I blinked my eyes a few times before I got out of my state of daze and my eyes regained focus. Sariel's expression seemed emotionless, but the inner circle of his grey pupils had already flickered in red.
"Is he angry at me?" I wondered while trying to read him.
I looked around and saw an open book lying on the night table by the bed. The book definitely wasn't mine. It must have been Sariel's.
"Was he reading that book here?" Questions kept popping inside my head while I was waking up.
If I were to guess, he must have sat here reading the book while I was sleeping, but why? I kept staring at him, slowly processing the reason for him sitting in my bedroom.
"What are you doing here?" I finally asked.
"You didn't answer my question," he grunted.
"What question?"
"Who is Ezra?" He strained the words out through his angrily clenched teeth, a red glow flooding his pupils.
"M-my teacher. Ezra is my teacher and a frien
I didn't know how I got to work. I was so deep in thoughts that I might have rudely ignored Mike while he drove me to the bank's headquarters. I retrieved my sanity for a second when I got out of the car and felt the cool wind sweeping my face and neck withouta scarf. Certainly, the sensation reminded me of Sariel's cold lips touching my skin. A dumb smile appeared on my face. Fortunately, I managed to see my idiotic expression in the reflection from the thick glass entrance before anyone else noticed it and questioned my sanity. I slapped my face with both hands, as an act of self-punishment. I entered the elevator along with other employees and started writing my to-do list in my mind. I entered as the last and stood staring at the door. I minded my own business, but others didn't. There were around ten people in that elevator, all focused on me. I could feel their gazes coming from each side. I even started to wonder if my picture wasn't sent in some internal mail w
Unlike I was expecting, the next two weeks of my work at the bank seemed quiet. I continued writing my reports, knowing that more and more people would get fired, but somehow I didn't feel as much hatred directed at me as before. I had noticed that people had started to ignore me as if they feared me. Perhaps they thought that my evaluation of their work was based on my personal likes or dislikes. They were completely wrong. First, I didn't know any of them, and second, I didn't care. As much as it sounds cruel, my work was about numbers and correctly written paragraphs, not my personal attitude. If there had been abnormalities that had caused losses, there should have been consequences, easy as that. On the other hand, I also pointed out people who had done their work exceptionally well and deserved a raise or promotion. Of course, if that happened, I was certain that none of those people would ever think that it was due to my reports, simply because it was something good…
The blonde-haired stretched out his hand to grab my wrist, but I dodged it. "Don't touch me!" I yelled. "Oh, honey, don't be so tense." The snake-eyed guy grinned wickedly. "I promise that you're going to scream with pleasure right before you die. We'll do you good." I took another step to the side. I knew there was an alley between the shelves behind me. I had to take a risk and run. On my left side, I saw a box of documents within my reach. I grabbed the box and forcefully threw it at them, and then started running towards the exit. Unluckily, my speed was limited because of the heels I was wearing. "What on Earth made me wear heels with a strip on my ankle?!" I cursed my idiotic decision, which made taking the shoes off time-consuming. The blonde-haired got to me first. He blocked my way as I was about to reach the door handle, then pushed me away from the door, knocking me off my feet. His strength made me fly against the nearest row of sh
Suddenly, I felt the wind blow and a splash of thick liquid covered my face. I opened my eyes and met the blonde's dead stare. A second later his head fell off of his body, while the rest of his corpse collapsed on the floor. I slowly raised my hand to wipe off my face and realized it was that vampire's blood that dirtied me. I heard brief screams of pain coming from those two other vampires' mouths until the silence came. I was too tired to process what was going on, and why I wasn't dead already. The agonizing pain clouded my thinking. I closed my eyes again. "Lilith! Lilith open your eyes!" I heard Sariel's voice, although I couldn't tell whether it was real or just something I longed to hear before I died. I smiled feebly, keeping my eyes closed. I vaguely heard some other voices, but they didn't matter. The voice I yearned to hear was Sariel's. "Lilith! Look at me, Lilith!" He sounded like he was nervous, even frightened. I thought that I wanted
I gulped and stared at him, paralyzed for a while. I realized that Sariel was sacrificing much more than a few drops of his blood. I was alive thanks to him, but he could lose his own life if anyone knew what he had done. I was certain that Will would tell no one about it. He had no reason to. The real problem was making sure no one else would ever find out about it. "I… I won't tell anyone. I will keep this a secret no matter what," I swore nervously. "Good," Will smirked and sat in a chair by my bed. I glanced at him suspiciously. I guessed that he was the only person who could tell me the truth, and I was more than willing to use the opportunity. "You know that I heard your conversation with Sariel when you told him to give me blood, right?" I started cautiously. "Yes, I assumed that you might have heard it." A sour smile appeared on his face. "When he asked if his blood would affect me, you told him that it hadn't affected me last
"W-what?" A single word left my mouth, even though I heard Will's words loud and clear. I could feel the blood running off my face, turning it pale while my furious heart kept pounding. Suddenly, I started to feel dizziness, nausea, and even my eyes hurt from the light, but I doubted that it was a vampire blood side-effect. "Certainly, it's not like Sariel would ever manipulate your feelings…" Will laughed awkwardly, ineptly trying to assure me that his friend wouldn't abuse the fact that his blood was in my system. Some part of me tried to find some form of explanation that would keep me from feeling deceived, but how could I not feel that way? "Will… How is it possible that the traces of Sariel's blood stayed in my body for four years? And now… Am I going to change somehow? I'm not turning into a vampire, am I?" I asked, hectically. Will sat closer to me and grabbed my hands. "Of course, you are not turning into a vampire," he assure
I was restless. I kept thinking that if I had to face Sariel now, I would become highly emotionally unstable. On the other hand, I wanted to ask him why he didn't tell me about the bond and played me instead. I had already known that he could act cruelly, but I had never imagined that he would be cruel to me. It was only my assumption, but I guess I had finally figured out why Sariel didn't want to mark anyone… A vampire giving blood created a bond, but what if it worked in both directions? Sariel mentioned that marking someone increases sexual desire, but what if it really was about losing control, and that was something that Sariel was really afraid of...? He deliberately used the fact that his blood bond was still working, enjoying the fact that I craved his bite-mark and the power he had over me. He wanted to be the only one in control, and he knew that leaving his mark would make him give up the total control he had. It was time to paint a true image of him, calculative
I thought that going back to work would help me cope with my situation. Of course, my main argument was to avoid places that reminded me of Sariel's existence. I even found myself excited at the mere thought that I would dive into numbers and paragraphs, burring my anxieties and longings somewhere deep in my heart and mind. I went against Martha's suggestion and went to the bank's headquarters right after eating breakfast. I thought that anything that would get me away from the castle was a good idea. That was until I walked past the entrance. I stopped in the hallway and felt that my head was spinning. My body started to shiver as the images of the recent attack flashed before my eyes. My breathing rate increased, almost matching my already racing heart. The high-frequency sound that filled my head made me cringe, covering my ears. "Are you ok?" A female voice overcame the high-pitch sound and immediately became my anchor. I raised my eyes while trying to sl