Free Unrequited by Emily Shaffer Page A

struggled to sit up and couldn’t, making him wonder if his injuries were more extensive than he thought. There was nothing he could do. He grew weaker and more tired, and he knew he was about to die. It was the loneliest feeling he had ever known. There was no one to comfort him or hold his hand. It could be days before anyone even discovered his body. Will closed his eyes and prayed that, if it must end this way, it end quickly.
    As his mind began to go foggy, he thought he heard the crackle of grass as someone approached. His ability to focus was gone and replaced by the red haze of pain. Someone rolled him onto his side, and the offending object was pulled from his back. He was placed flat again, and his shirt collar was loosened.
    “So beautiful,” he thought he heard someone whisper. He could smell flowers and spice and the stroke of a hand against his cheek.
    Will tried to open his eyes, but he grew weaker with every passing moment. Finally he succumbed to the darkness and drifted away.
    The next thing he remembered was waking up in a bed. It was dark, except for the light from a few candles. The pain from the fall was gone, and his ability to breathe had returned. He looked around. The room was weathered and bare except for the large bed. His clothing was draped across the end of the bed. Standing, he quickly dressed and found his shoes.
    He walked to the window and looked out to see he was still at the old farm, but had been brought into the house.
    “Someone lives here?” he whispered to himself. It was impossible to think that anyone could live in this shell of a building.
    Will wasn't sure if he should be worried. This situation was far from typical. On the one hand, whoever brought him here had helped him. On the other, he was in a bedroom of a house he knew had been empty for years. Carefully, he made his way out of the room and found the stairs leading to the first floor.
    The house around him was silent except for the slight wind coming through the old walls. All was dark, and he decided against calling out to whoever had been there. He finally reached the front door and gently opened it. As he made his way into the yard, he saw his horse tethered to a piece of fence. He ran to the horse, mounted, and rode away as fast as he could.
    Relieved to be alive and at a distance from the old farm, he slowed down to assess his condition. The pain in his back had dulled, and he could effortlessly fill his lungs with air. He felt his head and his arms, and all seemed to be well…until he felt his neck.
    Will had never seen his attacker, but he was convinced it had been a woman. The smell of her and the sound of her voice were things he would never forget. She never sought him out again in the time he remained in town, and the old farmhouse burned to the ground within days of Will being there. He always assumed that, whoever she was, she had perished in the fire, but perhaps that assumption had been wrong.
    He wondered if Ashton's attacker was the same as his, or if there were truly more vampires out there. There was a part of Will that sensed he would find the answer sooner than he might wish.

Chapter Eleven
     
    “Come on, ladies, pick up the speed,” Will was yelling from the sidelines as the basketball team ran drills up and down the court. The season was well underway, and he had settled into the routines of daily practice and weekly games. The girls were feeling a January post-holiday slump, but Will was determined to whip them into shape before the next game.
    Ashton ran by with the others, her focus completely on the task at hand. Will had become used to her single-minded determination, and he really admired it. Once she had gotten past the first couple weeks at Belle Ridge High, she had thrown herself into student life and excelled at everything she attempted. Ashton was a force to be reckoned with. Her work ethic was impressive and showed Will that she had a great strength of character, which he found