Azrael stood up from his chair and gently pushed Evangeline back down onto the bed.

[i]“You should not move around too much. You have lost a lot of blood; if you become too active you might get dizzy and pass out. Just rest quietly for a bit longer.”[/i]

Recomposed himself, straightened out his clothes, and then sat back in his simple wooden chair that was next to the bed and crossed his arms. He exhaled deeply.

[i]“I must apologise. Elizabeth… Well… She was the one who attacked you. I was blind to her feelings for me. We have a… complicated… history. We have not seen each other for a long time and it was my belief that she had moved on. But alas, that was far from true. Apparently when I kissed you, she was observing through the window, and she did not like that. She does not seem to have some dislike for humans, which I suppose is not uncommon amongst Vampires, but still… Anyway, she seems to believe that I do not care for her anymore, but I do...”[/i]

He flicked his gaze to the princess.

[i]“… And now you too. I must admit, I tend to keep my distance from Vampires and Humans alike, but after meeting you that first night in the city, you have become very interesting to me. If you wish to stay with me, I promise I will not let something like this happen again.”[/i]

The side of his mouth curled as he formed a tight smile. He picked up a small cup form the bedside table. He handed it to the abnormally pale princess.

[i]“Here. Drink. Father Matthews, who is also the towns’ doctor I might add, said that you need to keep hydrated, and eat as soon as you feel able. He said you were lucky to survive, and the most important thing now is to keep up your strength. Make sure you thank him before we leave.”[/i]

He leaned back into his chair.

[i]“Until you feel better, just let me look after you.”[/i]