I took one step back, and then another. My hands were trembling at my sides. Nell was right. Master was right. He was a demon. He looked at me for another moment, then turned his head. He raised his arm and wiped at his face with his sleeve. When he turned back to me, his eyes were again as blue as the sea. There were only small traces of blood about his face. "You okay?" he asked. His tone was short and business like. His eyes were hard and cold.
I was too afraid I would only stammer if I attempted to speak, so I just nodded. He looked down at my still shaking hands and then back to my face. "You don't need to be afraid. I won't hurt you." His voice had softened, but his eyes were still guarded. He stayed where he was and made no movement toward me.
I looked back at the old man, who now lay unmoving on the floor with blood pooling beneath his head and neck. Only moments before, he had been on the verge of permanently damaging me both physically and emotionally. Realization dawned on me- Damon had saved me from that awful fate. I looked back at him. He was still standing in the same spot and looking at me with obvious concern. He must have thought I was going to lose it.
"You saved me," I said, my voice full of disbelief.
He smiled just a little. "Well, you saved me first, so I thought it was only fair…" His reply was teasing and I could tell he was trying to put me at ease.
My mind was still trying to wrap itself around this new truth. "But, you… you're not…you're a vampire," I finally sputtered.
He took a step toward me, then, stopped. He lowered his voice and his eyes were hard again. "Don't get me wrong, Chloe. I am a monster. I enjoy it. But," and his façade once again was gentle, "I owe you my life. And I don't take that lightly."
I didn't know what to say to that. He had in the same breath confirmed my worst fears about his nature and somehow assuaged the lurking fear that I was in danger. I decided I believed him. If he wanted to hurt me, he'd had plenty of chances, but I was still here and unharmed. I did have questions, though.
"How did you know where I was? You left me in the woods. How did you know I was even on this train or that I was in danger?" My tone was almost accusatory.
He smiled his beautiful half smile. "I don't suppose you'd believe it was coincidence?"
I shook my head. He pursed his lips as he thought about his answer. I could see he was considering whether to tell me the truth. He moved toward me again. He was now standing within an arm's reach. I realized he was wearing a shirt and shoes and wondered where they came from, then decided I probably didn't want to know that answer.
He finally spoke, "I did leave you in the woods, but I didn't go far. I wanted to keep an eye on you. To make sure you were OK. Like I said, I owe you." He hesitated, so I nodded my head, encouraging him to go on. "So, I followed you to the train station and hopped on a few cars back from where I saw you stow away. When I heard you struggling with the vagrant, I intervened." Anger crackled through his voice on the last sentence.
"Thank you. I don't even want to think about what would have happened had you not been here." I shuddered involuntarily.
Damon reached out and rubbed my arm. "You're safe now," he said. I looked down at his touch and he quickly pulled his hand away. I wished he hadn't.
Another thought occured to me. "But if you wanted to 'keep an eye on me', then why did you leave me last night? Why not stay?" It made no sense.
I could see him close down. He wasn't going to answer that question. He changed the subject. "You must be tired. Why don't you get some rest?" he asked.
I was tired, but I was more afraid he'd leave again once I was asleep. I shook my head, but a semi-stifled yawn gave me away. He smiled. "Really, you need to sleep. He's not going to hurt you again." He looked over at the old man with a sinister scowl.
"I'm not really worried about that. I'm afraid that-" I didn't know how to finish. I felt silly admitting I was scared he'd sneak away again. But he misunderstood my hesitation.
Damon stepped back from me. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable, so I'll leave." He turned and started toward the open boxcar door.
"No, wait!" I nearly shouted. He stopped and turned back to face me. I forced my voice to a more rational tone. "That's not what I meant. I don't want you to leave." I could feel my face flush and I looked down at the floor. "I was only afraid you would sneak off again, like you did in the woods." I could see out of the corner of my eye that he still had not moved. I dared to risk a glance at his face. His lips twitched as if he was fighting back a smile.
"Well, ok, then. I'll stay. Just until you're settled. Where are we headed?"
I frowned at that because I didn't have an answer nor did I like his qualifying statement. I wasn't even sure where this train was heading. I couldn't go to my family, Master would surely look for me there. "I'm not sure," I mumbled and went to reclaim my seat on the wooden box. "I don't have anywhere to go." I drew my legs up and rested my head on my knees. I was exhausted.
"You just sleep now. We'll figure out a plan in the morning," Damon replied.
I took comfort in the fact he would be there to help me the next day. So, I curled up on my side and succumbed to sleep.