Page 5 of Pieces of Halves

“What do you want?” he asks me as we stand next to the shelves of goods.

“Nothing.”

That one with the cream that looks like a cloud.

Jacob sighs and says, “I’ll take one of each.”

My eyes go wide. Is this man serious? There are at least ten different types.

“No. It’s fine. I’ll take that one.” I point to the one that has been calling to me. “I don’t have any money.” I lean in close and whisper into his ear so the other two people in the shop don’t hear me.

“I can tell,” he says, but his tone is light.

“I don’t know how I will be able to pay you back,” I whisper, my voice coming out nervous.

“I’m not expecting you to pay me back.” He chuckles.

The slim worker in a white apron hands us the pastry. Jacob takes it from him and gives it to me, his demeanor always calm. Hesitating for a moment, I consider not taking it, but my stomach growls audibly, and I snatch it out of his hand.

“We should get you some real food as well.” He laughs at the sounds my starved body is making.

It has been a little over a day since I last ate, and yes, I do need something more substantial, but I don’t understand why he cares.

“I’m okay,” I whisper and bite into the dessert.

Sweet. Tart. Crumbly. So good.

“Mhm,” he mumbles with a light smile and walks us out of the café.

As we casually and aimlessly stroll along the busy streets, I finish my treat. I am still hungry, but at least my stomach is not aching. The air is cool, creating a perfect breeze, and for a moment, I forget that I am on a run. The cobbled roads with carriages riding through them are clean, and the white buildings are practically immaculate.

It’s pretty here. If my father weren’t chasing me, I could imagine a life here. I would get a job somewhere – an assistant at a university or maybe at a library – and when I have free time, I would study plants. The reality is that my life will not be peaceful for as long as the vampire king knows I am alive.

Pushing away my daydreams, I walk alongside each other in comfortable silence, and I don’t know why I am still following him.

Does he still want me around? Should we go our separate ways now—

“Want to sit there for a moment?” He points to a luscious patch of green grass by a stone water fountain.

“Um, sure,” I respond, taking in the beautiful spot across the street.

Without hesitation, I head that way. Maybe I shouldn’t trust him so easily, but the way he stays close, never forcing his presence on me, makes me feel safe – as if I have a choice. I don’t feel like suffocating around him.

My steps are confident across the road. Arms wrap around my waist, and I am taken aback by the action. Before I have the chance to complain, a carriage whooshes in front of me. Stunned into silence, I stare ahead of me, my heart in my throat from the near miss.

With a sigh, he turns me to face him and takes my face into both of his hands. Our eyes meet, and I stare at him, slowly blinking.

“You’ve got to look where you are going,” he says, his voice insistent but soft.

Inhaling, I try not to think how spacy I have been lately; I have been like this for the past year. I think my mind is doing its best to protect me. Something terrible happened, but I chose to forget it, blocking it out. If I pay attention to everything around me, then I fear I will remember.

You don’t need to remember. I swallow a lump.

“No, I don’t. I’ll be okay.” I smile up at him, forcing the joy back into my soul.

The books call my erratic behavior a defense mechanism. I say I do what I must to protect my heart.

I am happy. No one can take that away from me. No matter what, I will get my glee back – the days before my fathercame back last year. He was away for six years, leaving Vera, my nanny, to raise me. Apparently, he was ready to rule Sirkup again after training with the Fay of the forest. Stupidly, I thought he would return a kinder man.

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