Hunting Love

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"Are you hiding something from me?"

I turn towards Layton, who's leaning against a tree while watching me with a suspicious look. I shrug while continuing to unwrap the wire from the deer's leg. I'm too tired and emotionally unstable from last night to hunt so I just decided to set up a trap and wait there.

Even though it took thirty minutes of napping on a high tree branch, something eventually got caught. While it wasn't the biggest or healthiest deer, it still has blood so it's still food. "What makes you say that?" I ask, not looking him in the eye.

I continue replaying the moment where I was alone with Drew in the forest. It was short, but it was the best time I've ever had in this place. He seems like a really serious person but that could be because he has a lot of responsibility resting on his shoulders from being a prince. And I bet that his situation with Karla isn't helping with that.

He's not who I thought he was when I first saw him. He's not a cold, extremely serious person. I'm not sure, but it really felt like he was opening up a little bit. Not in the sense that he's telling me his personal life, but in the sense that he doesn't feel like he has to live up to certain expectations around me.

"Are you even listening to me?"

I snap out of my thoughts and give a sheepish smile towards Layton, who's starting to look more annoyed with each passing second. "I'm sorry, I just have a lot on my mind. What with having to hunt twice as much," I apologize.

His expression softens and he loses the hardening look in his eyes. "I heard about what happened. Honestly, I don't believe a word about it. I know you're a good hunter and that it's unreasonable to even think that you came back emptyhanded. How my parents treated you is unfair and for that I'd like to offer my apologies for the way that they treated you."

"Layton, I get it. Your parents are royalty. How they treated me back there is pretty calm compared to-" I stop myself, realizing where I was heading with my sentence. I was about to mention my family, but I don't exactly want Layton to know about that.

He gives me an expectant look. "Compared to...?"

"Compared to how they could have treated me," I finish, grimacing slightly when I realize how lame of an excuse that sounded. "And anyways-"

"We have another problem," the same guard says, coming over with a panicked look. He glances down at me kneeling on the ground while still unwrapping the wire from the deer before refocusing his attention on Layton.

"So?" Layton replies, shrugging his shoulders. "Take those matters to my parents or Drew. It's not like I'm a big part of anything that goes on around here." Is that resentment that I detect in his tone?

"You know that's not true." I stiffen at the sound of his voice. Oh God...why now? Why is he here now? "What's the problem?"

The problem is that all of you are in the forest when you're supposed to be inside the damn castle! I knew I shouldn't have chosen to hunt during moonlight hours.

I keep my eyes on the wire while chanting to myself to not look at his eyes. In fact, I'm not going to look at him at all. I do keep glancing at his feet every few seconds to make sure that he's a safe distance away from me but that doesn't count.

"One of the prisoners escaped," the guard says. Well that sucks. Not only do I have to worry about other vampires here attacking me, but now there's prisoners roaming around? "But before any of you panic, we found him dead," he continues. I calm down a little at his words. At least I don't have to worry about the prisoner attacking me or anything.