Thorns between us

Twelve: Teeth

Author’s POV

The trees didn’t make it quieter.

Drayk could still hear her. Her breathing. The soft sound of her feet in the grass when she shifted, like she didn’t know whether to follow or stay.

“feed,” Draygon said. Not loud. Just tired. “before it gets worse.”

Drayk pressed his back to a tree. The bark dug into his spine. His hands were shaking. The crown was still on his head. Stupid. He tore it off and threw it. Petals scattered in the dirt.

“I don’t want to,” he whispered.

“you don’t have a choice.”

He did. He always had a choice. That’s what people kept telling him at the palace. That’s what Dionne—no. Not her.

The deer was still there. At the stream, twenty feet away. Drinking. It lifted its head when the wind moved. Young. Dumb. Alone.

The hunger hit like nausea. Like his body was turning inside out.

Drayk moved before he could think.

It was fast. It was ugly.

There was no grace in it. No monster poetry. Just teeth and noise and the way the deer kicked once and then didn’t.

And then silence.

Drayk was on his knees in the mud. Panting. His mouth tasted like copper. His hands were red up to the wrists.

“better?” Draygon asked quietly.

Drayk didn’t answer. He couldn’t.

That’s when he heard it.

A breath. Not his.

He turned.

She was standing at the edge of the trees.

She hadn’t made a sound. But she was there. Watching.

Her face was blank. Too blank. Like she’d wiped everything off it so he couldn’t see what she was thinking. Her eyes went from the deer, to his hands, to his mouth.

Time stretched.

“drayk?” she said finally. Small.

He couldn’t speak. If he opened his mouth she’d see the blood.

“did you—” she started, then stopped.

“I told you not to follow me,” he said. His voice came out rough, broken. He hated how it sounded.

She flinched. “I was worried.”

“You shouldn’t be.”

“Then what should I be?”

Drayk looked down at his hands. At the blood under his nails. “Scared.”

She didn’t move. “Are you going to hurt me?”

The question landed like a knife.

“No,” he said immediately. Too fast. “Never. I— I would die before—”

“Then why are you lying to me?”

He looked up. “What?”

“You said you needed a minute. You didn’t say you were going to—” She gestured at the deer and couldn’t finish.

Drayk stood. He was still shaking. “It’s the deal. Draygon. He’s hungry. If I don’t— I lose control. I didn’t want you to see.”

“so you lied.”

“Yes.”

She was quiet for a long time. The wind moved through the field behind her and made the flowers bow.

“I’ve seen blood before,” she said. “In the camps. On me.”

“That’s different.”

“Is it?”

Drayk didn’t have an answer.

She took one step forward. Then another. Until she was close enough that he could smell her. No roses now. Just her. And fear. He could smell that too.

“are you done?” Draygon asked in his head.

“shut up,” Drayk thought back.

She noticed his jaw clench. “Who are you talking to?”

“No one.”

“Liar.”

Drayk laughed. It was wet and wrong. “Yeah. Liar.” He looked at his hands again. “You should run.”

“I’m not going to run.”

“You should.”

“Stop telling me what to do.” Her voice cracked a little. “You left. You came back. You’re bleeding and you’re lying and you’re—” She cut herself off.

“What?”

“Nothing.” She knelt. Right there, in the dirt next to the deer. She didn’t look at it. She looked at him.

“We need to clean you,” she said.

“I don’t deserve—”

“I don’t care what you deserve right now.” She stood and held out her hand. “Come on.”

Drayk stared at her hand. It was steady.

He took it. His was cold. Hers was warm.

She led him to the stream. The water was freezing. She knelt and started washing his hands without asking. One finger at a time. Her thumbs brushed over his knuckles like she was trying to memorize them.

Drayk watched her. “You’re not scared of me.”

“I am,” she said quietly. “But I’m more scared of what happens if I leave you alone right now.”

That made something in his chest hurt.

When she was done, she rinsed her own hands and stood. Water dripped from both of them.

“Can I ask you something?” she said.

“Yeah.”

“How did you know I was here? In the woods. How did you find me?”

Drayk froze.

Draygon was silent.

“I—” Drayk started. “I didn’t. I was just— walking.”

She nodded. But her eyes didn’t believe him.

“Okay,” she said. “We should go. Before other things smell this.”

They walked back through the field. The flowers were ruined where he’d run through. She didn’t pick any more.

At one point she stopped and picked up the ruined crown from the dirt. Most of it was crushed. She turned it in her hands, then tucked it into the pocket of her dress.

“why?” Drayk asked.

“Because it was pretty,” she said. “Even broken.”

That night they didn’t talk much. She slept on the other side of their small fire. Not far. But not close like before.

Drayk didn’t sleep.

“you messed that up,” Draygon said.

“I know.”

“she saw you.”

“I know.”

“do you think she’ll stay?”

Drayk looked across the fire at her. She was curled up, facing away. But he could see her shoulders rise and fall.

“I don’t know,” he whispered. “I hope so.”

“even if she knows what you are now?”

“especially then.”

Draygon didn’t answer.

Drayk closed his eyes. Behind his lids he could still see her face. Blank. Then soft. Then tired.

Human.

And he’d shown her the monster anyway.

---