Queen of Ashes │ Season 1 │The Journey

23 │Crucial explanations

Focus.

A few steps forward were enough for Freya to have a clear view of her prey. Poor birds, they didn't know yet what would meet them. With a slow and silent movement, she took an arrow from the quiver. Devoting all her attention solely to the slow movements of her hands, she drew the string, aiming for one of the largest birds—in case she didn't manage to hunt more. Although Freya knew that only something random would make her screw the hunt up.

Whoosh.

She had like a second for the observation if her arrow hit the target. Just after the first one, she drew the second and aimed for the next bird, already jumping in panic.

Whoosh.

Another shot on the mark.

Whoosh.

Another one.

Smiling, she put aside her bow. There was no need for more—three big birds would do for their stew. She stole a glance at her vampire companion, catching him at grinning.

"What?" She asked, not being sure what his expression was really about.

He nodded toward the lying pheasants. "That was one hell of a fast shooting, Princess. Even as for a vampire standards."

Despite her best efforts, Freya couldn't hide her satisfaction with the fact that she managed to positively surprise the Prince.

"Thanks," she replied with a smile and headed toward the lying prey. "Will you be okay with drinking their blood, or do you fancy hunting yourself?"

"I'm good with that. I have to do it quickly, though."

"Go ahead, then." She gestured for the birds with a clear curiosity. "Can I watch? Is it something proper, or should I better hide in the bushes to give you some privacy?" She semi-joked, not being entirely sure what was appropriate in this kind of situation.

Leander chuckled. "You can watch, although the view probably won't be pleasant."

"I'm a big girl," Freya responded with a false certainty.

"That you surely are." He winked, kneeling next to the birds and taking one of them. With a firm grip, he brought the animal's neck closer to his mouth. That's when Freya saw for the first time his elongated fangs. They seemed to appear when he was about to eat because the woman didn't catch the view earlier.

They were long and sharp as a needle. Very shiny as well. Freya couldn't take her eyes as he embedded them in the bird's neck. He was drinking fast. Literally a few seconds passed, and he had another one in his grasp—not soon after, the third. Freya watched fascinated, not missing a drop of blood that escaped his mouth and now was oozing down his stubble beard.

He stood up, looking at Freya with a different sort of hunger. She knew that look very well—that piercing gaze, that posture. He was so incredibly handsome, even with blood on his face. That was a view Freya didn't want to forget.

Without taking her eyes off him, she found her handkerchief in one of her pockets. She walked up to him, still maintaining eye contact. The tension was palpable. Leander clearly didn't catch her earlier actions because when she appeared in front of him and with a swift movement of fabric cleaned his stubble beard from blood, he acted surprised.

But seriously, what was he thinking she would do? Jump his fucking bones? Delicious thought, although they both should know better than that.

"Here..." She slowly corrected her cleaning with a few more moves, focusing on his lips now. "You missed some."

She knew that right now it was her teasing him. The feeling was everything. After all this time, she could finally create a moment when that was him being stunned and lost. Freya could not catch the movement of his hand leaning on hers, which was lost in cleaning, probably only the air left lingering on his lips. He pulled her away so now Freya had her hand at the level of her hips.