Chapter 2-2

He pulled out the bandages and slowly started to wrap up my cuts. I just sat there in silence while watching. I was waiting for him to attack me and drink my blood. However, he wrapped it with such care and gentleness than surprised me. All I could was slowly blink as he worked on fixing me. He carefully finished with the bandages without a single bite or lick.

"Why?" That one word that is so hard to answer because there was no truest answer to say.

"I don't know, one moment I'm fine and then the next thing I know I was panicking over the school. Out of nowhere, I started to scratch without meaning to," then I had to ask, "your eyes are red but why aren't you attacking me? You normally bite when I'm not even injured, this must look like a free meal to you."

"I just had a blood bag, so I'm good for a few hours. The smell is driving me crazy, but I'm doing my best to stay in control," then he gave a smile that showed off his fangs, "unless you want me to."

Out of nowhere, I started to internally panic again. He grabbed me and started to hug me. I jumped in surprise when I heard him humming an old song that I remembered. I sang the same song to him when he turned into a vampire.

"Find the drumbeats of our hearts. Follow down the old river of mine, focus, and find my hand. For all your pain to give, and to have all my happiness to take. I will never leave you as my heart is yours and your heart is mine," we sang together.

"I still remember that day, like it was yesterday. Your voice drew me back to the waking world, and I felt calm as my body was changing."

I started to cry in his arms because I felt so worthless. How could someone as strong as him, say something so nice about me? I could feel my nails digging into his shoulders as he rubbed circles into my back.

"Come on, breathe with me. Slowly in and out, in and out." I started to follow his example. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Yeah, thank you," I told him as I moved away.

"When did you start to do this yourself?" He asked me while his finger traced a couple of old scars on my arms.

"I don't know, I think about two or three years ago. I don't even realize that I am bleeding until I calm down."

He started to wipe away my tears with his thumb. It took me a few seconds to realize how close we were to each other.

"Ash, promise me that when we get to school, have a healer check you out. I'm worried about you."

"Sure, why?"

"Because I don't want the cuts to get infected, and the older ones might have damage that we don't know about. I am not that good with fixing wounds, I am better at causing them. Also, you don't deserve to have scars; you're too sweet and kind."

I nodded my head as he helped me up.

"Just don't tell my mom or brother because they will freak out and then I'll get banned from anything that might upset me."

"Your secret is safe with me as long as you try your best to stop. Lift your arms for me."

I lifted my arms so he could pull off my old shirt and slowly replaced it with a new long-sleeved one. I was still amazed by how caring he was acting to me.

"Next time you start to panic again, please try your best to find me. I will do my best to help you. I will even do a silly, crazy dance in public to make you feel better. I need your smile; it gives me the urge to continue smiling as well."

"Thank you," I told him while cracking a small smile.

"You're welcome! However, you have to put on your own pants, I do not want your family to walk in here and trying to stake me. I already have the rest of the village trying to do that every day."

He turned around to give me some privacy. My arms were a little stiff from the bandages, so it gave me a little challenge.

"Ash, I didn't see a knife anywhere in the room, so how did you cut yourself?"

I looked down at my hands and saw that my nails had turned into bear claws. As I watched, they started turning back into regular human nails. Strange, I do not even feel the change at all when I started to dig.

"I guess that when I got emotional, I started to shift into a more bear-like without meaning to."

"Are you done changing? I want to give you something."

"Yeah."

"Close your eyes."