Page 72 of The Forsaken Vampire

“When I said it wasn’t personal, I meant it—”

“Yes, it definitely wasn’t personal… That’s for sure.” Her eyes looked at the fire again. “I should have known.”

“There’s no way you could have known.”

“Why would a man like you be interested in a woman like me…”

Harlow spoke her mind unapologetically, so I always knew how she felt, but I couldn’t decipher the meaning of her words. “What does that mean?”

“Seriously?” She looked at me again. “You’re really going to make me say it?”

“I genuinely don’t understand.”

She rolled her eyes. “Look at you.” She gestured with her hand, moving from my head to my toes. “You’re too good to be true, and I should have assumed you only wanted something from me. That’s a mistake I’ll never repeat.”

I still didn’t understand, because she was a beautiful woman who could have any man she wanted. “I still would have wanted you if the circumstances were different.”

Her eyes were focused on the fire, as if she’d tuned me out.

“You need to sleep. Your body can’t fight your cold if you’re exhausted.”

“I don’t need you to worry about me, alright?”

“Well, if you die, then I don’t get my ship.”

“How many times do I have to say it?” Her eyes went back to mine. “It’s too fucking cold.”

“Then I’ll lie with you. It’ll keep you warm enough to sleep—”

“I’d rather die out here in the cold than let you touch me.” She had been calm a second ago, but now her words were sharp like the tip of a sword.

I moved around the fire anyway.

“I’m serious.” She got to her feet, moving away from me like my touch truly revolted her.

“I can keep you warm—”

“What part ofI would rather diedo you not understand?” Her hatred was palpable, like a steady drumbeat inside her heart. Her palm was up, like she would push me if I came too close.

“This is about survival, Harlow. There are no emotions in survival.”

“I disagree. Survival is all about emotions—and my gut is telling me that you aren’t human, that you’re a monster I’ve never encountered before, and I would be stupid if I let you get close to me again.”

* * *

We made it another night without an attack from a hungry yeti, and now it was time to find a way down. I stood at the edge and looked down, seeing that it was too steep in most places. The snow was an extra hazard, making it slippery on already questionable terrain. We would have to find small sections we could cross and then find the next section…even if it were miles away.

Harlow hadn’t said a word to me since last night. She’d already hated me before that conversation, and despite the fact that I was trying to keep her alive, she hated me even more because of it.

“You see that section?” I pointed in the distance, where the slope down was minimal. “We’ll cross there, then find the next spot that’s safe. We’ll keep doing that until we get to the bottom.”

“That’ll take forever.”

“But we’ll live.”

We began the journey, finding different spots that were crossable, slowly moving down the mountain. When the afternoon arrived, the wind picked up, and then the clouds thickened and dumped snow. A blizzard was on the way, and being on the edge of a mountain was the most precarious place we could be.

We kept moving, but the wind blew even harder, making visibility poor and the path slippery.