Beyond The Fangs

Chapter 16

JAEGER

I didn't know what kind of answer she expected, but the answer I gave shocked her, and I must admit that it shocked me too. She paused for a long moment, unsure of how to respond, before finally clearing her throat.

"I'm not your bait anymore," she said.

"Fine," I agreed.

"And no more ropes."

"Do you even trust yourself not to leap at me?" Her silence was enough of an answer for me. "How about I tie your hands in front of you rather than behind."

"Fine," she rolled her eyes but held out her hands in front of her for me to tie up. 

We went back into the cabin and sat on opposite sides of the room in silence. It wasn't an awkward silence, at least not for me. I didn't mind it, but surprisingly, I found myself wanting to talk to her. I always thought I preferred silence to talk, but I guessed that was only because I've always been on my own. 

I was so used to being alone for so long that having someone in my company was foreign, foreign in a bearable kind of way. In a pleasing kind of way. I was getting used to not being the only person in the room, getting used to having someone in my presence, even though that someone was Izzy.

"Can I ask you some questions?" She asked.

"Why?"

"Just because I'm curious about some things."

"Then no."

Her irritation crackled, but she managed to keep her temper in check. Izzy didn't need to know any more about me than she already knew, nobody did.  I already didn't like how much I had spoken about myself, and I sure didn't like the things she now knew about me and my past. I especially didn't like how inclined I felt to tell her more. It was the first time I had spoken about my past out loud and, for some reason, I wanted to keep going, to let it all out. I had to forcibly clamp my mouth shut to stop myself from talking and opening up. 

Izzy didn't need to know what I was. I didn't kidnap her so that she could understand me better, or so that I could share my past. I had already shared enough, and she already understood enough.

"I don't want to sit in silence," she said. "Not when I've got so many questions."

"You can talk to yourself then," I said. "Go ahead, I won't judge."

"We should at least talk about the plan," she continued, ignoring my remark.

"The plan?"

"The plan to get to the Zas," she explained. "What's your relationship with him anyway? You speak of him like—"

"Doesn't matter," I cut her off.  

"The way you said that doesn't make it seem like it doesn't matter."

"The Zas is an obstacle that we need to get rid of, that's all."

"Are you sure he won't send a swarm of vampires to kill us as soon as we step foot in the Zvade?"

"He won't," I assured her. "There are a lot more reasons why the Zas would want to kill me himself."

"Reasons such as?" She prodded.

"All you need to know is that there are reasons. Once he knows I'm alive he'll want to get rid of me himself."

"Once he knows you're alive?"

"Let's just say he wasn't sure whether I was alive or not, not until now, at least," I clarified. "I've been in hiding."

Izzy nodded, and realisation dawned on her as she said, "so that's why you fight with your face concealed, to avoid recognition."

"Yes, though only a handful of people would recognise my face and know who I am."

"And who exactly are you?" She pushed, leaning forward in her chair as she waited for my answer.

"Doesn't matter," I dismissed.

"A cloak and a mask can only do so much though," she said. "If a Valcon spied on you for long enough then—"

"Valcons are no problem for me," I told her. "I can sense them whenever they come close."

"Wait," Izzy said, raising a hand as she racked her brain. "Do you even have to hunt down vampires when they could easily deliver your message through what they see through the eyes of the Valc?" 

I had thought of that, of relying on the eyes of Valcs to deliver my message. It was through Valcs that the vampires came to know about Izzy and the little reputation she had, after all. But I couldn't rely on them alone. It was unlikely that they would recognise me, and how would they know that I was going after the Zas unless they heard me say it? It would require me to repeat my plan every single time one flew by.

Izzy jumped to a whole other question before I could even answer though, "Why does the Zas even want you dead?" 

"That doesn't matter," I dismissed again.

"How long have you been in hiding?"

"That doesn't matter either."

"Why is it that—?"

"Can you stop asking questions now?" I sighed. "You're so curious for nothing."

"And you're so mysterious for nothing."

"I am," I admitted, "and you're never going to understand this mystery, so stop trying."

She didn't stop, but I soon realised that I didn't mind all the questions she was asking as much as I thought I would. Despite the nonsense that Izzy spewed, I actually enjoyed talking to her.

And I didn't understand why.