Should Have Walked Away | Aarmau Vampire AU

𝔱 𝔥 𝔦 𝔯 𝔱 𝔶 - 𝔬 𝔫 𝔢

• ααяσи'ѕ ρσν •
•ѕтσяму ∂αу тωσ•

This storm is insane.

Even in my room I could hear the rain miles away, and now the lightning could be seen the next city over.

I watched it strike an especially tall tree when I looked up from my writing. I never liked the rain, and lightning was too destructive for my tastes. I prefer to hear the bird chirping.

Below the castle grounds, I could see Aphmau in a tank top and jeans, running around without rest.

She was soaked to the bone but going strong to make sure that everyone is safe; the castle guards couldn't do it because they were all in a big meeting with my father, discussing how they were going to clean up the storm's aftermath.

Her copper and amber eyes were noticeable even from my height and the storm, and I watched with a smile as she helped a family get home. They had wooden baskets encased with cloth, presumably vegetables from Molly and Dale's farm.

Aphmau left my sight for a minute or two, and when she came back she was still running.

There was a look of determination on her face and I stared in awe. She never falters in doing what she thinks is right, and helping people is always number one. . . How could she ever think she was hurting people?

Her footing took her to the quad, where she spun in a circle to find any stragglers. She found one, but it was made of rock and not flesh.

She tripped over herself, falling in an angle away from me. I waited for her to get up, to see her again in her thriving glory.

No such luck. She stayed down, she didn't move.

Aphmau's back rose and fell with heavy breaths, and I looked closer, sharper. That's when I saw the blood.

It wasn't much, only a small trickle from a scrape in her knee, but that was alarming enough. She wasn't healing — why didn't she say she was low on blood? Surely the guards would let her leave. . .

Quickly grabbing my jacket (and a spare), I sped down the twisting hallways I knew so well and made my way to her.

She hasn't moved in at least five minutes, still using her arms to hold her up while she sat in a large puddle. The whole quad was a puddle.

"Aph?" I kneeled down to her level, drenching my clothes from my knees down. I didn't notice; my focus was only on this vampire who needed my help and would never admit it.

Aphmau barely realized I was there, lazily waving me off with one of her hands. The movement made her unstable, and her other arm shook under her weight. I doubt she could see five feet in front of her.

Her arm gave me an opening, and I put it around my shoulder before she could drop it. I lifted us up together, supporting her legs so I could carry her to the shelter of the oak tree. She didn't say anything, and it wasn't clear if she tried to, or gave up and elected for silence.

Even her armpits and the hollow of the back of her knees were cold. How was she so low on blood? Why did she let it get to this?

There was still a puddle of water around the tree, but it was much shallower and less rain hit our heads thanks to the flora shelter above. Aphmau remained limp and freezing to the touch, so I pulled her to me and laid the spare jacket around her shoulders. It did nothing to stop her shivering, so I rubbed my hands up and down her bare arms.

"God you're freezing," I mumbled. Then louder, "You're okay, you're alright."

I kept the small woman in my embrace, cuddling her to me to protect her from the frigid air. She sat in my lap, her legs relaxed and knees bent on my opposite side.

After a minute, it became clear that she was too out of it to know about anything in her surroundings, so I sat her up more and leaned her head against my chest. Meanwhile, I ignored the cold and took my own jacket off one arm, the one she laid against.

Thankfully I was only wearing a tee shirt underneath, and it was easy to stretch the neckline away from my throat.

The amber-eyed vampire watched, her eyes out of focus and head wobbling with dizziness. She was wheezing, panting, and it continued to get worse as the seconds went by. I doubt she could think straight, or at all right now.

I gave Aphmau an opening, tilting my head away from her to expose my neck.

For once, she didn't hesitate.

Her dominant hand found the opposite side of my neck while her other one used my shoulder as a perch to lift herself higher.

Hot breath against my neck, it didn't take even a second before her canines pierced my flesh and found a vein.

She drank greedily and quick, much different from the first time I let her.

However, she slowed down after a second as she gained conscious thought again, and came gradually to a stop.

When she was done I had the satisfaction of feeling her skin warm, and felt a shiver travel my spine when she softly licked the excess blood from the wound on the side of my throat.

"Thank you," she mumbled. Then repeated it. Again, and again, and again.

It was clear she was in a lot of pain before the blood traveled her system, but even now she was still weak and cold. Her skin was covered in small goosebumps, and she shook just like before.

Unlike before, however, she moved herself closer to me. Aphmau's left arm found my waist, wrapping around the small of my back and laying a hand on my chest with the other.

I watched the top of her head with a glance of her face as her fingers widened, splaying out over my heart to feel the beat.

She kept her eyes on her hand, and still mumbled her gratitude that was by no means necessary. We were both warming up.

And I could tell she was thanking me for a lot more than just a pint of blood.

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αнннннн тнιѕ ιѕ ѕυρєя fяι¢кιи ℓαтє ¢υz ι ωαѕ тσσ вυѕу яєα∂ιиg, ѕиσσzιиg му αℓαямѕ, αи∂ нανιиg α ѕℓєєρσνєя тσ яємємвєя!! σн ωєℓℓ нєяє уα gσ.
Word count: 1096