My legs were fumbling with each step that I took, knees clunking together and both feet forgetting which is the right one. As fast as I could, I ran through the open field with not a single look back. Although there was a sinister cackle coming from behind me, there seemed to be thousands of other noises seeping in through the surrounding obstacles.

A vast forestry—gangling trees of birch and oak, trampled wildflowers, compressed moss, and blooming lichen—that seemed to breathe on its own. Bestrewn throughout the ground, mangled, damp dirt tried to feed off my body, sucking on pieces of exposed skin. The sickly wetness slithered up my legs, yet that was just barely the beginning. There were red-rimmed, rheumy eyes guzzling down every single maneuver of my frantic form. And, they were both increasing and approaching at a frightening speed.

The palm of my left hand latched onto my injured ear, feeling the blood throb against my skin. The trauma was locked in, but it did not stop the trail of various reds from seeping through. The ache writhed underneath my touch, thrashing as I tried to feel out where the affliction began and where it finally ended.

The majority of the helix was gone—completely teared off, along with some of the fossa and scapha.

There were several trails of tears rolling down my cheeks, caking and staining the dull heat of pressure that was circulating within the blood vessels of my face. I was panting heavily. My legs were sprinting using the maximum energy that I could possibly muster at a time, but the upper portion of my body seemed to be falling behind as my arms were swinging wildly. There was barely any control left, and I was conducting on pure instinct, instead.

A blubber of spit coated my lips like a sticky gloss. I let out another sob when a twig crackled underneath my foot, my ankle twisting painfully under the fluctuating weight. I hit the ground with a mushy landing, disappearing into a pulp of organic matter, my ear stinging as the grime cleaned the open cut.

Tossing and turning, I rolled my shoulders until they rested on the solid ground. The ongoing, shallow cry that had been long boiling in my lungs quickly racked my whole body—frustrated with the ringing in my ear, the bitter taste of soil in my mouth, the exhaust coating my legs, and the sticks that were poking into the soles of my feet. The back of my hands violently rubbed at my lips, wiping off slobber and filth alike. My knees buckled as I tried to stand back up, my vision raw and my movements weak, but I was luckily able to plant myself on all fours.

My stomach hurled violently when I realized the full extent of the situation. My eyes widened naturally at the sight. Just in front of me, squirming within the gut of the forest, was a figure that often appeared in my nightmares.

And, materializes in a forest, like this one.

The vicious, undefined being, the starved vampire. There was nothing left of their anatomy, their flesh was fragmented into a peeling sunburn and their nervous system was twitching with an infection.

Through the cautious squint of my eyes, while hoping and praying that my vision was scheming against me, their hollow cheeks were illuminated under the withering sunset. It was definitely not morning at Lyonechka's manor now. Their jaw unhinged, clacking ever so slightly as they leaned their neck to the side and a sloshing of liquid dribbled out to run down their chin. Their deteriorated nose wiggled as they breathed in a long, predatory aroma. Their eyes, which were long drained of humanity and had sunken deep into their skull, trembled as they flickered about.

Their stunted level of recognition switched from eyeing their own mouth, to fiddling with their tarnished fingers, to ripping at fine patches of their hair—until their vexation landed firmly on me.

The remains of a tongue swept across their teeth.

And, they lunged.

My legs charged out from underneath me and my short figure leaped into the air with an energetic thrust from my elbows. I stumbled and grappled as I booked it to the left of me, slipping through the mud and sliding over the grass, but they, too, were behind and struggling all the same. Their own body was giving out on them, but their newly discovered feral urge was driving them further than originally possible.

I clamped my mouth shut—fearing that my call for help would only attract more of them.

An unforeseen spike of brawn had provoked them, triggered by the tang of my bleeding ear, and their suspiciously soaked hand quickly dug into my shoulder. My body twisted as they slammed me back into the ground. The distal phalanges of their fingers bore holes into my shirt, splitting the skin and imprinting patterns of bone. I bit my lip to stop from screaming.

Their vacant eyes began to evolve, manifesting their once lost mind that was awakening with the sole anticipation of feeding. They were salivating at the mere thought. They wheezed, smacking their lips and breathing out a whistle, "Is-" I stared into the excessively bitten flesh of their neck as they spoke, "-Is this real?"

The euphoria that etched itself onto their face was imperishable. The bite marks of their neck were swiftly ripped open as their head was forcibly detached from their shoulders by a large hand with fingers that dived into the temples of their collapsing forehead. A salty mixture of sweat and tears, along with fresh saliva and diluted blood, splattered against my face. I winced at the image.

Their head fell to the side, pumping liquid from severed cords, veins, and so on. The grin of their face grew wider until the very last goodbye. And, I could not gather enough power to look away—disturbed by the gruesome death and the instant sentiment of peace.

"Emery." I felt the vampire's remains being rubbed away by a familiar touch. "My mate."

Morpheus wiped at my face, utilizing only the clean parts of his hands, before moving to cradle my face. My eyes welled up with even more tears and I reached forward until I felt his high cheekbones, basking in the signature warmth of his presence.

"Morpheus," I whispered, "you found me."

He leaned down, pressing his forehead to mine and bumping our noses together. A sob resonated in my chest and I threw my arms around his body, grasping at the muscles of his back. I cried loudly into his t-shirt, wetting both the front and some of the collar. Morpheus draped his arms over me, engulfing my entire body with his burly form, before hoisting me up into his arms. My legs enveloped his torso and my hands wrapped around his neck, finding their way into the thick tufts of his dark hair.

Morpheus took a deep breath of relief near my injured ear, inhaling my scent to ease his rising temper, and spoke again, "You're okay."

A shot of panic hit me when I heard a murmur coming from the adjacent forest. "Morpheus!" I exclaimed, smacking at his arms. "We have to go! We really have to go! They're coming, they're-"

Morpheus bounced my body up, throwing me into the air by just a couple of inches, and then he trapped one of his arms under my rear. I jolted at the light press of his hand, gasping at the grab, but my surprise slowly disappeared as I felt the flicker of the bond playing with my hair and caressing my right ear.

He spoke in a soft tone, shushing my worries. "There's no need to be afraid—especially when I'm with you," he told me confidently. "Now, calm down, and listen closely."

I shut my eyes tight, feeling Morpheus slip underneath what was left of my shirt and create an array of sparks to disperse along the bare skin of my back. I slid my face into the curve of his neck, my body swaying gently to the beat of his breathing and melting into his soothing touch.

Once eased, I obeyed Morpheus and listened.

💕