"Don't let her drink too much.." Seth says quietly from the corner.

Just as he says that the warm flow of blood stops from his wrist. He pulls away and the wound I was just drinking from is already healed.

He slowly helps me to stand.

"W-wait." I start, but I begin to realize that the pain is gone.

"What's going on?" I whisper to myself as I stand on my own feeling my skin for wounds that were no longer there.

"Did your blood just-" I start as I look at my hands as I feel the energy starting to surge through my veins.

It begins as a giggle, but then I begin to laugh hysterically.

"Vampire blood heals wounds," Dax says.

"It also makes humans high, if given to much," Seth adds while giving Dax a slight scowl.

"We should go. He exhibits nest behavior, which means there might be others and they might be back soon." Seth says walking up the stairs. "He also mentioned the King's Guards. That can't be good." 

Dax takes my hand and guides me through the dark basement and up the stairs.

I am met with cold air and a room that looks lived in and with all windows heavily draped.

"So, does it heal any wound?" I ask, thinking of my dad.

"Let's wait until we get out of here to talk, We don't know how many are coming back, so we want to avoid having to fight and protect you."

Seth leads us to what looks like the back door and we exit the house.

Dax scoops me up in his arms.

"Hold on tight, okay?" He says as he nudges my head closer to his chest.

I do so, and instead of warmth, it's cool. For a moment I listen for a heartbeat instinctively but I here nothing.

Seth closes the door.

and they take off with that same inhumane speed they came in to save me with.

I shut my eyes tight as they move in the darkness. It felt as if I stuck my head out of a car while on the highway.

I could barely breathe with the turbulent air whipping my hair around and invading my nostrils. But despite all of these very uncomfortable conditions, I was still exhilarated.

I mean-- I was probably the closest I'd ever get to flying. It felt like his blood had not only healed me but made my senses sharper. I could hear the cars honking in traffic about a mile away, I could hear the animals stepping on twigs far below us, and I could smell the water from the port I met all of them at.

My grip loosened and I relaxed against his chest as we continued to a safe place.

--------------------------------------

"Namoi..... Naomi..." I hear a voice calling to me gently.

I feel a warm hand rest on my shoulder.

"Hmmm..." I say in reply nestling my hand getting closer to its warmth.

"Your skin is so soft.."

"Thank you," I mumble a smile sleepily creeping onto my face.

I peep my eyes open to see it's Dax, in different clothing than I remember, also looking a lot more cleaned up.

"Dax?... Why are you so warm?" I whisper in a drowsy voice.

But he ignores me.

He trails his fingers down the middle of my chest to my belly button. My skin tingling the whole way down.

"and your hair.." He says as he grabs a soft handful and leans his face closer to it and inhales.

He takes a deep breath as if taking in the sent and exhales for a while.

His fangs coming out so suddenly, it caused me to jump a bit.

"Don't be scared." He whispers against my neck, his lips brushing against my neck with each word.

"I'd only have another taste if you asked me too." He presses a firm kiss onto my neck, running his tongue in circles but being careful not to suck.

"Dax.." I try to refrain from saying but somehow it slips anyway.

"Hmmm..?" He says, mimicking my earlier reply.

He hand wraps around my stomach brushing past my chest. He then caresses his hand up my stomach and then softly grabs onto one of the many things that make me a woman.

"Dax...!"

"Yes, Naomi?..." He says without stopping.

"Do it.." I say, yearning for the pain of his fangs going inside me as I put my hand onto his and squeeze.

"Bite me." I breathe out, turning my neck exposing it even more.

He gives a satisfied chuckle and his fangs sink into my neck.

and just before that familiar pain sets in...

The shock wakes me up and I sit up holding onto my neck. Clenching my chest, I feel my heart racing and my chest heaving quickly to keep up with my breaths.

"A dream..." I whisper as I remember before. "That explains him being so warm.."

Why did I dream that about.. Dax? 

This started to feel like one of those moments where someone who you saw every day, meant nothing and then suddenly you see them in a different light. 

I really like Derek.. So why would I dream that...

I must've fallen asleep. It was already the next day by the looks of the sunrise.

"Shit!"

If I'm remembering right.. the last time I saw Derek he told him to remember it as if I didn't show.

He probably thinks I stood him up-- Not probably.. he does.

I grab my phone and read the time. It was still pretty early. 

he probably is asleep.

I still have to make sure he's safe.

"Hey, are you awake yet?" I frantically send and put my phone face down onto my nightstand.

------------------------------------

"-- and then, He didn't even reply!" I tell Marce all in one breath.

"I-I think you're focusing on the wrong thing," Marce says in a very concerned tone. "You were kidnapped-- who knows what could've happened to you? This.. stuff is getting too serious. I don't think you should involve yourself in that anymore.. you could get kidnapped again or- or killed." She says grabbing my hand and squeezing it.

"If anything they've saved me... twice now. They are the best shot I've got at any real protection. Think about it.. who knows what could happen if I go to the cops. I could be killed for knowing something I shouldn't or committed to an institution."

"All I can really do is hope this is the last order of business they have with me..." I said in a tone trying to convince her that it was coming to an end anyway.

But that was a lie. Despite the danger and the fear, it's been intoxicating. For the past year, I've been just going to school, taking care of my dad and maybe something here and there but.. something that I thought only existed in my mind is now a part of my real-life now.. How could I not be excited about it?

She gave me a look that showed the didn't believe me much, but she understood she had no other point to make. 

"I really worry about you, Naomi. I've got no other friends like you. What am I to do if you aren't here anymore?" She says in a half-serious, half-playful tone.

"Please, it's the other way around." I smile and bring her close to me.

A part of me couldn't help but wonder what really was in store for me, it didn't feel like the end. But I knew she was right, any more business with them can't be a good thing.

"Well.. I haven't laid eyes on Derek since that night so I'm just going to go find him real quick. Wanna come with?" I ask as we pull away from our hug.

"Nah, he's the apple of your eye, not mine. I'll just go home. Call me tonight, Okay?" She asks slightly pleading eyes, like those of a worried mother.

"Yeah." I give a short nod.

The sun was setting, so it was about time for Derek to be getting off practice. If I made my way to the quad I'd probably bump into him somewhere along the way.

As I walk the sky turns to bright orange and pink and the clouds are scattered across the sky, leaving spots of the sun shining through the leaves onto the ground.

I see a group of guys in jackets, and as usual, I quickly lay eyes on Derek.

I do a light jog to catch up to the back of them and I snack my hand in between them to tap on Derek's shoulder. He stops and turns around and they all follow.

"Hey.." I say an apologetic smile on my face.

My eyes raking his for anything out of place and for any other emotion than the one I was picking up on, which was annoyance.

"Can we talk?" I ask.

"Sure." He says walking away from his group of friends.

"We'll see you later, man." One of them says.

"Nah, I'll catch up with you guys." He says looking right at me, his jaw clenching.

"Derek, The other night I-" I start.

"No, you don't have to explain. If you didn't want to go you could've just said that. Y'know after years of friendship I thought you'd at least let me know if you were going to stand me up. I thought we owed each other that much.. but I see. You just wanted to string me along and stand me up, right? I don't know what I ever did to you to deserve that, but I'm sorry." He says almost all in one breath.

In all the years I knew him, I never saw him upset. Maybe slightly after a lost game or so but never like this.

I stood there, my mouth fixed to start talking but nothing coming out. I couldn't just say ' Yeah, I was there you just don't remember'. He would think I'm just trying to poke fun. 

I couldn't tell the truth and there was no lie good enough.

"Derek, I really wanted to go. But you have to just trust me when I say that, I really can't say much more than that. And your right we have been friends for so long, which is why I'm hoping you can just trust me and forgive me. I'm really sorry-- just let me make it up to you." I say taking a step closer.

I grab his hand in the middle of the quad, knowing there were passerbyers watching and talking.

"I've liked you for so long--" I start.

He then grabs my hand and pulls me to him with it. He pats my back and squeezes my hand as if it were a bro hug between two guys.

"You're right we have been friends for a long time. I look forward to being just that with you." He finishes with another pat and then his legs go and walk off into the same direction his friends did earlier.

-----------------------

I shut my apartment door and crashed onto the floor.

After that exchange with Derek, it started to feel like my life was falling apart.

My face began to heat up.

I hugged my legs to my chest as tears welled in my eyes.

My father was getting worse, so much to the point, it's not even guaranteed that he will be at my graduation. and now, the guy I've loved, without even truly getting to experience it with him first, rejected me flat out-- and it was for something that wasn't even true. But I couldn't tell him that.

I couldn't tell him that I was kidnapped to be kept as food and that's why you don't remember that night because he made you forget-- and if I were to tell him and he believed me he would feel so awful for being upset.

I cried and cried on that cold hardwood floor for what felt like an hour as the sunset.