Page 48 of Wynter's Bite

“They thought most books would overstimulate me, make me hysterical,” she replied, downcast at the memories of deprivation of anything good or interesting.

“That is cruel beyond measure!” Justus nearly shouted. “To deprive you of one of the greatest and most harmless pleasures of mankind. How in the world did you endure it?”

“I think I went mad in truth.” She laughed shakily. “There was a raven that often perched by my window. I named him Percival and talked to him all the time. Until one day, a few months ago, he never returned. I was so lonely after that.”

His hand covered hers. “You’ll be lonely no longer. Not as long as I am with you.” He rose to his feet, pulling her up with him. “Dusk has fallen. We will procure food for us both, but first there is one thing I must do.”

“What?” she asked, then gasped as he punctured his index finger and held the bleeding digit towards her.

“I need to feed you a few drops of my blood.”

She frowned. “But I thought you needed to drink blood.” Another thought occurred. “Are you going to Change me into a vampire now?” She wasn’t certain she was ready for that.

He chuckled. “No. This is so if we are separated, I will be able to find you. I’d rather Mark you completely, but that would be too dangerous at this time.”

“Mark me?” she asked.

“I’ll explain in a moment.” He pressed his bleeding finger to her lips. “Hurry, before the wound closes.”

Scrunching up her nose, Bethany opened her mouth and allowed Justus’s blood to flow across her tongue. The subtle, mineral-like taste wasn’t as bad as she’d feared, but the electric spark on her tongue was alarming indeed. When he withdrew his finger, she licked her lips and frowned. “What was that jolting sensation?”

Justus shrugged. “Some sort of magic, I suppose. The blood forges a connection between us, so if we are separated, I’ll be able to find you. But since I didn’t say the words, or give you enough blood, the effect is only temporary. Usually this method used so vampires can tell whether or not a human has been fed on, so we don’t accidentally drain a person.”

“Your blood has magic?” she repeated with fascination.

“Yes. It also has the ability to heal wounds, so after feeding, we use our blood to heal the puncture marks from our fangs, which also creates the temporary Mark.”

“What of the permanent Mark?” she prodded.

“That Mark is used to declare a mortal to be under a vampire’s protection,” Justus explained. “I cannot yet give it to you, for the vampires would then know that you’re Marked by a rogue and they would follow you to hunt me down.”

Her eyes widened. “That would be very bad.” Without Justus, Lord knew how long she’d be able to survive on the run. Not only that, but she’d have nowhere to go. And of course, the thought of losing him again filled her with terror.

Justus slung the straps of his pack over his shoulders and held out his hand. “Shall we go?”

Bethany nodded emphatically as her stomach growled. She was so hungry she could eat an entire side of beef. Furthermore, she’d be happy to never see this dismal crypt again. Justus’s fingers entwined with hers as he carefully guided her up the cracked stairs. The strong, yet gentle touch made heat unfurl in her belly. Until last night, their hands had almost always been gloved, impeding contact.

The moon hung bright and full in the sky, the scent of wildflowers heady in the night air. There was even something beautiful about the ruins of the church, an echo of another time. Bethany’s heart sang with joy to be out here with Justus rather than alone in her cell at Morningside. Yet she tried to keep her jubilance suppressed, as she watched Justus glancing over his shoulder and studying their surroundings with studied concentration. They were still in danger.

“We’ll go east,” Justus said quietly. “I don’t sense anyone in that direction.” They only walked a few yards before he suddenly scooped her up in his arms. “I’d forgotten. You need shoes.”

Although being in Justus’s arms gave her a rush of pleasure, Bethany resented feeling like a burden to be carried. She only hoped they would find some food soon, before hunger made her light-headed.

He ran with his preternatural speed, and this time she kept her eyes open, watching the world rush by in a blur and feeling the wind on her cheeks as they passed acres of wilderness, then farmland before Justus stopped at the edge of a town. The streets were fairly busy with people heading home from their workdays, or going to a pub or assembly hall for an entertaining evening.

The sight made Bethany dizzy. It had been so long since she’d seen this many people in any semblance of normal behavior. Now her mind reeled with it all. Would she ever grown accustomed to the world again?

“Shouldn’t you put me down?” Bethany asked.

Justus shook his head. “I have a plan.”

Bethany tried to hide her flushed face behind her hair at all the stares as Justus walked down the main street carrying her. She must look a fright with her disheveled hair, oversized stockings, no shoes, and a man’s coat over her plain linen frock from the asylum.

Justus paid no attention to the scrutiny as he marched across the lane to a cobbler’s shop. After he knocked on the door, a squinting man answered with an irritated frown.

“Pardon me, do you have any ladies’ shoes?” Justus asked with a smile. “My dear fiancé’s were thrown in the pond by a group of ruffians.”

The cobbler’s features softened. “Oh dear. The youths these days. Come inside and I’ll see what I’ve got. Do you have the coin?”

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