I settle on a question I’ve had since I was a child. “Is it true that vampires don’t like garlic?”

“Why would we eat a plant?” he says as if I’m a fool.

“You don’t eat any?”

“No. Do humans?” He points at the ground. “Does that grass look appetizing to you?”

I ignore his question figuring that he’s just making fun of me. “Then what do you eat?”

“Do you believe I bit you this morning for my own amusement?” He glances back at me with a smirk, and I shudder. I twist my neck trying to get a glimpse of the bite mark, but it’s to no avail. That puts a sharp end to our conversation, killing my initial enthusiasm.

The sun is setting, and we're heading straight for an oak forest.

"It's almost dark. Aren’t we going to set up camp?" I ask. I'm also thirsty, and the water skin in the bag on my back has been taunting me for the last hour.

“No,” he says.

"We can't go through the forest at night. The scarlet wolves will make a meal of us."

“Right.” He doesn’t slow down.

"I'm serious. I've lived here my whole life. They're not like normal wolves. They're vicious. You can’t scare them off, and standing your ground doesn’t help."

We pass through the tree line, and I pull against him, angling myself against the rope to make as much resistance as possible. "You're going to get us killed!"

He wraps the rope around his hand and gives it a hard tug. I'm jerked off my feet and land on my side.

I let out a groan from the impact. He keeps pulling, dragging me deeper into the forest.

I wiggle around and stumble back to my feet. "I'm telling you the truth. We'll be eaten alive."

He's not listening. Soon we're so deep in the forest that the grass planes are out of sight. A shiver runs down my spine. I've just got to hope that I'm wrong. My pace quickens so that there’s barely a gap between us. It would be better to be at his mercy than in the jaws of a wolf.

The last rays of sunset disappear, making it near impossible to see. I keep my eyes open, scanning the thick bush surrounding us. The hairs on the back of my neck stand straight. If the wolves find us, I'm done for. My hands are tied, and the bag on my back doesn't help. Maybe that's his plan? If things go south, he can just outrun me, and I'll be sacrificed as a distraction.

I wiggle against my bounds, but they don't budge. I don't have any options. I've just got to hope that we get lucky.

We walk for an hour, and the trees open up a bit. A forest fire went through this area, clearing the underbrush. It's eerily quiet, with the only sound coming from leaves crunching beneath our feet. No crickets, no birds, no bugs.

The vampire freezes, and my stomach does a flip. I peek around his cape. The sight makes me want to scream, but I hold it in.

Two eyes, glowing in the moonlight, and teeth tinted red with blood. It's a scarlet wolf. Their mouths are always bleeding, like they have some disease.

It lets out a growl, and I hold back a whimper. The last thing I need right now is to sound like a small animal.

The vampire reaches for his weapon. Another growl comes from behind, and I nearly jump out of my skin. I whip around to see two, no three, no four pairs of eyes. They're almost as tall as me, but they stand on four legs.

"They're everywhere," I whisper.

He takes a step to the side, and I follow him. He slowly moves to an opening between the pack. I stick to him like glue. I've lost count of how many eyes there are.

In a flash, he leaps up a tree, leaving me alone on the ground. The wolves charge, triggered by his sudden movement. A sea of grey and red is about to engulf me.

My hands are tied. I can't climb. "Help me! Help me! Help me!"

The rope tightens around my middle, and I'm yanked up into the air.

He places me on the branch with him. It takes me a second to catch my breath. A loud bark from below makes me yelp. He chuckles and unties the bag from my back. "Scared?"

I ignore his taunt. My eyes linger on the mess of fangs and claws below. My heart is hammering against my chest, and the adrenaline has me shaking. I can't balance on the branch with my tied arms, so he keeps me steady with a hand on my shoulder.

I fall.

The very hand that was supposed to keep me up, pushes me off. All the muscles in my core tense, like I’m about to break in two. The air rushes over my skin, taking the beads of sweat. I catch a glimpse of him as my body plummets down. He's grinning.

I come to a hard stop just a few feet above their snapping teeth. The rope around my waist is the only thing keeping me from certain death. He's dangling me over them.

I fold my legs into my chest to try keep away from their sharp teeth. He doesn't need me anymore. He's going to feed me to them. I'm going to die like an animal.

The rope slips further. He’s lowering me inch by inch, bringing me closer and closer to death. The wolves’ bleeding gums color their teeth red. Their deafening barking and endless growling overwhelm my ears, and their putrid breath and sweaty coats assault my nose.

They jump for me, their teeth snapping only inches from my skin. I curl into myself, shut out the world and think back to just a week ago, before the vampires came. The farm, my home, and my friends. I miss them dearly. Their lives were cut short, and now it's my turn. I remember laughing with Jacob, when I was so happy. Jacob- Tears rolls down my cheeks. He’ll never know what happened to me. How long will he wait before realizing I’m dead?

My body is lowered further. My muscles tense for the imminent pain, and I imagine myself being torn to pieces.

The rope is yanked in the opposite direction, knocking the air out of my lungs and making me cough, and I'm pulled back up onto the branch.

The vampire’s hand rests on my shoulder to keep me balanced. He's laughing. "You are easily fooled, human."

The wolves growl and scratch at the base of the tree. I turn to hide my face. I can't stop crying, and my whole body is shaking.

He goes quiet, and soon the only sound is the wolves snarling and my own sobbing.

"It was only a gag," he says.

So playing with my life is a joke. Is that supposed to make me feel better?

He touches my hair, and I flinch.

He pulls me close, leaning my side against his chest, then wraps his arms around me. I’m trembling, and he can feel it too.

"I will not let the beasts take you," he says. Empty words.

* * * * * * * *

My eyes peek open. On instinct, I try wipe away the sleep before the rope pulls my hands back.

I jerk upright at the realization that my head is leaning against the vampire’s chest. His arm is still around my small frame, preventing me from tipping over.

I look up at him. There are bags under his eyes. He must’ve been too worried about falling to sleep.

“Morning,” I squeak.

He looks down at me with those red eyes, and I shrink into myself. “It is,” he yawns.

His hands creep under my arms, making my body stiffen. He lowers me to the ground, letting me fall the last few feet, then jumps down himself with a heavy thud.

I try face him, but a hand around my arm keeps me in place. My shoulders arch up, shielding my neck. Having him behind me puts my nerves even more on edge.

To my surprise, he releases my wrists. The rope peels away from my raw skin, making me wince. It's been stuck there for over two days.

I finally get a look at my wrists. They've been impressed with the rope pattern and are scabbed and bleeding along the edges.

"Remove your tunic," he orders.

"What?" I clutch my shirt collar. "I won't undress for you."

"You will do as I say, slave. Remove it.”

I take a step back. "No."

There's a flash of anger in his eye.

In one quick movement, I'm shoved to the ground, and he's straddling me. His fingers lock around the hem of my shirt and yank it up.

"No!" I grab the material and pull it back down.

The next thing I know, both my hands are pinned above me, and he pulls the shirt up and over my head, leaving only my linen bra to offer any form of modesty.

To my surprise, the weight on my legs disappears. “That attitude will get you killed,” he says with my shirt in hand. He draws his curved sword and starts cutting. “You seem too dim to recognize the situation you find yourself in.”

My heart aches as one of the last of my possessions is destroyed. Is this some kind of punishment?

He cuts it further, then lays it out on a rock. He rinses it with the water from the skins, then pours some sort of elixir over the material. It has a strong scent of smoke and salt.

“Making another gag?” I grumble, “You’re morally abhorrent, so you want to silence me before I call you out again?”

He marches towards me, grabs my arm and wraps the material around my wrist. He finishes the bandage with a knot, yanking it tight and making me wince. “Don’t tempt me.”

He repeats the process with my other wrist, then tosses the remains of my shirt back to me.

I run it through my fingers. It seems mostly intact. I pull it over myself, only to discover it's become a lot shorter. My middle is bare.

He guides my arms behind my back, and my heart sinks. I was hoping he wouldn’t tie me up again. He binds my wrists with the same rope, but it’s looser this time. I resist the urge to wiggle my arms to test the restraints while under his gaze.

His arms wrap around my torso, and I can feel his warm breath on the back of my neck. I brace myself for what’s coming. At least I’ll get water afterwards.

A whimper escapes me as his fangs pierce my skin. He punctures the same spot every time.

My heart rate increases to accommodate for the lost blood. At least I know it’ll be over soon.

He removes his razor teeth and pinches my skin to let the wound seal.

I’m allowed to drink from the water skin, and we continue our trek.

* * * * * * * *

The lack of food is starting to take its toll. I’m already tired, and we’ve only just begun walking. I’ve figured out that he’s only dragging me along with him to have his daily blood meals. He wouldn’t need me if his horse wasn’t killed. Which wouldn’t have happened if he didn’t hunt us down, and we wouldn’t have been fleeing if those vampires didn’t torch our village.

Uncle Ivan is a member of the Huntsmen, a brave group of heroes who pledge to protect humans from vampires. Though I don’t know him well, Jacob often visits him on his travels. I had hoped that the Huntsmen would defend our homes, but they must’ve been spread too thin. There was no one to help us when these demons came.

“Why did you burn my village?” I spit.

“You would not understand, human,” he dismisses me.

“It’s Julia, and I’m more capable than you give me credit. If you were trying to send a message to the king, then why not burn his palace instead of my home?”

“Your king is dead.”

King Howard is dead? I didn’t realize that our country’s situation was so dire.

“If the king is dead, then why burn my village? There was no gold or silver.”

“We have no need for vacant straw huts.”

“They weren’t empty. I was a resident, and I was just lucky enough to get away… at least at first,” I mumble the last part under my breath.

“I already warned that you would not understand. ‘Tis as frivolous as explaining to a bird why its tree was logged.”

It’s not that I can’t understand, it’s that he can’t be bothered to tell me.

He reaches out his hand, and I tense. “Don’t worry your little human mind with what has happened or what will happen,” he says, rubbing my head. “Just do as I instruct.”

“I am not a child,” I spit.

We walk further, and I spot something red in the corner of my eye. An Apple! We’re under an apple tree!

“Look! Apples!” I’m practically dancing for joy.

“Fascinating,” he says without slowing down.

“Can we take a short break? I’m hungry.”

He doesn’t stop.

I dig my feet into the ground and pull against the rope, but he overpowers me with little effort. I’m not going to let this opportunity pass by. Moving beside him, I position a tree trunk between us and make a quick circle around it, as much as the short rope will allow. Now there’s a knot. Overpower that, asshole.

He yanks on the rope, but the tree doesn’t budge. He raises his hand to strike me. I shut my eyes and tuck my head into my shoulder. “Please don't. I just want to eat.”

Nothing happens.

I look back at the apples, and he follows my gaze.

“You eat that?” he asks.

A wave of relief washes over me, and I relax my shoulders. “Yea, we eat fruit, nuts, berries, grain and meat.”

“So you are like monkeys.”

I don’t appreciate the comparison, but I keep my mouth shut for the sake of getting the apple.

“Untangle yourself from the tree,” he instructs.

I do as he says, and my face lights up when he begins picking apples.

He carries back five big juicy ones, and my mouth is watering. He holds one up for me to bite, but I hold myself back. There’s something off about it. It’s discolored, covered in little holes and doesn’t smell right.

“Can you open it?” I ask.

He breaks it in half, and I jerk away in disgust. It’s rotten, infested with tiny bugs. I scan the other apples. They’ve all got the same holes.

“Never mind,” I mumble, trying to internally reassure myself that real food will come soon.

When I look up again, he’s gone, and my rope is tied to a branch.

“Mr Vampire?” I call.

A few minutes pass before his footsteps return. He steps out the bushes, and I can’t believe the sight in front of me. He's carrying at least twenty apples in his cape, and they’re fresh!

He breaks one in half and holds it up for me to eat.

I take a huge bite. The sweet and smooth texture makes me groan. I take another and another, barely chewing before swallowing. It’s a relief to have something in my stomach again.

He moves his fingers around the apple, giving me a new spot to bite. I was so hungry that it only now crosses my mind that I’m eating out of his hand. I'm a little embarrassed eating like his pet, but it's either that or starve, and I don't think he'll be so cruel as to strike my face while I'm leaning in.

Soon the apple is finished, and I look at him with pleading eyes.

He breaks another one in half and lets me eat. It takes another four apples before I'm full.

He packs the rest in the bag on my back, and I crane my neck to try get a view. There’s food for days.