“What on earth happened back there?” Étienne asked, holding himself steady as the carriage rocked side to side from the speed it was travelling at. The Saint-Clair party had managed to leave fairly quickly, the castle behind them growing smaller and smaller. 

“Gustave declared himself King and cut down anyone who opposed him,” Duke Saint-Clair said through gritted teeth, pulling back the curtains and peering outside. He let out a sigh of relief as he noticed that nobody was following them, the landscape outside blurring past them. 

“Just like that?”

“Well I suppose he has been planning something like this for a while,” Saint-Clair mumbled, turning back to Étienne and Aurélie. “Trevor and I should apologise to you two and Oliver. Perhaps all this could have been avoided had we done something sooner.” 

Étienne clicked his tongue. “We told you Delacroix had been behind the attacks on us. Or at least we had a strong theory. What did you end up finding, Aurélie?”

Aurélie sat up, not sure how well the Duke would handle the idea of her having broken into Delacroix’s office. With a deep breath she answered, her voice stammering slightly. 

“Well, I found letters that were passed between Duke Delacroix and a few of his men stating our locations. They wrote back about how they were unsuccessful in their plans and were waiting on the Duke’s orders.”

“And how did you find these letters?”

Aurélie shifted in her seat slightly. 

“I asked her to break into Delacroix’s office during the ball,” Étienne said as a matter-of-fact, his arms crossed. His father shook his head and wiped his face, before starting to laugh. Both Aurélie and Étienne stared at him in confusion, briefly glancing at each other.  

“What an event,” Duke Saint-Clair mumbled after a while, his shoulders still bobbing every few seconds after he had stopped laughing. “Your mother would have loved this.”

Étienne’s face drew blank. “What do you mean?”

“She hated Gustave’s guts. Always went on about wanting to set fire to his office. I do not know how you managed to sneak in without him noticing, but she would have been proud.”

A few moments of silence passed before Étienne nodded. “I suppose she would have been. What do we do now?”

“I doubt we will be out of Hungary by morning. Gustave said that no harm would befall us if we left the castle, but I do not know if that extends to the whole country. We are better off trying to get out of this region and finding somewhere to rest in a human town,” Noel said, sitting back and letting out a sigh. “This is not ideal.”

“Not ideal? This is a nightmare. What is going to happen now?” Étienne said, his voice slightly raised. 

His father did not comment on the tone or the volume, instead choosing to sit in silent contemplation. Truth be told, the Duke did not know what the best course of action was. There were no rules about individuals who were in line for the throne suddenly claiming it after the death of a King. With no immediate heir and with three families next in line, it made for rather unending discussions that lead to nowhere. 

“I do not know, Étienne,” Saint-Clair said after a while, turning to his son. “We must first head back home and find out who exactly we have lost and what we can do. Delacroix has always had a way with the people but his regions are small compared to ours. I doubt anyone would let his actions pass freely without putting up a fight.”

Aurélie notice the sudden exhaustion that washed over the Duke’s face. She leaned forward and gently took his hand, squeezing it. 

“Let us rest for the day before thinking what comes next.”

Duke Saint-Clair nodded and gave the companion a small smile before pulling the curtains back once more to check if anyone was nearby. 

The rest of the trip passed in silence. Aurélie did not realised that she had been clutching Étienne’s hand tightly until the carriage came to a stop and Étienne slipped out of her grasp to open the door. There were marks on his hand from where her nails had been digging in, yet he had not spoken up or complained during their journey. 

The group had found refuge in the town of Marghita. Vineyards, wheat fields and meadows surrounded the town. Sunrise was less than an hour away, and the Duke and his men had been walking around the town attempting to find a place for the group to rest for the day. In the end they were able to find refuge in a small inn that catered for the more upperclass members of society. The innkeeper, a stout man with a large dark moustache welcomed them inside and escorted everyone to their rooms, after having been presented with a large purse of money that stopped him from asking too many questions. The entire party took over the inn with Duke Saint-Clair sharing a room with one of the men that had accompanied them, while the rest of the travelling party were requested to bunk together in groups of two to three. Aurélie and Étienne were ordered to share a room. 

The companion and Étienne took turns getting ready for their rest in the bathroom. They were still wearing their formal attire, Étienne’s shirt now stiff with dried blood. Aurélie fumbled with her hair, attempting to find and fish out every single pin that was stuck tightly in place while Étienne got ready for bed. She was too exhausted to care that they were ordered to share a room. It was a smaller room, a queen-sized bed taken over majority of the space. Both her and Étienne’s bags were carelessly tossed into one of the corners. 

“I never realised just how much it takes to hold your hair in place like that,” Étienne said as he stepped out of the bathroom, observing the sea of pins on the bed. Aurélie’s hair was finally free, cascading down her back in light waves. 

“It takes about the same amount of time to put it up than it takes to take it down again,” Aurélie sighed, slipping off the bed and rummaging through her bag for some nightclothes. Her fingertips brushed against the cold metal of the dagger, quickly pulling back to avoid being cut. She slipped it down further in the bag, hoping that Étienne would not notice. Aurélie did not know how he would react knowing that she was in possession of such a dangerous weapon. 

Excusing herself, the companion walked over to the bathroom and got ready for bed. The bathroom had a small mirror that was standing in one of the corners. As Aurélie slipped the gown off herself and removed her makeup, she noticed for the first time how exhausted and weak she looked. Her collarbones were jutting out, her ribs starting to become visible. She gasped as she stepped closer and noticed the dark circles under her eyes and how pale and gaunt her face had become. The time spent at Delacroix’s castle did not leave her in a good condition, one that she had ignored for a while. 

Sighing at her appearance and wondering what Étienne saw in her a couple hours prior when he kissed her, Aurélie slipped into a simple night dress and put on a nightgown over the top of it, tying it tightly around her waist. She neatly folded the gown to the best of her ability, before returning back into the bedroom. 

Étienne was already lying on the covers, his arms spread out wide beside him while staring at the ceiling. His eyes met with Aurélie’s and he sat up. 

“Are you alright?”

Aurélie shrugged, climbing into the bed and slipping under the covers. “I am exhausted. So much has happened in the past few hours; my mind can barely keep up with all the events.”

Étienne nodded, also positioning himself under the covers and turning to Aurélie, watching her while laying on his side. 

“Want to talk about it?”

Aurélie let out a deep sight. “I should have noticed it earlier that something was wrong. There were too many guards. He just killed anyone that opposed him,” Aurélie whispered, pulling up her knees to her chest. “Men and women from both families just slaughtered. What is going to happen now? What will happen to Clara? We just left her there with a maniac and his daughter,” she said, her voice beginning to shake. 

Étienne shifted closer to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “It will be alright, Aurélie. We will figure something out.”

From this close, he had never realised how tired his companion looked. His eyes travelled from the dark circles under her eyes to the cheekbones that were visible and then over to her pale lips. His heart began to hammer in his chest as he recalled his lips on hers a few hours prior. 

Yet, as he continued to look over Aurélie in her bare and natural state, she looked sick. Sicker than after he had taken her to the spring festival. She was unnaturally pale, her arms that were resting above the covers thin and bony. Étienne leaned over, his face a few inches away from her. 

Aurélie was focusing on the ceiling, the events of the evening replaying in her head. Only when Étienne’s face came into her vision did she dart her eyes over. 

“Is everything alright?” she asked, one eyebrow raised questioningly. 

“Have you been eating and spending some time in the sun?” Étienne asked, ignoring her question. He already knew the answer based on the expression Aurélie gave him and the amount of time she spent in thought before shaking her head.

“Not really. There was not a whole lot that catered to my needs back at the castle,” Aurélie said, shifting to the side so that she was fully facing Étienne. “I have not been feeling very hungry anyway since our arrival. Perhaps when we arrive back at the chateau I will feel like myself again.”

“Delacroix’s castle was rather unpleasant,” Étienne huffed, giving his companion a small smile. “I apologise for everything that went wrong. I should have spent more time with you and made sure about your wellbeing.” 

Aurélie shook her head. “You were there for me when you could. All that time you spent looking after me after your ambush was too much kindness to show a companion.”

“But you are not just some companion, Aurélie,” Étienne whispered, his hand reaching towards hers and gently holding it. “You are much more than that.” 

Aurélie’s gaze moved from their intertwined hands to Étienne’s eyes. They were a lot darker than usual. She thought back to the blood on his shirt from the cut he had gotten on his shoulder, before sitting up.

“Have you fed yet?” she asked, her eyes wide in realisation. Here he was, fussing over her while his hunger was clearly visible. 

Étienne sighed and shifted back onto his back, staring at the ceiling. “No. Last time I fed was before meeting you to take you down to the ball.”

He winced as Aurélie thrust out her arm in front of his face. 

“Drink,” she ordered, her face stern. 

It was Étienne’s turn to sit up. “No way. You have not yet recovered from last time. I will find something tonight.”

“Your eyes are almost black, Étienne. I know when a vampire is hungry.” 

“I never doubted your knowledge,” Étienne said, his face serious. He could almost feel Aurélie’s pulse drawing him closer. “Still, you are not well enough yet.” 

“I do not care. I would rather you have a little bit now and then fully feed later, than have to wake up and fight you off of me in a few hours’ time.” 

Étienne slumped back. She made a compelling argument. With her so close to him, there would be nothing stopping him from pouncing on her should his hunger get worse. Even then, could he control himself now? Already he was drawn closer to her, elated to taste her blood again. 

“What if I do not stop again?” he asked, looking at Aurélie with a worried expression.

“You will.”

“How can you be so certain?”

“Because you are already worried. Besides, if you drink from my wrist I will be able to pull away a lot easier.”

Étienne let out a sigh. “You will not let this go until I do as you ask?”

Aurélie nodded. 

Staring into her eyes and waiting for one final sign of consent, Étienne took Aurélie’s outstretched hand after she nodded once more. He could see her delicate veins pulsing underneath the pale skin, inviting him closer. He guided his companion’s wrist closer to his lips, mumbling a quick apology. 

Aurélio shivered as she felt Étienne’s tongue gently running down her wrist. She gave a small gasp as he pierced the skin with his fangs, his fingers gently holding her hand in place. He was a lot gentler this time. She could feel him sucking slightly at her wrist for several seconds, each time his lips brushed her skin sending ripples of pleasure to her core. So lost in thought and the feeling of him, she almost protested as she felt him unlatch. 

Running his tongue over the two little holes he had left behind, Étienne grasped Aurélie’s fingers in his hand and gently kissed the top of her hand. 

“That is the last time I will do that. It takes a lot of control to stop,” Étienne whispered, letting go fo Aurélie’s hand and watching as she slipped it under the covers, laying down again. 

“As long as you are alright. Your eyes look much safer now than they did before,” Aurélie stated, observing as the blue in his eyes returned back and trying to ignore the disappointment that she felt as he moved away from her. 

Étienne merely hummed, getting comfortable on the bed. He had not realised how exhausted he was until he finally found a comfortable spot on the bed. 

Aurélie watched as he settled into his side of the bed. The curtains of their room blocked the rising sun decently, yet still basked the room in a warm pink and orange glow that reflected off of Étienne’s face. She knew that she should let him sleep, knowing that the higher the sun rose the more exhausted he would become. Yet there was still something nagging her. 

“Listen, about earlier in the hallway before the attack,” Aurélie began, her eyes shifting away from him. 

“You mean when you saw Celine and I?”

Aurélie nodded, her cheeks turning slightly red. “I misread the situation completely and forgot about phase five of our plan.”

Étienne, who had his eyes closed, opened them again and turned to his companion. “It is alright. I was not expecting her to throw herself onto me. I apologise that you had to witness that. I hope you know that it was not my intention to have her do that.”

“I do and I should have stepped in rather than run away,” Aurélie mumbled, embarrassment flooding through her. She still felt like an absolute idiot. 

“She will not bother us any longer. You do not have to worry about that,” Étienne said, shifting closer and half sitting up, leaning on one arm. He placed one hand on Aurélie’s cheek, smiling down at her. 

“You also need to fire me,” Aurélie stated out of the blue, causing Étienne to fully sit up and look at her with furrowed brows. 

“What do you mean?”

“I am not allowed to kiss you.”

Étienne rolled his eyes and scoffed, leaning back down again. He brushed his nose against his companion’s, chuckling. “I was the one who kissed you.”

Aurélie swallowed the lump in her throat, her eyes brimming with tears. The exhaustion and the previous events finally caught up to her. 

“I know but it is not allowed. I am just a companion. Nothing more.”

“Stop.” Étienne’s firm words caused Aurélie to hiccup softly and look up at him. “I do not care what the rules are. And right now, neither should you. We have been through too much shit to worry about that.”

Aurélie remained silent, her heart heavy. She wanted more than just companionship. For the first time, she cursed that she ended up on the doorstep of Dubois, unable to have a choice in her upbringing. 

How desperately she wanted to feel Étienne’s lips against hers once more. 

Étienne had lain back down again, gently tracing circles against his companion’s back. When Aurélie turned back to look at him, she noticed that he had his eyes closed once more, his breathing slowing down. 

The room filled with silence. Aurélie wiped her tears and decided that it was best if she let Étienne rest, her body beginning to feel heavy. As she settled down and positioned herself so that she was facing Étienne, she felt him shift slightly closer to her. His eyes were still closed yet he grasped her hand, holding it tightly. His forehead found hers, gently resting against it. 

“Fuck the rules. You are the only one that matters to me, mon ange” he whispered softly, before falling into a deep sleep.

Aurélie’s heart raced in her chest as she felt him so close to her. Too exhausted to fully comprehend what he meant or what was happening, she closed her eyes as well and stayed close to him, following him into a deep slumber.