the Vampire and the Assassin

Chapter 26

Something inside me stirs, and I feel my fingertips chill. This new feeling has me in knots; I literally feel as if my insides are closing in. I can't breathe, and it doesn't help that I can feel Ian's eyes on me, taking everything in. I'm trying my best not to let on that anything is wrong, so I look at the grass beneath my feet. Drew is on my right, and Ian is on my left. As we walk together to the apartments across the street from the school, I feel the burn in my fingertips when we make it out of the gym. Vampires are all around, eyeing my every move. The feeling of being watched so closely has me tense. I need to escape this feeling without alarming anyone; I know it only takes one wrong move for them to throw me back in the cage. I instantly lift my left hand towards Ian, but the hurt he has caused me wins, so I reach for Drew instead.

"It's going to be okay." Drew's voice is a whisper, and it calms my nerves as he squeezes my hand.

I look to my left. Ian eyes our united hands. Watcher Guard is one of the vampires looking at me, and he also focuses on my handholding before looking to Ian then back at me to wink. He seems to get a kick out of my situation, and I briefly think he knows something I don't.

"We're here," Drew says as I let his hand go.

I hear Ian let out a breath. I turn to him. His eyes are on my hand Drew held, and I feel the tiniest tingle from the bite scar he had given me, causing me to jerk a little from the feeling. He smiles as if he knows he's the reason I'm jumping. "I'm just cold," I say not wanting him to think that he had anything to do with it, even if it is a lie.

He leans forward and quietly says, "I'll play along." His breath tickles my ear before he pulls away. "Let me show you to your room." I nod, unable to say anything as my heart quickens.

The building itself is old and looks like it was built in the early 1900s, but recently remodeled. This is evident in the hallway as we walk around a ladder someone hasn't put up. There's a paint can in the corner with various tools of the trade.

"It should be all cleaned up tomorrow," Ian says as we continue down the hallway.

"Your apartment is the best," Drew says like he's trying to sell me on the place; he doesn't have to as I really don't have a say.

I blindly follow, not really listening to the conversation around me. We get off the elevator and I'm standing in front of a door. It's a cool gray that goes nicely with the soft shade of the walls. The vampires have taste, I'll give them that. I notice there's only one other door on this floor beside mine, and I instantly know I was put on the top floor for a reason— to be watched. Ian pulls out the keys, opening the door for me. I'm shocked. The leather furniture, art on the wall, and stainless-steel appliances are a drastic change from my cage.

"I told you it wasn't all bad," I hear Drew say. I turn back to him when I hear an alarm come from his wrist. "I'll be back. It's my turn to donate." He says it as though it's no big deal, and maybe it's not to them anymore because they've been doing it for a while now. "I'll come back as soon as I'm done." He quickly hugs me before leaving.

I watch as he disappears out the door before turning back to my new home.

"I want to show you something," Ian says, walking out my door. I follow him down the hallway opposite the elevator, and we stop in front of another door. I didn't notice this door before and there's no lock for a key. He pulls out a card and swipes it in front of a black panel above the doorknob. We walk into a really huge room with a hardwood floor just like my new apartment, but as I look around, I notice the weapons we had trained with before piled in the corner of the room. I feel his presence behind me. His hands glide up my arms, and I can't help myself, a sound much like a moan escapes my lips. He turns me around; he's on his knees in front of me. The scar on my wrist burns in a way that makes me ache for him. His eyes close as my fingers find their way through his wavy hair. He picks me up, and as I wrap my legs around his waist, his lips find their way to my collar bone. I feel the coolness of the wall against my back as the first scrape of his fang slowly breaks my skin. His lips suck, pulling my blood, and the feeling has me dangerously close to giving in, but I can't. It's different now. He hurt me. I push against his chest, and he gently lets me down before I run back like the coward I am to the safety of my apartment.