I stared at his lifeless body, frozen.
This wasn't happening. It couldn't be happening.
"Ronald?" I whispered, kneeling beside him. His eyes were closed, body unnervingly still, the makeshift stake sticking grotesquely out of his chest.
"No, no, no, no—Ronald!" My hands hovered over him, useless. I didn't know what to do. CPR? Pull it out? Push it in? God, I was panicking. I pressed my fingers to his neck, searching desperately for a pulse.
Nothing.
"Shit!" My breath came in short gasps. This wasn't fair. He was annoying, reckless, impossible—but he was supposed to stay with me.
I shook him hard. "This isn't funny! Wake up! Please—"
The tears were coming fast now, blurring everything. I gritted my teeth, curling my fingers around the stake. "Okay. Okay. You're immortal, right? This won't kill you. It can't kill you."
I yanked the stake out, the horrible squelch making me gag. Blood seeped out, way too much of it. I pressed my hands to the wound, trembling. "Heal. Come on, damn it, heal already!"
The minutes dragged by. He didn't move. I had to face it. He was truly gone.
"Ronald," I whispered, my voice cracking, "I can't believe this... He just left me. And here i thought, we could still..."
"Triss,"
A hand suddenly shot up and grabbed my wrist.
I screamed, jerking back, falling onto my ass in the dirt.
His eyes snapped open, glowing faintly crimson, and he sat up like nothing had happened.
"Jesus CHRIST!" I yelled, scrambling backward. My heart was hammering like a drumline in my chest. "What the hell?!"
He looked down at the blood staining his shirt, then up at me, and grinned. "Miss me?"
I stared, shaking with disbelief, rage—and maybe relief. "You… How...? Why...? You… ASSHOLE!"
He shrugged, pulling his shirt up to reveal smooth, unmarked skin where the stake had been. "See? Good as new."
I couldn't believe it. "You faked dying? You scared the hell out of me!"
He tilted his head, eyes twinkling. "And you said you didn't care."
I grabbed the nearest object—a half-burnt log—and hurled it at him. He ducked, laughing.
"You psychopath!" I shouted. "Do you have any idea what you just put me through?!"
He stood, brushing dirt off his jeans. "Yeah, but now I know you care. That's valuable information."
I stormed up to him, shoving him hard in the chest. "I hate you."
He caught my wrists gently, smile softening. "No, you don't."
I glared, breathing hard. My pulse was still racing, every nerve in my body on fire.
And then, without thinking, I threw my arms around him, burying my face in his shoulder.
He tensed for a second, surprised, then wrapped his arms around me, holding tight.
We stood there in the quiet, the fire crackling behind us, his heartbeat thudding steadily under my cheek.
"Don't ever do that again," I mumbled.
"I won't," he said, voice low. "Promise."
I pulled back slightly to look at him, eyes still wet. "Swear on your immortal life."
His smile was crooked, but sincere. "I swear on my Immortal life,"
I let out a shaky breath, wiped my face, and stepped back. "God, you're exhausting."
He chuckled. "You're telling me."
We sat down by the fire again, silence settling between us—but it felt different now. Closer. Real.
After a while, he called out with a playful grin "Hey, Triss?"
"What?" I asked
"You really would've missed me, huh?"
I groaned. "Shut up."
But I was smiling.
We sat in silence for a while, staring into the dying fire. My heart was finally slowing down, but my hands still felt shaky, like the adrenaline didn't know it was okay to let go yet.
Ronald leaned back, stretching out his long legs, eyes half-lidded and lazy like nothing monumental had just happened. I watched the flames flicker against his face, throwing strange shadows across his sharp features.
"Why do you do that?" I asked quietly.
"Do what?" His voice was soft now, almost thoughtful.
"Scare the hell out of me. Act like it's all a joke." I hugged my knees to my chest, keeping my gaze fixed on the fire. "Like nothing matters."
He was quiet for a second, then said, "Because if I act like it matters, then it does. And that… kinda sucks sometimes."
I looked at him, surprised by the honesty in his tone.
"And besides," he added with a lopsided smile, "I had to confirm something."
I raised a brow. "Confirm what?"
He chuckled. "Whether you were heartless."
I scoffed. "And?"
"Well… I think you're quite the emotional type. The look on your face as I fell was like a woman watching the love of her life die. It was touching… and hilarious," he burst out laughing.
I rolled my eyes. "You're such a jerk, you know that?"
"But," I added more quietly, "I was a bit scared. If you had really died… how the hell was I supposed to survive all this?"
He grinned, eyes glinting. "Really? Nothing else? No… personal reasons?"
I scoffed, shaking my head. "Don't push your luck, Ronald. Just don't."
He laughed. "You're tougher than you look, Triss. Brave."
I snorted. "I'm not brave. I freaked out."
"Yeah, but you cared," he murmured, his voice softening. "Most people wouldn't have given a damn if I died. After all, we just met today."
I smiled at that, a strange warmth blooming in my chest. "Yeah, we did meet today, huh?"
I chuckled at the crazy realization—spending the whole day with Ronald made it feel like we'd known each other for decades.
Is that how attraction worked?
"No way… I'm not attracted to him. Am I?" I pondered, glancing at Ronald just as he shrugged off his coat.
"Nope, definitely not," I muttered, shaking my head. "It's probably just the beer messing with my head."
"You know," I sighed, settling back down, "I actually do care a lot… even for strangers. I'd give to beggars even when I had nothing myself. I'd sing for people I didn't know just to cheer them up. I was polite to everyone… even those who were mean to me."
Ronald stood, walked over, and gently draped his coat around me. I hadn't even realized I was shivering until the warmth wrapped around me like a hug.
"Sounds like you're a good woman," he said with a soft smile, returning to his spot by the fire and picking up his beer.
I smiled back, clutching the coat tighter around me. "I guess I am… but sometimes it feels like being that way makes me vulnerable."
He took a slow sip, eyes thoughtful. "Yeah. That's something you feel a lot when you're genuinely kind. It starts to seem like everyone just wants to take advantage of your good intentions."
I laughed quietly. "You say that like you used to be a nice person."
He put a hand to his chest, pretending to be offended. "Excuse you, my lady. I am still a nice person. If I weren't, I wouldn't have fought off a hundred wights for you tonight. And I definitely wouldn't have given you my coat."
I giggled. "You're complicated, aren't you?"
He shrugged. "Not as complicated as you. I can be nice. And I can be a jerk. But that's because I've learned the world's a jungle. You have to survive. I'll be nice when I need to be, and mean when I have to be. If I'm nice all the time… I'll look weak."
Then his eyes locked with mine. "But you… you have a pure heart. And that doesn't make you weak. It makes you special."
I didn't know what to say. His words settled deep inside me, a warm, uncomfortable knot I wasn't ready to untangle.
"So… wanna tell me how that stake didn't kill you?" I asked, desperate to change the subject.
He smirked. "Like I said before… I'm a special kind of vampire. The sun doesn't burn me, fire can't hurt me. And wooden stakes? Well, you've seen for yourself that they can't kill me,"
I chuckled, but his eyes stayed serious. "So… you're like, what, an original vampire?"
He shrugged. "Yeah. But stronger than anything you've seen in the movies."
I smiled. "Wow… I must be really lucky to have a special vampire as my white knight."
He laughed and lifted his bottle. "Yeah, you're one lucky lass."
We sat in comfortable silence, the crackling fire filling the quiet as we both stared into the flames, lost in our own thoughts.
After a while, I broke the silence. "I always expected more from life, you know? I thought that being the girl with no memories, no parents, no family… no past… would make me special. Like in those 'weak to strong' heroine stories."
I chuckled, glancing at Ronald, fully expecting to see that teasing smile—but he wasn't laughing. He was watching me, really listening, his expression serious and kind.
I smiled softly. "But, like you said earlier… life's a bloody jungle. And I was too naive to see that."
"I kept clinging to this silly dream of becoming a great adventurer… an explorer who would venture to every part of the world. But... my dream was nothing but just a dream. And i was forced to wake up to the harsh reality called life,"
"Wow," Ronald said with a chuckle, though there was genuine warmth in his tone. "That was… a bit depressing. Are you sure your dream wasn't to become a poet?"
Now he chooses to laugh? Unbelievable
I scowled, crossing my arms. "Are you seriously mocking me right now?"
He laughed, raising his hands. "No, no! Never. But… you clearly just watched too much 'Lara Croft' and thought you could be the next Tomb Raider,"
I stared at him in disbelief. The guy who'd been so understanding minutes ago was now laughing at my dream.
"I can't believe you, Ronald," I snapped. "You asked me about my life, and now you're mocking me? You're the biggest jerk I've ever met."
He grinned. "Oh, so it's funny when you tease? But when I do it… I'm the villain? Come on, Triss, get over yourself."
My eyes widened in realization, he was right. I had done the exact same thing to him earlier in the cabin.
He wasn't a jerk
He was just giving me a taste of my own medicine
"I… I'm sorry," I said quietly. "I didn't think…"
"It's fine, Triss," he cut in gently. "We were just having fun… both of us."
Then, his voice softened again. "And for what it's worth? I think your dream is beautiful. And honestly… I think you're living it right now."
I frowned, puzzled. "What do you mean?"
He smiled, eyes sparkling in the firelight. "Look around. You're sitting with a vampire in the middle of a forest, running from elves and wights. And you've got some badass powers."
He raised his brow. "If that isn't the greatest adventure of all time… what is?"
I couldn't help laughing. He had a point. Even Lara Croft didn't deal with vampires.
"You're right," I admitted. "I am on an adventure. And… I hope it doesn't end too soon."
I smiled, my gaze meeting his crimson eyes.
He smiled back. "Me too."
Silence settled over us again, but this time it was easy and warm, both of us staring up at the stars. The night felt peaceful, but my mind was anything but.
I sneaked a glance at Ronald, who was lost in thought, his expression soft and distant. I hated to admit it… but the sight was cute.
He must've sensed me staring, because he glanced my way—but I quickly looked away. Thankfully, he didn't tease me about it.
"Damn it, Triss," I scolded myself. "What are you doing? This isn't some high school rom-com. Focus. He's a special vampire, and you… you don't even know what you are,"
As I sat there, wrestling with my thoughts, a yawn escaped before I could stop it. My eyelids felt heavy all of a sudden.
Ronald chuckled. "Looks like you're finally burning out. Honestly, I expected you to pass out ages ago—especially after all the power you used back there."
I covered my mouth, stifling another yawn. "Yeah… guess all it took was a good meal, a beer, and some chatting to finally knock me out."
He smiled. "You should go inside and get some sleep. The bedroom should still be fine."
I stood, swaying a little. "What about you?"
"Don't worry about me," he said, waving it off. "I don't need sleep. Besides, someone's gotta keep watch, in case more wights—or worse, come back."
I hesitated, giving him a worried look. "Will you be okay by yourself?"
He grinned, nodding toward the cabin. "I'll be fine. Go on."
I sighed, turning toward the door. "Goodnight, Ronald."
"Sweet dreams, Triss."
I cast one last glance over my shoulder before stepping inside, crossing the wrecked living room and heading straight for the bedroom.
I stepped into the bedroom, quietly closing the door behind me. The soft glow of moonlight filtered through the cracked window, casting silver streaks across the room. With a tired sigh, I slipped off Ronald's coat and draped it neatly over the chair by the door. His scent lingered on the fabric—smoky, warm, and strangely comforting.
I shuffled toward the bed, too drained to care about anything else, and let myself collapse onto the mattress. It creaked under my weight, the blankets cool and inviting. I pulled them over me, cocooning myself in their warmth, and let out a deep breath as my muscles finally relaxed.
For a moment, I just lay there, staring up at the ceiling, my mind blank with exhaustion. But it didn't take long before the thoughts started flooding in, one after the other, crashing like waves against a fragile dam.
How the hell had my day started so… normal? Just this morning, I was a waitress. Nothing more, nothing less. Serving coffee and sandwiches to grumpy strangers, wiping down tables, living a simple, predictable life.
And now… now I was something else. Something I didn't even understand. Some kind of supernatural entity, thrown headfirst into a world I'd only ever seen in books or movies. Chased by monsters. Saved by a vampire. It felt impossible—like a fever dream I couldn't wake up from.
I let out a shaky breath, my heart pounding even as the silence of the room wrapped around me. My mind wandered to Ronald, and I couldn't help the little smile that tugged at my lips. For all his teasing and bravado, he'd been my shield tonight. My protector. I didn't know what tomorrow would bring, but I was certain of one thing: he wouldn't let anything happen to me. Not if he could help it.
Still, uncertainty crept in like a shadow. What would tomorrow look like? More running? More fighting? Or… something even worse? I had no answers, only questions piling up in my mind.
But before I could get too lost in them, the exhaustion finally won. My eyelids grew heavier with each blink, my breathing slowed, and the worries of the day faded into the background.
As sleep claimed me, my last thought was a quiet, desperate hope: Please… let tomorrow be kind.
And then, everything went dark.