Till Death Do Us Part

Chapter 3 - Stuck

"You've got to be fucking kidding me." Lauren pinched the bridge of her nose. Could this get any worse?

Cara huffed. "Some friend you got there."

Lauren turned to face the younger girl. Her emerald eyes narrowed into a glare, though she stayed silent. Her shoulder brushed against Cara's as she stepped past, locking the bathroom door behind her. An admittedly childish and cowardly act, but Lauren had no desire to be in the same room as a werewolf longer than necessary. She sunk to the floor, her back pressed against the wall and her knees pulled to her chest. Unknowingly, Cara mimicked the position beside the bedroom door. They could barely hold a conversation without attacking one another, how exactly were they supposed to sleep in the same room?

Cara's pale blue eyes scanned the room once more, though she already knew there was no escape. Finally, her eyes landed on the door beside her. A lightbulb went off in her head.

"Can't we just break it?" Cara's tone was a complex mix of confusion, excitement, and desperation. Surely if it had been an option, Lauren would have done it by now.

"You think I would have locked you in here if you could get out that easy?" Sarcasm dripped from each raspy word. Lauren lay her head against the wall and released an exasperated sigh. "It's made of two planks of oak, reinforced by steel, and I paid some witch to put up a magic barrier."

Cara paused, processing the new information. Of course, it was. Had she really expected anything less from 'her highness'? She dropped her head into her hands. Her voice came out barely above a whisper as she spoke again. "We're so fucked."

"Chill," Lauren rolled her eyes, the gesture going unnoticed by the wolf. Not surprising, considering there was a wall between them. "Dani will be back tomorrow morning."

Cara gave up with a frustrated sigh. If she was even still alive by then. She paused briefly before deciding to change the topic.

"You don't have a coffin?"

"Do you have any idea how uncomfortable those are?" Lauren huffed, her back growing stiff at the mere thought of the cramped space. That, and she may be mildly claustrophobic. A soft growl pulled her back into reality. The source of the sound was, of course, none other than Cara's empty stomach.

"Sorry." Cara's apology was barely audible and a slight blush crept onto her cheeks. Now was really not a good time to be hungry. If her stomach was even half as stubborn as herself, the growling would continue for most of the night. Just her luck.

"How often do you need to eat?" Lauren's voice was a mix of frustration and concern.

She certainly didn't want her mate- the wolf, to suffer, but Cara wasn't exactly low maintenance either. Perhaps she hadn't thought this through. In reality, she should have adjusted her home prior to the arrival of the wolf and allowed for Cara to be groomed and prepped, whatever that meant. Yet, the moment her eyes caught sight of the majestic beast, she couldn't allow Cara out of her sight. Now that she thought about it, perhaps them being mates was not that surprising. Cara's voice pulled the young vampire out of her thoughts.

"Well excuse me but a couple slices of bread a day is not the most filling meal." The blonde heard her stomach growl again as if proving her point. "Do you know how much energy it takes to shift?"

"No, I do not." Lauren snapped, her tone harsh as she grew more and more frustrated. "They didn't exactly teach that in my 'werewolf 101' course in high school."

Cara was silent, but only for a moment.

"You had one of those?"

"No, that's my fucking point."