Page 32 of Fight for Us

‘Theo.’ I feel Tara’s fingers on my arm. Her touch brings me instant comfort, as if she can calm me down just by doing that, which makes absolutely no sense to me.

‘She was going to kill me,’ she says. Her voice isn’t afraid. It’s steady, grounding. ‘You saved me.’

I close my eyes. My throat locks up.

‘I knew her. She was someone I used to care about. I don’t remember much anymore but I at least remember that.’

She nods. I feel it more than I see it. ‘I’m sorry that you were put in that position.’

I finally look at her. Her eyes aren’t filled with fear. Not even judgment. She truly feels sorry for me.

‘You’re right. I’m a monster.’

‘I was wrong.’

I blink at her. ‘You don’t know what I’ve done.’ And with a hint of irony I add, ‘I don’t know what I’ve done.’

She steps closer, and I can feel something between us, thrumming in my veins. A stray thought comes to me that I don’t fully understand. This is what happened to the others. Who exactly ‘the others’ are, my shoddy memory can’t recall. Regardless, I recognise the phenomenon. I just never thought it would happen to me. Tara and I have bonded.

She wraps her arms around me and I stiffen in surprise. For the first time in longer than I can remember, I let someone hold me.

Everything has just changed.

An eerie fog clings to the trees around us.

The fresh night air feels soothing in my lungs after breathing nothing but stale air for however long I was down there.

Every step I take feels careful and controlled. I scan the woody area around us, all my senses on high alert. I’m not convinced that there isn’t more waiting for us in the dark.

Tara walks ahead, boots crunching softly over dead leaves. The scent of eucalyptus and damp earth fills my nose. The ever-present coldness of Red Thorne wraps around me, making my skin crawl. For too long I’ve been trapped in this town.

There’s blood on my tongue. Tara’s. Still warm in my veins, burning sweetly, like something I shouldn’t have had, and am already craving again. I feel her in my pulse. The bond is fragile and not completely formed, but it’s enough to heighten my awareness of her. Every step she takes, my eyes follow her closely, like I can’t bear to let her out of my sight.

We need a game plan. Instantly, my thoughts turn to who I can go to, but my memories are too slippery.

Tara keeps moving ahead, like she knows what she’s doing. ‘Where are we going?’ I ask, sounding a little hoarse. Low thunder rumbles in the distance, the sky seeming to darken even further.

Tara slows, turning to look back at me. Her face is covered by the shadows, her skin pale in the grey moonlight. ‘Away from here. Before they find us.’

A branch cracks in the distance. Not loud, but sharp. My body tenses as I scan the area, unable to make anything out.

‘Before who finds us?’ I ask.

‘My family,’ she replies. ‘Let’s just get out of the woods.

There are a lot of places for them to hide and knowing them, they would’ve set up vampire traps in here too.’

Nodding, I trail after her. Rain drops land on my cheek as a flash of lightning illuminates the sky, highlighting just how deep into the woods we are. The temperature dips even further and I step closer to Tara.

‘Cold?’ I ask.

‘I’m fine.’

I lightly touch her arm and she flinches.

‘I’m sorry about what happened to those men,’ I say softly.

‘Whether they were friends, family, or just people you knew, it wasn’t a fair end they had. I’m sorry.’