I wrap Rahlan up in a blanket to try keep him warm. He used to hold me close for my body heat, but I'm worried that I may aggravate his condition by lying against him.

The hours of the night pass slowly. Rahlan hasn't awoken, but at least he hasn't gotten worse. I haven't left my place beside him. Jaclyn is frequently in and out of the room. Soon I have snacks and water. Both Rahlan and my swords are recovered, but she refuses to allow a weapon in the same room as a vampire, even if he is unconscious.

Traces of blue morning light peek through the seams of the window shutters. I want to push them open for fresh air, but I can't take the risk of someone spotting Rahlan.

"You're in a mountain of trouble," a gruff voice says.

I whip around to see two red eyes staring back at me from the bed. A smile crosses my face. "Rahlan..."

He lifts his head off the pillow for a moment before groaning and laying back down again. The poison is still affecting his body.

"Jaclyn!" I jump up from my seat and hurry to fetch her.

Rahlan's fingers tighten around mine, anchoring me to the bed. He lets out a long sigh. "Wait."

"She's a healer," I say. She should check on him.

"I'm fine." He smirks. "Just weak." He throws back the blanket with his hand, revealing his creased shirt beneath.

My gaze trails over his body. To my untrained eye, he looks healthy. He's awake, so he's improving. Not wanting to cause him any unnecessary stress, I return to my seat beside him.

He releases my fingers and raises his hand up to my cheek, gently trailing over my skin. The ticklish sensation makes me smile. He's okay. Soon he'll be at full strength again, like nothing had ever happened. It's like a rock has been lifted off my chest. I can breathe again.

"Must you insist on being so far away?" he says.

Just like in the castle, the vampire city inn and all our time traveling together, he wants me close to him. I pull my chair up against the bedframe and lean my arms on the bed.

He chuckles. "Get on, shy human."

My eyes widen. He wants me to lay beside him like before, but there's barely enough room on the bed for him alone, and I'm afraid of putting any pressure on his body.

He gestures with his eyes to get on. He's probably thirsty.

Hesitantly, I climb on the bed, resting my knees on either side of his hips and placing my arms just outside of his shoulders. We're face to face. My long hair falls in streams around his head, tickling his neck.

He tucks my locks behind my ears and wraps his hands over my shoulders. His hands press down, bringing me closer to him. I don't resist, letting him mold me as he wants. Soon I'm resting on my elbows, with my chest just an inch above his.

His warm breath rolls over the base of my neck, right at the spot where he always bites. Just how my body needs water to heal, his needs blood.

"Ready?" he whispers.

"Mm." I nod. After the last few weeks, letting him take a little of my blood doesn't matter, especially if it means that he'll get better.

His lips touch the little nook where my neck meets my shoulders, and he plants a kiss.

I gasp.

He kisses again, a little higher. A tingle rushes through my body. His lips kiss all the way up my neck to just under my ear. The ticklish feeling makes me giggle, and I can't hide it.

His kisses travel across my jaw, each one getting closer to my chin – to my lips. My chest turns into warm bubbles. He's taking in every piece of me. Each of his kisses leaves a hot glow on my skin. He's getting closer, and I can't hold back my embarrassing giggling.

His lips meet mine, forcing me to quiet down. I struggle to keep my mouth from breaking into a smile.

My arms collapse, putting all my weight on his hard chest. He doesn't falter. Instead, the kiss deepens, and his hands tuck under my tunic and slide over the small of my back, pressing my body into his.

The warm feeling runs down my limbs, melting every muscle in my body. Everything which seemed so important a moment ago has disappeared.

A loud gasp makes me jump. I break away from Rahlan's lips to see Jaclyn standing at the door, staring at us with wide eyes.

"Julia," she growls, "he's just barely awake, and you can't keep yourself off him."

"I didn't-" My voice disappears midsentence before I realize that I'm out of breath. I quickly push myself up so I'm not lying on top of him. My cheeks go pink, and I hear Rahlan chuckle. She saw us kiss, and his hands are still on my back.

"He's still healing. At least wait until he can sit up." She shakes her head and heads out the door.

"It was his..." I trail off as the door closes.

Rahlan is making no attempt to hide his amusement.

I sit up straight, resting my weight on his legs. "That's not funny. This was your fault," I grumble.

"Worry not," he says. "She shall understand. I am exceedingly handsome."

"And arrogant, narcissistic, concei-"

I yelp as he pulls me forward again, pressing my body against his and bringing me just an inch away from his face.

He plants a kiss on the bridge of my nose. "And you are exceptionally cute."

He sighs. "In the jungle, your trail intercepted with a barefooted creature that had a crooked step, a ravager. The terrible thought that your mangled corpse was waiting behind a tree plagued my mind."

I rest my head on his chest. Of everything that's happened since I escaped, the thought of my life in danger was what brought him grief?

"I'm sorry," I whisper. My intention was never to hurt him. I thought that my actions were necessary to protect my family, but it appears that I don't have a family anymore.

My home was burned, my village was destroyed, and everyone I knew is dead or scattered. How can I be Julia of Heldana if Heldana is gone? I can't be Julia sister of Jacob, because he's dead, and I can't be Julia, niece of Ivan, because he has undoubtedly disowned me. I'm Julia of nothing.

Rahlan feared for my safety, he spent days searching for me in the wilderness, and he gave up his quest for revenge, the thing which drove him to push the frontlines in this ugly war, just to keep me from experiencing further pain. As pitiful as it may seem, Rahlan, a vampire, is the person I know best, the person I'm closest too.

"Tell me," he begins, "at the siege, what was the real identity of the corpse who you claimed to be Ivan of the Huntsmen?"

The picture of the dead man that I found in the wagon pops into my mind, followed by the disgusting image of his severed head.

"I don't know," I say.

"You were aware that he was of the Huntsmen?"

I trace my finger over the folds in his shirt. "He wasn't. I planted my brother's necklace on him."

His hands leave the small of my back, and cold air creeps in to replace them. He shifts beneath me. The sound of a thin metal chain sends my head shooting upright.

"This one?" he says. The necklace is suspended just inches from my face, dangling from Rahlan's fingers.

All the air rushes out my lungs. The small iron bow, tarnished black with dirt and grime, hangs at the bottom of the chain. When I left it on that corpse, I thought that I'd never see it again.

I latch onto it, wrapping it tight inside my fist. It's not just the last piece I have of Jacob, but also a memento of my old life, from when everything was in order, when my future was certain and when my life made sense. It's a physical reminder of both Julia of Heldana, and her brother, Jacob.

I lay my head back down on his chest. "Thank you."

His hand gently trails from my shoulders down to the small of my back. For the first time in days, the tense feeling in my muscles is gone, and my limbs stretch out without fear. Nothing can harm me, not beasts, men or vampires. I'm with Rahlan.