The Vampire

chapter 19

Skye moaned in tired state of sleep when she felt a tug at her hand.

Someone was tugging at her hand.

Her eyes flew open and her gaze flickered towards her adjoined hand with commander leon.
She didn't realize that she fell asleep beside him while laying down and rubbing his hand last night, trying to soothe his pain.

It was still dark and some of the moonlight was peaking through slightly ajar curtain that was hanging at the entrance of cottage.

"Skye!" Anyone could have misunderstood the name as a groaning sound if it wasn't for Skye.

She turned her head to see commander Leon eyeing her in utter confusion. Although it was dark inside but still it was possible to make out the features of someone as close to you as Skye was to him.

His head was turned towards her with million questions swirling in his eyes.

"what are you doing here?" His voice seemed so raspy as if he was trying to cough out the words but was unable to. He brought his left hand to his throat and pinched the skin around his Adams apple while groaned in discomfort, closing his eyes tightly.

"Are you okay?" Her soft voice came out lower than she had intended and she cleared her throat to repeat herself but stopped when his head flew towards her.

"What?"

Skye quickly shushed him to silence his loud voice, afraid he would wake captain up. She raised her head to look past him at the captain to find him sleeping soundly on the other side of the cottage, with his back side towards them.

Seeing Skye, Leon also jerked his head towards the other side to see what she was looking at but a painful groan escaped his lips when he felt pain shooting up his right shoulder and settling at his chest.

The way he looked at his bandaged shoulder and chest told Skye that he didn't notice his wound before. She sat up beside him to help him move the arm without hurting his injuries.

"What the hell happened to me?" He blurted out and then stilled, as if rewinding the memory of Captain's attack in his mind.

"That son of a-" before Skye knew what was happening, he shoot up from his place with the help of his left arm, groaning in pain but not paying any attention to the right shoulder and hurried towards captain.

Skye cried out in protest while leaping at him to stop him from attacking captain but he was already hovering above, now already awake captain, and clutched the fabric around his chest.

Captain still seemed to be in daze of sleep and didn't understand what was actually happening when Leon squeezed his clothes' fabric around his neck while glaring daggers at him.

"Who the fuck do you think you are, huh?" Leon spat the words at Captain's face which made him finally realize the intensity of a situation.

"What were you thinking while attacking me that brutally?"

Captain stayed quiet for a moment, looking at him and then finally looking at an anxious Skye who was holding the shirt of Leon from behind to stop him.

The shirt that captain skillfully slipped down Leon's head and arms so that he won't catch cold at night in his weak state, along with pair of torn jeans that also belonged to captain.

"I was only protecting her." He informed Leon while gesturing his head towards Skye.

Leon shook him again to make captain look back at him.

"Eyes on me!" Venom in Leon's voice was clear and enough for captain to make him shift his eyes from Skye and back on Leon. Skye clutched the fabric of Leon's shirt and softly pulled him back, scared to direct his rage towards her but it seemed like he didn't acknowledge her effort.

"What exactly were you protecting her from?"

Captain slowly pulled Leon's hands off his shirt and tried to sit straight but Leon didn't give him enough room for that which made a wave of annoyance pass over his features," you. It's you that I was protecting her from."

Leon's eyes darkened as he once again plunged towards captain but this time Skye didn't let him and pulled him back telling him to stop.

Enraged Leon finally looked at her and turned towards her fully as if irritated by her pleas.

"You want me not to confront this man who is responsible for my injuries?" His question made Skye look down because she couldn't meet his darkened eyes for long," Skye he attacked me and brought us here in this god-damned place." He flew his arm around the place but once again cried out at the pain in his right shoulder.

"Hey man, I know I'm at fault, but you need to calm down or else you are gonna make your injuries worse." Came Captain's voice when he placed his hands on Leon's shoulder to make him sit down.

"Oh, well thanks for your kind apology. I wasn't expecting it from the mighty you!" Leon shot back with mock filled voice.

"Commander Leon, I know that he attacked you and he was wrong at judging the situation," Skye started, still holding Leon's arm in her hands to stop him from doing anything further," but he is the one who brought us here towards safety and cured your wounds." Leon could see her pleading voice and insistence behind those irises.

"Safety?", A low chuckle escaped his lips making Skye drown in embarrassment," what are you talking about dear Skye." He grabbed her chin, making her lock her eyes with his," last time I checked, I was perfectly safe. And it was you, whom I was trying to protect from doing another one of your stupids things."

The accuse in Leon's voice made her blood boil inside her, pushing all the embarrassment and pain that she was feeling for him making her eyes harden at once.

"I told you that I don't need any kind of protection from you," her voice was cold when she emphasized on last word," and stop accusing me of being stupid." As much as she didn't like to confess, last sentence came out more of a childish rant Instead of an intimidating warning.

A smirk appeared at his lips which Skye was both mad and thankful for. Mad because she hated that smirk on his face and wanted to wipe it off with equally annoying comment and thankful because since he got attacked, she was too worried to lose him that she never thought she would be able to see this side of his again.

He took a step closer to her making her flinch back and something crossed his dark eyes which Skye couldn't quite understand. He must be admiring himself for conquering her fear.

"Do you want me to remind you all the stupid things that you have been doing lately?" His hushed whisper was only loud enough to brush past Skye's ears but not to reach Captain's.

She visibly shivered under his gaze. He knew she didn't want him to unfold her Mysterious visits to convey princess's words to guard and get the letters for her from prince. It was what only he knew and she didn't even tell princess joana that commander Leon knew about it.

It was a secret that she prayed would stay between them and he won't tell anyone, especially strangers like captain who was in their vicinity.

The way her lips twisted in a whimper made his eyes flicker towards them and for a moment his eyes turned solid, staying nowhere but there.

"I recommend you to not tire yourself anymore and take rest," Captain's voice brought them both out of their world and leon looked at him while Skye lowered her eyes at Leon's cheat, not meeting Captain's calculating gaze," it's already short time left for the rise of dawn."

He announced and perched back where he was sleeping earlier leaving both Leon and Skye to accept the reality and follow him.
Leon escaped a huge sigh looking back at her, then before the moment could prolong, he removed his hands from Skye's body and laid down back at his place, looking out of the slightly flying curtain, at the moonlight which was fading away, signaling sunrise.

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