Page 25 of How to Dump a Vampire

Her wisdom resonates deeply, kindling fragile hope within my tumultuous heart. If Thorn is my destined mate, I cannot force that fate upon her. Perhaps together, we can unravel this mystery and then choose our own path.

Mother clasps my hand firmly. “Be patient, my son. The answers you seek cannot be rushed, only revealed in their proper time.”

I nod slowly, the urgency to find Thorn tempered by Mother’s calming counsel. I know my place is here for the moment, not running off blindly after a phantom bond only half understood.

“You’re right, as always,” I acknowledge, squeezing her hand. “I will restrain my impatient heart and bide here awhile.”

Mother exhales in palpable relief. “Wise words. We have the best mages in the kingdom here. We can find a single witch no matter where she is hiding.”

I manage a small, grateful smile. “With your help, I know the answers will come in time and, with understanding, control over whatever enchantment has entwined our fates.”

Mother presses a swift kiss to my forehead. “Have faith. No spell endures forever unchanged. The sun sets but always rises anew in the morning.”

Despite my mother’s calming wisdom, the phantom agony refuses to abate. Even with distance between us, the shredded bond tortures my heart.

Now alone, I pace my chambers, yearning for relief. The lavish gilding and velvet provide no comfort, only jar my senses.

I spot the bundle of provisions Thorn packed. An idea flickers through the haze of anguish. Perhaps her bread can grant some small relief? My mother said it was spelled. Perhaps that’s what it was for?

I hastily unwrap the linen-swaddled loaf and root around for a knife with fumbling fingers. After sawing off a hunk, I bring it to my nose and inhale the yeasty aroma deeply before devouring it in famished bites. Chewing slowly, I close my eyes, focusing every sense on the memories Thorn’s magic evokes… her shy smile when I praised her baking… the comfort of a meal shared in easy rapport. The vice around my chest loosens just slightly. I exhale in fragile relief, forcing myself to savor another small mouthful rather than glutting more greedily.

I dig my fingers into the bread, and fresh agony knifes through me as I imagine Thorn suffering alone. What darkness drove her to push me away so forcefully? Was she so afraid of me that she couldn’t stand my presence for a moment more?

There must be something I can do other than sit here futilely gnawing away anguish bite by bite! For now, though, this bread is my only lifeline to Thorn, so I wrap myself in the knitted vestige of our bond and endure this half-life purgatory swallow by swallow. Clutching the remaining loaf to my chest, I sink onto the plush bed, its comforts now alien and cloying. Somehow, I vow silently, I will find my way back to her hearth and her open heart. Back to the only place that feels like home.

Until then, I cling desperately to the lingering echoes of Thorn left in these gifted provisions, my sole solace until fate leads me to her light once more.

10

Thorn

Iawake in agony, my chest feeling gutted as if a vital organ had been carved out. Even smothered under a mountain of quilts, a bone-deep cold seeps through me. This isn’t just physical pain. It’s the remains of the bond I shared with Draven slowly shredding to bits. I knew the distance would help this dissipate, but I hoped it wouldn’t hurt this much.

Pressing both palms over my whining heart, I chant every healing spell I know until the magic fizzles. Too wrecked to mend this intimate damage. Fate’s cruel, letting me sample true belonging only to yank it away before I could grab hold. Sure, I don’t really want it, or didn’t I? I don’t know. I can’t think straight. What’s done is done.

I’m tempted to make a loaf of the bread I had been feeding my vampire guest, but I don’t have the energy.

Dragging myself out of bed, I poke at the banked embers, coaxing the fire back to life, but its heat can’t thaw the ice around my soul. I wrap up in my thickest wool shawl and shuffle outside into the pale dawn, hoping the frosty air will numb this endless ache, but nothing mutes the gaping absence inside me now.

My leaden legs carry me to the woodshed on autopilot. Keeping my little place stocked with firewood provides some semblance of routine amidst the chaos.

As I trudge through drifts, flashes keep assaulting me—Draven’s rare unguarded laughter, his secret smiles meant only for me, our heated embrace by the hearth. I squeeze my eyes against fresh hot tears.Fool. How could you let yourself fall for a handsome stranger? You knew how this had to end. You set your will against fate itself yet still got shattered.

I should’ve turned the half-dead vampire away that first night and kept my hapless heart cased in ice against his melting charm. Now, only shards remain, broken beyond repair.

The weight of the axe nearly topples me as I weakly try to swing it. Spent and despairing, I sink down amongst the silent pines.

As I sit there, lost in melancholy, unbidden memories keep invading my mind—Draven’s tender gaze, the soft brush of his fingers over my cheek, his strong arms cradling me close, shielding me from the darkness.

No. I force the recollections away ruthlessly. The past is done. He has surely returned to his family in Everdusk by now, back to that gilded cage where my former life had been so terrible a living nightmare I’d rather let the world believe me dead than remain trapped there.

Maybe I should just lay here and allow the cold to claim me. Give up this endless fight. Find some peace in oblivion.

A flash of white catches my blurry eyes—a snow fox darting gracefully between the trees.

I watch numbly as it playfully chases a mouse across the icy crust before bounding over to me. The fox pauses a few steps away, cocking its head curiously. After a moment, it approaches and nudges my limp hand with its velvety muzzle. Warmth seeps from itstouch, kindling faint sparks within my hollowed spirit.

Come now, child. On your feet.

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