Skylar stayed there, lying beside Alucard. He had pulled her to lie her head on his chest. Skylar was silent while Alucard just held her in place. Alucard couldn't sleep. Skylar couldn't sleep either. Both of them were too busy in their heads to get any sleep. They just lay in bed together, both awake, in a silence that wasn't awful, but it wasn't completely comfortable either.
"..." Alucard looked down at her, but said nothing. Skylar stayed still, listening to his heartbeat. It was steadier compared to before, when Alucard pulled her into bed with him. "Skylar."
"Huh?" Skylar turned her head to look up at his face.
"You said you left your clan," Alucard pointed out, his voice gentle. "What exactly made you leave your clan to begin with?"
"..." Skylar stared at him for a long moment. She wasn't sure what to begin saying, but eventually decided to keep it short. It won't be lying if she just keeps it short. "I... I left because a friend of mine was killed. My clan killed her after questioning the clan's way of life."
"..." Alucard was silent for a moment. "... was she killed in front of you?"
"No," Skylar said. "None of them knew I was there or watching. They wanted me to stay ignorant, and listening in from just outside the room they were in. I can't try to sleep without seeing it. Then, hearing her screaming when I do sleep. I never really got over that, now that I think about it."
"..." Alucard turned on his side, facing Skylar, and held her tightly in his arms. "What was her name?"
"Dawn," Skylar told him, pressing her face into his chest, her hands clenched in tight fists in his shirt. She felt her stomach grow cold within. She hadn't felt that since Dawn's murder. "Her name was Dawn."
"..." Alucard cradled Skylar's head under his chin and held her closer, almost as if he were trying to mould the bodies together. This time, the silence between them was more comfortable. No feeling unease with Alucard, and it felt safe, for the first time in a long time.
"Thanks for not asking too much," Skylar said, just remaining still in Alucard's arms. Alucard remained silent and just held her close."I appreciate that you just listened to what I said just now."
"Skylar," Alucard said, his hand tilted her chin up to look her in the eye. Skylar looked up, her eyes locked on his, confused. "Why did you stay? You could have left, you could have left and gone with friends you have outside of Sypha, Trevor, and me. Why did you stay here with me?"
"..." Skylar didn't know what to tell him at first. She wasn't sure why she herself stayed. At first, she stayed because she thought about Alucard being alone. But after a while, that wasn't the only reason she stayed anymore. "I... honestly don't know."
"..." Alucard was silent, watching her face. He could see she wanted to say something. Skylar was thinking. Alucard could just tell by the expression on her face.
"I guess I began to think about how I felt about you," Skylar continued. Alucard's eyes widened a little. "I don't know if what I am thinking with it is the proper name for it, but... I think it comes pretty close to what it is."
"... And have you felt differently about me since?" Alucard asked, looking into Skylar's eyes. He felt his heart skip a beat. "From the day we met until now."
"..." Skylar looked into his eyes, her heart thrumming in her chest. She had a feeling he could feel and hear her heart. "I... I don't know how to put it, honestly."
"Skylar," Alucard leaned in, his forehead pressed against Skylar's. She felt his breath fan across her face. "Tell me, what exactly do you feel for me inside?"
"... You mean a lot to me," Skylar said, her eyes sweeping between her eyes and her lips. Alucard subconsciously licked his lower lip. "But... I want to see what would come from being a little more than friends. But I haven't had a partner before, so I wouldn't know what I'm doing."
"That's fine," Alucard said, pressing his neck against her neck, pressing a kiss into her skin, right over her pulse point. "We can try some things tonight and see where it goes."