Chapter 18
My heartbeat went wild in my chest as the immense pleasure I had just been floating in was ripped away. My hands reached out as I tried weakly to get it back. But it was gone now, I could tell. I licked my lips, opening my eyes.
I was in my room, and a dip in my bed next to me told me I wasn't alone. My eyes flicked to the side, and I saw Peter staring at me, relief slightly visible among his features.
That small, tucked away part of me that desperately craved his attention was lying in the open now, bare and visible in my eyes. There was no shutting it out this time; it had settled into my heart, tainting my soul with its bitter sweetness.
"Peter." I rasped. My mouth was unusually dry, and right now his name was the only thing I could utter.
The corner of his mouth quirked up in the beginning of a smile, and I found my cheeks burning. Since when did I blush when Peter smiled?
While there was a new addition to the list of things I absolutely adored, something was also missing. It made me feel light, yet I knew something was terribly wrong. Like a heavy burden that had been weighing down on my existence was lifted, but at the cost of something horrifying. I just needed to figure out what.
I shrugged off the feeling, trying to remember how I had gotten to my room. The last thing I remembered was being at school, Carl approaching me, and then nothing. Had I gotten sick? I turned my head, and a wave of pain struck my nerves. I cried out, reaching for my neck as it throbbed.
Peter grabbed my hand, his eyes emotionless as he prevented me from touching it. Eventually the pain faded.
"Jeez." I muttered. "I must've slept wrong." I said, rubbing my neck. Peter frowned at me, shaking his head.
"You don't remember do you?" He asked, confusion laced in his words. I frowned back at him, giving him an odd look that said 'explain please'.
Peter stood, his fingers running through his hair. I thought I saw a flash of guilt, but when he looked at me again, it was gone.
"You got mixed up in some stuff with an ex-business partner." He sucked in a breath, and I wondered if this was the first time I had seen him nervous. Peter was never disheveled; it wasn't in his nature, how else would he look and act like a Greek god?
"You died Athena."
Those three words, it was like a blow to the gut. My body didn't allow me to move, not that I would have said anything anyways. I was stuck in this grey area. It was small and almost non-existent, the grey between the black and white, between the 'I believe you' and the 'stop joking around'.
I just sat there, my eyes trapped in his, trying so hard to just think. Peter suddenly moved, wrapping an arm around me and lifting me off of the bed. Once I was on my feet he led me to the mirror, and that's when I stepped into the white. When the grey disappeared forever and the black faded away.
My eyes.
My unearthly and inhumanly beautiful eyes.
Not only were they supernaturally alluring, but they were golden.
Gold.
I opened my mouth, my eyes trailing down the rest of my body.
There was something different about it as well. Maybe something not physical, but there was a grace in the way I stood, a certain power hanging in the air around me. I was completely and utterly terrified of myself... and also strangely pleased.
I turned around, not capable of staring at myself any longer.
"How?" I asked, still not sure how I felt about the whole situation.
Peter was staring at me, his silver eyes flickering to meet my now golden ones.
"That...vampire, broke your neck." Was all he said, and though I could smell the lie radiating off of him like an actual stench, I found it impossible to be mad at him.
I processed the situation, averting my eyes and realizing just how fucked I really was.
I was going to live forever, an eternity of life. I was going to watch the people I so dearly loved, die, and all without my own consent. I was going to still look eighteen when my sister turned thirty. I was going to have to leave forever before anyone noticed. Forever a wanderer, never lingering anywhere too long.
I didn't realize I was crying until Peter's thumb came across my face, wiping away a tear that had escaped from my eyes. His touch was warm, comforting, and right now, that was all I needed. I pulled him into a hug, burying my face into his chest. He hesitated before wrapping his strong arms around me as well, his chin resting on my head.
All my worries sort of faded into the background, and it was only when Peter pulled away, did I realize it was time to stop hiding from my problems, and face them.
My senses tingled; like that feeling when your foot is waking up after the blood-flow had been cut off.
Blood.
Was I thirsty for blood?
I twisted out of Peter's grip, my eyesight having sharpened, each color in the room enhanced to a level that I found difficult to explain. Something downstairs clattered; something that would be impossible to hear if I were human. The metallic stench of blood wafted through the room, filling my nose. I remembered that dream I had been in only moment before, the ocean of red.
My mouth ached as something poked into my lips, and I looked up to Peter with a silent plea. His eyes gave away nothing, but his mouth pulled up in one corner.
"You're thirsty." He said, his silver eyes flashing amusement.
My cheeks flushed once again and I averted my eyes. There was a gust of wind and the smell grew stronger. I looked up to see Peter, holding a water bottle full of red liquid. Saliva built in my mouth as I snatched it away, ripping off the cap and bringing it to my lips.
My eyes fluttered shut as I drank, its thick contents sliding smoothly down my throat, settling into my stomach as if it belonged there. Soon the bottle was empty, and I pulled away craving more.
"Athena, we have to talk—."
"I need more." I croaked, crushing the bottle and dropping it. Peter blinked at me, shaking his head.
"I'll get you more tonight, right now; you need to learn to control it." He said, picking up the bottle. A twinge of disappointment stung my chest as my mouth stopped aching, his words echoing in my head. "We're going to my house to talk." He said, quieter this time.
He stood abruptly, grabbing my arm and leading me to my window.
"Why can't we talk here?" I argued, pulling back. He was strong, and he didn't even budge.
"Because your parents are home, and they think you're in Greenland." He retorted, opening my window with one hand. My ears burned, and guilt washed through me. So he knew I was going to run away... But I had never actually gone to Greenland, had I? "Plus, I don't want to have to explain to the cops why both your parents are dead completely drained of blood."
I nodded, no longer protesting and letting him push me out of the window. I landed gracefully on my feet, and I realized I had no shoes on. Peter landed next to me, grabbing my hand as we walked along the road, away from the comforting sounds of the ocean. I looked back, at the wide expanse of sand, at the saltwater that lapped at the ground. The moon reflected off of the dark churning water, and I felt myself almost missing it. Almost.
I turned forward again, the city not that far ahead of us.
"Can you tell me about being a... vampire?" The word felt odd on my tongue, and it felt surreal to say it out loud. Peter glanced sideways at me.
"I can tell you that your rank is... interesting." His eyes were darting around, as if he were looking for someone.
"My rank?" I had brief memory of him mentioning vampire ranks in the past.
"Yeah, like the man who attacked you, he was a Shadow, the lowest rank. They have a hard time controlling themselves. I'm what most consider to be the second highest rank, but if you're looking at things technically, I'm the third highest." He explained as we stepped onto sidewalk. We turned right, street lamps above us flickering weakly.
"What's the highest rank?" I asked out of pure curiosity. Peter didn't look at me when he answered; he said it simply, as if it held no meaning at all.
"You are."
*~*
"I don't understand." I said, the night air brushing against my face. People stared at me as we walked past, the streets growing busier as we pressed further into the city.
"When a vampire turns a human, their rank is either their creators, or one rank below. The highest rank, one many new vampires consider a myth, is called Gold." He lowered his voice as we stepped into a crowd of people waiting to cross the street. "We haven't seen a Gold vampire in centuries, and their creation is completely random. I however have seen a Gold vampire before, though that's another story for another time."
"So my eyes—."
"They define you as a Gold Vampire, like my silver eyes define me as a Fantastic Vampire." He clarified for me as we crossed the street.
I was silent as we walked down the sidewalk, and instead of continuing on with the crowd, Peter pulled me into an alleyway.
"Shortcut." He said briefly, his eyes hard. Something in my gut told me this wasn't right. I nudged his side, and he looked down at me, nodding in understanding. He felt it too.
As if on cue, two men appeared on the other side as if from thin air. They were concealed in a shadow, but from the confidence they held, I could tell they weren't human. They started walking towards us, and my steps faltered. Peter squeezed my hand.
You're stronger than them, remember that.
I wanted to flinch at the sound of his voice in my head. It felt like an invasion, but that was the least of my worries right now. The men were growing closer, and I could feel the evil radiating off of both of them.
"Boss wants us to collect you." One of the men said, facing me. Peter stopped, stepping in front of me.
"Tell Artur if he wants her, he can talk to me."
The man who had spoken chuckled. The other man by his side hadn't moved, flinched, or looked away from me. He was like a statue, and it was honestly the most terrifying thing I'd seen in my life. There was no ounce of humanity, and I wondered how many people he had to kill to make that happen.
"Boss said to kill you." He replied, a flame erupting in his hand. I made a small choking noise, stumbling backwards. Peter tightened his grip, keeping me upright before letting go of me.
Suddenly Peter wasn't in front of me anymore, instead he had rushed forward, a blur of movement as he passed through the man and came behind him, his hands clasped around his head. There was the sickening sound of a snap before the man crumpled to the ground, his head bent at an awkward angle.
An arm wrapped around my side as the second man turned to fight with Peter, both of them landing crushing blows on each other, Peter passing through him, but never quick enough to surprise him. He blocked all of Peter's attacks with an eerie grace, and it reminded me briefly of a robot.
The arm squeezed, and a hand came around my mouth. I screamed into the palm, my hand grabbing ahold of the man's wrist. The grip on me loosened entirely, and the man Peter was fighting withered away to dust. I jumped forward, whirling around to see a pile of black dust.
My heart was beating faster than the pump of a butterfly's wing, and my breathing was sending black dots to my eyes. Had I done that? Had I just killed that man?
Peter was suddenly there in front of me, blocking my view. He grabbed ahold of my face, forcing me to look at him.
"Calm down." He said, his voice echoing in my head. His eyes were like two burning flames, and I stared into them, feeling my heartbeat slow down.
He pulled me into a hug, and I clung onto him, feeling that if I let go, I would fall off the surface of the world.
*~*
Sorry this chapter took sooo long to get out! I don't know what happened, but I had just stopped getting on Wattpad for a while. Then, when I finally started writing again, this chapter turned out to be suuper difficult to write. Anyways! Don't forget to vote if you liked it! Thanks for reading!