looking for her, or both.

A few minutes later, the vampires go in a different direction. I step away from the wall and look at her. My fingers are loose, but she has a death grip on them as she stares at the other wall just two feet across.

Because I don’t know what else to do, I give her a few minutes and let her squeeze the blood out of my hand. Gasping, she turns her eyes to me and then to our hands. She quickly releases her hold and shakes her fingers free.

Dismissing her strange behavior, I focus on the task at hand.

“There is an underground passage that goes to the other side of the city.” I look down at the wooden latch by my feet.

A few years ago, I discovered the hidden tunnels. It used to be a water supply system, maybe a hundred years ago. I was on a run myself, and it came in handy. It might be dark and a little tight, but it’s a good way of getting across without being seen.

Her eyes go wide. “I’m not going in there with you.”

“The vampires can smell your scent. It will be everywhere if you stay above. Below, you are invisible,” I explain.

“Why are you helping me?” She squints at me, her lips twisting.

Because you are the most beautiful woman I have seen, and you smell like apple pie, and I love apple pie.Something about her draws me to her. It’s hard to explain, but I need to make sure she is safe.

“I’m bored.” That is not a lie.

The search for my mother is not getting me anywhere right now. I don’t know where to look for the witches, and asking around will take time. Meanwhile, I can help her. What harm could come from aiding a beauty in distress?

“I don’t have money,” she states and glares at me.

“I don’t want money.” I chuckle.

“What do you want?” She crosses her hands to her shoulders and wraps them around herself.

---