“You don’t need this. Talk to me.”

“If I tell you, will you promise to let me help you?”

“Yes.”

“No matter what?”

“Yes.”

I had no idea what I was promising, but if it helped Eli, then I was willing to honor any promise I made. He took me by the hand and brought me back to the couches. We sat down next to each other.

“Where to begin?” He sighed.

“Let’s start with the real story. Why wasn’t Hank able to turn me?”

“It wasn’t a charm.”

That much I gathered.

“Your father is a Heelian.”

I had no idea what that even meant. Surely he didn’t mean another species? “Heelian?”

“They’re kind of like us. They’re against vampires, but a long time ago, they disappeared. Most of them were killed by vampires but the rest … exploded.”

“Exploded?”

“The thing about Heelians is that they’re easily aggravated. When they get too angry, it’s like an overload for their system.” Eli mimicked an explosion with his hands. “And most of the time it’s unstoppable.”

The couch creaked as Eli tilted his body towards me. I inhaled his scent, taking a moment to relax myself. Being overwhelmed is never a good feeling for me.

“Your father came across your mother when she was staying on the outside of the safety border and they fell in love. Vampires came for him, but he and your mother escaped.”

Guilt struck my chest as I recalled Eli’s dad was the one who suffered for it. I dropped my eyes from Eli’s face to my lap. I couldn’t bring myself to look him in the eyes.

“Heelians can harness the power of the sun.”

My gaze met his again. That didn’t make sense. How can someone harness the power of the sun? “Is that what stopped Hank from turning me? The sun?”

Eli nodded his head. “The sun runs through your blood, it counteracts the venom- to an extent.”

“So my dad and I are the only ones left?”

Eli nodded. “We think so.”

“Why did Hank want me?”

“Well, Heelian blood, your blood, makes vampires even stronger than they already are… temporarily. Hank must have found out about you later on and decided to come back for you. You were his only chance to stand up against Lucian.”

“Why would Lucian risk another vampire becoming stronger than him? Why send me out?”

“Because Lucian has your father … Lucian is using him as his very own power station. Your father is older than you and a full blood, therefore he’s stronger than you, much stronger. If someone kills you and takes your blood, it doesn’t matter, they still won’t be as strong as Lucian.”

The new information swirled around my mind. I clenched my jaw as I tried to fight off a thumping headache.

“Why can’t Lucian just send—” I paused and thought about my father’s name. What was it? I don’t think Mum ever mentioned it, nor did I ever think to ask.

“Mithras,” Eli added.

Mithras? I wonder where that name originated from. A warm feeling surged in my cheeks and I nodded at Eli. It’s embarrassing not knowing what your parent’s name is.

“Aleksandrov told me that Mithras is addicted to vampire bites. He’s delusional, much like the woman you saw when you first arrived here. He wouldn’t be much help.”

The woman’s face flooded my memory. I remember her rocking and humming to herself. She had begged me to bite her, and when I did, she moaned in ecstasy.

I was bitten by a vampire once. It was a horribly painful experience and not something I ever want to go through again. I shuddered at the thought of vampire fangs being anywhere near my skin.

“Hey, it’s okay.” Eli’s voice pulled me from my thoughts. His smooth thumb wiped a tear away from my cheek. I had no idea I was crying until the room started to blur.

“I’m sorry; I don’t know why I’m crying.” I sniffled.

“It’s not your fault.”

“It is… almost every bad thing that has ever happened in your life was because of me or by one of my relatives.”

Two large, warm hands wrapped around my face, forcing my gaze from the floor. I met his eyes. Even in the dim light of the floor lamp they reflected such a nice green color.

“None of this is your fault.” He tucked a stray lock of hair behind my ear and I bit my bottom lip out of nervousness.

I always feel out of control when I’m around Eli. I hate being out of control. Slowly, I pushed my face closer to his; he didn’t pull away. His eyes rested on my lips as I released the bottom one from my teeth. He ran his thumb along them before pressing his own lips against mine. Eli’s soft lips seemed to fit perfectly onto mine, making my heart race and the butterflies in my stomach flutter uncontrollably. Eli was so gentle, so cautious.

The intensity of our kiss increased as our breathing became ragged. Only Eli could make me feel like this. I inhaled sharply as he pulled me on top of him so my legs straddled his thighs. The cool skin of his hands ran under my shirt and jacket, feeling the contour of my body, skin on skin, leaving my skin tingling in its wake. I ran my fingers through his short, soft hair as he trailed his kisses from my lips to the base of my neck and along my collar bone.

“Eli?” I panted.

“Hmm?” he mumbled, applying more kisses to my throat.

“I-I’ve never done this before.” My cheeks burned with embarrassment as I squeezed my eyes shut; hoping it would make me feel less embarrassed. The kisses slowed as they came back up my neck and to a stop, his hands still holding firmly onto my waist.

“I know.” He smiled. “I can tell.”

I flushed. “How?”

“I feel your body tense when I touch it. It’s a foreign feeling and your body is confused.”

I exhaled in embarrassment and slid off him, back to where I was previously sitting. My skin still tingled from his touch and my lips were already having withdrawal symptoms from his kisses.

“I want to do this with you,” I muttered. I love you, my subconscious added, but the three words fell silently into the back of my mind. I was ready to say them but I doubt Eli was ready to hear them. He took my hand in his, caressing it with his thumb.

“No, you don’t, not like this. Your first time should be with someone you can be with, someone who is allowed to spoil you and make you happy before making such a leap.”

Eli brought my hand to his lips and kissed it softly. I closed my eyes; the kiss seemed too private to watch. He wants me to be with someone who is allowed to spoil me and make me happy. Little does he know that someone else could buy me the world, the stars, and the moon, but it still wouldn’t make me as happy as he did just being in his presence.

“I should go,” I whispered, opening my eyes and meeting his.

“That’s a wise decision.” He smiled, his eyes alive with a cheeky gleam.

I smiled. It was nice to see him perk up, seeing him so down was depressing. Reluctantly I dragged myself off the couch; his body heat was working like a magnet against me, trying to pull me closer.

Damn you, hormones.

The walk to the front door seemed too short. I didn’t want to leave, even though it was best.

“So I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said, stepping out onto the cute porch.

“Sure, and breakfast is at eight.”

I headed down the steps and onto the driveway.

“Sleep well,” he called.

I waved my hand behind me in acknowledgment.

I entered the lobby of the girls’ dorm. I wasn’t in the mood for sneaking, I was just going to walk right up to Mrs Ploit and tell her that I snuck out.

“I was with Mr Aleksandrov, my uncle.”

My head flicked up and Mila was standing in front of Mrs Ploit. Perfect. Maybe I could get out of this without incurring a detention.

“Mila!” I called. “You kept walking; I had to tie my shoelace.”

I tried hard not to giggle, her face was priceless. She had no idea what I was going on about.

“Ruby? I have your signature here from earlier this evening. When Mr De Luca brought you back?”

Oops. I forgot about that.

“Yes but then I went back out; I was expected for dinner at Mr Aleksandrov’s home. I must have forgotten to sign out. Why you didn’t remind me when I walked past?”

“I mustn’t have noticed. I’ve been feeling a little off lately.” She adjusted the reading glasses on her face.”

Mila faked a smile at Mrs Ploit but it didn’t reach her eyes. Mila was either angry I’d snuck out again, worried about what the higher power wanted with me, or was curious what I was up to. We signed in and headed toward our room.

“I thought you weren’t coming back until tomorrow?” I asked.

“Ugh. I couldn’t stay there and talk about politics for another second. What about you?”

“What about me?”

Mila glared at me as I unlocked our room door. With a gentle push it opened and Mila entered the room. I was going to tell her about the higher power but then I remembered his warning.

“So tell me, what happened?”

I wracked my brain for a story as she began brushing her teeth in the bathroom.

“I have good news and bad news. The bad news is …” I swallowed hard, trying to push the lump in my throat down. “That I am going to be away for a while.”

Right on cue she stepped out of the bathroom, her expression clouded.

“The higher power wants Eli and I to work for him for a little while. A few weeks at most.”

I hadn’t completely lied. I was going away to work for the higher power, I just didn’t include that he was a vampire feeding off my father’s blood and wanted to turn our blood into a business. I also didn’t mention I could be dead by the beginning of next week.

“The higher power came all the way here to offer you a temporary job?”

“Yes.”

I pulled my hair from my ponytail. I felt sticky and hot. I needed a shower.

“Well, that’s a good thing. Maybe you could request a certain career path when you get out of school.”

If Lucian was making me do this now before I’d even finished school, I could only imagine what he’d make me do after.

“What’d he look like?” Mila wondered aloud, disappearing into the bathroom again.

“I didn’t see him,” I lied. “I spoke to a few assistants, but that’s all.”

I couldn’t bring myself to lie about his appearance. What would I say? He’s a nice guy, a little old, but like us in every way. No. He was the complete opposite, an abomination.

Mila exited the bathroom, knotting the tie from her dressing gown.

“I’m going to have a shower.”

I dove into the bathroom before she had a chance to ask about Eli. There was no way I was going to be able to keep my cheeks from flushing crimson after what happened between us. I was still having a hard time believing it myself.

I turned the tap closer to ‘hot.’ I needed to clean the cold clammy feeling of death off me. The first drop hit my skin. The clear glass of the shower became foggy as the steam built up. I stood there without moving, the pounding water massaging my muscles.

When I finished in the bathroom, Mila was tucked into bed, sleeping like a baby. Her long hair wrapped around her, keeping any exposed flesh warm. It made me long for my bed, and when I climbed in, the world instantly faded out, leaving me at the mercy of my dreams.

Jealousy Kills

The dreary shapes before me became sharp objects of reality as I opened my eyes to the glare of morning sun intruding through my window. Ugh. I really needed to get better curtains.

“Good morning,” Mila cheered, pulling a sweater over her pink t-shirt. “We have to get to breakfast and then to class.”

I forgot I still had to go to class. What a waste. I’d rather be doing something fun my last week of life.

The dining hall was alive with conversation and gossip about the dance last Friday night. It seemed that Hunter, Rylan, and I were a main topic about said dance. I ignored the snickers and comments whispered under hushed tones as Mila and I found seats.

“Well, well, well, it seems like someone had an interesting Friday night,” a girl next to us chuckled.

“Complicated, not interesting,” I corrected her.

Her curly black hair bounced cheerfully on her shoulders as she let out a hearty laugh. There was no denying it, her optimism was contagious, and I found myself smiling back at her.

“I’m Ava.” She extended her hand to me and I took it. Her light brown skin was so soft. I should moisturize my own later.

“I’m Ruby and this is Mila.”

Mila smiled.

“I know, I’ve heard a lot about you both. You, Ruby, in particular.”

“Don’t believe everything you hear, especially if it comes from the mouths of Raina and her posse.” I smiled politely.

“Noted.”

Ava was a very pretty girl. I hadn’t seen her in any of my classes, was she new?

“I haven’t seen you around before,” I commented.

“I’m relatively new. I’ve been here about a month or so.”

I watched her curiously; I couldn’t tell if she was a goddess or a guardian angel. Her frame was petite like a goddess, but there was something about her confident attitude that made me feel like she was a guardian angel.

“Goddess.” She smiled at me.

I nodded in acknowledgement.

“So how did you get in? Sage Sanctum doesn’t usually accept mid-year enrollments. Special cases being the exception.” Mila batted an eyelid in my direction.