With no idea how much time had passed down in the dimly lit dungeon, Kyle woke up in what he decided was morning. He sat upright, his wound throbbing painfully at his side, looking at the vampire laying down close to him. 

Eryk looked angelic as he slept, his thick eyelashes brushing his cheeks as he breathed slowly. Kyle wondered how the vampire seemed to be almost glowing from within, his frosty skin and light hair looking ethereal in the low light of the dungeon. Reaching out tentatively, Kyle gently brushed his fingers down the vampire's face, moving stray hairs out of the way so he could see the glass like contours of Eryk's face. 

He is just so unbelievably beautiful, Kyle thought, his chest tightening as he stared unabashedly down at the vampire.

There had been this constant sadness that seemed to weigh Eryk down from the moment Kyle first laid eyes on him, that was somehow gone now that he was resting peacefully. It was as if only with sleep could Eryk lay down the heavy burden he seemed to always carry. Kyle wondered what it was that had him feeling like that. He felt this urge to take the burden onto his own shoulders, much like he did with all of his packmates.

Kyle moved his fingers down the vampire's face and lightly brushed his thumb against Eryk's plump lips. They were soft to the touch and seemed to be begging him to steal a kiss. Kyle quickly moved his hand away, and the movement seemed to wake the vampire, as Eryk's eyes shot open. The werewolf moved away quickly, as his face flushed with embarrassment.

He didn't notice, did he? Kyle thought as his heart pounded rapidly in his chest.

Eryk sat up, his eyes flitting down to Kyle's hand before jumping up to meet the werewolf's honey brown gaze. The two of them quickly avoided each other's eyes again, as the air felt heavy with something unspoken.

Why did he do that? Eryk wondered, not daring to voice his question out loud.

The two sat in awkward silence for a while before Kyle finally said, “How are you feeling? Any different from yesterday?”

Eryk shook his head, not daring to speak as he felt his lips still tingling from the light touch.

Kyle cleared his throat and adjusted himself, moving the chains around in a futile hope to find a more comfortable position. He hissed in pain as the movement strained the dagger wound on his side. The cut was still raw and the constant throbbing pain was like a buzzsaw in Kyle's skull.

“Let me take a look at your cut.” Eryk gestured to the haphazard makeshift bandages he had covered the werewolf's torso with.

Kyle nodded and the vampire came closer, slowly pulling away the torn strips of shirt. His fingers were smooth and gentle as he worked, moving around like flittering fairies. Once he removed the bandages they both released a sigh of relief as they looked at the cut. It had somehow healed a bit, as Eryk's method of using his saliva had worked despite everything. 

“It looks better!” The vampire said excitedly, looking up at Kyle with a smile that was pure sunshine.

Kyle felt his heart skip a beat as he nodded, “Yeah, it's all thanks to you.” He said earnestly.

“I didn't really do much.” Eryk felt a blush tickling his ears.

As the saliva trick seemed to prove helpful, Eryk did it again, slowly spitting in his hand and applying the saliva to the slowly healing wound. The sensation still grossed Kyle out, but he felt so relieved that it worked. He knew that he wouldn't be able to protect his packmates if he were injured, and if this saliva helped him heal, he would gladly be smothered in it.

Once Eryk was done, he used the same torn strips of fabric to cover the wound, wishing he had fresh clean bandages to close the wound with. At least the cold air of the dungeon would help with staving off infection.

“Are you thirsty?” Eryk asked, gesturing to the old tarnished tap they had discovered in the corner of the dungeon yesterday evening.

It had been hidden behind a block of crushed stone and only the random dripping had alerted Kyle of it's presence. Up till that point he had assumed the sound was coming from a leaky pipe and it wasn't until he fully focused that he realised there was a tap within the dungeon.

Kyle nodded and the vampire stood up, taking the old plastic bowl they were using as a cup and filling it with water. The water ran slowly, barely more than a trickle but Eryk was thankful for it all the same. He didn't know how long Kyle had gone without anything to eat or drink and finding the tap yesterday had been a relief.

The werewolf quickly drank down the water, wincing as the movement stretched his still healing cut, and without a word Eryk went to fill it again. As he waited for the water to slowly fill the bowl, Eryk thought back to something that had struck him as odd since yesterday.

“Don't you think it's strange?” He asked the werewolf.

“What's strange?” Kyle asked.

“Why would they leave us down here alone?” Eryk wondered, “There's no guarantee that I will succeed in killing you, and what if you somehow broke free from those chains?”

Eryk wondered why his father hadn't had any guards stationed within the dungeon. It would be so much easier to force him to kill the werewolf if there were someone constantly watching over him.

Kyle shook his head, “The wolfcatchers had a witch with them who cast a spell on me that I can still feel dampening my strength. There's no way I would be able to overpower you in that state.”

“They probably figured the spell would last as long as it took for you to come around and kill me.” Kyle said.

Eryk handed him the water and sat down next to him. The werewolf's warmth was so inviting that he drew closer, wanting to be fully surrounded by it.

“What kind of spell is it? Will you be okay?” The vampire questioned, worry furrowing his delicate brow.

“I don't know honestly,” Kyle replied, “I have never seen a spell like that be used before.”

If Anastasia were here she would know what to do, Kyle thought bitterly, his heart wrenching as he thought of his captured packmates.

“Most combat spells need to be recast though,” He continued, pushing past the pain in his chest. “Their effectiveness is dimmed by the witch casting them while actively in battle, rather than a long term hex that would have more lasting effects.”

“What's the difference?” Eryk asked.

“Well I don't know for sure, but hexes need to be done at a certain time and location so they have enough power to last for a long time period,” Kyle answered, “Versus a combat spell, that's done in the heat of the moment and wouldn't have as much power or potency.”

“So what the witch did to you was a combat spell?” 

“Yeah, she would have needed to have some part of my body or blood in order to cast a hex.”

Eryk nodded, fascinated. He hadn't known that magic was such a complex thing. His only knowledge on witchcraft came from the outdated books he found in the old library in the manor. Honestly after meeting Kyle, he realised that those books were probably factually inaccurate. Nothing in the books ever mentioned anything about the way Kyle spoke about his pack dynamic.

“But still,” Kyle frowned, “The witch must have been quite powerful for her spell to last this long.”

Eryk felt a shiver run through his body and moved closer to Kyle. The werewolf moved his chains and draped an arm over Eryk's shoulders, pulling him close. The vampire melted into his warmth even as fear took hold of his heart.

“Aren't you scared?” Eryk whispered. “What if it lasts longer than you think?”

Kyle shook his head and leaned over, resting his cheek against the side of the vampire's head.

“Sure it has lasted longer than most spells would,” He said, “But no matter how powerful they might be, witches are limited to the natural laws of magic and soon enough this spell will fade.”

Eryk said nothing but Kyle could feel his concern weighing heavy in the air. They both sat quietly like that for a while, but this time the silence was comfortable.

“I'll be fine.” Kyle promised after a while.

He had to be. For his pack. For himself.

For Eryk.

© babystarubyrose