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Panicked, filled to the brim with despair & terrified to the bone I ran around the seemingly abandoned vampire cave at Hudson's Bluff, the echoes of my frantic footsteps paired with my dreadful cries for help wandering back & forth between the high jagged walls of the cliff. Cries carrying a certain name that I screamed into the cold air over & over again, hoping for a response in any shape or form:
" Dwayne! "
Nothing. Nothing & no one would answer me. Yet that most certainly did not stop me from trying again.
" Dwayne! Please answer me! Are you there?? Please...", I felt a chocked sob crawl up my throat whenever my lips formed his name, " I'm scared...
So scared... "
The silence surrounding me remained direful, uncaring, causing my heart to drop even deeper. Where was he, & why had he left in the first place? Had he already found out about what happened between David & me & as a result had chosen to abandon me? If such was the case, I could not blame him even in the slightest. This was betrayal in it's cruelest, most malicious form. What I had done to him... What I had done with David; my very own reasons for committing to such a horrendous act eluding me entirely. Why would I deliberately hurt the one soul that meant the absolute world to me & I loved on a level so deeply, sincerely, that it made me question the validity of any other affection I'd ever felt towards someone else in the past? Just what incomprehensible kind of force had taken hold of me & numbed my sense of morality, had driven me to commit the perhaps worst of crimes regarding love & trust between two people?
Moreover, why did I remember so very little about something about an event no older than a few hours at best, perhaps less? Why required my brain so much time to recollect the memories, & why did I suddenly feel so... estranged from the world around me?
" ...Dwayne... Answer me. I'm begging you... answer me...", I whispered as I continued my clearly futile search, arms tightly wrapped around my own frame. My thin summer dress barely managed to keep me warm as it was still wet & covered in blood from the incident with Dwayne & the dead crows in the ocean.
" I never meant to do this... I never would have done this... You know me... You know I love you! "
...or did he?
With a new surge of tears distorting my vision I eyed the bite marks on my wrist, a subtle tremor residing in my lips. Those had to be David's doing, I was sure of it. Not a single memory concerning the possibility of his fangs piercing my flesh would bless me with its presence yet, but something told me that sooner rather than later, I'd find the answers I craved. Right now, in this very moment, I only cared about one answer anyway.
" Where are you, Dwayne..? "
The tip of my index finger brushed across the purple-blue marks below my palm, sending an unpleasant tingle down my arm. I had almost forgotten about the significance of this mark right here, the dreadful meaning behind it. What it meant for me & my life; all the changes that would inevitably follow as a consequence. If all the stories about vampires spoke the truth... I too would be a vampire soon.
My breathing quickened at the realization, my head started spinning. " Goddammit... where are you... "
And then it dawned on me: the bridge. The mind link; the mental connection I shared with my beloved vampire ever since that fateful day he drew the blood from my veins, in the sanctities of my own home. The link that kept us together, even when we were physically apart. There had to be a way to activate it & find out about his whereabouts. There HAD to be...
I pressed my eyes shut, ears covered by my open palms to muffle the sounds from the world & erase any possible distractions. Trembling lips would repeatedly form his name as I breathed it into the cave, without a true voice to carry it; merely the voice inside my head mattered. Clueless as I was, trying was the best & only thing I could do in my current situation. Except for that one incident at my house Dwayne had always been the one to establish the mind link without me being aware of it, so how to build a connection by myself was a complete mystery to me still, but what other choice did I have?
{Dwayne..? Dwayne! Can you hear me?? If you are there...If you can hear my voice... please, respond to me! I need to speak with you! I need to see you... }
I repeated these words at least six times, word for word, the only difference being a subtle tone of desperation that grew more prominent with each repetition. But no amount of despair would bring me any results, my inner voice cracking upon the seventh try before I could even finish my call for help; I broke down almost immediately, frustration & fear devouring my delicate hopes piece by piece. The gut-wrenching realization soon settled in, slaying all denial: I was alone. Completely by myself. None of the vampires were here. Not Paul, not Marko. Not David, & not Dwayne. It was just me. my numerous feelings of utter shame & guilt, & these telling bite marks in my flesh.
Sorrow as my only tangible companion beside me, I dropped back onto the canopy bed with a heavy sigh, the tears falling like rain. Trembling fingers grabbed the large satin blanket & pulled it around my cold body, wrapping it tightly to cover any visible patch of skin. Now that the last fire had faced its inevitable end it was almost freezing inside the cave, the icy clutches of ocean gusts squeezing their way through the cracks in the cliff to inform me once again that winter was coming soon.
I slid away from the edge of bed towards the center to seek shelter from the drafts behind the drapes, collecting another, much thicker blanket in the process. As I slowly transformed into a cocoon made of blankets I felt something hard under my right thigh, poking through several layers of sheets. My fingers reached for what I immediately recognized to be my phone, the relief that washed over me so welcomed in this very moment that I wouldn't even question how & why it was here in the first place. At least I had the opportunity to find out what time it was, how long I had been here in total, & perhaps even ask someone to come pick me up. Though the amount of available people was rather slim; the only phone numbers that came into consideration being that of my boss Mr. Hiller & Michael, who - for all I knew - was still in a strange kind of coma. Not to mention I had promised his younger brother Sam to come back the very same evening, which was most likely hours ago at this point. Yet another broken promise...
New tears blurred my vision & quickly annihilated them with the back of my hand, flinching as my demolished wrist screeched in pain. The screen of my phone came to live with a single tap, revealing three numbers that caused my heart to drop:
7:23am
So I had been here all night after all...
I drew a shaking breath, fingertips dancing across the screen as though in search for solutions. It wouldn't take long until the battery symbol in the upper right corner started blinking, turning from a reassuring green to an alarming crimson red after less than minute & urging me to settle for a fast yet efficient decision making. Should I call the Emerson's & kindly ask them - obviously under false pretenses - to pick me up somewhere in the nearby area? Would that truly be wise, given how nosy Sam tended to be, now more than ever that he knew about my connection with the Boardwalk gang him & his brother so despised? Not to mention their mom Lucy, who had almost lost her son, denied any explanation as to what happened to him & helpless as a parent could possibly be in such a devastating situation. She probably hadn't slept all night long, was still sitting by his bedside & sending prayer after prayer toward the sky, waiting for him to open his eyes at last...
No. She already had more than enough things to worry about.
Sighing once more, this time in defeat, I let my phone slide through my fingers to drop onto the bed. There was no way I would bother them with my problems as well, as much as I knew they wouldn't hesitate for a second to come to my aid. Besides... the further they stayed away from this godforsaken vampire cave, the better. Daylight or not; they'd inevitably leave a trail behind, & whatever other bloodsucking creatures roamed this area at night seemed to have far more vicious motives than simply draining a few drops of blood.
They are still out there... I wonder if they know that I'm here right now... By myself...
" They know. "
It hardly mattered how familiar that voice was to me; its unexpected, sudden appearance in this otherwise dead silent environment caused so much adrenaline to shoot through my veins that I jumped off the bed, tripping & halfway falling since I was still in the tight embrace of several blankets. Startled I looked up & let my widened eyes wander all around the cave, pausing right above the water fountain where a flock of pigeons would descend & gather around a dark silhouette that drew towards me from the direction of the entrance. A wave of relief washed over me, drowning the previous shock.
" Marko! "
Softly curled strands of blonde hair cloaked his pale blue eyes as he gazed at me from a distance, his fingers running through the plumage of one particularly brave pigeon that had taken a seat on his shoulder. Peaceful coos flew across the room & I sacrificed a faint smile, pulling myself back up onto the bed. " Where have you been?? Where are the others? "
" I can't tell you, Lily. "
" What..? Why can't you tell me? I don't understand--"
" I don't expect you to, " he replied, the pigeon on his shoulder taking off when he suddenly snapped his fingers, " and I don't blame you for that either. "
" So...you know where they are & that I'm literally dying to know, but you choose to keep it from me? "
" It is not that simple, believe me... But to avoid any more confusion: yes, that's what I'm doing. And I want you to know that I'm really sorry that it has to be this way. "
I felt an expression of utter bewilderment crawl its way up my face, my eyebrows bending under the weight of a hundred questions, if not more.
" What is that supposed to mean?? It doesn't have to be this way, Marko. Not if you choose to tell me! "
" Right now there is no time for stories, Lily," he announced as the young vampire circled the water fountain to head straight towards me, an unsettling haste to his steps.
" We have to get you back home as soon as the sun sets. "
" Home?? No. Forget it, Marko... I'm not going home or anywhere else for that matter before I haven't spoken to Dwayne ~ "
" Lily, I can't-- "
" ~ or at the very least received some answers to my questions! "
" Quit being unreasonable, alright? There's a reason why I can't explain what's going on, but I promise you that in due time, you will understand. Not now though... It's just not possible... "
Bristling with mild but gradually growing anger I got off the bed, wriggling my way out of the cocoon of blankets & sheets without averting my eyes from his fairly annoyed, juvenile face.
" What's unreasonable is expecting me to run back home & leaving me in the dark after everything that happened, notwithstanding that I remember nearly none of it... which is not only abnormal but also beyond terrifying, Marko! Something went horribly wrong earlier, something that I couldn't describe even if I wanted to... Something... happened to me... and... and whatever it is or was... it made me do something that I never should have done...
That I never would have done... Ever... "
Fighting tears of regret without spotting any chances of victory on the horizon I stared at the bruised marks on my wrist, trying so hard to suppress a sob that my throat grew tight & sore.
" ... not even with a gun pointed at my head... "
" Not something happened to you, Lily. But someone. "
From the corner of my eye I saw him draw towards me, slowly but surely, the active mind link between us telling him more than enough about my current mental state.
" ... you know? "
Before I could even guess his next move Marko had already grabbed my wrist in order to get a better look, his overall attitude regarding all this oddly nonchalant.
" This is David's doing. "
I felt my breath get stuck in my throat.
" Why do you know about this, Marko?? "
" I figured Dwayne already told you that we're all mentally connected..."
" He... he did. "
" Then you probably shouldn't be this surprised. All of us know what happened between you & David. We know everything & more ~ "
Meanwhile my heart had grown so heavy, every single beat it emitted sent waves of crippling regret & self-loathing throughout my weakened body.
There it was, at last. The clarity, the realization. Unforgiving & tangible like a knife to the stomach, twisting & turning around my innards until the pain became nearly unbearable.
He knew...
They all knew.
" How... how is Dwayne doing..? "
New tears flooded my eyes, transforming the world that surrounded me into a dimly lit, grey blur. " Is he... Does he... Is he... "
" I can not tell you any more, Lily. I'm asking you here & now to accept, to understand. "
" ...please, " I squeezed through my in despair gritted teeth, struggling to swallow yet another sob before my voice could fade out entirely, " ...I need to know how he's doing, Marko... If you can't tell me anything else, at least tell me that... I need to know if he's okay. I... I need to know... if he ha---"
" He does not hate you, Lily... And no matter what you do & how much pain you cause him, be it now or in the damn future, he will never choose to hate you. "
His hand grew loose around my bruised wrist, thumb brushing across the back of my hand in the most comforting manner. Unfortunately, comforting me - given the current circumstances - was an exercise in futility more than anything.
" Are-- are you sure..? How can he not despise me...after what I've done to him?? After betraying his trust... & breaking my promise. Our promise... ", rivulets of warm salty water streamed down my cheeks until my skin turned red & my voice grew sore, " I destroyed what I wanted to last for a lifetime...
I'm... so despicable. "
" That's enough, precious! You really need to knock it off. You barely remember what happened, are well aware that someone else was pulling the strings here, yet you go on a little walk down pity lane! This is SO not like you & you know it ~ "
He attempted to pull me into his arms, but I refused to budge a single inch. Everything he said was undeniably true & deep down inside I even found the strength to acknowledge that, however my feelings of remorse were far greater & continued to grow, silencing all possible reason. My soul was in so much pain that I failed to believe it could ever fully recover from a blow as devastating as this, let alone take Marko's words of reassurance regarding Dwayne to the heart. It seemed like a part of me craved to be miserable; to wallow in this guilt & lick my severely bleeding, self-inflicted wound.
" You don't know me, Marko! None of you does! You're all strangers to me!
And as it turns out, I'm a stranger to myself too... "
The only reason I finally managed to break free from the young vampires grasp was the fact that he, completely by choice, let go of my hand the very same moment these words slipped past my lips. I watched his pupils dilate for a split second, a visible shudder chasing across his features as we locked eyes & I, just now realising the magnitude of my own words, broke the silence with a gentle gasp.
" I'm sorry, Marko... I didn't mean to..."
His gaze dropped, as did his voice.
" Yet I consider you family... And you bet your sweet Norwegian ass, I'd do anything to keep you safe & that precious smile of yours under your nose, where it belongs ~ "
I rammed my front teeth deep into the flesh of my bottom lip to not explode with tears.
" ...you guys are my family. You always will be. "
One final, desperate attempt to keep myself under control before I unapologetically fell apart right before his very eyes, two steps forward & straight into his arms where - much to my own surprise - a wave of utter relief washed over me.
" I can't lose him, Marko... I can't lose Dwayne...", I whimpered against his shoulder, my whole body tense from the violent, draining sobbing, " I don't want to lose him... Not him. "
One arm slithered around my waist & dragged me closer while the other slid up my back, ungloved fingertips reassuringly wandering through my hair.
" You are not going to lose him, Lily... One way or another, he will always be with you.
You mean more than just the world to him. You are his world.
Don't you ever doubt that, alright?? "
Silence ensued, & I granted it permission to engulf me. To drown in it & let it consume me. My thoughts, the usually loud & relentlessly talking voice in the back of my head, drifted away like clouds in the dark sky that was my mind. Marko's words were like an ointment to the wound in my soul, the embrace he blessed me with like a glue to keep the broken pieces in place for the time being.
He was in the right, without an ounce of doubt. I had to snap out of it & give up on my role as the desperate 'damsel in distress'. Neither entire rivers of tears nor any amount of self-pity would guide me out of this mess, let alone fix the damage my actions had resulted in. I had to remain strong, now more than ever. Dwayne, if he were here with me, most definitely would've told me the same...
" What... am I supposed to do now? What is the plan? If there is any at all... "
" First of all, we've got to get you home. You can't stay here for much longer... Not anymore. "
Slowly but surely, I removed myself from the vampire's embrace.
" I don't understand... I thought you guys brought me here to keep me safe. David said since they are now aware of where I live, staying at my place would be too much of a risk... "
I watched as Marko drew back a few inches, his chest rising before quite the heavy sigh fell from his lips & the only recently reassuring expression on his face was replaced by a far more serious, almost defeated one.
" That was the case... Then. Things are different now. "
" Different how? "
Bright blue eyes drifted away from mine, down my arm until they settled on my wrist. " ... you have become David's mate. "
Although I had understood every single word, all they bestowed upon me was bewilderment. That, & a lingering little parasite in the corner of my consciousness called denial.
" ...I'm sorry...What? "
" That mark on your wrist... It proves it. You belong to him now. You two bonded... "
I could tell by the long pauses he made that telling me all this unsettled him as well, the subtle tremor in his voice only underlining that assumption.
" Now that your blood is running through his veins & you are his, you can no longer be harmed... Neither hunted down, nor pursued by any other vampire... Those ferals can no longer go after you. That is the law. "
My throat went dry in an instant, forcing a coughing fit out of my body that brought more tears to my already moist eyes. A hand shot up, bringing my wrist up to my face where I continued to stare at the bite marks in disbelief, as though looking at them would somehow cause them to eventually vanish.
" That... No. No. No, no,no.... That's not possible. That can not count! Dwayne has been drinking my blood long before David did, so if anything HE is the one who should be my mate... We've been together from the very beginning & far longer too... H--he is the one I bonded with!
Ri--right?? "
The following silence was maddening, the lack of response from Marko fueling the terror that had taken hold of me ever since the word 'mate' had crossed his lips; a sudden feeling of nausea hit me full force much like an avalanche & I had to turn away from him as my stomach flipped upside down, threatening to weaken my body even more. I covered my mouth with a shaking hand, widened eyes drilling into the very ground beneath my feet.
" Right?! "
The sigh Marko emitted rang heavy in my ears, much to my dismay.
" I fear not, Lily... Dwayne never actually bit you... And that is a crucial, if not THE one crucial requirement. It matters not for how long you've been with Dwayne or any other vampire before that... The one who gifts you with a bite will inevitably become your mate. Provided you... "
" Provided...what?? "
By now glassy, gradually with tears filling eyes continued to glare at the floor, disgust & shame accompanying me in my relentless self-loathing.
" ... provided you let him. "
" I told you, Marko... I did NOT let him do that to me! None of it! The kiss, the intimacy... The sex. The bite... I did not agree to any of this! I would remember consenting to doing all that, but I hardly remember a single damn thing that happened between us! And the very few things I do remember... feel like a dream... He--- ", I wrapped my arms around myself, multiple shivers chasing down my spine as I finally grew more & more aware of what I had done.
" ---he lied to me. He fooled me. He manipulated me... And he manipulated you! All of you! "
" I... We were just as unaware of things as you, " he replied with a fragile voice.
" We knew nothing about his crooked past, his plans, let alone the fact that he's a shape-shifter... "
" I thought you are like brothers! That you're always connected & able to read each others minds! How could you, in all these damn years, not catch at least a glimpse of his true, malignant nature?? How could you not notice his absence for two full years while he was in Norway, MY home country, pretending to be someone he murdered in cold blood only to get close to me & earn my trust?! "
Cerulean eyes went wide as I spoke, utter ignorance clawing at his pale face.
" What are you talking about..? "
" He... David... He IS Kjetil! He is the man I've been with... The man I've been in love with for three years, before I moved here! David & Kjetil... They are one & the same person, Marko! "
It took me a moment to realize that the young vampire shook his head in response to my words, that's how subtle the movement was. " That can not be... "
" He told me..." I whispered with a trembling jaw, the knot in the pit of my stomach hardening drastically & soon sending a sharp pain through my system with every heartbeat, " David himself told me. He confessed it all... He told me everything. Made me remember. Brought me all the way back into the past... MY past ~ "
" That's impossible, Lily!", Marko suddenly exclaimed, causing me to flinch; his voice heavily dripping with agitation. But I couldn't possibly blame him... In his position, I too would be in absolute denial.
" David has never left Santa Carla! Not once in over a decade... He's been here the whole time! "
" ...you are not seriously defending him now, are you?? "
" Please what?! "
The half's brows narrowed gradually in what I assumed was anger.
" Look, I get it... All of this is hard for you to hear & even harder to comprehend... You have been friends with David for God knows how many decades, if not longer! He's been your leader & you his loyal comrade. He's never given you any reason to lose your trust in him... & that's alright... I understand your denial & apprehension. I really do!
But now you have seen officially what he is capable of! You have seen how devoted he is to taking control of you all. Of ME! Y--you were there when he admitted his obsession... His--his absolutely deranged agenda...You have seen his madness with your very own eyes, Marko! Why on earth would you cover for him all of a sudden?? "
" Because what you're saying... your claims... I'm sorry, but they do not add up, Lily! There is no way David is or was your past flame from Norway. None! He's been here for years & years, with us, never leaving for more than a day at a time. If at all... ", meanwhile he had parted from his spot in front of the bed to nervously pace around the cave, the tip of his right thumb resting on his bottom lip where his front teeth would occasionally dig into the flesh as though the answers to his questions were somewhere hidden under his nails. " ... I'm not covering for him, even though it may look that way to you. I promise... I'm simply telling you the truth. "
I had no choice but to drop back onto the bed, with knees soft as butter & a burning pain inside my lower abdomen that left me breathless & admittedly a bit terrified. For some reason negative emotions such as fear & dread seemed to intensify the sensation; two emotions currently outplaying every other that I was capable of feeling.
" I don't know what to tell you... All I know is what David told me... & what I saw, heard & felt in his presence.
When he transformed into Kjetil right in front of my eyes... Telling me things, stories... that only Kjetil knows. "
" There has to be a different explanation for that, precious... Easy as that. But your version of the story--- "
" What does that mean, 'my version of the story'?? ", I snapped at him, my venomous glare striking him from across the room.
" Do you think I'm telling you all this because it's a fancy story?! "
" You know exactly what I mean, Lily... I just told you--"
" ...you are so blinded, Marko", I said without giving him a chance to finish his sentence, " blinded by your misplaced admiration & that crooked image of David that you built inside your head throughout the decades by his side...
You idealized him with every fiber of your being & you idealize him still, & the thought of that perfect image crumbling away scares you so much, you would rather turn a blind eye to what is happening right here, right now, than face the cold harsh truth...
The truth that he is not who you think he is... & never was. "
I paused briefly for the sake of taming my own anger & drew a deep breath, fighting my own demons & that merciless wave named disappointment as it swept over me; a low guttural growl stirred the air, unmistakably coming from the young half beside me, but this time it would not scare me even in the slightest.
" You have to wake up & start seeing for yourself, Marko. If you don't, eventually... David will corrupt you too. "
" ...enough, Lily. "
" You are right... It IS enough. "
Boldly deciding to make these my final words regarding the subject I turned my back on Marko, grabbing my phone & tossing it back into my purse, not deigning to look at him for even another second. In my eyes, he had already chosen his side. And it was not mine.
" I'm leaving... Just as you suggested. "
" Wait, Lily! You can't go right now while the sun is up! Not after receiving the mark ~ "
" Yeah? Is that so? Watch me do it anyway, I dare you. " I walked past him mid-talking, determined steps echoing throughout the cave as my feet carried me past the abandoned water fountain adorned with a flock of pigeons, following the draft that entered the sunken hotel from the ocean side.
Behind me I heard Marko's boots disturb the partially graveled ground as he went after me without so much as a second thought, his hasty footsteps drowning out mine mere blinks before his fingers closed around my wrist in an attempt to bring me to a halt.
" Lily, STOP! Have you forgotten what that mark means?? From now on things won't be the same for you, especially not in broad daylight. You can't just waltz out there & be so carefree any more! The sun is no longer your friend! "
I stopped in my tracks, almost tripping upon reaching the narrow slope that would lead me out of the cave & up the side of the cliff. A disheartened frown claimed my features as I spun around to face him with tears in my eyes, aching to be cried.
" That's fine with me. The sun has never truly been my friend anyway.
And apparently neither have you... "
" Lily...", he looked at me like I had just pushed a knife between his ribs. And in a sense, that was exactly what I had done.
Although as it turned out, not just between his ribs.
That blade had cut my own flesh as well...
" Let me go, Marko. I can & will face David on my own. "
" You have no idea what's waiting for you... You just turned. Your body needs time to adjust first, or else you will literally fall apart out there! I'm begging you, Lily... STAY! "
But I had already yanked my hand from his iron grip & turned the opposite way, a heaviness in my heart that was impossible to ignore; his bright blue eyes had undeniably darkened at my words, words that were still ringing in my own mind now that deafening silence reigned the place. For a moment I felt tempted to stop & go back, felt the overwhelming urge to tell him that I was just as much in pain as he was because of all this, but something held me back, & it held me vehemently; whether it was my unshakeable pride or the gnawing realization that Marko - someone I did not only consider a brother but even a soul mate - had chosen to fully stand behind my at this point greatest enemy & all of his awful actions.
" Thank you for pretending..."
With that I ran off, past the marble-white rocks that protruded from the dark shallow water, straight into the beam of light at the very top of the slope.
I'm not a vampire.
I did not know why the fear of stepping into the sun & along with that into my possible demise still continued to elude me, even when I was merely five steps away from the exit where a carpet of liquid gold & blinding light would greet me, accompanied by an unusually warm breeze that caressed my face. It felt so welcoming, so dulcet & gentle, in what universe could this be deadly to me?
I'm not a vampire.
The sun & day can not hurt me.
" Lily! DON'T!! " Marko's voice went off in the distance like a siren, the echo chasing after me until I reached the exit & stepped into the sunlight, the golden rays blazing yet comforting as they embraced me like a pair of open arms. I sighed in relief as the warmth rolled across my skin like a wave, the previous cold that had taken over me fleeing my body through my pores & making room for new energy; the energy I had clearly lost in the past hours.
" I guess we are friends after all... Kinda. "
A smile spread on my lips as I opened my eyes & looked up into a deep-blue sky, stretching from one corner of the horizon to the other, with only a few soft clouds drifting towards the land. I was so distracted by the peaceful scenery that I would not notice the silhouette of Marko as he crept up behind me, remaining in the sheltering shade of the cave despite his leather jacket covering every single inch of his skin & his eyes hiding behind thick sunglasses. Only later I caught him in my peripheral vision & turned to face him, instantly capturing his thoroughly bewildered expression, accentuated by his jaw steadily dropping until his mouth was agape.
Something about all this obviously threw him off. Perhaps the fact that he had been wrong in his assumptions & had worried for nothing, as evidenced by me still being perfectly fine out here in the sunlight?
" Contrary to your claims, Marko... I feel quite alright. "
But my rather smug remark was given the cold shoulder; all Marko seemed to care about was my wrist since that was what his eyes were currently glued to.
" So it's true...
David has been right all along. "
" ...what are you talking about? "
" None of us was willing to believe him... But he knew you were special ,while we could only assume... "
" Marko, why do yo--", but I wouldn't get the chance to finish my question, a sudden blazing pain in my wrist destroying my precious moment of peace. I raised my hand once the first wave had subsided to find out what was going on, but what I saw only filled my head with more questions. Where just a few minutes ago blue & purple bruises had graced my bite marks there was now a strange white haze, hovering mere inches above my prickling skin, & underneath I thought I spotted what looked like a water-like substance, oozing from the tiny holes where the vampire's fangs had pierced the flesh. Though unlike water the liquid was not transparent, but instead a soft shade of grey.
" What...what is this?? What is happening?! "
" That... is why those vampires are after you. "
I looked at Marko who appeared nothing short of awestruck by what he witnessed, his voice clad in both relief & genuine fright. " That is what they want... What David wants... "
" What, Marko? WHAT?? "
" You can not become a vampire... because you are the cure, Lily. "
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