The Vampire And The Orphan
Chapter Eight

Nathanial lay awake as Lettie slept restlessly beside him. Her eyes lids fluttered heavily, and her heart was racing periodically. He imagined she was dreaming of the sordid tale they were told tonight.

His eyes found her sleeping face. Studying her now, he realized how beautiful she really was. She had not one birthmark, freckle, or any other human blemish on her skin; he was surprised he hadn’t noticed that before. She was a peculiar one, this Lettie girl. She was full of innocence and yet, at the same time, an old soul. He’d never found himself so intrigued by someone before.Her sweet and trusting nature could be deadly for her. Such opposition to him. He didn’t trust a soul and never did. It was no wonder the witches paired her with him.

She started to make noises again. Her face flushed some as her heartbeat picked up. He touched her cheek and found her skin soft and warm as he closed his eyes and focused. He entered her mind carefully or meant to when he suddenly felt himself getting pulled in fast. It stopped suddenly, the pulling feeling. He opened his eyes to darkness. So much darkness he couldn’t see a thing. It felt off; the energy, the air, everything felt so off. He didn’t like it at all. He wanted out, but first, he had to get to her.

“Lettie?” He called out to the darkness.

“Nathanial?” She called back, “How did you get here?”

“I tapped in, or I was, then suddenly I felt like you pulled me in,” he explained.

“I must’ve done that,” she mumbled, “I had a lot of weird dreams after that story, but I still felt you next to me. When I came here, I couldn’t feel you anymore. I think I reached out for you.”

But Benjamin had said that wasn’t a fae thing, so how? How did she enter his mind and pull him into hers?

More importantly-

“Where is here? Is this the nightmare you keep having?” He asked.

“Yes, but usually I just end up here and don’t want to be.” Her voice seemed closer to him, so he reached for her and finally felt her soft skin. He gently grasped her arms and pulled her towards him

“Oh, Nathanial!” She suddenly flung her arms around his neck and embraced him. “I’m always so alone here.”

“You’re not alone,” he said in what he hoped was a soothing tone. Comforting someone wasn’t exactly one of his strengths, but he felt he had to try.

Shaking that thought out, he gently released her but kept his hands lightly grasped on her arms.“Where are we?” He asked again. She was right in front of him, and he couldn’t see her.

“I think we’re nowhere, Nathanial,” she said quietly, “that’s what it always felt like to me.“Nowhere?”

“Yes, I know, that doesn’t make sense, but we’re not anywhere now.”

Well, that would explain this feeling of wrongness.

“The voice isn’t here today,” she continued, “I don’t know if it’s because I came on my own?”

“What voice?” He asked. “What does it sound like?”

“That’s the thing, it’s in my head, and it never sounds like anything. I just hear the words.“He could feel her warm breath against his chin; she’d come nearer to him. He found himself pulling her back in even closer; he didn’t like not being able to see her.

“What words?”

“They usually ask me to try something, and I don’t want to.”

“Do you know what?”

“No,” she sounded frustrated. “I always hate it and scream at it to go away. I can’t remember it clearly when I wake up.”

“Now that I want to hear it, it’s nowhere to be found!” Her voice was full of fraught.

“It’s okay, Lettie,” he spoke in a quiet voice. “We don’t have to stay here, okay?”

“Okay,” he felt her press her face against his chest. It felt oddly comfortable; he rested a hand in her hair. “I can bring you anywhere. Where should I take you?”

“To the garden at the orphanage,” she said without a second thought. “Take me to the moonflowers, Nathanial.”

“Show me,” he whispered into her hair as he reached again into her mind. He took it all in so he could recreate it for her.

“Open your eyes, Lettie.”

As she did, the large garden full of glowing white moon flowers materialized in front of them. They were standing in an embrace in the center.

“Nathanial, this is - it’s like we’re really here,” she breathed out. Her violet eyes were full of wonder, and her soft pink lips parted in surprise as she looked around them. The endearing innocence she exuded was on full display in this garden she’d spent her childhood frolicking in. At that moment, he realized it wasn’t just her life he’d protect. He’d do whatever he could to ensure that her pure heart stayed safe.

“My gosh,” she started to walk through the flowers, her hair blowing in the wind behind her. “It’s so beautiful.”

“I haven’t seen moon flowers in decades.” He mentioned as he fell into step with her.

“Ella planted them. It was safe for me to come out here at night,” she explained. “Random foster parents showed up during the day and she wouldn’t risk them seeing ,me. I’m glad I know why, now.”

She found a grassy spot near the flowers and patted the ground next to her as she sat. He took her cue and came to sit next to her.

“She must have had it protected,” he mused, “it’s far from the main road. Doubtful, a vampire would’ve caught your scent. Could’ve happened though with the right wind.”

Lettie laughed, then a deep laugh. Once she started, she kept going. He watched her with a bewildered expression.

“Are you okay?”

“I just-” she took another moment to compose herself. “I spent my whole life wanting out of here. I finally do and find out I’m a faery without wings; that is a perfect vampire snack.”

He laughed then, too, he couldn’t help himself, and once he started, he kept going too. He couldn’t remember the last time he laughed so hard. She looked at him and started up again herself. It was a good thing they were in her dream. They probably looked crazy sitting in this flower field, cracking up.

Finally, their laughter subsided, and Nathanial looked over at her. “You are not a vampire snack, Lettie.”

“Are you saying I wasn’t tasty?” She asked in a teasing tone.

“Oh, you were the best thing I ever tasted,” he assured her, and she blushed.

“Is it true what you told Ben? You almost lost control?”

“For a moment,” he confessed, his lips twisted into a frown at that,

“I shouldn’t have ever risked such a thing with you.

“Oh, stop! You’d have never hurt me.”

“Lettie, I just told you I almost did,” he countered.

“Then you knew, somehow, that it was me. You didn’t lose control; instead, you pulled me into your mind. To show me your neediest moment. That speaks for itself. Your subconscious was never going to hurt me.”

“I suppose that’s possible,” he nodded slowly.

“It is,” she said, “just like I pulled you into my creepy nothing dream.”

“But how?” He mumbled.

"Why matters more,” she said.

“What?”

“They why. I pulled you in because I hate it there. I didn’t want to be alone.” She said simply. “So why did you bring me to your moment?”

“I don’t know,” he muttered, “probably because you kept pestering me about it.”

“Maybe,” she said in a teasing tone, ”or it could be that for the first time, maybe you do want to open up to someone.”

“Wrong,” he rolled his eyes and scoffed, secretly though he knew she could be right. There was certainly something about her that made him react... differently.

“You must get pretty bored with just yourself.” She commented as she twirled a blade of glass between her fingertips.

“Are you calling me boring?” He

“No! Not at all; you’re actually the most interesting person I’ve ever met.”

“Likewise,” he cast her a glance, and she smiled at him; it was contagious, and he returned it.

“I’m glad you were the one on the path,” she moved her hand closer to his, letting it brush against his.

“So am I,” He took her hand and laced his fingers through hers; she gasped in surprise, then squeezed it.

They sat quietly, enjoying the company and the view until it was time to wake up.

It was close to sunset when they rose again. Nathanial wanted to hurry before any patrons arrived. There was, luckily, a tiny shower stall in the basement. Once he and Lettie had each taken a turn cleaning up, they hustled up and out.

Nathanial noticed a black car pulling in as they left. “Just in time.”

“Should we have stayed and asked Ben about my dream?”

“No, when he said he wanted us gone, he meant it.”

“But he was really nice and -

“Lettie,” he cut her off, “a vampire’s number one rule is self-preservation. We see a lot of death, and I mean a lot, so one life isn’t much to us if we don’t have a personal stake in it. Never trust a vampire, no matter how kind they may be.”

“Except you,” she agreed.

“Even me,” he corrected.

“Nathanial, I trust you with my life,” Lettie said with a roll of her eyes. “So do you. You know you’d never hurt me.”

“I do not know that... I want to but”-

“Oh, come on! You know it’s true. Besides,” she spoke as he drove them along. “You have the best control of any vampire in the world.”

“I what!?” He laughed again at her bravado. It felt good laughing like this. He could get used to it. “Oh, Lettie, I never said that.”

“I know, but I can tell,” she said with a cute little grin.

“What was it Benjamin called you? A charming little thing?”

“Yeah,” she giggled as a bit of blush touched her cheeks. “Why are you saying you agree with him?”

“More of a peculiar little thing, but I guess charming works too,” he teased, and she stuck her tongue out at him.

“Where are we going?” She asked as he sped up a bit.

“Back to my house in Colorado for now,” he explained.

“Just for now?”

“It’s fairly safe but not enough,” Nathanial mused, “The Order is everywhere. I need to keep your scent from anyone connected to them.”

“How?”

“I have some land, far north. It’s in an area humans literally can’t get to. It’s beyond these huge jagged mountains, in a valley that’s tucked away. I have to use my special perks to get there. When I first made the oath, the witch brought me there with an old vampire who trained me on control, among other things.”

“Being so far away and with no humans around to feed from,” he continued, “means no reason for vampires to be around.”

“Okay,” she nodded slowly, “you said it’s really far?”

He nodded, “Which means we have to travel the hard way as soon as the sun sets tomorrow.”

“The hard way?”

“I’ll run and carry you,” he confirmed.

“The whole way? How far is it!?

“I won’t make it before the sunrises in a car, that far,” he explained.

“You run faster than a car?”

“Way faster,” he grinned a bit at that.

“Why couldn’t I get a perk like that?” she whined as she sulked into the car seat.

“Bringing flowers back from the brink isn’t a bad perk,” he commented.

“Not really helpful, though.”

“Could be. It means you have some healing abilities,”

He told her. “Who knows what you could do if you practice that.”

“I guess that’s true.” She chewed her lip as she spoke.

“Maybe you can even heal things other than plants,” he suggested, and her eyes widened at that.

“You think so?” She asked, “how could I practice?”

“You can practice on me,” he offered, “once we get to our safer spot.”

“I don’t want to hurt you, though,” she frowned.

“You can’t hurt me,” he scoffed at that.

“Such a big bad vampire,” she teased.

“Don’t make me show you how bad I can be,” he teased back to which she blushed.

“Nathanial” she exclaimed. “Are you flirting with me?”

“I.. no,” he muttered, feeling embarrassed. Was he? He hadn’t meant to. He didn’t even know how to flirt. In his human days, it was called courting, and it was much more straightforward and honest than today.

“Are you sure?” She still had a teasing tone to her voice and it unnerved him.

He shook off the feeling and focused his eyes ahead, “yes, I’m sure.” His tone was colder than he meant, and she frowned at it.

“Why don’t you rest some? We have a long drive yet.” He added in a softer tone.

“Fine.” She said as she turned to look out the window. He could sense her disappointment, but he didn’t know what to do with it or her.

To say he was in over his head with this spirited little faery girl would be a vast understatement.

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