Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Chapter 34

I can see him aiming for my neck, and I do nothing. After all, who am I to stop him from having his revenge?

For far too long, I have been a selfish vampire, solely focused on my well-being. Perhaps it was time for me to pay the price.

Then, to my great shame, the Great Huntress of her tribe closes her eyes, not wanting to see her death, especially at the hands of Alarcos. The person who has managed to become my friend in such a short time, under such strange circumstances.

I try to think happy thoughts as I anticipate my demise.

I have fallen so low that I am ready to give up my life for justice to finally be served.

"Ouch, Alarcos, that hurts." I hear Seymour say.

As I open my eyes, I see that Seymour's hand received the bite meant for me. After everything that has happened, he is still trying to protect me, and I am not sure why.

"Then you shouldn't have put it where it doesn't belong." Alarcos snarls.

I've never heard Alarcos sound so predatorial before, and it saddens me that I am the one who activated that primal part of his being.

Moments later, he launches towards me again, but Seymour is faster. He holds him back with all his strength.

"Why are you defending that monster? Don't you care that she slaughtered my whole family? That she shattered my world? Didn't I ever mean anything to you?" Alarcos asks, struggling less and less.

Seymour engulfs him in a strong embrace, which is partly for comfort, partly for restraint.

"Of course, I care about you. I always have, and I always will. I know that you are hurt and angry, but you aren't thinking straight." Seymour says, holding Alarcos close.

"She needs to pay...die...suffer," Alarcos says through sobs.

"You know that as young vampires, we rarely have any control. She was very young, Alarcos. You need to understand that." Seymour says soothingly.

"I don't...need to do anything." Alarcos manages to say before he collapses on the ground in a heaving mess.

I know that I need to give them some privacy, but all I can do is stand and look at Seymour, holding his ex and cradling him like a small child. The affection he feels for Alarcos is so plain that my heart is splitting in two.

On the one hand, I am happy that they might find comfort in each other. On the other hand, I wonder why I can't have anything like that with anyone.

However, I have other reasons for not moving as well, more practical ones. If I try to leave, I might draw Alarcos' attention, and he might hurt Seymour by killing me.

"Sh, it's okay. Please, babe. Calm down. It breaks my heart to see you like this." Seymour says.

He pulls away from the hug and starts kissing away Alarcos' tears. He does it with such gentleness that I wonder if vampires are insensitive monsters, I have always thought us to be. Perhaps there is so much more to our emotions, but I was too broken to see.

Seymour's lips are inches away from Alarcos when Alarcos suddenly jerks away.

"No! You chose your side! You defended her. You chose her." Alarcos says, racing away.

Seymour looks at me with an apology in his eyes. I swallow hard. I have a feeling I know what's about to happen, and I am not ready for it. I am not ready to lose Seymour or at least the idea of what Seymour could have been to me.

"Helen, I am sorry. You have to understand, he is not himself right now. His sole purpose was to kill those who harmed his family. Finding out it was you; his friend, was hard for him." Seymour says.

"I know," I whisper.

"Then you also know that I have to go after him. He is hurt, and I am afraid he might harm himself." Seymour says.

I have no words left to say, so I just nod in agreement.

"Helen, I need you to know that you've always meant a lot to me. I loved you, but I think I was wrong in trying to get back together with you. I was trying to make up for what I did to you, but this is not the way," he says.

"You love him," I say, sure more than ever in the truthfulness of my statement.

"Yes, yes, I do. I didn't realize it until today, until I saw Alarcos breaking apart in front of me. I love him with all my heart, and I know that we are right for each other. We make each other better while all you and I ever did was bring each other down, dragging each other towards our own darker instincts. I hope you find someone who helps you be the best version of yourself that you can be. You deserve that, but that person is not me." Seymour says.

"I know, thank you for saying that. Now, what are you waiting for? Go get your man!" I say, faking a smile that I wish I could feel.

He turns to leave and stops abruptly.

"What about the mission? The Healers?" he asks.

"We'll manage on our own, don't worry. We are big vampires after all," I say, although even I am not entirely convinced of the truthfulness of my words.

"Alright, tell the others we'll try to join you if I manage to convince Alarcos to come back," Seymour says.

"Will do," I say, and he is off like the wind.

I knew this was coming, but I wish I could still cling to the past. Although Seymour is right, we were never good for each other, I can't help but crave the familiarity of what was.

With nothing left to do, and with my life temporarily spared, I go back to Tobias and Cecilia.

Not surprisingly, I find them in a passionate embrace, the map lying on the table, completely forgotten.

"Ahem," I say.

I am annoyed that this is the hundredth time this has happened over the years. How can these vampires get so wrapped up in each other that they don't hear me coming?

What if I was the enemy?

They would be dead by now, death by kissing.

"Oh, Helen, we didn't hear you come in," Cecilia says, embarrassed.

Of course not, you were too busy taking advantage of the alone time while I could have been ripped to shreds.

"Where are the others?" Tobias asks.

I think about lying to him about making up an excuse, but I am so tired that I don't care. Either he will be okay with the truth or not. The only way to find out, either way, is to spill it out.

"What is it, Helen?" Cecilia asks, far better at picking up on my edginess than Tobias ever was.

"There has been a development..." I say.

I am not sure why I am postponing the inevitable, so I look Tobias straight in the eye, and for once, I tell him the truth.

"Alarcos heard me confess to Seymour that I was the one who killed his family," I say.

Silence is my only answer.

It's as if time is standing still, and Tobias and Cecilia are frozen in that one second that takes them to register what I am saying.

I wonder what will happen when time starts up again.