Heirot

Vlad bent and caught her, his arms encircling her protectively. He shot the others a gaze that said to just try and touch him or his wife, and see what he'd do. He drew her up off the ground with both arms and balanced her small weight against his chest. "Let me do this just a little while," he whispered to her, knowing she hated being carried when she could walk under her own power. "You're safe now. And you saved my life."

He glanced out over the unfamiliar faces and spotted Atul. His handsome form made his joints want to dissolve for a second. That moment of compulsive joy was immediately replaced with distrust. This man had left them. He did not love them the way Vlad loved him.

And oh, did the vampire ever still love him. "Thank you for coming," he told the king formally, bowing with Tenele in his arms.

"It was no trouble," he whispered as he stepped closer. "Talon and Tenara are at the palace. Talon explained Tenele's condition. I was unprepared for it, nevertheless." He wanted to embrace them, hold them tight, but he knew he wasn't welcome there... not after what he'd done.

"The ship is just off shore. We have two boats to take us to it. We should get going," he advised before nodding to the guards.

They took the pace slow and easy down the hill to the shore. It was awkward, at least it felt awkward for Atul. What could he say or do after the way they'd left things. "If you need more blood I have another pirate waiting on the ship. Feel free to make him your dinner."

"You need to climb the ladder," Atul told Tenele once they docked alongside the vessel. "Can you climb?"

Tenele nodded. "I can make it."

Vlad climbed just behind Tenele as they made their way up. He had some strength again, so he could do something about it if she fell. It felt very strange to be near Atul and not feel close to him, like a stranger had rescued them. Fortunately, he was too relieved about them making it off the island to care too much about anything else. He let himself be happy to see Atul. He didn't think it through further. He didn't try to force conversation. He didn't let himself think beyond this voyage, or about the fiance he was likely to meet when they got to Hajara.

Tenele stumbled over the railing when she reached the deck and Atul caught her, circling his arms around her as comfortingly has he held her before their fight. But, the moment she was encased she yelped at the intimate gesture and hopped away from him. There was fear in her eyes, and it was like taking a knife and stabbing it into his heart. She wrapped her arms around one of Vlad's when he made it on deck.

"Tuck will show you where you can rest. I'll have the cook bring food to you," Atul told Vlad.

Vlad looked the king in the eyes, his expression cautious. "Thanks. If there's a doctor on board, Tenele has some injuries that need attention."

He wanted to hug him. He wanted to kiss those lips and brighten the pain he saw in his eyes. Stop it. He's not yours anymore. "We owe you our lives," he said. He put his arm around Tenele's shoulder lightly to be sure she stayed upright as they followed Atul's man to a cabin.

Tenele took in the small room with the beds tucked into alcoves on either side of the wall, with about three feet of space between them. She picked on and went to it, crawling onto the mattress with a loving gentle sigh. It wasn't even a soft or decent mattress, but it was something other than the hard earth and she welcomed it.

A few minutes later a doctor entered the room. He felt at her forehead. "You're running a fever," he sighed, standing over the bed. He gave her a vial and a glass of water. "Could be infection. Please remove your covering."

"Do I have to?" she whispered, turning an uncertain gaze to Vlad.

"Just this," he amended, tugging on the silk robe Atul gave her.

She slipped out of it. The doctor inspected her scrapes, and the self inflicted wounds she created in order to feed Vlad. He cleaned them, sterilized them, and wrapped them in bandages. "It is a mild infection. To be honest, it should be worst. You must have been taking very good care of it. Rest and food, that's what you need. I'll send for a bucket of hot water for you both to sponge bathe with. It will do you until we get back to the capital. I'll also see if the men can donate clothing."

Vlad nodded to the doctor as the man left. Clothing would be good. Now that they weren't in a life or death situation, he suspected Tenele might not be as crazy about him walking around nearly nude all day. He wasn't even sure if she was okay with sharing a room, but he didn't raise the subject. He stretched out on the top bunk, and relaxed into the thin mattress. "You got into this mess because you jumped in after me," he mused to the ceiling. "You could have let me drown with that rock around my neck. Thanks for jumping. I'm sorry I put you in such bad shape."

Tenele glanced to the bunk above her head. Why was he bringing up that? Why did he make it sound like she shouldn't have cared whether he lived or died or not? After she'd given her blood to him? After she'd risked her life for him? That didn't make any sense to her.

Maybe she was too tired.

"You don't have to thank me," she told him. "Like I said, you would have done the same for me. I think."

A few minutes later a kid knocked on the door. He carried a bucket of warm water and two rags. Behind him a man held a bundle of clothing. "The King sent this to you," the man muttered. He set the clothing on a stool near the bucket.

Tenele eyed the water, and then glanced to the bunk. Should she ask him to leave? He'd seen her undress before... Tenele bit her bottom lip and hesitated on what to do. She was so willing to remove her clothing a few days ago. What did it matter?

Tenele felt nervous, but she untied the remnants of her tattered dress and stood up from the bed. She washed the rag across her skin, wiping the dirt and grime from her flesh until she felt less dirty. Atul had taken care to provide them with clothing that fit. One was a silk dress, the kind that her old self must have felt very confident in, but she at the moment thought too sultry. The other was a silk tunic and pants for Vlad. Tenele slipped the dress on and hurried back into bed, climbing under the covers.

Vlad didn't make it obvious that he was watching. But he was, enough to notice the nervousness in her movements and the fact that he shouldn't say anything. He stepped down and faced away from her as he began washing his bare upper body. He glanced at the clothes that were offered to him. "If you'd be more comfortable in these, I could wear the dress," he teased gently, assuming she was still awake in that pile of blankets.

"I'm fine," she replied, her voice filtering out for the covers. A quiet lingered after her reply. Tenele wondered why the air felt different now that they were safe on the ship. "Are you feeling better? Do you need more food? Atul said there was another... man for your to eat."

Vlad smiled as he removed his demolished pants and took the sponge to the rest of his body. "This will sound strange, but I don't want to even think about eating. I've been thinking about eating for a week. I'm in good shape now, though. You're safe from me." Still, that might not be the only thing she was concerned about at the moment. "Do you want some time alone while you sleep?"

Tenele thought about it. She thought about sleeping and whether it mattered if he were there at all. She thought about the ship she didn't know well, and the men on board, and the kiss from Atul while she was sleeping. Tenele peeked out of the covers. "I don't trust them," she muttered to him. "I trust you. We were on an island together for a while... we slept in the same shelter. I am alright with you sleeping here." Maybe he wanted time alone?

Vlad looked over at her. He was wearing real clothes, not that he cared much. "...May I sleep with you?" he asked, knowing he was pushing his luck.

Tenele poked her head out from under the covers to appraise him in his clothing. She bit her bottom lip, and then slid over closer to the wall to allow him more room. "Okay," she whispered, burrowing down against the pillow.

Vlad's head swam. He didn't hesitate. Before she could change her mind, he thought. He sat on the narrow mattress and stretched out next to her. He stayed on top of the covers and didn't touch her. His thoughts buzzed happily as he lay at her side and listened to the rhythm of her heart. He could feel her warmth on the other side of the blankets, and the soft sway of the ship on the waves as it set course back toward the capitol. All that pain and frantic planning, and they'd survived. He closed his eyes, and everything else stopped existing.