"They've hurt you again, haven't they?"

Ambrose couldn't find it in himself to respond.

His scarlet eyes were glued to a heap of watery dirt, strands of lifeless grass blowing in the wind. Tiny green blades caressed the bare skin of his ankles and feet. The sound of swaying leaves continued all around him alongside a melancholic ballad sung by other unseen creatures of the night.

Even though the area smelled heavily of pine, the pungent stench of iron overrode any defining fragrances pertaining to thriving forest life.

One hand was pulled into a tight fist. The other was braced against his shoulder in an attempt to dampen the pain from a burning gash.

Silas stepped forward, moving his warm hands to cup freezing, pale cheeks. Although calculative to survey the damage, his yellow eyes held a gentle fondness in them as well. "May I offer reprieve?"

"Please."

"Then brace yourself, my love."

Ambrose allowed for his eyes to flutter shut. His hand slackened, falling, only to take refuge against a beating heart mere centimeters from his chest. He shuddered when strong fingers ghosted across his skin to reveal stained, torn flesh.

The familiar sensation of a long tongue gliding across the surface of his body made him whimper. Both his own and the hands cradling him tightened by a substantial margin.

Delicate yet firm licks were plentiful. Deep growls and clenched fingers were territorial—but they were also comforting. Quiet slurping shed light on Silas' clear joy in terms of tasting his partner while simultaneously healing him.

Each sluggish lap of the tongue further awakened a sense of complete, honest enamor toward one another.

"Seems we've swapped jobs for the evening. You definitely have more adept qualifications to be a capable vampire, my darling."

Ambrose's joke was met with a faint nip against his neck. A chaste kiss followed the mild reprimanding gesture.

"You don't deserve to be put through this hardship." Silas moved back, giving the two a chance to see each other clearly. "You're their ruler. Your coven and people should treat you with more respect."

Ambrose offered a false grin that didn't meet his eyes. He leaned forward, snuggling against his lover's chest. "It's hard when I'm the only one who doesn't want to mindlessly kill everything. I don't like where the other vampires are getting all of this hostility and resentment toward other living creatures. We all have our faults, yes, but that's nothing to murder each other over."

"I agree completely."

"...Unfortunately, no one else does. And this strain- this- this apparent disconnect is causing my people to go into a frenzy. They've been killing and pillaging innocent bystanders simply because they disagree with my methods of ruling. The other vampires desire to stay at the top of some fabricated hierarchy that doesn't even need to exist."

"And they hurt you because you tried to put a stop to their antics?"

"I was protecting someone." It wasn't missed how Ambrose's voice trembled at the memory. "A young girl walking alone, having been separated from her family. One of my kind tried to kill her, and I took the assault so she could live. After I made sure she got away safely, I fled. I didn't think I'd bump into you."

Silas placed a kiss into a mass of soft black hair. "I'm glad you did though. I'm just sorry that it's under such terrifying circumstances."

"...I'm sorry that the world is so fractured. I'm sorry that my kind wants to lead humanity to a bloody, violent demise. I'm sorry that we're destined to fail. To lose. To crumble."

"I'm sorry that you think any of those things would stop me from loving you."

Rough skin glided across the underside of Ambrose's chin. He was guided to look upward, staring into two inviting pools of vibrant yellow. Elongated pupils widened when his own eyes softened, pure adoration seen clearly in his gaze.

"The vampires, you want them to be dealt with, yes?" Silas asked with a low voice.

"You know that I do. But you also know that this plan of yours, the one we've been speaking about, it's... too much. I know you want to help secure the safety of more than just myself, but asking me to do that is just-"

"A lot. I know, my dearest. I know." The two joined hands, leaning their foreheads against each other. "But if not this way, then what are we supposed to do? Sometimes it takes extreme measures to put an end to senseless bloodshed."

Ambrose clenched his jaw as tears filled his eyes. "Silas, you're asking me to kill you in order to wage a war between the wolves and the vampires. And while I know your kind are strong enough to go against mine, we don't know how this will play out. We don't know if the wolves will even win in the end."

"No, we don't. But I'd rather sacrifice what I can if it means a chance at creating a better tomorrow, regardless of whether I'll be able to see it."

"My love..."

Silas offered a sad, trembling smile. He pulled Ambrose in for a tight hug—one full of passion, devotion, and desperation. Burning sobs from both men were silenced when they met for a long, gentle kiss.

"Do not fret over me, Ambrose. I know this will be a painful endeavor for both of us. But I promise you, when all is said and done, I will find you. Even if all we become are two wandering, bodiless souls; I will find you again."

"...I don't want this to be goodbye."

"And it won't be, my love. It won't be."

*

Ambrose didn't flinch when the smooth blade of a sharp sword was pressed against his jugular. 

A snarl tore through the air. "You killed him. Our leader—a benevolent man—reduced to nothing but charred bones by your hands."

"I will not flee. I am prepared to pay for my crimes."

"And you will. You damned vampires will. But first, tell us, why did you do this? Why did you murder Silas in cold blood?"

A pained tear rolled down Ambrose's cheek. "It was simply... a means to an end."