The weeks that followed were the happiest of my life. Every night, I spent with Jake, getting to know him, laughing, experiencing love for the first time in my existence. Jake took me to places that I had never known about, human things that I had missed, hadn't cared about, but now found interesting. I showed him snippets of my world, running him to places it would have taken a human hours to reach, spectacular views, incredible cliffs, lakes so cold and clear, they could have been made of diamond. We asked each other thousands of questions about our lives, different as they were. I found out about Jake, and he found out about me. While I was with Jake, everything seemed right.
"Ashleigh," he said. We were sitting on the rooftop of his apartment building, staring out at the darkened city below.
"Yes?" I asked cautiously.
Jake shifted uncomfortably. "Well, I can't help but feel like all this is going to come to an end. I mean, you're a vampire. The Queen of Vampires. And I'm just..." he gestured towards himself, then continued. "I mean, it's not like we can ever have a normal relationship. Not while I'm still human. And," his voice lowered, "I don't want it to end. I want to be with you... forever."
I sat back, stunned. Jake's scent was burning my throat, but I didn't care. The implications of what he had said, of that single word... forever. And - "I mean, it's not like we can have a normal relationship. Not while I'm still human." Still human.
Jake wanted to be a vampire.
"No!" I gasped. Jake looked crestfallen. I rushed to explain. "You can't. I have no objection to being with you, but what you are asking... You don't understand, how we live. It's a never-ending cycle of blood and death. How would you feel about hunting what you once were?" Jake was silent. "Exactly."
I made myself calm down. "Let's not speak of this anymore." Jake nodded, then did something unexpected. Putting his arms around me, he embraced me as if I wasn't able to kill him in half a second, as if we were just two normal humans. I enjoyed it for a second, but then the wind blew his scent towards me.
It was too strong.
I ran, darting away before I could do him any harm. Noticing the sun was coming up, I called to Jake, "I have to go!" and dashed back home.
More than anything, I wished I could become human for Jake, so that we could have a normal relationship, instead of this secret, dangerous love. Without him, I felt empty, cold, truly made of stone for the first time since I had become a vampire. I realised that being with Jake made me feel happy. It made me feel alive.
And since I wasn't sure what to do next, I knew just the person - or rather, just the enemy - who could help me.
It was time to hunt down a wolf.