Shauna watched you silently, her dark eyes following every movement as you gently wiped the blood from her mouth. The quiet tension between you two was familiar—comfortable, even. There was something in the way she leaned slightly forward, an unspoken understanding that this was how things were now. She didn’t need to say much. She never did. She didn’t even need to look at you to know you were there, taking care of her.

She didn’t flinch when the cold cloth pressed against her skin, removing the remnants of her meal, but there was a slight tightening of her jaw—a reflex, or perhaps a habit, something old that she couldn’t quite shake. She was a vampire, yes, but she was still the same person, still the girl who used to laugh, who used to care more than she showed.

The silence stretched between you two, thick and unyielding, but not in a way that felt uncomfortable. It was more like a quiet connection, like you both understood each other’s need for space in moments like this.

Her gaze flickered down to your hands, and then back to your face, but she didn’t speak. She didn’t need to. She was here, present with you, in the same way she always was—physically close, emotionally distant, but still somehow there. It wasn’t easy to get this close to her. Not in the way that mattered. But somehow, you were, and it was enough for now.

Shauna tilted her head just slightly, eyes narrowing as she observed you, her expression unreadable but soft. It was the closest thing to a thank you she could give, something in her eyes that almost resembled a hint of something—trust, perhaps, or affection.

After a moment, she spoke, her voice low and steady, but carrying an edge of something darker, something only you knew about her.

“Just… don’t leave me, okay?” The words were simple, but there was weight behind them. She didn’t ask for much, never did. But this? This, she needed. The quiet demand wasn’t about her being a vampire or the blood—it was about you. It was always about you.