Chapter 2

Joanne’s POV

I knew if Anthony found him here, he would kill us both. I knew I should report him, a vampire, for entering the werewolf territory. But my traitorous hands started to unbutton his shirt, wanting to assess his wounds more thoroughly.

Blood was seeping through his shirt, so I knew before seeing them that deep cuts were all over his body.

When I saw the claw marks and gunshot wound, my chest clenched. Before I could think better of it, I was already moving.

Being beaten my entire life by Alpha Anthony taught me to care for wounds of any type.

I already grabbed a bucket of water from the lake, along with a few old rags, earlier this morning. I had them prepared in case I were caught stealing food during today’s celebration.

I soaked some of the rags in the water before carefully pressing them to the wounds on his chest, trying to stop as much of the bleeding as I could.

As far as I could see from the gunshot wound, it was a clean shot. He was alive, which meant it didn’t hit anything too vital. I lifted him slightly so I could see his back, pulling up his shirt in the process, and saw that the bullet went straight through. I let out a breath, relieved that I wasn’t going to have to pull a bullet out of a body today.

I released him, letting him fall limply back to the ground as I assessed the rest of his wounds. I unbuttoned the last button on his shirt, pulling it off his body.

My breath got caught at the sight of his torso; I scanned each and every ab on his six-pack frame, and for a moment, my heart stuttered.

I don’t think I had ever seen anything quite as beautiful.

His skin was cold as marble under my fingers. Each time I dabbed at the blood, I expected him to shudder or lash out, to bare his fangs.

He didn’t.

He just lay there, motionless, as if the weight of the centuries had finally dragged him down.

“Why am I doing this?” I whispered into the silence. My own blood sounded loud in my ears. “You're the last thing I need right now…”

I knew if Anthony discovered that I was helping a vampire, we would both be done for. He’d kill this vampire right away… but me… he’d torture me until my dying breath.

I continued to dab at his wounds until his bleeding slowed, and I could see that his wounds really were deep.

He would need a couple of stitches.

I’ve only ever stitched myself, but I had to do what I could to help him, so I rushed back to the kitchen to grab the needed supplies.

The needles were already cleaned and ready for use.

When I returned to him, he was unmoved, much to my relief.

I knelt back to his side and peeked at his face before I started to stitch his wounds closed.

My stomach growled sharply and cruelly, but I ignored it; my only focus was on him.

I tied off the last stitch, dropping the needle to the ground in the process. I tore the hem of my ragged dress for bandages.

My eyes, once again, flickered to his face, bracing myself for any reaction, but I was only met with unnatural stillness.

I found myself momentarily lost in his beauty.

As if I was looking for something, I searched his face, the curve of his throat, the almost unnoticeable flicker of life beneath the surface.

When I finally sank back, my arms aching, I realized how close I’d gotten. My cheeks burned hot. I was staring at him at the way the moonlight caught on his lashes, at the shape of his mouth, as if beauty could be lethal.

Were all vampires like this?

I watched his steady breaths as the dizziness returned to me.

I couldn’t remember the last time I had eaten.

My only chance at food today was ruined because I was caught. I put my hands on my belly, feeling the dull ache. I allowed myself to rest beside this vampire, my body too weak to keep going.

I told myself I would only close my eyes for a minute. But exhaustion and the deep hunger that weighed down my body had won.

His scent consumed me, lulling me to sleep.

It almost gave me the sense of security… like for the first time in my life, I was safe.

As I slept, it was dreamless.

It wasn’t consumed with the nightmares that I’d have every night. I couldn’t remember the last time I slept without having a nightmare.

Alpha Anthony usually occupied my thoughts, and because of him, the entire pack hated me.

It wasn’t just Alpha Anthony that I usually spent my nights healing from… it was everybody.

They all gave me sleepless nights.

When I opened my eyes next, the faint rays of the morning sun beamed on my face. I lifted my head, blinking open my groggy eyes. My belly still ached from lack of food, and I was still a bit dizzy, but the exhausted feeling I had felt the night before was gone.

I furrowed my brows, trying to remember the events of what had happened. I remembered being at Alpha Anthony’s celebration, intent on getting something to eat. But I was caught…and then I was beaten.

I reached for my side, where Anthony had kicked me multiple times, and I felt the slight bruising. It wasn’t the worst injury he had given me, so I wasn’t too worried about it.

I felt movement beside me, and my entire body stilled.

That was when I remembered the injured vampire I found in my cabin… the one I had stitched and bandaged.

With a racing heart, I slowly turned, my eyes finding his.

They were no longer closed, but staring at me.

His deep blue eyes were pouring into my grey ones.

I realized I was extremely close to him; my back was pressed to his front, his naked torso rubbing against me.

He was still wearing pants, but that did nothing to ease the heat in my cheeks.

I scrambled away from him before I could think better of it, my heart racing as I turned to face him fully. My eyes flickered down to his torso, and they widened when I saw that his injuries were mostly healed. The string I stitched him with was lying beside him on the ground.

How had he healed so quickly?

Before I knew what was happening, the man was moving. Suddenly, his body was pressed against mine, and I was pinned against the ground, the wind nearly knocked out of me.

Then, his deep voice sent a shudder through me as he asked, “Who the hell are you?”