Chapter 15 Irresolute
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
IRRESOLUTE
Only Bleeders are to handle blood bags. Nightwalkers are not allowed to interfere with or raid blood transport vans. Doing so will be punishable by death.
— Serun’s Law
By the time Jax finishes bleeding himself dry, breakfast has already ended.
He moves to sit beside me against the tree in the courtyard.
Despite how drained he is, how tired he looks, and how pale his tanned skin appears, he faces me and says, “When the nightwalker comes tonight, don’t speak to the creature.
Don’t entice it. Keep your head tilted to the side and your neck exposed.
If you do this, hopefully the only thing the creature will want is to bite you before fucking off. ”
His voice is fierce. Demanding. And as much as I want to ask more, the only sound that escapes my lips is, “Okay.”
Jax’s gaze is steady, and he lowers his head just enough for the shadows of the trees to cast a dark outline across his features. “Now, about earlier. Why are you lying to me?”
Heat burns my cheeks. With a glance at my friends, they exchange looks before rising to their feet and heading towards Dan’s group. Cole stays seated, gazing at the cloudless sky, pretending he isn’t listening to our conversation.
“So,” Jax says, leaning closer.
“Because—” The words halt. I don’t know what the fuck to say. How do I break the news that some sort of entity is lurking in the airshaft? It’s not a nightwalker.
“Saya.” Jax touches my knee. “Talk to me.”
I look at Cole. He’s plucking at the blades of grass beside him like feathers on a duck.
“Something is wrong,” I say, facing Jax. “Something was inside the vent last time I entered it.”
Jax’s brows furrow. “Someone else?”
“Something else. Something not human.”
He squeezes tighter, reassuring and warm. “What did it look like? A nightwalker? If it was one of those bloodsuckers, it means Leon has already reached out to Serun, and they’re making moves to confirm we’re trapped here.”
“No. It wasn’t a nightwalker. This thing was black, shiny…slobbery.”
“Slobbery?”
I touch my cheek and suppress a shudder.
“It oozed or drooled on me after I jumped out of the airshaft. Other than that, I have no idea what this thing is.” I focus on Jax, willing him to believe me.
“Manni told me about her dream. She said the ground cracked open, and these monsters came out.” I give him a level look, my voice shaking when I say, “Do you know of the Hellsgate?”
“Yeah.” He caresses the back of my head as his earlier anger dissipates, my hair slipping through his fingers, and pulls me in for a kiss. I appreciate his silent apology.
“Adults told us those fables when we were kids to keep us away from places we shouldn’t go.
Just some bullshit to keep us in line. Manni probably heard the same shit when she was younger.
” He kisses me again, briefly and on the corner of my mouth, before pulling away.
“Are you sure you weren’t just tired after the bloodbank, and that what Manni said had freaked you out more than you realised? ”
There it is—the self-doubt. It rises as he attempts to connect the dots between my lack of blood and sleep.
I shake my head. “No. It was real.”
He gently cradles my cheeks with calloused hands.
“Alright, I believe you.” Tears slip unexpectedly from my eyes, and he brushes them away.
“It could be one of Serun’s watchers. Who knows what they’re cooking up in the fucking Undercity?
” Another stroke of his thumbs wipes away fresh tears before they spill.
“I don’t like the idea of that monster lurking above your bed. ”
“It seemed weak. The creature tried to open the vent, but after I tightened two of the screws, it gave up and moved on.” He cocks his head to the side, questioning. To hide my lie, I lean into his warmth and say, “I was scared for you. Your vent was still unscrewed.”
“Saya,” he says, kissing my lips. This time, his tongue slips inside, meeting mine—hesitant but there, grazing against his silk. When he pulls away, he presses his forehead to mine and says, “I’ll secure my vent tonight. Besides, we’ve got other shit to worry about. Like the private room.”
I quietly nod as two Bleeders enter the courtyard and announce that night will rise soon. As we make our way inside, Emily skips up next to me, nudging her elbow against my arm. “Are you alright?”
“Yes. We talked about tonight.” I face forward, linking arms with Emily, when I notice Cole beside me. His eyes narrow, and the deep, apprehensive look twitches across his face as we walk silently to our room. As soon as we get inside, Cole disappears under the covers.
I linger by the closed door, studying the vent, my hands clenching into trembling fists.
“Dan wants to come as well!” Emily blurts before quickly covering her mouth with her hands. She sits cross-legged on her bed, trembling with excitement.
Manni peers down from the top bunk. “You never could keep your mouth shut, Em!”
Emily tips her head back, drops her shoulders and whines, “The sex was too good!”
I sigh. “Are you coming?” I ask Manni.
She leans back in her bunk. Dark eyes fall to her lap, and her hands grip the rough sheets.
“I don’t know. Vinny died on our last run, and as much as we knew it was a risk, Jax didn’t even care.
Not even a ‘sorry for your loss’ when we all know that if something happened to you, he’d burn this place down.
” She slumps back, and the bed springs creak against rusted metal.
“I just can’t seem to trust him completely. What if I’m the next Vinny?”
“No,” I say. “I won’t let that happen. We will all hold hands to make sure we stick together.”
She laughs. “Sure, Saya…I like the sound of that. Survive the private room tonight…Then, we escape together.”
Emily giggles. “You will survive the private room. And when we escape, I’ll be holding Dan’s hand.”
Manni gets settled and rolls onto her side, eyeing me worriedly. “Are you gonna rest before dinner, Saya?”
Crossing the room should have taken a moment, but it feels like traversing galaxies.
I finally reach for the bunk, and Cole gives me a funny look.
Before he can question my awkwardness, I scramble to the top bunk and sink as deep as I can into the mattress, wishing I were the sheets as I stare into the darkness of the vent.
“Saya,” Cole whispers. “Can you chill down here with me? I want to hear one of your stories. The ones you told me when I was younger.”
“I thought you hated them,” I whisper back.
There is a pause, and after a long breath, he admits, “This might be my last night with you. I’d like to hear a story.”
Shuffling off the top bunk, I sit beside him and lean against the metal bars. “What one did you want to hear?”
“I liked the story about the lone traveller.”
“The daywalker?” I say with a lifted brow, and he nods.
Daywalker. It has been a while since I’ve told those tales.
Back then, I’d have done anything to improve my situation.
I wanted to tell a story about myself because I didn’t know where I belonged.
Am I human or a nightwalker? Where’s my dad?
Who is my dad? So, with little to no answers, I created my own stories to feel less alone.
This was what Cole fell asleep to when he was younger.
Cole looks away, a hint of a smile on his face when he says, “You can even make some bullshit up. Just keep talking so I don’t forget your voice.”
I lean back and settle as comfortably as I can against the bars. “There was once a daywalker who didn’t burn in the sun. Fierce, strong, and—” Whatever comes to mind spills out, regardless of whether it makes sense.
We aren’t here for the story.