The world around Aselia shattered with the bang at his revelations. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

’What???

Why???’

’No no no, don’t accept his heart. Don’t let him say such words so casually. This was not supposed to happen. Where did love come from? This could never work. Didn’t I tell you to stop him? You had to go and instigate him. See what your desires achieved.’ Her brain screamed at her.

"Xiran...don’t... please... stop. I told you when we met I can’t get involved with you like that. Why are you saying all that?" Her mind was still not cooperating and she couldn’t understand how to get out of this situation she had landed herself into.

He lifted his face from her shoulder and slightly moved back to face her. She was in shock and was trying to calm herself down, by breathing heavily. Xiran was in anguish and pain for he knew she wouldn’t accept him, ever.

"Why can’t you? I need your reasons. Although I know in my heart I still want to hear from you." He took her face in his warm hands.

"This won’t end well Xiran. Elves and Vampires don’t belong together. Your kind has hunted mine for generations and it will continue. No matter what we try, this bitter truth will always come back to bite us. Besides, I don’t do love, that only brings heartbreaks, rejections, pains, and whatnot. Don’t do that to yourself and don’t do this to me. Don’t rid me of guilt for I can’t bear to see you like this." Aselia tried to reason with him, although she knew he won’t give in that easily.

But he didn’t understand her reasoning and spoke: "You realize I would always protect you with my life. I wouldn’t let anyone hurt you again."

"And you would hide me forever in that dungeon? You realize I can’t spend my whole life in hiding. Your family already hates me and wants me dead. How will it work with them? I am here because I want to honour the agreement I signed with you. But once it ends I want to be free." The realization of her words hit him and they held truth. The cruel world they lived in wouldn’t stop at anything but tear them apart. And being associated with him will make her a bigger target of the elite vampires.

"You are right about one thing. You deserve to be free." Xiran replied with a pained expression.

"Don’t think I can with Vampires like Phantom on the loose and practising genocide on my kind." It was common knowledge in their world that a vampire had hunted and almost made elves extinct. He was every elf’s nightmare so it wasn’t surprising for Xiran that Aselia knew about him but no one had seen him or lived to tell the tale.

She noticed that he stiffened even more at the mention of Phantom. Clearly, he didn’t approve of Phantom’s actions but he knew him as Aselia had seen him talk to him at the party.

"Yes, he is one threat that shouldn’t have existed. I am sorry for what he has done to your kind. He was coming to the party at that time, that’s why I didn’t want you anywhere near him." Xiran finally told her something she wanted to hear.

"So you are familiar with him?" Aselia asked curiously.

"He is the strongest vampire to exist in our world and he has a vast empire. Everyone knows him Aselia but not everyone has seen him. That doesn’t mean he is my friend. Just someone I need to bear no matter how much I hate doing that." Xiran didn’t want her to think that he was involved with Phantom, he was just someone he couldn’t get rid of for now.

"That’s reassuring, at least. How do you know him?" She wanted to extract information from him without him getting suspicious and this was the perfect opportunity to do that.

"Let’s postpone it for some other time." He refused to talk about him further and she didn’t want to push him.

She slumped against his chest trying to relax and control her inner emotions. Screams of her parents echoed in her mind every time he was mentioned. And she began to tremble from the overflow of emotions and all the raw emotions Xiran had dumped on her.

Xiran picked up a blanket and wrapped it around them to stop her shivers, he thought she was feeling cold. He hugged her, keeping her close. He wasn’t ready to lose her just yet. There were plenty of months left for the year to conclude.

They sat there in silence and when he glimpsed at her beautiful face again pressed against his chest. She had already gone to sleep. He carefully laid her on the pillow so as not to wake her up and wrapped the blanket around her. He lay down beside her, but there was no sleep in his eyes and he pondered what his life will be like once she would be gone.

Empty?

Sad?

Lonely?

She was right, they had no chance of a life together. It was just an absurd dream he had concocted, it would never turn into a meaningful reality.

But all he wanted to know was, did she have any amount of love in her heart reserved only for him? Did she feel a fraction of what he felt for her?

His thoughts tormented him for a long time before sleep enveloped him as well.

Aselia woke up early, it was still dawn outside. She wasn’t accustomed to sleeping in an unfamiliar open place. She glanced at Xiran and he was still fast asleep beside her. The events of last night flashed before her eyes and it made her blush. She felt embarrassed and her heart was breaking at the thought of Xiran’s words.

She had never met someone like him let alone a vampire. He accepted all her craziness and showered her with respect and love. And deep down she knew she had some feelings for him as well. But she couldn’t pursue a relationship with someone who was an enemy to her. She was sure that if he knew she was a hunter, he would never have fallen in love with her.

Sleeping beside her with his open hair he looked like an angel. She wanted to touch his face but decided against it and kept her hands to herself. She removed her blanket and got dressed, she didn’t want him to see her naked again. It was embarrassing enough the first time around.

After getting dressed she stepped outside the hut and sat on the sand and gazed at the calm sea whose horizon was being lit on fire and spreading to the sky. A soft breeze was blowing which made her hair sway lightly behind her as she took a deep breath of fresh air.

"My lady," someone called her from behind. She turned around to find Rumail standing behind her.

"Hello!" she offered him a smile and wondered if the boy had remained here all night.

"Good morning! Did you enjoy the food last night?" He asked with a warm smile of his own.

"I loved the food and your drink. It was very tasty, one of the best meals and drinks I ever had. Thank you for your hospitality."

"Pleasure is all mine. Do you need anything? Should I arrange for breakfast?" He inquired.

Aselia nodded before saying: "I will wait for Xiran to wake up."

"Alright my lady, I will be just behind the bar if you need anything." He walked away with those words and Aselia began to stare at the sea again.

After about half an hour she felt something warm on her shoulders, she quickly turned her face to find Xiran covering her with a blanket.

"It’s cold outside." He spoke in a grim voice. He was fully dressed except for his coat.

"Thanks," she lowered her gaze.

"Breakfast?" He questioned.

"Yes," although she wasn’t hungry she didn’t want to turn down his request.

"What would you like to eat?"

"Anything will be fine." She said and Xiran strode away with her answer.

He returned after a few minutes and sat beside her.

"I hope I didn’t complicate things between us last night. You won’t leave just yet, right?" He was so afraid that she will leave him after his confession.

"I won’t and you didn’t. Just relax." He had complicated everything and she just lied between her teeth. But she didn’t want to hurt him not after what he had done for her.

"Ok," he sat silently with her lost in his thoughts.

"Xiran, you will find someone better than me. I am not as special as you make me be." She spoke softly and he jerked his head towards her.

"Let me be the judge of that, don’t ever try to downplay yourself in front of me. You don’t know how special you are to me and will always be." His eyes reflected the hurt she had just caused him with her words and she bit her tongue. She understood that none of her words will bring him the solace he desired right now.