Caleb
2 Months Ago...
Yesterday, I learned a lot of things.
One: vampires are real. No, that’s not a joke. They’re really out there. Trust me, it took me a while to accept the truth.
Two: my favorite author of all time? Heisa vampire. The vampire romance novels he writes are totally based off personal experience.
Three: my older brother Benji was knocked upbya vampire, and he’s carrying a half-vampire child.
And last but not least, the vampire coven matriarch - the strongest, fastest and meanest vampire in the entire mansion - seriously wanted me dead.
I shuddered as the memory flashed before my eyes again. Since it happened, I could barely stop thinking about it. The intense, gutting horror of a real life vampire materializing out of thin air, fangs out and bloodlust in her eyes, the malicious intent seeping out of her like toxic haze.
Margaret. She had been the coven leader, as far as I understood, and was the most powerful vampire out of all of them. She had also been seconds from murdering me right there in the mansion’s dining hall when two other vampires - Adriel and Theo - saved me.
Well, more specifically, Adriel. He was the one who launched the counterattack, holding Margaret back and refusing to let her get near me. He saved my life.
My chest tightened in gratitude at the thought. Adriel and the others didn’t even know me, aside from my being Benji’s younger brother. They could have simply let me die. But they didn’t. They were good people. Goodvampires.What a weird thing to say.
Things were changing. Not only was my entire worldview flipped upside down, but my life couldn’t go on like it did before. After Margaret’s attack, I wasn’t safe. She was still out there, and uneasy tension grew thick in the air. I knew Margaret was sick, and everybody seemed to think she was going to pass soon, but that didn’t help my anxiety. Hell,anyonewould be anxious knowing a vampire wanted them dead.
But Pierce - Benji’s alpha vampire mate - had a plan. To ensure my safety, he kept me close at hand, allowing me to live rent-free on a fancy cottage on their property. In my case, being nearby was safer than being far away. It was a ‘keep your friends close and your enemies closer’ kind of deal.
The best part of it? I had a bodyguard. Not just any regular human bodyguard, either.
An alpha vampire bodyguard.
Adriel himself. The oldest vampire brother..
When Pierce announced it, I could barely contain my excitement. Except for the whole vampire-matriarch-murder thing, everything was working out great. Pierce had paid for my entire expensive surgery months ago - one we couldn’t have eventhoughtabout affording otherwise - and basically saved my life. It was weird to think about the fact that I might not be alive right now if it weren’t for vampires. Without Pierce and Adriel, I might have been six feet under by now.
In any case, recovery from my surgery had gone well, and I could finally see my brother again. Plus I was going to be an uncle! On top of everything else, I was living alone with my favorite author of all time.
What could go wrong?
Well, I would find out soon enough.
After helping us move in, Pierce and the others left, leaving Adriel and I alone in the cottage foyer. The sudden gravity of it all hit me. I held my breath. Of course, as a vampire, Adriel didn’t breathe at all.
When I couldn’t hold it any more, I exhaled, trying to be quiet. I was aware of how loud it sounded in the otherwise silent hall.
Adriel’s unblinking eyes stared down at me, intelligent and powerful, like the way a wolf looks at a baby rabbit.
And then eats it, probably,I thought.
The idea made me chuckle nervously, and I said, “So, is this the part where you suck my blood?”
“No,” Adriel said simply.
My weak smile fell. “Oh.”
Guess he’s not really the joking type,I thought.
He stood unnaturally still. His silky black hair seemed to shine like raven feathers, even though we were indoors and the sun was down. I hadn’t seen any of the vampires here go outside in the daylight, so I assumed all the common knowledge about it beingbad for vampireswas true.
As if reading my mind, Adriel said, “Do not ask me if I glitter outside. I do not.”
