When I walk into the classroom, it’s nearly full already. Everybody stops talking all at once and turns to look at me. For a second, I think maybe I forgot to put on shorts, but after a quick glance down I see that I am fully dressed.
Do I have something on my face?
I try to subtly wipe at my mouth.
“Congratulations.” Abi bounces up to me, followed by Hannah.
I dart a glance between the two. “Congratulations?”
“On being mated.” Hannah grins. “How was it?”
Abi elbows Hannah. “You can’t just ask somebody how sex was.” She turns to me. “Please excuse Hannah’s bad manners. I keep trying to train her, but she never learns.”
Hannah rolls her eyes.
“Wait.” I hold up a hand. “How do you know that Cayson and I completed the mate bond.”
“Uh, we can smell it.” Abi raises an eyebrow. “Duh.”
They can smell it?
I lift my shirt to my nose and sniff. It smells like… like a new shirt.
“She doesn’t mean we can smell the sex on you.” Hannah giggles. “We can smell your soap. Clearly you showered. I just mean that you now carry Cayson’s scent. It’s like… a deterrent to other vampires. They know that you belong to somebody else, so they will leave you alone.”
My mouth falls open. “Seriously?”
She nods.
“If it makes you feel any better, Cayson carries your scent too,” Abi adds. “It goes both ways.”
That does make me feel better, but I wonder why Cayson didn’t tell me. He knows I’m new to this. But then again, maybe he just didn’t think about it. He’s been a vampire for so long, a lot of this is probably so normal to him that he wouldn’t think to tell me.
I don’t know why, but I feel this sense of pride that Cayson smells like me. It’s like I’m telling the world he’s mine—it’s a good feeling.
“Come sit with us.” Hannah motions me to follow her. “We saved you a seat.”
I follow Abi and Hannah to the back of the room and sit beside Hannah.
I like Abi and Hannah. They seem a little immature, but I think we could get along and really become friends.
The door opens, and I watch as Ashley walks through. She stiffens as she smells the air and her dark eyes dart to mine. I swear her dark blue eyes turn black when she’s looking at me and I’m wondering if that’s a vampire thing—if our eyes grow darker when we’re mad. It’s not the first time I’ve seen it.
Ashley glares at me as she makes her way to her desk. Thankfully she doesn’t come toward me. She sits down on the opposite side of the room and faces forward. She’s probably contemplating all the ways she wants to murder me.
“Yikes,” Hannah whispers. “That girl is out for blood.”
I laugh at the irony of a vampire being ‘out for blood.’ I look away from Ashley toward Hannah.
“Should I be concerned?” I ask.
“Nah. She’s all bark and no bite.” Abi rolls her eyes. “Everybody knows she’s lusted over Cayson since she arrived. I guess her father is close with Cayson’s older brother and she was probably hoping to be Cayson’s mate, but everybody knows it doesn’t work like that. You can’t choose your mate. Fate chooses.”
“I’m glad fate chooses,” Hannah says. “Fate is much better at choosing than us.”
“Amen to that.” Abi laughs.
I’m glad fate chose me for Cayson. Honestly, I can’t blame Ashley for being jealous. I’d be jealous too. Cayson is perfect, and I would think that even if he weren’t mine.
I know it’s true because even before I knew Cayson was mine, I wanted him. When I first woke up and laid eyes on him, I just knew… but then again, maybe that’s a fate thing.
I thought he hated me. He kind of acted like he did. Now I know he was just upset that he changed me—well, at first. He was disappointed in himself that he did it without asking me. I guess he thought I would be mad at him, but that’s not the case at all. I’m glad everything happened the way it did—it couldn’t have been more perfect.
“I’m glad you’re Cayson’s mate. You seem like a good fit for him,” Hannah adds, almost as an afterthought.
She’s right though.
Cayson and I are perfect together.
I guess fate really does get it right.
18
12:30 am
For real this time.
When class is over, I’m a little sad knowing that Cayson isn’t waiting for me outside to walk me to our room. I hope that whatever he’s doing doesn’t take too long because I already miss him, which makes me feel really pathetic.
“Is the boy toy waiting outside the door for you today again?” Hannah asks, a joking grin on her face.
“No. He had to go do something, but he’ll be back later.”
“Bummer,” Abi says.
“We might hit up one of the vampire clubs in town if you wanna come with us.” Hannah stuffs her books into her bag.
I shake my head. “Clubs aren’t really my thing.”
“It’s okay.” She shrugs. “Abi and I just go to scope on guys.”
Abi giggles. “I scope, Hannah gets hits on.”
Hannah rolls her blue eyes. “Whatever. The guys totally dig the whole Snow White thing you have going on.”
Ha.
I didn’t even think of that before, but Abi does look a little bit like Snow White. She has the dark eyes and the black hair that is cut into a bob. She’s even wearing bright red lipstick today. She looks like a total babe.
Abi just shrugs, like she doesn’t get it. “Well, you have the Barbie thing going on, which guys like more than Snow White.”
Hannah wrinkles her nose.
“What about Riley?” Abi taps her chin. “Who does she look like?”
I don’t look like any Disney princess, so they’re out of luck.
“Belle with blue eyes?” Riley suggests.
“No.” Abi shakes her head. “Oh… maybe like Ariel and Prince Eric’s daughter.”
“No.” Riley purses her lips, then shrugs. “She just looks unique.”
I grin at that.
I mean… sure, I’d love to look like a Disney princess, but unique is better.
“Have fun at the vampire club tonight,” I say.
“Oh, we will.” Hannah smirks. “See you later, Riley.”
“Bye.” I wave at them and leave the classroom. My heart sinks when I get out into the hallway and Cayson isn’t there. I mean, I knew he wouldn’t be, but part of me still hoped he’d make it back early.
I am glad that Ashley is nowhere to be seen. She left class the second it was over and I’m just relieved she didn’t stick around to bully me. Though, I think Cayson’s threat yesterday scared her into being nice.
Well… not nice, but at least not being a bully anymore.
I make my way up to my room, thinking how weird it is being without Cayson. I’ve already gotten so used to having him around. When I think about it, he’s probably busy a lot. I shouldn’t be too dependent on him.
Maybe I should have stayed downstairs longer. Maybe I should’ve tried talking to the other girls in class.
Then again, Ms. Nancy, my old nurse, always told me that she isn’t friends with anybody she knew from high school. She told me every single friend she still has she made in college or now that she’s working. She doesn’t keep up with anybody from high school anymore.
High school is weird because you’re forced to make bonds with people you might not have a lot in common with. But in college, you can explore and find friends you share interests with.
When I get to my room it’s already unlocked. We probably should’ve locked it before we left, but I don’t think anybody will mess with our stuff here.
I toss my bag onto the floor, shutting the door behind me. What should I do now? There’s no homework to complete. I suppose I could watch TV, but I don’t even know what I would watch; I’ve never been big on TV. I also don’t have a
cellphone, so I can’t mindlessly scroll through social media. Even if I could, I can’t exactly have social media now that I’m dead. If somebody from my old life saw me, that would be really bad.
I make my way into the bathroom to brush my teeth. As a vampire, I don’t have the same hygienic needs as I did when I was human, but I still like to brush my teeth three times a day out of habit.
I look at my teeth as I brush them. They don’t really look that much different—just whiter. I figured they would be sharper. In movies, vampires always have fangs, but my teeth just look like human teeth.
When I bend down to rinse, I hear something move behind me. Thinking it’s Cayson, I rush through rinsing and shut off the sink. As I go to stand up, my eyes meet somebody else’s in the mirror. Eyes that definitely don’t belong to Cayson.
“Ashley.” I tilt my head to the side, looking at her through the mirror. “What are you doing here?”
That’s when I notice the wooden stake in her hand. My heart races in terror and I try to turn around to fight her, but she pushes she stake into my back hard. I feel a blinding pain burst through my body and the edges of my vision go white. I fall onto my knees, trying to hold myself up with the counter. The stake is pulled out of my skin and I feel an instantly relief—almost like my body is healing itself. But a few seconds later, she pushes the stake harder into the same spot. This time I can’t hold myself up and I fall onto the ground.
My stomach aches and I vomit onto the bathroom floor.
There’s so much blood everywhere.
This is it—I’m about to die. For real this time.
Ashley removes the stake one more time and I breathe a deep breath one last time before she pushes the stake in again. She shoves it in farther this time and my vision goes completely black.
I always thought death would be like it is in the movies—like a montage of all the happy times in your life. I thought it would be peaceful, maybe even pleasant. But the movies lied. It’s anything but peaceful. Dying freaking hurts. And the montage? There is no reliving the happy moments. Though, there is one happy thought at the forefront of my mind—Cayson. At least I got to know him even if it was for such a short time.
Every time I feel relief, I am sucked back under by the pain and the anguish. I just want the pain to be over.
Finally… after what feels like forever… the pain comes to an end and I am able to enjoy the peace and tranquility that comes with being dead.
19
1:10 am
Perfect for you.
Everything is too bright, and my ears are ringing, but I feel so warm and comfortable. I sigh, scooting closer to the warmth.
Being for real dead isn’t so bad. I can even smell Cayson, which is nice. He smells good—like sandalwood and the ocean. Like… home.
I think Cayson is what I will miss the most about living.
“Riley.”
I hear the words over the ringing sound in my ears and I try to open my eyes to see who is calling my name, but they feel like they were super glued shut. I feel something in my mouth—some kind of liquid.
It’s blood.
I swallow it greedily while more is poured into my mouth.
Finally, I am able to open my eyes. First, I look at the white ceiling, blinking a few times.
What the heck?
I realize now that I am being cradled in somebody’s arms. My eyes meet a pair of green eyes.
“Cayson…” I try to say his name, but it catches in my throat.
“Drink more.” He pours more blood into my mouth and I drink it as quickly as he can pour.
When that bag is empty, I reach up my hand to his face. My arm is heavy—it feels like it weighs one hundred pounds, but I have to touch him. When I do, I notice my hand is cover in blood. So is my arm.
“What happened?” I whisper.
That’s when I notice the blood under Cayson’s eyes. He’s been crying.
“Are you okay?” I ask, trying to wipe the blood away, but I just make it worse.
“You need to drink more.” He moves his arm to grab something and puts a straw up to my lips. I suck down a third bag of blood. Each swallow gives me more energy and clarity. The fog in my head starts to lift as I remember what happened.
Cayson pulls the empty bag away from my lips.
“Ashley…” My voice trails off as I say her name.
“I know.” He pulls me closer. “Don’t worry about her.”
Cayson pulls me fully into his arms, pressing my face against his shoulder, and he stands up, carrying me out of the bathroom. Part of me wants to look and see how much blood is in the room. I know I lost a lot of blood. A dangerous amount.
How am I not dead?
Cayson walks us out of the room and into a room across the hallway. He doesn’t stop until we enter another bathroom. With our clothes still on, he carries me into the shower and starts to wash the blood off of us.
He is just as bloody as I am.
“How am I still alive?” I ask, as the water runs over us.
He carefully sits me down on my feet, holding onto me until he’s certain I can hold my own weight. Even after he’s certain, he still holds on, like he can’t touch me enough.
Cayson shakes his head, more blood running from his eyes. “I have no idea. I think it’s because of our bond. Somehow our bond kept you alive until I could get to you.” He chokes on a sob. “I thought I lost you, Riley.”
I put my face into his chest, squeezing him. “I’m not going anywhere, Cayson. Never.”
“I’m so glad we completed the mate bond,” he says. “I don’t think you’d still be here if we hadn’t completed it.”
I’m glad we completed it too.
So glad.
“What is going to happen to Ashley?”
His entire body tenses. “You don’t have to worry about her anymore.”
“What do you mean?”
“When I saw…” he clears his throat, looking away.
He doesn’t have to finish his sentence.
“The blood… it’s not all mine, is it?”
He shakes his head.
I should feel remorse, right? Ashley is dead. But I don’t. I just feel… relief. What she did to me was completely horrific. She tried to kill me and she almost succeeded. I’m glad that I don’t have to deal with her anymore. I’m glad I don’t have to be afraid of her.
“Thank you.” I grip him tighter.
I can feel his whole body loosen, like he was tense, waiting for my reaction.
Did he really think I would be mad at him for protecting me?
“I love you so much, Riley.”
“I love you too.”
He pulls back a little, so he can look at me. “There will be repercussions. I won’t get in trouble for defending you, but her dad is… Well, let’s just say there will be backlash, but nothing I can’t handle.”
“I’ll be by your side the whole time,” I promise.
He grins, running his thumb along my face. “You’re so perfect.”
“Perfect for you,” I say.
“I’m never leaving you alone again.” He leans down and kisses me gently.
“Good, because I don’t want you to leave me alone again.”
Cayson kisses me again, hard this time, and he doesn’t stop.
Dying is the best thing that has ever happened to me—dying is what brought me to Cayson.
I love this boy.
Epilogue
Four years later.
As much as I wish I could say the vampires have their stuff together, that would be a lie. Even four years after meeting Cayson, nearly four years after graduating from Mystic Academy, I can positively say that things are still very much a work in progress in the vampire world.
But we’re working on it.
Cayson and I are a positive change. We are proof that an elitist and a ‘turned’ vampire are equal, because you can’t argue with fate. Though, that’s not to say that some people don�
��t try. They try to say I’m a fraud, but it doesn’t change how Cayson feels about me.
Cayson’s family accepted me—even his brother who has a very elitists-only mindset. It’s kind of nice to know that he’s on our side.
Things are not perfect—they’re far from it. Life is messy. But all those things are okay because I have Cayson and he has me. What else could we want in life?
After graduating from Mystic Academy, I did go to college. I just went to a small college close to Cayson’s house… our house.
That took a little while to get used to—calling it our house. What was even harder was letting him buy me a car and pay for my college. I swore I would pay him back, but after four years, I’m getting used to him spoiling me. He takes me on trips frequently and I love every second of them.
Cayson and I have both ‘aged’ together. Whenever he was turned at nineteen-years-old, he stayed frozen at that age, despite the fact that his siblings all matured. They stopped aging in their early to mid-twenties and I suspect we will do the same, but I’m not worried. Even if all I had was one lifetime with Cayson, I would feel so thankful for the time I get with him. But forever… that’s not even long enough. Not really.
I took at the giant ring on my finger.
We’re not ‘married’ in human terms. But our bond is stronger than that of marriage. We have a mate bond. And there is nothing in the world stronger than that. Only death can break what we have between us, and even then, most people who lose their mate also lose their will to live. I hope that neither one of us ever have to face that.
The ring… Cayson got me that so all the humans would know that I am taken. Apparently he didn’t like that guys at the college we attended hit on me. So he bought me a ring, we told everybody we eloped, and that was that.
I don’t know what my future will bring with Cayson, but I’m excited to see where it leads us next.
But there is one thing that is certain about our future. Something I didn’t expect, though I suppose I should have.
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