Page 23 of To Save a Vampire
Carefully I reach my arm in, but I can’t grasp them. I lean in a little closer to the dry leaves and my fingers brush one of the three berries. Releasing a long breath, I push even farther against the sharp vines and yank the large berry free. A yelp escapes my lips as I pull away and a thorn scratches against my neck.
I chuck the traitorous berry into my satchel and touch my flesh just below my jaw. A small amount of blood coats my fingers. The cut burns against my sweaty skin.
I turn away with my fingers still on my neck and let out a small screech when I run face first into Asher’s chest. He smiles down at me as I try to calm my breathing. His smile is a cutting thing that’s both charming and devious at the same time.
How does he do that?
“You really shouldn’t wander the woods alone,” he says in a smooth voice, reminding me of the big bad wolf. He takes a glance around us. “There could be worse things out here than me.” The hill he came down is towering, and I wonder how it’s possible I didn’t hear him.
He leans against a nearby tree, and I watch as he wipes his hands on a dirty rag. The rag stains red from his palms. He doesn’t look up at me, but focuses on his hands. His brows tense, a thin line forming there.
I can’t help but watch him. I try to pretend to look around for other food sources, but my eyes stray back to him. The birds above have stopped chirping and fluff their wings in a fidgeting way. I wonder what else could be in the woods. Clearly, the wildlife sees Asher as the biggest predator. Should I see Asher as more dangerous than he appears? He hasn’t given me a reason to fear him, the opposite really.
“Do hybrids drink blood?” I ask bluntly, unable to stop myself.
He laughs loudly, his eyes studying my face, trying to decide whether I’m joking. When he realizes how serious I am, his face becomes instantly somber.
“Don’t you think this is a question you should have considered a long time ago?” he asks in an almost offended tone.
My face flames red, and I look away from him again, unable to form an appropriate response. Yes, I definitely should have thought of this earlier but he’s so … kind and easy to trust. It honestly hadn’t crossed my mind much.
“No, there’s no blood lust for hybrids. Sorry to ruin the image your society has created of me.”
“I didn’t mean to … I just … I spend every day with you and I consider you my friend. But I don’t really even know what you’re capable of.”
He nods, I watch his every move, trying to find our footing again in our strange new friendship. His brows are pinched in thought. He doesn’t seem angry with me, but something is definitely on his mind, something he doesn’t seem willing to share with me. After the question I just asked him, I don’t really blame him.
I turn away, trying to busy myself from the humiliation I just put myself through. I walk farther into the woods, hoping to at least give Ky three options in case both my berries and mushrooms aren’t any good.
“The guy back at the cave,” I stop a few yards from him and turn around, “do you like him?” he asks in an indifferent tone.
I completely stop pretending to search for food now even as my stomach growls in protest. I look at him, but he’s still leaning against the tree, wiping his hands as if uninterested in my response.
“Ayden?” His name strikes a subtle pain against my heart. This is the longest I’ve ever gone without speaking to him. “Of course, I do. He’s my best friend. My only friend, really,” I say honestly. If I only have one friend my entire life and it’s Ayden, then I will have been lucky to have known such an amazing person.
Asher nods as he chews his lip. A gesture so human I almost tell him so, but he looks too deep in thought to interrupt.
“So there’s no deeper emotion there?” He’s casual with his questions. He tucks the rag into his back pocket. “Just a lifetime of friendship?” He looks at me now like he’s trying to understand a missing emotion his kind doesn’t have. His crystal-like eyes shine against the streams of sunlight passing through the leaves above.
A small smile tugs at my lips, remembering the few times Ayden kissed me. He wanted to save me from my future in the camp. I would have drug him down and he would have let me just to save me. Maybe to Ayden, I’m more than just a friend. He’s a friend I don’t deserve, but just a friend all the same.
“Just friends,” I say quietly.
He gives a genuine smile at my words. It confuses me and distracts me all at once. He pushes off the tree and walks slowly toward me, leaves crunching lightly under each step.
“What happened to your neck?” he asks when he’s only one step away.
We’re so close I can see flecks of red against his white shirt. The small detail doesn’t distract my eyes from the rest of him; the out-of-place detail is smothered by his simple presence. My nervous breaths have become uneven and my heart hammers to free itself, but my face doesn’t give away my anxious feelings.
“I got caught in a vine of berries. I was actually going to ask Ky if they’re edible.” I look away from his intense eyes long enough to pull two dark red berries from my satchel. I hand them to Asher, and he inspects them. His brows dip low as he takes a closer look at one between his thumb and index finger, considering the small fruit.
I don’t have the slightest idea where Asher is from, what he was doing before he was locked away at Compound 186, but the gravity of the look he’s giving these berries right now fires my restless nerves through my body. I shift on my feet and fold my arms over my chest to stop myself from touching the dried scratch at my neck.
“Do you think they’re poisonous?” I ask in a nervous voice.
He gives a long sigh, his lips thin and turn down slightly.
“Most definitely,” he says, nodding his head slowly.
