Lia ran to us the moment Lucas opened the door of the house. I could see Stoker trailing behind her cautiously, Aurora cooing and kicking happily on his arm, and even Nicole, walking like a silent shadow behind him.

"Goodness gracious me! What happened to you?!" Lia called, staring at my moss green t-shirt now stained with blood in several places and the long black skirt, torn along one of its seams all the way to my thigh, covered with dust.

"I'm good. How is she? Did you feed..." I demanded, looking at my baby.

"Her wrist is injured, you should have a look at it." Lucas interrupted me, taking me by my left arm to show it to her, and making me hiss with pain.

"Up you go." Lia ordered after she examined it carefully. "It's not broken but it needs to be cleaned, along with your other scratches, and you'll need some ice on it. And you must take a shower. You two stay here, I must talk to both of you!" She continued, turning to the two men.

In the bathroom, Lia cleaned the wound on my neck. It was the only one that had bled, apart from my lip, luckily not much. It was a superficial scratch, not a proper vampire bite, so I could at least assure her that I was not going to have a fever for days, like I had after my previous close encounter with a vampire.

Then I took a shower as well as I could, trying not to count all the scratches and bruises covering my body. Once I was dry and dressed in my pyjamas, I threw the torn clothes in the bin and Lia helped me dry my hair.

I let her take me to bed and put an ice pack over my wrist, now turning blue and swelling up fast, and I was just about to ask her to bring Aurora to me when Lucas appeared in the doorway, carrying her.

"Thanks, Lucas, for everything. Thanks, Lia." I mumbled, feeling incredibly exhausted as I snuggled down next to my baby girl who was already half asleep.

I woke up in a couple of hours, the moment Aurora started stirring. I pulled myself up cautiously, feeling pain in every single inch of my body, and managed to reach the dark corridor guided by the light creeping in through the gap in the curtains. But before I could switch on the light to walk down the staircase, I was met by the sound of voices coming from downstairs.

I couldn't hear well enough to understand what their conversation was about, but recognized them as Lucas and Nicole, talking by the front door. Not wanting to disturb them, I waited until I heard the soft rattle of glass when the door closed, followed by the sound of the key turning in the lock. Then I moved towards the light switch and jumped when Lucas' figure appeared only a few steps away from me.

"I just wanted..." we both said at the same time.

I smiled at him as he said, "Go back to bed. I'll get it for her."

"Who left?" I asked, when he entered my room a little later. Lucas passed me Aurora's bottle, then pressed a new ice pack to my wrist, making me shiver with cold and pain, before he sat on the bed next to me.

"Uncle. He took Nicole home, but he'll be back."

"What time is it?" I asked, smiling at him. To me it was the middle of the night, but they all behaved as if it was the middle of the day. As if it was the most normal thing for Nicole to leave now.

"Half past two. You should sleep. You need to rest after..." he said, and I was sure I saw anger flashing in his eyes before he looked away. "Why don't you let me take her to her cot, there I could feed her the next time she's hungry, without waking you up." He added, his features composed again as his eyes met mine one more time.

"No Lucas, please, I... don't want to be alone." I admitted, passing him the empty bottle before I put Aurora back on the mattress and laid down next to her, pulling the blanket up to my chin, trying to fight off the sleep long enough to at least hear his reply.

But he did not say anything, and the moment I felt the mattress move as he stood up and switched off my light, I was asleep.

Someone must have fed her the next time she woke up anyway, I realised when I opened my eyes again, wincing against the bright light streaming in from outside. I had slept the whole night, the first time since Aurora was born.

I didn't know if it was Lia or Lucas who had fed her for me, I hadn't heard anyone, but she was still fast asleep now. So I closed my eyes again, and nestled deeper in our nest of pillows and blankets.

My bed suddenly seemed like the best, the safest place to be... I shivered as the first flashes of what happened the previous evening sprang in my mind. If only I could stay in the comfort and safety of my bed for the whole day... or better, the rest of my life. Even though I knew that I had to go to work, that maybe I was already late, I could neither move, nor think clearly. I laid next to Aurora, eyes closed, trying not to think about anything, until she started to stir. Then I finally pulled myself up, groaning with pain. My whole body hurt.

I put a dressing gown on and carried her downstairs, finding Lia and Stoker in the kitchen, seated around the table laid with breakfast, deep in conversation.

"I'm sorry, Samara." Stoker said as soon as he saw me, while Lia stood up and took Aurora from me. "I didn't think... that you would react like that. I guess I just wasn't thinking at all."

I didn't know how he had expected me to react to what he had told me, but it didn't matter. The only thing that mattered now was that I did not want him to remind me about it again. I needed to go on with my life as before, and try to find my way back to Vlad. Stoker's latest theory was threatening to shatter my last strength and hope.

"I'm fine. Nothing changed. I don't want to talk about it anymore. Please."

I turned back to Lia, smiling at seeing her struggle to prepare Aurora's milk, while carrying her on her arm. It had taken me a while to learn, too.

"What is he up to out there?" I asked, taking the baby from her and nodding towards Lucas, whom I could see sitting on the patio outside.

"Practising Fox Talk." Lia giggled, getting the milk ready in no time with two free hands. "He's been there for a while, trying to offer your Whisper the finest ham I bought for my sandwiches, as a thank you for having led him to you last night. But the fox won't come to him."

I laughed. Lucas was funny sometimes. "Let us get this," I told Aurora as I took the ready bottle from Lia, then walked across the kitchen towards the sliding door. Stoker opened it for me, and I sat down on the stone floor next to Lucas.

Then, finally, I brought the bottle Aurora had been trying to reach since she had seen it, to her always hungry lips.

"Making new friends?" I looked up at Lucas once the little one was drinking loudly and contentedly, nestled in the crook of my arm.

"Yes, but she seems to be as stubborn as you, she won't come any closer."

I giggled, "How do you even know it's a she?"

"Well, she is small, ginger and stubborn... for me, definitely a she." He laughed.

"Fine. Stop that. Let's see if I can persuade her..." I said, fighting away more giggles and concentrating, banishing all my other thoughts and picturing in my mind what I wanted the small fox to do.

And it, she, listened to me, I noticed, watching the animal leave its favourite spot by the back wall, tread silently across the uncut lawn and sit in front of Lucas, within his reach.

"That's... impressive. You have become good at this. And in self-defence, too. You stood your ground well last night," Lucas murmured, keeping his voice low so as not to alarm the fox, now eating from his hand.

"Not really." I said, recalling that awful moment from the previous night when I just wanted to give up... "I don't want to talk about it. Please."

I noticed him glancing at me but avoided looking directly in his eyes. He could read me too well and I didn't want him, or anyone else, to know how I was really feeling about what Stoker told me last night, and my meeting with Viorel.

I shuddered involuntarily, recalling his touch. I could still feel the vampire's body pressed against mine as his teeth grazed over the soft skin of my neck... And then I remembered another touch, making me feel the exact opposite, when Lucas pulled me in his lap to examine my wounds, before he carried me home...

My breath hitched as my mind made me relive all those confused, contrasting emotions. How safe and relieved and... whole Lucas' proximity made me feel after those minutes of terror I went through in the presence of the three vampires, when I felt utterly broken and defeated. 

I had quite forgotten about it in the chaos and exhaustion of last night's events but now, when I remembered it, it felt as if we had crossed one of the lines defining our previous friendship, becoming even closer than before, if that was possible.

I glanced at him and smiled as I watched him caress the fox before she approached me, brushing her head against my arm holding Aurora before it ran back towards the wall, then vanished through the hole.

"What time is it? Shouldn't we be practising with the swords by now? Or was it knife practice today?" I asked, looking at the sun. It must be around eleven at least, and soon I would have to go to work.

"Not today, and definitely not until that wrist is its normal size and colour again. And this, too." He added, running his fingertips lightly over my left cheekbone, making me wince and remember that I had not looked in the mirror yet today. Surely, I was sporting an excellent bruise on my cheek, where Viorel had hit me.

We sat in silence for a few heartbeats, looking at each other, as if we were under the spell of this strange, unusual moment. Slowly, we let ourselves slip to the new depth into which our friendship shifted since last night. But maybe it has been like this for a while, and you just failed to notice it until now...

Lucas looked at Aurora when she stretched her tiny hands towards him the moment she finished her milk. "Go eat something and get ready. Lia is staying with Aurora today, so I can take you to work." He said, taking the baby from me.

"Thanks, Lucas," I said, for once not protesting against the escort, feeling like it would take me a good while before I would want to walk outside alone again.