Breathing heavily, I push my hair behind my ears and wrap my arms around myself for comfort. The necklace my mother gave me always brings me more comfort but right now it's deeply buried underneath the hoodie. I move down the stone path back to the dormitory walking right next to the rose bushes. I stop to look at them for a few minutes and smell the faint scent they produce, sweet and slightly spicy.

 I reach out to touch them, slightly brushing my fingertips over the petals. With a sigh I pull back and start walking again. I hear the distant sound of music getting softer as I move farther away from the party.  Then suddenly I hear the loud sound of a twig snapping behind me and I spin around. My breath caught in my throat as I stared at the vampire before of me.

A gush of icy wind passes the both of us blowing his red hair in front of his face and making the sliver cross earrings he was wearing reflect towards me. His dark eyes scan me with confusion and uncertainty, almost like he was trying to figure something out. My entire body tenses up painfully, and I force myself to break eye contact as I look down at the stone pathway. Shit. I made direct eye contact with the royal prince, he's going to punish me.

The sound of his boots hitting the stone path terrifies me to my core as he approaches me. I try to move, try to run away but his title and my own fear forces me to stay put.

Breathing rapidly, I feel my chest move up and down with a sense of heaviness. I refuse to lift my head when he stops in front of me, All I could do is stare at his boots silence. As coldness radiates from his body while he towers over me.

"Why do you smell like that?" he asks, his voice showing a hint of confusion. A chill runs down my spine, thinking he could indeed smell my blood through the sleeve. I swallow, afraid to open my mouth and sabotage myself.

"Speak." he demands sounding angry.

"I...I don't know. I must've spilled a drink on myself." I stutter.

Silence.

He inhales deeply, the sound raspy and uneven. "No, the smell is directly coming from you."

He leans down, placing his face right next to the side of my head. The coldness of his breath against my ear sending shivers through me. He grabs the arm Kate dug her nails into and I start to panic unable to pull it back towards me and hide the scent.

He presses his nose against my arm and inhales deeply again. "You smell like you're mine. Like you belong to me." his word comes out slow, a slight hint of desperation in his voice. His grip weakens and I pull my arm out of his grasp. I look up at him for a few seconds and forget how to breathe completely.

This man was gorgeous, majestic even. His eyes the prettiest dark I've ever seen complimenting his super pale skin and eyelashes so thick making it look like he was wearing eyeliner. Being able to see him this close, felt overwhelming. And yet beneath all this beauty, I get a quick glimpse of sadness lingering behind those intimidating eyes.

Something inside me wanted to reach out, to touch him and run my fingers through his thick, fluffy red hair. The more I stare the more everything around us disappears. 

But we're interrupted by the sound of Sera's voice calling out to me. I look into the direction of her voice terrified she'd see me alone with the prince after disappearing from the party. I look back to where the prince was standing, only to find him gone and nowhere to been seen.

I gasp out a sigh of relief, my knees buckling out from underneath me and my body trembles uncontrollably. He smelled me, everyone's going to know what I am now; he's going to tell them. I could feel myself start to panic, my heart so close to letting out a beat that I could almost feel the blood rushing to my chest.

"There you are. We were looking for you." Sera runs towards me and bends down.

"Nadeline?" she asked sounding worried and I looked up seeing Aster approach us.

"I want to go back to my room." I whisper, my voice cracking.

"Are you sure?" Sera asks resting her hand gently on the top of my head to soothe me.

"The night's still long and the party has just started." Aster says.

"Please. I just need to be alone." I beg and could feel myself wanting to start crying. I can't go back to the party in this state. 

Sera pulls me up from the ground and motions for Aster to go back to the party. I take a couple of deep breaths, forcing myself to stay calm.

"Is this about your sister? It looked like the two of you were arguing." Sera asks trying to figure out what was wrong. I look at her. Does this mean she and Aster saw me and Kate? 

"It's nothing. She was just surprised to see me." I manage to whisper.

Sera walks me back to the dormitory and at the entrance she asks me one more time. "Are you sure you'll you be okay and your own?"

I nod. "I just need to rest." I say and give her a fake soft smile, to reassure her.

"I'll see you tomorrow okay." she gives me a smile. "If the royals ask where you are I'll make sure to make up a good excuse." She yells, walking away.  I stand entrance with my arms still wrapped around myself as I wait for her to disappear out of sight.

I turn around and enter the dorms. The place was silent and cold, feeling even bigger now that I knew I was the only one here.  I walk into the girl's wing, pull out my room key with trembling hands out of my pocket and open the door. I switch on the light next to me and close the door. I thought I had things under control.

Warm tears run down my cheeks as I lean against the cold wall behind me. He probably went to go tell the king. Tomorrow they'll send someone to kill me, then they'll go after my mother. It's not even my first day yet, shit it's hasn't even been 24 hours since coming here and I still manage to screw things up in just a couple of hours. This is why my mother kept me hidden and locked away. She knew even before I did. She knew how stupid and reckless I am and so did Kate.

I think back to the prince's words. He said I smelled like I belong to him. Meaning I smell like a human and smell like his next meal. But why didn't he kill me if he knew? Why did he look so sad staring at me? Why do I get a feeling that I could trust him?

I look up at the window above the bed and watch the clouds move in the sky.  I zone out for a few minutes, the action of the clouds moving in harmony calming my thoughts. I need to pull myself together, sitting here worrying will only make things worse and I will start panicking even more. I force myself away from the wall and open the closet, pulling out a towel and nightwear. I open the door and peek down the dark and empty hall. The sound of my bedroom door closing behind me echoing loudly down the hall.

The bathroom should be somewhere in and down this hall. It makes naturally sense for it to be close the rooms. I look to the left and to the right, down the hallway searching for a door that could belong to the bathroom. Far in the distance I see a wide door located on the opposite side of the rooms. 

I make my way towards it, gazing around as I pass all the rooms and my sneakers slowly clicking against the marble floor. It wasn't as scary walking alone around in the dormitory as it should be. Maybe because I'm used to walking around alone and did so often back at home.

The candles next to me flickers, casting shadows on the floor as the ceiling above me creaks. I push open the door and find the bathroom lights already on. There are multiple showers, sinks on the other side and another door in the middle of the bathroom. Curious I open the door and find a big bathtub with a key still inserted in the door for a student to lock when they're inside. I shut it again.

As much as I enjoy taking a long bath, I want to be quick tonight. For now, I'll use the shower instead. I throw my towel over a rack and turn on the hot water. Removing my clothes, I step in and take a steamy shower to relax my tense body.