Under the vampire Lord's protection-Chapter 97: Potentially personal

Arabella remained still as the night, her lungs scrambling to reacquaint themselves with the concept of breathing.

From where it whispered rustles, the water stream beckoned the young woman to rush forward and sink her face deep beneath its surface, promising to offer solace and the alleviating cool her burning skin so desperately needed.

Silas never pressed or tugged. Lighter than a feather, his touch was as gentle as every other time he’d laid hands on her and his warmth did not help the rising temperature at her core one bit.

"The wounds are small and thankfully superficial enough," he took his fingers back, but the tingles they’d caused lingered, "The blood around them has already coagulated which is a great benefit," out of his vest, he pulled a clean piece of cloth, "With the help of the water, hopefully we can wipe the spilled blood away,"

Silas stood up and moved towards the running river before kneeling again, that time, he faced the body of water.

The cloth connected with the liquid, absorbing a decent yet modest volume of it, emphasizing the effect of gravity on it as a whole.

The vampire first erased the blood that was dripping off the blade of his dagger, subsequently cleansing his already healed palm from any remainder of it.

"Come," he then turned his head and waited for Arabella.

The seconds of hesitation that followed felt like decades for her until a fresh breeze of air blew past her, bestowing the young woman with the confidence to move forward.

She took shaky steps, but they were steps nonetheless and when Arabella extended her hand to receive the cloth, Silas simply refused to give it.

"It’d be best if you were to sit down. Napiel grass is softer and won’t cause you further injuries, I will take care of the rest," he said.

His hands were softer, she thought... Triggering yet a new streak of tingles the moment they came in contact with her skin.

Silas made sure to proceed with utmost care, knowing that a vampire’s epidermis was levels thicker than a human’s, especially one as delicate as Arabella’s.

Another sense he wished to have in the moment was the ability to read minds. Indeed, he wondered whether the little shudders that overcame her were prompted by the direct interaction between their bare skin, or due to the stinging resulting from him dabbing the wet cloth against her cuts and thus, he took it even easier.

However, and as her chest heaved and dropped faster, the sudden increase in fluctuations from her heart did nothing but further confuse him.

There was no use in denying it since he too worked on quieting down his mind which raced, overstimulated by every inch of her he brushed, birthing sparks of a unique kind at the tip of his fingers.

As the tension climbed higher through every fiber of muscle in her, Arabella found for sole refuge the crisp earthy aroma that came to appease the sensory overload Silas was guilty of inducing. It mingled with the citrusy undertone that was, null doubt, a result of the green leaf volatiles that lived in the fresh napiel cushioning their behinds.

"Am I hurting you?" Silas finally asked instead of speculating to himself.

"No!" she almost yelped the answer, "Not at all," she added softly while slowly shaking her head.

His eyes never left her legs when he spoke, not even for a second. Arabella lost track of time, watching his dedication to the task. It was hard enough to cast him as the caring type, serviceable was plainly and simply, almost inconceivable.

"It is done," he pulled away, "I simply need to wash the cloth now and we are set,"

"Allow me to do that," Arabella extended her hand again and leaned forward, ready to take the cloth.

"I’d prefer it if you did not," without another glance her way, he plunged the fabric in the water and gently rubbed the blood off it.

The manner in which he’d reacted to her suggestion by guarding the cloth from her raised questions in her mind.

She followed as the crimson gradually liquified in puffs before drifting with the current once the tissue had expelled it.

Was there a story behind it? His attitude towards it certainly implied that, and if so, then what was it?

A little squeak from behind them reached their ears, tugging both of their attention backwards.

Only then did they realize they were surrounded by an alarming number of rodents that had already formed a perfect half circle as if... To watch the two of them.

The squirrels were sniffing and twitching all the while their beady little eyes never left their target.

"Are... We in danger?" she muttered.

"I detect no animosity," his diamonds darted between the spastic creatures, "But it would be best if we did not linger,"

Silas stood up and offered a helping hand to Arabella who took it immediately.

"Let us go then,"

The vampire took his first steps towards the fur balls, very watchful. Arabella on the other hand couldn’t help but feel silly, but then again, magic held many secrets from her, so she followed him without a word of complaint.

She stuck to his side when marching closer to the bundles of nerves that seemed to track their every breath.

Eventually, as they neared them, the animals parted in the middle, carving them a path to walk through.

"Do squirrels usually behave this way?" she asked, "In Lustris they steer clear of people altogether,"

"For now, yes," he paused, "It seems like harmless curiosity. They frolic in these parts freely. It is only natural for them to be eager when creatures of different shapes traverse the land,"

Arabella noted that he’d folded the cloth with great care before returning it from whence it came, tucked inside his vest.

Questions about it still pricked her tongue, but she bit on it, believing it tremendously rude to enquire on such a potentially personal matter.