Chapter 9

9

I stare at his retreating figure in shock.

Did he…

Did he just…

PomPom and BonBon bark happily as they circle around me, oblivious to the way my heart just plummeted to the ground.

He didn't even tell me his name.

I blink repeatedly, somehow thinking this is all just a bad dream.

I finally find a man who I consider worth pursuing and he does what? He leaves without sparing me a glance!

Worse still is the fact that I'm back to ground zero—sans the execution debacle. How the hell am I going to get back to my world now? How am I even going to survive long enough to figure that out considering there is a deadly plague raging in Akkaya?

The answer is clear.

I cannot do it on my own, therefore I need to stick by my good-looking friend and hope he will find it in the kindness of his heart to help me. Of course, there's the fact that he didn't seem to consider me his friend, given how easily he abandoned me. But the only way for me and my babies to make it out of here alive is to stick by his side—whether he wants it or not. In fact, I must find a way to show him I'm indispensable, maybe even offer him some more blood.

I nod to myself, satisfied with my train of thought.

The blood taking wasn't nearly as scary as I would have thought, maybe even a little pleasant. It will not be a hardship to keep him well-fed as long as he keeps us plague-free, no? I think that's a rather good deal. But I must convince him of that too.

I purse my lips.

He's getting farther and farther away from me. In no time I'll lose track of him, so I must act fast.

Getting to my knees in front of PomPom and BonBon, I address them firmly.

"The moment has come. I need your help. We're going to follow that nice and good-looking man, but we must not make a sound, okay? We need to be like ghosts. He can't find out we're following him." At least not until I find a way to make my case and convince him I can be his food bank. It's a win-win. I bet there aren't too many healthy—and pretty—girls he can feed from, not with the plague having killed nearly everyone.

But the moment I imagine him finding another pretty girl to sink his teeth into and brush his lips over her skin and hold her that close, I see red.

No, he will not do that!

I will feed him—exclusively. And he can protect me and my babies, and maybe along the way realize that this is all fate and we are meant to be.

I don't believe in coincidences.

The mere fact that I'm in this weird—not so fictional—world is testament enough.

This is fate. And I can only embrace it.

I sigh dreamily at the thought. Ah, the romantic in me is coming out in full force after lying dormant for so long. Well, not exactly dormant, merely relegated to my dreams. But now I've found the perfect man!

He's handsome—always a requirement. He's strong and steadfast. But most of all he's kind!

He saved my PomPom—and me, but my baby is more important in this equation. He also killed that annoying Ivan and though I don't necessarily condone murder, I say good riddance.

I blink slowly. Damn it! I almost got lost in my thoughts again and my good-looking friend is getting farther away from me!

"PomPom," I whisper to my pretty baby. She has her tongue out as she smiles at me with her eyes. "I must count on you to make sure BonBon is quiet. Can you do that for me?"

She releases a low whine as she brushes her head against my legs. Immediately after, she turns to BonBon, her expression one of savage feminine authority. She barks a few times and BonBon lowers his head in submission.

"Good girl." I pat her head. And since I don't want to play favorites, I turn to BonBon and pat him too. "Good boy."

They both preen, happy at the praise.

Nodding at them, I get up and signal for them to follow me in silence.

He's already out of sight, damn it! I walk briskly in the direction he went, making sure to avoid areas with high foliage that might give away our presence.

He's strong. I wouldn't put it past him to have super senses.

But as we cover more distance and get closer to him, he doesn't turn to chastise me for following him. He continues on, oblivious.

A satisfied smile pulls at my lips. We'll manage to do this.

He walks slowly. His clothes are so tattered, there are only a few strands covering his torso and the semblance of a pair of shorts on his lower body. His skin is flawless, but black soot from the fire mars that perfection.

He needs a shower.

I need a shower too, I realize as I raise my arm to sniff myself.

God! One day in a cell and I already stink. And he held me close to him.

Oh my! Is that why he left me behind? Did my smell bother him? He had his lips on my neck. Could he detect the cell stench then too?

This isn't fair! The man smelled divine after years left to rot in that cell and I stink like a sewer after only a day.

Now another thought crosses my mind. What if he cannot hear us, but he can smell me ?

Even PomPom smells better because she had royal treatment. BonBon too.

"Do you think I smell, too?" I ask the dogs in a low voice. They have better noses. They would tell me if I stank, no?

I stop for a moment, letting PomPom sniff me.

She makes a disgusted face that BonBon emulates and my confidence officially plummets.

Shaking my head at my predicament, I decide to find a river and bathe before I go anywhere near him again. Yes, that might help.

We continue following— stalking —him. PomPom and BonBon are surprisingly well-behaved. They don't make a noise as they walk stealthily behind me. Every now and then I give them a smile and an airy kiss to incentivize them to keep up the good work.

But as we get to a river, he suddenly stops.

I do, too, putting my hand up for the dogs to stop as well. We hide behind a clump of trees, lying low behind the bushes.

I part a few branches to peek through.

He gets to his knees in front of the river, staring at his reflection for what seems like an eternity.

Of course he would. He's probably making sure his god-tier looks are still intact.

Putting his hands together, he scoops some water and washes his face. He proceeds to do the same with his neck and armpits, removing some of the more visible soot.

After he's done, he stands up.

He's tall. So much taller than my five-three frame. He must be over six feet tall and that only makes me giddy as I release a dreamy sigh.

We'll look perfect together. I'm already imagining all the pictures we will take together and how those so-called friends of mine will swallow their insults when they see my beau.

Take that, Clarice!

He turns to leave, and I get out of the bushes, telling my dogs to follow me.

The river is a little too alluring after my burst of panic over my scent.

"Just a little. Stay here, PomPom, and don't let BonBon wander, okay?"

She nods as if she understands. Sometimes I'm sure she does.

I run to the river and wash my face and armpits too. If only I had some soap… But beggars can't be choosers.

Alas, feeling a bit refreshed, I beckon my dogs to follow me as we resume our stalking activities. They are the perfect partners in crime, and I couldn't be prouder of them for being so silent as they follow me.

We quickly catch up to my good-looking friend. Leaving a bit of distance between us, we continue to follow him around as he goes deeper into the forest.

It's a couple of hours later that my feet start killing me and my stomach starts rumbling with hunger. I haven't eaten in…over a day! That's just criminal.

And to make matters worse, my brain decides to introduce images of all types of delicacies into my mind, making me drool at the thought of having a bite of juicy meat or at least some chocolate—I'm not picky.

PomPom and BonBon are good sport. They haven't complained so far, but I know they must be hungry and tired too.

What is his itinerary? And why does he have to walk—though I'm not complaining since that allows me to follow him. But he has that dark cloud of his. Why isn't he using it? If I had one of those, I wouldn't walk even to get a glass of water. But then again, he's been locked inside that prison for a long time. Maybe he needs to stretch his legs.

The forest scenery is all the same. We walk and walk and there are only tall trees, thick shrubs, bushes, and the sound of bothersome insects. I'm not a hater, I swear. But I have sensitive skin, and insect bites make me break out into hives. That's the last thing I need right now when I'm already stinky enough. How will I get this man to notice me with red welts on my face and a fetid stench? Then again, maybe the stench will also keep the insects away…

He stops.

He makes camp in a small clearance under the canopy of trees.

I put my hand up to stop PomPom and BonBon as I study his next movements.

He's humming a melody to himself as he gathers some tree branches and places them on the ground, forming a firepit before using his magic to light it up.

That's when I realize that the sky has already darkened. He's probably stopping here for the night.

That means we're stopping too.

I sigh. If only we had some food. Glancing back at PomPom and BonBon, I notice they're huddled together, almost embracing. They're tired, the poor babies. But at least they have love to keep them warm.

Ah, to be young and in love. I admire them wistfully for a few moments, happy at my baby's new relationship before I turn my attention to my own prospective love interest.

My eyes immediately widen when I don't see him there anymore.

The fire is blazing up, smoke traveling in the sky, but there's no sign of him.

For a moment, panic takes hold of me.

What if he realized I was following him and he used the fire as a distraction so he could slip away and evade me?

I look right and left, my heart thudding in my chest as I cannot find him anywhere.

But just as my chest is about to explode with worry, the bushes at the other end of the clearing rattle and he resurfaces.

He's holding a dead bird in his hand. The feathers have already been removed and it's only the skin and the meat now.

My mouth instantly waters as he carefully builds a rotisserie on top of the fire. He places the bird over the flames, slowly rotating it and roasting it on all sides.

The smell of food reaches the dogs too and they release soft noises.

"Shh," I tell them. We can't have him hear us now.

But as I stare at that glorious bird being roasted, I can't help the way my body angles forward, my mind blanking on me until that juicy bird is all I see.

This is torture. Pure torture.

Even with the light dimming in the sky, I can see the golden hue of the bird's skin and the way the juices fall down onto the flames, fanning them even more.

It's even more painful as I watch him tear out a leg and bring that crispy meat to his lips.

I swallow. Hard. I have to bite my lip from crying out for mercy, and maybe some leftovers.

Digging my fingers into my thighs, I stare at his plump lips as they wrap themselves over the meat, biting into it before chewing slowly.

His Adam's apple bobs up and down as he swallows.

The flames cast a shadow over his neck, emphasizing his muscles and tendons, and now I'm not only salivating for the meat, but for his perfectly sculpted body too.

God! What have I done to deserve this?

He eats the leg before he throws the bone to the ground, and I have to physically hold on to PomPom and BonBon so they don't fly from my side in search of that mesmerizing scent of food.

"We're all in this, guys," I whisper. "I feel your pain. I promise I'll give you lots of treats once we're out of this, okay?"

They don't seem too happy with me at the moment. I guess food is where they draw the line. But at the same time, I can't let them blow my cover, so I pull both of them into my arms—they're small enough to fit comfortably—and I try to get them not to bark or make too much noise.

My good-looking friend is enjoying himself as he tears out a breast piece, all meat and crispy skin. God, how will I resist this?

His mouth movements alone will get me into trouble.

My stomach rumbles again.

He eats that piece before he suddenly gets up. He looks around for a moment, holding his hands apart from his body, and I realize he's searching for something to wipe the juice off his fingers. With a shake of his head, he teleports himself out of the clearing.

Based on his body language, I'm assuming he went to the river to clean himself. I wait a couple of minutes to make sure he's not coming back before I decide that this is my chance. Surely he won't miss a bit of meat, right?

"Easy, guys. I'll get some for you too, okay?" I tell my dogs.

They're growing rather impatient with me, but PomPom knows how to obey, and in turn, she gets BonBon to follow my instructions, too.

I leave them hidden in the bushes while I run across the clearing to the still roasting bird. Knowing time is of the essence, I quickly tear out the hind legs, a bit of breast meat, and the thighs. Okay, maybe he will miss this much meat, but there are wild beasts roaming around in the forest at night. Any one of them could have been lured by this tantalizing scent and stolen a piece, no?

Once my arms are full of juicy meat, I steal away into the bushes with my loot.

PomPom and BonBon dance around me as they see the food and they make low sounds of approval.

"Here, this is for you," I say as I give PomPom one of the hind legs. "And this is for you." I do the same with BonBon.

While they munch away on their food, I take my first bite of the meat.

A divine sigh escapes me as I lick my lips, not wanting to let any of that tasty juice go to waste.

My, but this is divine.

He cooked it to perfection.

Another added perk that makes him the perfect love interest.

Ah, but I'm finally in my main character era! I don't have to read about others getting their forever love when mine is just within grasp—as soon as I make my good-looking friend realize that we're perfect for each other.

For now, I'll settle for this wonderful meat.

Hidden in the bushes as I am and with my only audience of the four-legged variety, I don't even have to mind my manners. I quickly finish my portion and give the bones to the dogs while I suck on my fingers for all the residual juice—we can't have it go to waste now, can we?

"Have some more."

More pieces of meat dangle in front of my eyes.

My hunger must be more potent than I realize since I'm now seeing things.

"Thank you," I say as I take the holy offering, my eyes affixed to it as I smack my lips together, my eyes sparkling with want.

But as I reach for the meat, my hands still and I slowly look up.

I blink repeatedly, hoping this is all a bad dream.

He's clean and dressed in new clothes—a dark shirt and a pair of loose pants. His hair has been tied back, away from his face, emphasizing that striking cut of his jaw and those ungodly cheekbones that would have nuns go into heat.

He looks down at me with amusement in his features—the first expression I've seen on his face that isn't a scowl or that attractive brood he usually has going. His brow is raised, his mouth curled in a lopsided smile that makes my insides go all gooey.

I gulp down.

Good Lord, how is he more striking than before?

Is it the moonlight? Or is it my starved pitiful self that now sees him as food.

PomPom and BonBon are so busy with their food they don't even realize I'm having the most embarrassing moment of my life—one I'll likely never live down for the rest of my life. Main character energy my ass. More like class clown energy by the way things are going.

I wipe my mouth with my sleeve before I give him a guilty smile.

Seconds pass as I think of a proper reply, but my poor starved brain decides on the least appropriate thing to say.

"The dogs stole the food!"