"Oh, did I hit a nerve?" Imre said with a pleased smirk as she stumbled over her words, finding more than a little enjoyment in their battle to insult each other. A battle he much preferred to the more physical ones, less chance of getting hurt or killed if nothing else. But her skill with the blade kept him from getting too confident again, even if she was not a hunter because of a lack of skill she was obviously not terrible, and the blade was made of silver after all. Even a scratch was enough to poison, even if it wouldn't be instantly fatal.

In response to her last words he frowned in disappointment and absently rubbed his chest. "Unfortunately not, no. Wards against the sun is apparently easier to find than any against silver. If you find any than you'd be more than welcome to share..." He cut himself of before finishing, the usual grin that had replaced his frown vanished again. He could have sworn he had heard something, or rather someone, if he heard right then it was very odd indeed.

Turning his full attention on his hearing Imre soon heard the voice again, from downstairs, he vaguely knew the one who was speaking and that together with the words spoken set him on edge. There was too much extra noice to hear more though, the crowd in the tavern had gotten bigger and louder. Imre wasn't exactly thrilled about this but he had to find out more. Snapping out of his concentration he remembered Sorcha again, luckily she blocked the window and not the door, some luck in this big mess he had stumbled into.

"Sorry to leave you so soon love," he said, his grin back in place, albeit dulled. "Something more important than our little fight has come up." He didn't wait for an answer or reaction, in one fluid motion he had opened the door and vanished out into the hallway, heading for the stairs, using his hearing to find his way.
 
Sorcha glared daggers at the vampire as he continued to joke. She wanted to wipe that self-assured grin off his face, even if it did highlight his features perfectly— Stay focused, she reprimanded herself as sharpened her gaze. We’re killing him, not complimenting him. She couldn’t let his charms or aggravating confidence cloud her judgement.

However it seemed she wasn’t the only one having issues concentrating. His sarcastic retorts came to an abrupt end as he suddenly became alerted to something nearby. He looked to be listening, though Sorcha only heard the noise of the tavern down below. She suspected he heard something underneath the rabble. Purebloods were renowned for their acute senses. Whatever that had been, it appeared to have disturbed him. Even as he turned his attention back to her, something in his mannerisms seemed off.

Then he left. With little more than another deeming retort thrown her way. Sorcha stood dumbstruck for a moment before realizing what she had to do. “W-wait! Don’t just walk away from me, you damned blood sucker!” She ran to the door but he’d already made it to the stairs. “Ugh,” she exhaled her anger as she tucked her dagger back into its sheath and started down the hall. She took a moment to stop in her room and grab her pack. She refused to let him wander off without a fight, even if it meant tracking him to the next town. She jogged down the stairs, reaching a surprisingly full tavern. It seemed someone had called on every man and woman in the town. A ground sang a rowdy round as others raised their glasses in time with the beat and cheered. What the devil did I miss?

A man approached her with a mug. He appeared to be the bartender “Free drink, miss? Compliments of the house.”

Sorcha waved him off, grateful for the explanation if nothing else. “No, thank you. I’m in a bit of hurry.” She shoved her way through the crowd in search of the vampire. She caught a glimpse of him slipping out the door from the middle of the room. He’d gotten through the crowd impressively quick. She doubled her efforts to squeeze through the tightly packed bodies until she managed to find the door herself. She escaped into the night air, looking back and forth until she saw Imre’s dark from disappearing around the other side of the inn. She retrieved her dagger and sprinted after him, her mouth set in a determined line.

She skidded around the corner and slammed into Imre’s back. As his luck would have it, her instincts had kicked in and moved the dagger back to avoid stabbing the unknown body in front of her. She stumbled back a few steps, recovering when she realized who she’d run into. “Don’t try…”

Another voice interrupted her. “The people trust hunters. We’ll be able to do whatever we want once they know who we are. How much blood will it take?”

Sorcha felt her heart quicken as she took in the dark undertone of that sentence. She didn’t recognize the voice, but the hunter organization had grown exponentially in recent years and Sorcha had visited home only once or twice. She lowered her blade and dropped down, realizing she might be visible from the window. Her training told her to keep still. Eyes were drawn to movement first. She had to hear the rest of this conversation.
 
The cool night air was a refresher after pushing his way through the crowded tavern, the quiet was much preferred to the noisy tavern where the scent if sweat and ale were very prominent to his sense of smell. He had always loved the night, not only because vampires were creatures of the dark, but the calm and almost mystical feeling found during a moonlit night was hard to find an equal to. This time he had no time to take in the night however as a quick turn around a corner placed him right outside the room he was interested in.

A body slammed into his back before he could even begin to sneak closer, he was so on edge he almost attacked on instinct but he quickly recogniced Sorcha and relaxed. "Quiet," he whispered and held out his arm, the hunters inside might not hear much but the others was a whole other deal. But he didn't need to worry since Sorcha had quickly caught on to the situation.

"Don't get so high and mighty with me," a voice snapped. "Without our help you wouldn't be able to go through with your little plan." This was the man Imre felt he recognized, he couldn't remember him exactly but he knew the man was familiar somehow but he just couldn't place him.

"I must say you humans have sunken pretty low, even for your standards." Another vampire said. "Aren't you protectors of your race or something." The contempt was obvious to all who heard, but the hunter only chuckled in response. "Like you are any better bloodsucker? Helping the enemy just to gain position."

"Enough. We don't have time to trade insults, some of us here don't care to linger for too long so can we get on with it?" A sharp, cold voice cut in, interrupting any further arguments. Imre didn't dare look in the window but the voice gave the impression of power, a leader, someone who didn't joke around. "What about the plan, have you finished with your part yet?"

"We have yes, as soon as we get the info we can move." The first hunter spoke again, of those in meeting him and the cold vampire seemed the most level headed to Imre, as far as he could judge based on their voices at least. "I take it you already have someone in mind?"

The cold voiced one chuckled. "Don't worry about that, the target is chosen and trust me, his disappearance will give us the reaction we want. The royal family may have lost all their glory and strength but this loss will draw that out again." Despite the almost cheerful voice, the icy hatred beneath it sent chills down Imre's back.

Imre could feel the tension inside as if he was in there with them, and no surprise either, vampires and hunters had never been friends, and this was the first civil meeting he had heard of. That in itself was as crazy an idea as placing a tiger in a room with a rabbit. What were they even talking about for that matter, a target? To do what with? And the royal family, what was left of it, what was that about?

What could they possibly gain from working together? He couldn't make sense of it. He wanted desperatly to take a look inside, check out who was there and see if that would jog his memory but it would be risky. Well, as the saying went, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Holding his breath as if to appear more still, Imre shifted so he could glance inside and hoped he would be undetected.
 
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Sorcha tried to follow the conversation, but each new detail seemed more bizarre than the last. Hunters working with vampires? She’d always assumed she’d sooner see a wildcat sitting beside a wolf. Considering how they reacted when I mentioned my research, this can’t be anyone from the main family. By royal family she assumed they meant the vampires of older blood, the wisest and deadliest of creatures, but rarely seen. Most vampires would follow their orders with few questions or so the hunters has always assumed. Could these vampires be after something from them? A civil war perhaps? Their society had always appeared stable, but the status quo had been changing since the rise of the hunters. Perhaps this group wanted to them back to those days. If that were true why were hunters involved and what was their goal? And what was this about a target? She bit back an aggravated groan. She needed more answers than this conversation had been providing.

The situation did not improve when Imre moved to look in the window. Sorcha could only watch as he leaned forward and peered into the open window. She wanted to scream at him, but that would be sure to draw the attention of the occupants of the room. Silent protest and prayer would have to do. Imre managed to get a good look inside, better than what Sorcha could see from her place on the ground. However his movement drew the attention of one man leaning against a wall across the room. His eyes fell on the window first before looking out into the darkness where he saw Sorcha.

Their eyes met as realization slowly dawned on him. Shit.

His eyes grew wide. He started for the window and pointed. “Oi! We’re being watched!”

Sorcha spun around and leapt forward, spiriting toward the woods. There had been at least four or five vampires in there along with a number of armed men. Few hunters had the skill to take on a group that size. “When fighting groups of four or more alone, run. Whether skillful or not, their brute force will be enough to kill you.” She set her lips in a grim line as she focused on increasing her speed.

She reached her top speed and kept her pace, stamina being one of the few skills she’d managed to hone in her years of travel. I can keep this pace for ten minutes, but after that I’ll lose speed. She passed through the tree line, straying away from the path. The vampires would be out first and hot on the trail. Ten minutes would not save her long. Neither will these roots, she grumbled as she tripped over a raised root. Why did I have that second cup of mead? She visualized the map of the area she’d seen a few days earlier. The village stood near a large river and the nearest crossing was located several miles north. Factoring in rainstorms that had plagued the areas for a week, the river would be overflowing and violent. The perfect opportunity.

The sound of pursuit drew her eyes over her shoulder where she saw Imre running. He appeared to be fleeing as well or at least uninterested in her. One good thing about the situation, she supposed. The rumble of her blood rushing through her veins began to block out the sounds of nature. A pair of men trailed behind them, sneers on their lips. She turned back to focus on the path before her. She couldn’t afford to make mistakes.

She crashed the undergrowth and abruptly came to the edge of the river. She instinctually skidded to a halt when the ground ended. The water pounded the edges of the shores, ripping away plants and soil. She glanced down river and found the true sources of the pounding she’d thought was in her head. A massive waterfall poured over the cliff at the far end of the river. She bit her lip. The map had said nothing about that.

The vampires broke through the bushes behind her. She dove in a second later. Gods protect me. She fought to master the current, but began to be dragged down river toward the falls. She dodged around debris and rocks, coughing when water found its way into her lungs. Get to the other side. She dove beneath the water attempting to grip the rocks below. The current ripped her from them. She breached the surface again as she neared the edge of the waterfall.
 
As he stretched towards the window, craning his neck to try and catch a glimpse of the people inside Imre could feel it was a bad idea. That certain feeling in his very core that said this was going to end up poorly, there was nothing to do but realize it. But still even as that tugging feeling in his mind said it was a doomed thing he still did it, as if he could not stop himself. For a few seconds he took in the room, the divide that was obvious, vampires on one side and a group of humans on the other, not exactly a relationship built on trust. He recognized no one in the room except for the dark haired vampire by the door.

Or recogniced was a strong word. But his appearance coupled with the voice almost drove Imre mad, he knew who it was but the name wouldn't come to him.

That's when a man noticed Imre's movements and looked outside, spotting Sorcha and alerting the entire room. "Crap." The word escaped him more like a breath than an actual word and behind him he could hear Sorcha already sprinting away. Before anyone reached the window Imre too had turned on his heel and sprinted off towards the forest.

He had seen no map of the area but the forest offered more shelter than the town or an open field. Even better, as he got closer he picked up the sound of a river, a big one by the sound of it. Perfect. Not only did water wash away scents but it could also speed up the escape depending on how fast it ran.

It didn't take long for him to find out, he skidded to a halt by the rivers edge, sending the small smooth rocks flying. The river was filled over it's brim, rushing past like the force of nature it was, and ended abruptly in a waterfall. It was far better than he could have hoped for, by jumping in the river he would be washed away faster than the vampires could run and it would be hard for them to catch his trail again.

It all happened quickly after that, the group of vampires burst out from the trees, the human jumped in the water, apparently having a similar plan as Imre, and he followed.

The wild water closed over his head and forced him along, pounding on him like an angry giant, he did his best to avoid stones but mostly allowed himself to just follow and not fight the current. Without warning the riverbed vanished, leaving nothing but air beneath him, almost making it feel like he was flying until gravity took over and he fell, smashing into the water beneath. The sheer force pressed the air from his lungs, it was like hitting a stone slab and not liquid.

Imre let the river carry him a bit farther until the river made a sharp bend and he started to fight against the current to reach the river bank. Climbing up onto the dry grass he flopped onto his back and started laughing. Maybe he should throw himself of waterfalls more often, the feeling was hard to top, that moment when you were thrown of the top was just incredible. Collecting himself he sat up and inspected himself, his clothes were covered with remains of mud and twigs, and rips in the fabric showed where the current had smashed him into jagged stones. The cuts and scrapes were already healing, closing up like they never existed but he noticed that it went quite slow, especially with the larger wounds, he'd substituted blood with meat for too long.
 
Falling over the waterfall was easy. Landing not so much.

Sorcha tumbled over the edge, straightening her legs as she braced for impact. She managed to hit the water feet first and lessen the impact of her fall. She slide beneath the foaming surface, immediately pulling her limbs back in to prevent further injury. The current pulled her a while longer before she managed to surface again. She fought her way to the shore, grabbing a passing root and dragging herself onto the bank. She crawled forward on all fours and coughed up a lungful of water before collapsing onto the ground. List of things to never do again: 1) falling off a waterfall, she grumbled internally as she fought to catch her breath between coughing fits. The day had gone from bad to worse. First she’d nearly run out of money, then she’d fallen for a vampire’s trap, and finally she gotten nearly a whole pack of the buggers coming for her. She was trapped between an empty wilderness and a hungry pack of wolves. She released a frustrated sigh. Her backpack had remained with her in the very least. She sat up and pulled the soaked leather bag from her back. More than a few items within would need to dry.

The sudden sound of laughter drew her attention down the bank where Imre lay recovering. She frowned but made no move to approach him. It seemed rather cruel to pull a knife on him after he’d survived a fall like that. More like you couldn’t take him now even if you wanted to. She banished those negative thoughts. Her eyes drifted over his body, noting the slowly closing gashes on his arms. Her eyebrow went up. Interesting. She could use that.

She turned her attention to her bag and began to unload the contents. “I see you’re still with me, bloodsucker. Congratulations.” She pulled out her map and carefully unfolded it to lay out on grass. Her eyes flickered back to the vampire. “No friends of yours back there I take it. Any ideas what that meeting was about?” It seemed to her that the pair had come to an impasse. She would need to choose her next words carefully.
 
"Lovely to see that you survived, you humans get hurt so easily." He said with a grin and just a hint of an edge to his words. He was slightly impressed though, for a human who had just been chased by vampires and fallen down a waterfall she was taking it pretty well, either she had managed to avoid most rocks or she hid any injuries from him. Either way it was quite the feat.

Imre looked over at the Sorcha sitting with a map in front of her, looking quite dishevelled. Probably a lot like himself, a ride down a waterfall did little to keep your appearance pristine. "Not really," he lied, or half lied actually, since he couldn't remember who one of the guys were. As usual he didn't let any of his thoughts reflect in his voice, keeping his tone easy going. He did not like this one bit, that secret meeting, vampires conspiring with hunters. Kidnapping, the royal family and hunters. It was too weird. But that didn't mean he was about to talk it over with a human. "Something they clearly didn't feel inclined to share at the very least."

It had been awhile since he had been to any vampire city, the few that still excisted. But he knew were the old families lived, unless they had moved recently. But he didn't think that would be a problem. Overall vampires didn't like change, at least not the old families, when you lived for hundreds of years there was no need to hurry. Traditions were everything, and they were hard if not impossible to break or even alter slightly. So he knew where this odd group would possibly strike, now it was just the matter of getting there. He was not the most patriotic one around but he didn't want any more chaos to fall over his kind than it already had. Besides, spreading the news about this weird partnership and their plans didn't mean he had to fight.

"So, are you still intent on killing me or whatever you wanted to do so I don't go after an innocent human? Or can I go?" He asked, turning his attention to Sorcha again. Although he asked, they both knew he didn't really have to, despite him not being the best fighter Sorcha would have trouble fighting him now. "I just realized I have business elsewhere, places to be, important vampire stuff you know."
 
“Good to know you have a grasp of the obvious,” Sorcha muttered in response to his findings. He’d thrown both into harm’s way to satisfy his curiosity and now they had nothing to show for it. She distracted herself by pulling out a bundle of clothing, just a few shirts and another pair of trousers. Damnit, I forgot my coat. That leather jacket had been from the capital; she’d bought it before she’d left home. One more thing the vampire owed her for it seemed.

She unrolled the soaked cotton clothes to allow them to dry, withdrawing a long piece of jewelry from within. The silver wire was wrapped in a swirling patter that curved around her earlobe with small shards of garnet spaced along it. It cuffed her ear midway up her cartilage and then descended down to the bottom of her earlobe before dangling down part way down her neck. She stared at it for a time before slipping it back into place along with the matching silver stud for the opposite ear.

Her herb came next, located in semi-waterproof boxes. She opened each to inspect them, leaving out he ones that had failed to remain undamaged. I’ll need to replace these. Her mind returned to issues at hand as she took quick inventory. She had a pack of vampires and potential traders at her back with nothing but wilderness and small towns near her. It would be at least a week’s worth of walking to make it to the next major settlement where she could find a hunter and that was assuming she could take the main road without being interrupted. Fighting a group that big on her own would be hopeless, assuming she could even handle smaller groups she ran into. No food, no money, just the perfect disaster.

She glanced Imre’s way when he began talking again. Her gaze sharpened into a glare. “Not for fast, bloodsucker.” She withdraw her knife again, more as an unspoken challenge than an open threat. She laid it on the grass before her, within reach but not too near. She couldn’t let him escape that easily, but what could she hope to accomplish by killing him?

Then an idea struck her. Her expression softened. “You’re delusional if you think I’m going to let you go traipsing off on your own. Not only would it be irresponsible, but it would also be a waste of a perfectly good opportunity.” She took a moment squeeze the water from her hair and let her words sink in. “As much as I hate to admit it, that pack of pissed off vampires is more than I can handle on my own and they won’t give up just because we jumped into a river. Judging by how slow your wounds were healing, you’re not in that great of shape either so those hunters with them won’t have problems taking you down. If we go it alone, we’ll both be dead before the moon’s in the sky tomorrow. So I have a proposition.” She gave him a sidelong glance. “What would you say to us traveling together? Just until we find a city. After that we go our separate ways with no questions asked.”
 
Her suggestion came as a surprise to him, her quick change in attitude was not what he had expected. Granted Imre didn't know her and had no idea about her state of mind but she didn't strike him as one who made deals with vampires. Perhaps she was simply desperate. It was a big group of vampires to handle on your own, especially if the hunters joined the search.

She was observant as well, his wounds healed annoyingly slow, had the wounds been deeper it may even have left a scar. He was not the best fighter normally but without his healing it would be pretty much impossible to win or even escape if the group found him. And vampires were notoriously good trackers. Despite wanting to get far away from that silver dagger he had to admit her suggestion was a good one, possibly the only thing that would save both if they were found.

"Good idea, I just knew there was more to you than beauty. But are you sure you can trust me, a shifty bloodsucker?" He asked with a grin, motioning at himself as he spoke. "How can you be certain I won't just wait till you can't stay awake any longer and then pounce once you fall asleep like the monster I am?" He was obviously enjoying himself, if the theatrics were any indication.

"I'm in though, after all, it wouldn't be nice of me to just leave you in such a danger all on your own." He said sweetly, completely ignoring the fact that he would be in just as much danger if not more since they might see him, a vampire, as the bigger threat. "So I guess we're partners for now, love." It would be an interesting trip for sure, it would only take a week or so if they weren't delayed but considering the circumstances it might as well feel like double that time.
 
Sorcha glared at the vampire’s childish threat. She might have thrown her dagger at him right then had it not been for the very real danger that followed them. She was having a difficult time remembering why she’d found that same behavior so charming earlier. Perhaps that second glass of mead had clouded her judgement.

She found the will to control herself, returning his generosity with thinly veiled annoyance. “Don’t over extend yourself or anything. I’m sure you’ve got some sort of reputation to up hold.” She returned her attention to her pack, adding almost as an afterthought. “And that’s Sorcha to you, bloodsucker.” He’d lost his charming privileges after that attempted attack.

She turned her attention back to their situation, noting grimly that their alliance would not solve her problems. Though she wasn’t alone, her only help was one worn-out pureblood who she could hardly rely on without finding him a meal. If they met with any resistance in their current state, the results would be left up to chance.

“I wouldn’t get too excited about this either. We’re still only two semi-competent fighters against a small army. Even if they all came at us one at a time, those fights would be a challenge.” She pulled out her notes from her pack, all of which had been soaked through. She would need to recopy them when she could afford new paper. She glanced over the smeared lettering, searching for some clue or source of inspiration. “If only we had something else to give us more of an edge on them.” All it would take was a little blood really. Not enough to fully feed the vampire, just a taste to bring some life back into him.

And the only blood around here belongs to wild animals or… She paused when the idea dawned on her. She glanced at her herb store and picked up her boxes of nettle and parsley. Both remained nearly full thanks to a small grove of plants she’d found recently. More than enough for a dozen potions. She leaned back, contemplating her options. This plan carried a good deal of risk with it and required more trust than she might have wanted to give the vampire, but such odds had never stopped her before. Particularly not when her life was on the line. She placed her notes to the side, realizing another potential benefit to her plan. If he’s willing to buy it…we might actually have a chance.

She straightened again, having come to a decision. Desperate times call for desperate measure and she had never found herself in a more desperate situation. She turned to face Imre, her expression serious. “I’m willing to add another clause to our deal, vampire. One that might keep us both alive a bit longer. You need blood to keep up with our pursuers in battle, not to mention for some personal comforts, I imagine.” She paused, allowing her words to hang in the air. Her eyes drifted away from the vampire back to her notes. “As it so happens, I’m interested in studying vampire physiology. If you’re willing to answer some of my questions…I’m willing to let you have some blood.” Her eyes flickered back to his face, a firm frown cutting off any potential jokes or treacherous ideas. “I’m not offering you unlimited access. I would be in charge of when and how much you take. You get too greedy and I put my knife in your heart, regardless of the circumstances.” She retrieved her knife to emphasize her point and calm herself some. “In exchange you answer, say, three questions of my choice per drink.” She forced herself to maintain eye contact though she felt oddly exposed waiting for his response. “What would you say to that?”
 
"But you have already have a nickname for me, it would feel like I was rude if I didn't do the same, you know." He said, ignoring her request completely. "Just common curtesy, love." Just an excuse of course, why stop when it was more fun to keep going. He hadn't travelled with someone else for a long time now so why not make it as enjoyable as possible, at least for himself.

Sorcha's next words took him really by surprise, he had already started thinking on how to sneak away from her to eat as he felt certain she wouldn't entertain the idea. But this was even better,or at least easier. "This was an unexpected offer, it's not often food is this easy to get." Imre had switched manners again, leaving the jokes behind, focusing his dark eyes on her, as if trying to tell what she was thinking. "I wondered when you suggested for us to travel together if you were brave or foolish but after this I'm leaning towards the latter." She was not wrong though, the dull pain that had grown each day without real food did nothing for his mood, and even a little would help with that.

The cool moonlight that sneaked through the tree branches and soothed the ache would soon give way for another annoyingly bright day and that would make him a poor fighter indeed. And her price was simply information, at first it seemed like a cheap price to pay for relatively easy access to blood. But not to forget she was a member of the Hunters, perhaps not an active one but any information she learned would easily reach her family. Maybe he could avoid telling the entire truth if the questions became too risky, but breaking or half-assing a deal he had entered was not something he did. So what to do?

As he thought he traced the amber hanging from the leather strap tied to his left wrist, if the charms fully worked then he might be tempted to refuse her offer. But as it were even the strongest charm only kept vampires alive during the day and lessened the pain, they were unfortunately not all powerful. With a dulled sense of pain like all vampires, he could shrug of most injuries, even major ones, but for some reason the dull pain that came when he didn't drink blood or stood in the sun was far worse to him than the pain from a wound. So in the end it wasn't that hard of a choice.

"All right, I don't really have much to lose, you on the other hand..." He finally said, looking up from his bracelet and back at her. "Even with your knife you are taking a risk. But considering there's at least a week before reaching some sort of safety it would be in my interest to keep to our deal if that makes you feel better." He doubted that though, she was unlikely to trust what he said, her behaviour said as much. "Good luck for you I'm not a young one, love. This sort of restraint is not something they excel at." Imre said, once again falling back into his easy going role, flashing a mischievous smile at her.
 
Sorcha shifted her gaze away from the vampire as he answered her offer, squirming beneath his dark eyes. He asked a question she had been asking herself for some time. Had bravery or foolishness driven her out here? She had to agree with his assessment. Everything about this trip to the outskirts of civilization had been foolish. She’d done charity work in hopes of studying vampire wounds only to end up treating half a dozen common ailments and a few broken bones in miserable weather while seeing neither hide nor hair of any bloodsucker only to end up in the middle of nowhere offering her own blood to a vampire in hopes of keeping herself alive. She doubted any other members of the Tierney clan had ever fallen this low.

For the second time that night she yearned for home. Wandering the roads as a healer had given her ample opportunity for adventure and the ability to interact with many people outside of her family, but it deprived her of the more intimate relationships that she’d had back home. Not lovers per say, but family who would listen to her problems and go out of their way to care for her. She could use some of that love and security she’d found so stifling only a few short years. She began to repack her things while she waited for the vampire’s decision. Sitting beside the river was losing its appeal.

His response did little to assuage her doubts. He agreed to her conditions though he insisted on being an ass about it. “I’m desperate, not an idiot. I never would have offered if you hadn’t been from the older bloodlines,” she hissed back. Couldn’t he just say yes and drop the cryptic threats? He seemed determined to add insult to her injury.

He had agreed, however, and so they had a bargain to carry out. She finished haphazardly throwing items into her pack and stood. “Then if you want to eat tonight, we need to find somewhere quiet where we can build a fire. I need to make some tea and we could both use somewhere to dry off.”

She started off toward the woods behind them, fairly certain they could find a small clearing with enough cover to allow for a fire somewhere within. It had to be better than sitting on the damp riverbank.
 
"Look on the bright side, love." Imre said with a slight grin. "It could be winter. It would be much more of a hassle to dry up in that case." Just one more reason why it was very tempting to stay in towns during winter, even when it meant surviving on meat for long periods, but it was worth it to avoid sleeping outside in the snow.

Imre smiled like a satisfied cat as he followed the pissed off Sorcha into the woods. It was so amusing pushing her buttons, he couldn't help himself really. That together with getting access to blood made this partnership very much enjoyable so far, much better than making the journey alone.

He stayed silent as they kept walking deeper into the forest, instead focusing on the dark forest around them. The complete stillness that settled like a blanket over the world with that special cool air you could only feel at night. All around he could hear the faint noises of life, like the rustle of leaves in the wind, the careful scuttling of a hare and the distant hoot of an owl. Nothing indicated that they were being tracked, or at least that any potential tracker were nowhere nearby.

After moving through increasingly dense woods the trees thinned once more to reveal another small glade, nothing too impressive but as safe a place as any to make camp. "How about we stop here for the night?" Imre suggested as he stopped and turned to Sorcha. "We've gotten pretty far so this place is as safe as it can get for us."

Following this decision they proceeded to make camp, after a search through the nearby trees for firewood a warm light soon lit up the area, leaving the surroundings pitch black. Stepping over to the closest tree Imre peeled of his long jacket and hung it on a branch to dry before sitting down by the fire. The warmth was very much appreciated after the long walk through the forest in cold, wet clothes.

"So, how about some dinner, love." He said sweetly, sounding for all the world like he suggested an innocent dinner at a tavern. "I don't want to come off as desperate but I am starving." He sounded serious but the impish glint in his eyes betrayed him.
 
Sorcha focused on their trek, ignoring Imre’s comments. The current season was somewhere near the bottom of her list of current concerns with everything else that had happened that evening competing for the top. Vampires and hunters working together, all of them want me dead, and now I’m traveling with another bloodsucker I have to feed. A bundle of tension had formed in her stomach, keeping her mind distracted as they stumbled through the forest. She rubbed her hands over her arms in a sorry attempt to warm herself up. It was already abundantly clear she would have a cold tomorrow. For the remainder of the trek, she swung between intense regret over her hasty offer to Imre and a strong belief that she’d had no other choice. A small part of her wanted to call the whole thing off and just leave, but she dismissed that thought immediately. Even if she could convince the vampire to let her leave, she’d be alone with the others after her. No amount of skill would save her from such odds.

Imre drew her attention back their surrounding when they came upon the clearing. It seemed as good a place as any to camp. She nodded, unwilling to try and find her voice again, not yet. She let Imre gather the firewood while she cleared a spot for the fire, lighting it once he’d returned. With some warmth returning, she laid out everything in her pack around the fire in hopes it would dry by morning. A fresh set of clothes would be particularly welcome now, but everything had been soaked after their fall into the river. Even her bed roll remained waterlogged. She’d have to settle for huddling by the fire and sniffling tonight.

She shot Imre a glare when he mentioned dinner. “You’ll get it when I’m ready,” she hissed back, grabbing a small kettle from among her things. Preparing gave her time to delay the inevitable and attempt to calm her nerves. She poured enough water for a single cup into it before dropping in a few sprigs of parsley and nettle. Unfortunately she’d used up her stores of honey on the road which meant she’d have no way to sweeten the mixture. Health was more important than comfort. They both needed to be at their best. She then retrieved some of her bandages and put them closest to the fire to dry. Stanching and cleaning the wound would be important. The faster she could do it, the better recovery time she would have. Lastly she pulled out her dagger, taking some small comfort in the familiar weight. Not the perfect defense, or a good defense, but something to give her peace of mind.

Finally she ran out of things to do. She turned to face the vampire, her face a mask of cool contempt as she made her way to his side. Her arms were too short to keep much distance between them and so she settled in beside him to try and make this exchange as easy as possible. She fought to slow her heartbeat and keep her body from shaking, anything to keep the vampire from seeing how vulnerable she felt. The cold air did little to help, especially when she rolled her sleeve up to expose her skin. She gripped her dagger in her left hand, keeping it clear of Imre though she made sure he could see it. “Remember, I say stop, you stop. Pull anything and I will put you down.” She took a breath to steel herself before offering him her other arm, her hand clenched to minimize the shaking.
 
Imre watched as Sorcha moved around, fixing her things, putting some up to dry by the fire and boiling water for tea. It was obvious just watching her that the woman tried to draw out time as much as she could, he didn't need any sharpened senses for that. He found her uneasiness quite amusing. Her work however, reminded him that he really needed to get a new travelling bag to replace the one he lost over two weeks ago when he had been forced to run from some particularly sharp hunters. He always kept his most valuable belongings on his person, including his money, so he never risked losing anything important, he'd learned that lesson many years ago.

Finally Sorcha seemed to have nothing else left to do and she came to his side of the fire, seating herself close so her arm would reach him. "Don't worry love," he said reassuringly, almost entirely seriously. "It won't hurt too much, probably." An empty reassurance. The bites themselves seemed to hurt as much as any animal bite and most humans didn't seem to enjoy the feeling of their blood being drained. Even the weak poison still didn't help as in contrast to some insects, vampire poison didn't have any numbing effect that could take away some pain.

He stretched out his hand and gripped Sorchas wrist, a barely noticable shiver was her only outward sign of what she felt. Imre's dark eyes flicked to her silver knife glittering softly in the firelight. It's beautiful sheen was a very effective reminder that if he went overboard it would be his last move.

The hunger was getting unbearable but he made an effort to push it back down, a knife in his heart for dessert was not what he wanted. Feeling in control of himself Imre bit down, aiming for the faint blue veins on her wrist. His sharp canines piercing through her skin with ease and soon he felt the familiar taste of blood when he reached the vein. It trickled at first but then it started flowing faster. The first swallow was almost intoxicating, a warm metallic taste that sent sparks of power back into him and made his head spin.

Faintly he heard a voice through the blood that thumped in his ears. It was a woman's voice, a familiar one. Finaly he recogniced it was Sorcha, and with it came the memory of her knife and their deal. Slowly the haze drew back and he reluctantly let go of her wrist, licking the blood from his lips. Drawing in a shaky breath Imre sat back up straight, his eyes lingering on her arm were drops of blood remained.

Part of him screamed for more, that it hadn't been enough but he pushed the feeling back. He felt stronger and more alive and his damn headache was finally gone. That had to be good enough.

"Thanks for that love, best meal I've had in ages." He said, making an effort to behave like normal, but his voice lacked the usual confident and arrogant air.
 
It might have been her nerves talking, but Sorcha almost found some comfort in Imre’s attempt at kindness. Almost. Her acute awareness of the danger he represented kept her from relaxing. Her anxiety doubled when he took her wrist. All at one his grip became the physical reminder of their bargain and a snare that held her in place. Just breath, she told herself. Her grip tightened around the hilt of her knife to keep herself from trying to pull away. It’ll all be over soon. Until the next time she had to do this. Damnation.

The bite itself went by quickly. One sharp pain followed by a sucking sensation that—No. She fought back a wave of nausea. No more thinking about that, she decided as a cold sweat broke out on her skin. The pain remaindered her of the dog who’d bitten her as a child. Only this bite lacked the pressure of the dog’s jaws. Imre kept his jaws lose, probably for her benefit or perhaps out of habit. The dog had tried to tear her flesh. Younger vampires tended to do the same. She knew that much from the wounds she’d on her family members and those civilians she’d examined in the field. Young ones ripped the skin when they lost themselves to blood lust, leaving grisly scenes in their wake. Imre’s method insured Sorcha wouldn’t need to sew up any wounds after this.

Her heartbeat began to settle. Analyzing helped to clear her mind and calm her nerves. She had control and all things considered the pain was minimal. Half the pain with an attack would be the panic and struggling, perhaps the complications that could arise with adrenaline rushes through the blood. A wave of dizziness hit her. Okay, too much analyzing. “Imre, that’s enough,” she said, surprised by how steady her voice remained. He didn’t move. Please no… She spoke louder, pulling her knife up into a striking position. “Imre, I said enough already.”

He came back then. It took a few, tense moments but after some effort on his part he managed to release her wrist. Sorcha released the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding, moving her dagger away from Imre. She moved away to give him some space and decrease the temptation for him to return for me. He would be harder to manage with fresh blood and she would need time to recover from her own donation. She reached over for one of the bandages and placed it over the wound to stanch it, wrapping her hand over the cloth to apply necessary pressure.

That had gone surprisingly well. She wiped the sweat from her forehead with a forearm, keeping the pressure on her wound while she did. His comment should have boiled her blood as everything he said had tonight, but she’d could bring herself to even feign annoyance. “I suppose one of us got what we wanted tonight then,” she replied. A smirk worked its way onto her lips when she noticed Imre’s flustered state; an improvement in her opinion. She settled down in the grass by the fire, facing him. “We can move onto my part of our little deal after I dress this. That’ll give me time to decide what questions I want to ask you.” A hint of smugness had snuck into her voice, probably a bit premature all things considered but she was riding an emotional high.
 
Even now, with her blood gone from sight there was a very insistent voice inside him that wanted more of that warm, sweet blood. Like a starving man standing in front of a full course meal but only being allowed to eat a small appetizer. Simple hunger wasn't the best comparison though, blood held an allure to all vampires, almost like a drug or alcohol would for a human. Being a pure blood it was barely noticable unless he was starved, like now.

A refreshingly cool wind blew softly through their small camp, it was gone all too soon but it helped clear his head at least, and with a final deep breath he pushed away all the lingering instincts, most of them at least. Feeling almost like himself again he turned his attention from the flickering flames to Sorcha, watching as she wrapped up her wound, he was still hungry so the temptation was there but not as bad as it had been.

"Come the end of the night it might not be only me that's satisfied love," he answered a bit more seriously. Realising more and more what type of deal he had entered, and questioning yet again if it had been such a good idea to let his hunger answer for him.

What questions would she come up with? She was intelligent and he suspected Sorcha wasn't the type who would ask easy or common questions. Maybe at first, it would depend on what she already knew or suspected, but he strongly doubted it would stay that way.

But he couldn't deny his own curiosity either, he hadn't lied in the tavern about his interests in history and architecture. Along with that, hunters had always fascinated him in a way, despite his dislike of them or rather their profession. Perhaps it mostly came from the fact that there were few opportunities to learn anything about them and their traditions but some if it also stemmed from a reluctant respect for a group of humans with strength and cunning that allowed them to take on vampires.

"So, what kind of interesting questions does the hunter have for me?" Imre asked eventually, putting slighty more emphasis on the word 'hunter'. Having regained some of his earlier composure he couldn't help pushing her buttons to see what worked. Still, it was quite a tame attempt and was more out of habit rather than anything else.
 
“That’s not what I—” Sorcha cut herself off with a sigh. “Never mind.” She had referred to earlier in the evening in the tavern before the fun running for their lives bit. Imre, she realized, had been after a meal and received it. Sorcha would gain valuable information from their exchange but… A fleeting pang of her earlier melancholy struck her. Question and answer games with semi-hostile vampires weren’t what she’d had in mind when she wished for companionship.

She distracted herself by tending to her bite. The bleeding had slowed enough for her to pull the bandage away. She retrieved her water skin from her pile of things, uncorking it with her teeth. She wet a clean edge of the cloth and quickly cleaned the wound, steeling herself to avoid reacting to the pain. Her actions were smooth and practiced. She managed to apply a poultice and wrap her wrist in a manner of minutes. She tugged the final bandage tight around her wrist with her teeth and fingers, unwilling to trust Imre so close to her wound when the scent of blood remained in the air. He had stopped but she knew little about his ability to resist its allure.

With her wound dressed, she produced a cup from among her things and poured the tea into it before setting the pot aside. The cup she held steaming in her hands, enjoying the extra warmth while she waited for the tea to cool. Sipping this herb mixture would be an unpleasant experience. Better to wait and gulp it all down at once.

She settled back into her place across the fire from Imre, ignoring his jab. With so many options before her, she couldn’t think of where to begin. No hunter or human had ever had a chance like this. She knew she could go for the difficult questions immediately, but also knew that Imre might be reluctant to answer a question fully if she jumped into the sensitive information too soon. Better to ease into things.

She searched her memory for all the information she knew about vampires. Perhaps something immediately relevant. “Hmm…I think I have an idea of where we could start.” Her eyes found Imre’s as she prepared to study his reaction. “Explain to me how blood affects a vampire. Not necessarily biologically. I understand its use as a means of sustaining and nourishing you. I mean is there more to it than that? A human has reasons for eating a certain thing so I assume a vampire must be no different.”