21 - Truth

Fraser

She's here. She's actually here.

I fear if I look too close she'll disappear.

"Ailsa! Ailsa. Thank the heavens. I thought I'd never see you again." The words slur from my mouth, jumbling into a barely legible sentence.

My head swims, but I can still see her clearly. Her light pink face, wash of honeycomb hair.

But something feels different, something is different about the way walks towards me.

She's shaking, quivering, her eyes wide and pleading.

"What's wrong, lass? Did you run into your father?" I joke, not thinking clearly. I shake my head, thinking of how inappropriate it is to bring up the topic of argument from the last time we spoke.

But how could I not when I haven't seen her in two weeks and my anger is the last thing that transpired between us? I've been aching over the pain I caused her all this time? How can it not be the first thing to come up when she comes to see me once more?

"Ailsa please, darling, speak to me." My head lulls, the top of my skull feeling as light as air, the base where my head meets my neck is tense and heavy. I feel off balance. I'm desperate.

I want to wrap my hands around the bars of silver, push my face against the door and get as close as possible to the sweet human female in my space.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped on you like a bear trap. I just didn't expect the news. You must understand how I loathe your father..." I hiccup, tasting the dead man's blood that lingers on my tongue like a poisonous reminder. "He has imprisoned me here. He torture me, you must understand. Please. Forgive me."

The lashes on my back are healing, but slowly. They still sting as proof of the horrible things done against me.

She's so still that for a moment I think she could pass for a supernatural creature of some kind. No human should be able to stay so motionless.

"What's wrong, Ailsa? Do you want me to grovel?" I feel a wry grin spilling across my face easily.

The tainted blood has made me loose, drunk.

"That can be arranged. Tell me what it is you seek and I'll be your willing servant."

"Why was my father here?" Her voice is so soft, delicate and careful as if we will be overheard.

I cock my head to the side, the memory of blood slipping down my throat and into my awaiting, hungry belly.

Did... did she see?

Now it's my turn to freeze. My limbs turn to stone, solidifying like cold, unfeeling marble.

My drunk haze starts to fade, leaving me sobered with a light buzz in the back of my mind.

"What did you see?"

"Why was he here, Fraser?" She says, breathless.

My eyes flick to her small, pale hands. Her fingers are trembling. She's terrified.

"You saw." I state, because I know now for a fact that my precious Ailsa saw me guzzling blood like a greedy monster.

Her jaw clenches stubbornly, eyes wild and lit with determination. She's trying not to look as scared as she is.

She nods once, sharply. Ailsa still stands clear of me. She thinks I'm a monster.

I curse under my breath, shifting my body to my knees, making myself as small as possible.

"I'm not a danger to you." I insist, gesturing to the bars between us. "Even if I wasn't trapped in here. You have to believe me."

She still won't respond, staring at me with wide eyes and a determined expression fixed on her face that's paler than usual.

Her stare won't waver.

"Are you afraid, my wee human?" I whisper into the chilling air, praying she'll answer, praying she'll say no.

"Will you hurt me?" She murmurs.

I blank momentarily, not expecting that.

"No, Ailsa. I swear to you I will never harm you. I'd rather die than lay a hand on you." I say, each word filled with as much truth as I can muster.

"Then there's nothing more to discuss."

My mouth falls open as her stiffness evaporates. Ailsa closes in, going to her typical spot sitting in front of me.

But this time is different. She sits oddly close to me, too close. As she bends, I can see the gentle flutter of her pulse. Blood pumping, veins flickering with each thump of her heart.

Saliva floods my mouth. Despite my belly being full of blood, I know I would make room for more for the sweet liquid keeping Ailsa alive.

Somehow I know that the blood would be potent, powerful. One mouthful might be enough to dampen the effects of the poison I was forced to consume.

Ailsa folds her legs underneath herself, crossing them and smiling at me. She smiles at me, actually smiles at me. Her teeth are white and pretty. The little lift of her lips lights up her face.

"Are you going to tell me what you are?"

I narrow my eyes at her, putting a bored look on my face to get my point across.

"How many monsters do you know that drink blood to keep them alive, lass?" I deadpan, tilting my head and admiring the color that flushes her cheeks, deepening the pink to a delicious red.

"I don't know many types of monsters, I assure you. But I don't know much about the supernatural. You could be a kelpie, or a wulver, maybe even a will-o'-the-wisp..." Ailsa trails off, wracking her brain to keep herself from speaking the truth that she knows already.

"I'm a vampire, lass. A creature tied to the night, a man but no mortal. Humans fear me. That's why I'm here."

Her blonde eyebrows furrow in concern.

"My father knows. That's why he captured you." She sums up simply, completely ignoring my admission as if we are discussing the weather.

I nod, one jerky movement.

"Yes. That's why I'm here. Your father is running experiments on me, seeing what makes me tick. I don't know what he hopes to gain from it, lass. It seems he simply enjoys seeing me in pain."

The admission takes more energy out of me than I'd like to admit. I feel my eyes grow heavy and my heart stutter in my chest as the weight of my situation becomes heavier.

My clan. My brothers. All of the ones I care about. They have no idea where I am, or if I'm coming back.

"I need to get out of here, Ailsa. I don't belong here. No one belongs underground, locked in a cage." I murmur, venom leaking into my voice without trying.

"Are you asking me to set you free?" She asks, and my head snaps up.

I'm not sure why, but the possibility never crossed my mind. It may be her unsuspecting nature.

Ailsa is not strong, even by human standards. Her slim arms and soft skin would make anyone overlook her physical abilities.

Though she may not be capable as far as strength goes, she did find a way to weasel her way into the dungeons. She's a laird's daughter. She's close enough to him to be able to steal things from under his nose.

There is a lot about Ailsa that makes her resourceful, and I've had her here all along.

"Could you? Is that possible?" I ask, trying to keep the intensity out of my question.

I don't want it to be a demand. I can't lose her again. As much as I want to be out of this place, dad far away from this hell, this human girl has done so much for me already.

She looks uncomfortable suddenly, one of her shoulders coming up in a half shrug.

"I could try. I cannot make promises, Fraser. My father is a private man. It was a miracle I was able to find a key to this place, let alone a specific cell." She admits, rubbing a hand up and down her arm as her discomfort grows.

The motion sends a fresh wave of air floating off of her skin.

It makes me dizzy for a moment. The overwhelming desire to grab her and sink my teeth into her vein makes me press my eyes shut right. I cut off the air through my nose to keep the honey scent of her flood from tempting me any further.

Ailsa thinks this means something else.

"I am sorry. I know I'm not doing enough. I will try, but there is likely only one key to this cell, and I'm sure he has it hidden well or he keeps it with him at all times." I open my eyes to see her looking down at the ground. "I don't know which is worse."

"Ailsa. Sweet girl." I lift my hand to reach through the bars and touch her, I know I would feel electric warmth from the contact. I hold myself back.

It's too risky. With my current hunger level and track record for recklessness, I can't trust myself to leave her untouched by my fangs that prick my lips even as I speak.

"You have done so much already. You can't know what your kindness has done for me."

"What? What do you mean?" She pauses, thinking. "You like my visits?"

The grand portrayal of my feigned indifference seems to have done more harm than good.

I thought I could scare her off by pretending to be disinterested. Now I realize I don't want to scare her off at all.

"Yes."

She doesn't look convinced, shooting me a dubious look with a raised eyebrow and pouty lip. I hate to admit it's adorable and awfully endearing.

I'd there weren't a barrier in the way, I would kiss that expression off her face.

The intrusive thought staggers me.

I'll unpack that later.

"It's the best part of my day."

I don't say it to make her feel better, although maybe a small part of me wants her to feel comforted, I say it because it's the truth.

And damn it if the truth didn't set me free in a small way.

Next chapter comes tomorrow bc I'm very tired lol. Enjoy this mushy chapter! We're getting somewhere finally haha. This is one of the most slow burn projects I've done, hope I'm doing a good job. Let me know what you think in the comments!

See you tomorrow 😛