Kissing Danger ✔️

TWELVE

Word Count: 1741

~Aven

I still don't trust Eryk, but right now, Lei and I don't stand a chance out in this weather with Lei's car half submerged in the ditch, so I agree to let him drive us to the nearest hotel.

There is a tense silence between us as Eryk drives. He;s decided to not share any more information with me until we are in a safer position. My fingers keep glancing back at his hand, where he purposefully cut himself to show me the colour of his blood. Even though he's since healed himself with whatever inexplicable power he has, I can still see a smear of drying blood across the back of his hand.

Shivering, I turn back to look out the window at the blur of green from the dense forest outside. It's terrifying because he can't fake the colour of his blood, and neither can the girl who was trying to kill me.

What if he is from another world? What if I am?

"My head..." I hear from behind me.

Looking over my shoulder, I see Lei's eyes fluttering open, her hand coming up to lightly brush against her head. She's been cut, the blood thankfully having stopped flowing, although streaks of red still stain her skin.

"Lei? You're awake," I gasp.

"What's going on," she questions, sitting up enough to look around the car, eyes widening as she realises this isn't her car, and a complete stranger is driving the car. Eryk looks especially frightening too, dark hair still wet, wearing all black, his bow sitting behind his seat, right by Lei. "Who the hell are you?"

"This is Eryk. He can help you," I assure her calmly, even though I want to share her panic. Before I turn back around, I give her a lasting look, trying to let her know that I don't fully trust Eryk either, but he is our best chance of getting out of here alive. "We are pulling up to our hotel now."

She nods, looking out the window at the small hotel tucked into the edge of the woods. It's more like an inn, looking quite inviting considering I'm still soaking wet and it's still pouring with rain outside. Once we are inside, I can get more answers out of Eryk and then decide whether I can trust him. But none of this can come before he helps Lei.

"Someone attacked us," Eryk murmurs from the front seat, parking the car in the empty parking lot.

"They tried to steal your car, but this nice stranger helped me fend them off. It's okay now," I assure her calmly. Eryk already told me that I should come up with a story for when Lei woke. I don't want to lie to her, but I don't want to overwhelm her with all this new information when she is hurt.

Lei doesn't say anything as we get out, Eryk helping guide her into the inn's main lobby. We sit amongst the waiting area while Eryk goes to the front desk, the man behind it eyeing us all warily. We likely look insane, soaking wet with Lei covered in blood.

"Do I remember you saying you knew a guy named Eryk, or something, or am I crazy?" Lei asks lowly, dipping her head near my neck.

I swallow, realising she heard his name from their exchange at the front desk. Damn.

"You hit your head, that's all," I explain gently, pulling her closer against me, hoping I can warm her from her shivering.

"I can't believe I got attacked." She shakes her head, running her hands back through her knotted curls. Images of her head being slammed into the steering wheel flash into my mind, unwarranted, making my stomach churn with guilt. This is my fault. "No one is going to believe me."

Eryk pulls away from the front desk, coming back toward us with a key dangling off his fingers.

"I got us the room key." He motions for us to follow him. "Shall we?"