Chapter 21

It doesn't take long for Kelly to find me, and when he does, I don't even try to run. I slump against that tree with strained muscles and tear-stained cheeks, replaying my conversation with Bogdan over and over again.

Kelly awkwardly takes me into his arms. He's not used to traveling with humans, and every few minutes my head clunks against the side of his elbow. I don't fight his touch as the two of us speed away from the dilapidated subdivision and into the heart of the forest.

Everything becomes a blur. I assume we're going back to the tree house, but I can't be sure. Hues of crisp orange, yellow and red glint against the shimmering sunlight, the seasons continuing their journey of change despite the bloodshed happening around it.

After what feels like an eternity has passed, we arrive at our destination – a place that I thought I'd never step foot.

Bogdan's home.

Kelly ushers me through the front door, eyeing the vicinity around us to make sure no one is following. I step into the front foyer and suck in a breath of awe. Ribbons of gold line the walls and the marble staircase. My eyes dance up to the dome shaped ceiling where thousands of twinkling lights are hanging overhead.

"Beautiful..." I murmur.

I know I shouldn't like being here, a place that smells like Bogdan's very essence. The immortal man literally just got done serving me on a platter to one of the most villainous creatures known to mankind. Yet being here calms me. It's like the house has a personality of its own, sliding its arms around me and whispering soothing words to protect me against the outside world.

Kelly takes me on a brief tour. We come to an abrupt stop at the first door on the second floor – a small guestroom where Kelly informs me we'll be staying.

"We?" I ask.

"I was instructed to stay by your side at all times," Kelly responds, closing the door behind us.

"That's really not necessary."

Kelly shrugs. "An order is an order."

I sigh with defeat and glance around the new room. The light in here is much dimmer than in the foyer. A curved lamp sits near the side of the room next to a leather couch. It's lightly furnished, only a bed and a small dresser taking up space amongst the vastly polished, wooden floor.

When I notice there's a small, attached bathroom in the corner of the room, I ask Kelly for a moment of privacy. Even if most of the vampires don't have bathrooms in their homes, it seems once again that Bogdan is the exception to the rule. At least this time it's an exception which makes me ecstatic. Then again, if this bathroom has been here for a while, it also appears I'm not the first human Bogdan has entertained...

I set my jaw firmly and wash my face and hands, taking special care around my chapped knuckles. The sound of rushing water splashing into the marble faucet brings me back to my shower last night. I can almost hear Axel flipping the pages of his book beside me, just a thin layer of shower curtain separating the two of us.

With a shudder, I slap off the faucet and pad back into the room. The bed bends to my weight, so unlike the rickety mattress I was forced to use during my captivity with Axel. I pull the thin blanket and comforter around my shoulders and cuddle into its warmth with a yawn.

Kelly's gaze flickers to me from across the room just briefly before going back to his electronic device. The soft light of the screen bounces against his features. Since picking me up a few hours ago, he hasn't said much.

Then again, now that Kelly has changed, he doesn't say much at all.

I take a deep breath, inhaling the smell of the blankets that are rich with Bogdan's decadent scent. The silk brushes against my skin and I shiver. It reminds me of Bogdan's touch – soft as satin and perfect without fail. I push the comparison from my mind and clear my throat.

Kelly glances at me yet again, this time his eyebrows pinching together with irritation.

"You really should go to bed," he grunts.

"I'm scared to fall asleep," I say with a heavy sigh. "The past week has been a nightmare."

Kelly's fingers waiver above the screen of his device. "You may not realize it now, but the nightmare you lived for a week will save countless lives."

I swallow down my reply, thinking back to Bogdan's confession in the tree house. He made it clear he didn't save me for me; he saved me to protect mankind. I know Axel was awful. I saw firsthand what he was capable of doing. Regardless, Bogdan had no problem sending me to the lion's den without thinking twice about it.

He simply didn't care.

"Never mind," I mumble, pulling the blankets over my head.

I force my eyes closed, trying to both ignore and wallow in Bogdan's scent. Sleep caresses my mind. It nudges and prods me forward, lightening my thoughts –

"He was the one who changed him, you know."

Kelly's voice jars me back into a wakeful state. My eyes pop open, and I pull the covers away from my face before craning my neck back to look at him.

"What?"

"Axel. He was the one who changed Bogdan into an immortal."

What?

"Are you sure?" I whisper after a moment of silence.

"From what he's told me, yes. Very sure."

"But...how? Why?"

Kelly leans forward, staring at me with red eyes so very different from the subtle brown I'm used to. "Axel was the leader of the Old War. He went by his last name back then, though. Commander Charles."

My eyes widen. The name rings a bell. I remember Leo teaching us about the Old War in class. Most of what he said has been long since forgotten, but I do remember him mentioning that a small group of vampires separated themselves from the rest of the vampires during the war, claiming themselves as the true, heroic warriors.

Except there was nothing heroic about them.

They were a small group of immortals who spent their days draining and killing as many humans as they could get their hands on. And leading this group of ruthless warriors was none other than Commander Charles himself.

He was the most villainous of them all and became our target to take down. Although we weren't successful, we did manage to destroy most of his followers – a key success which helped us save hundreds of human lives. In fact, the only other one who made it out alive was Commander Charles' right hand man – a vampire whose name was never recorded and was thereby given the name, 'Immortal X.'

"Axel was Commander Charles?" I whisper, making sure I understand it correctly.

Kelly nods. "Correct. And from what Bogdan told me, Axel was spun from the darkest fibers of Hell."

I shake my head, loathing Axel all over again. "But how does Bogdan come into all of this."

Kelly gives me a sad smile. "Bogdan was one of the best Lieutenants of the Old War, at least from what I can tell. Of course, he doesn't remember a thing. But from the textbooks I've read and the pictures I've seen, he was as good as the legends build him up to be. He was a true hero for all mankind."

I try to imagine Bogdan as a heroic man, leading troops off to fight for the freedom of beating hearts and emotional minds. Why do I not remember his name from Leo's lessons? Surely he was mentioned at some point, but then again, perhaps his name was different in the textbooks.

"Bogdan was the only one who managed to kill Commander Charles' followers," Kelly explains. "And while that was a victory for the human side, Bogdan gave himself a death sentence by doing so. He became Axel's only target, and once he was captured, Axel found the only way he knew to use Man's heroic weapon against them."

My heart thrums wildly in my chest listening to Bogdan's past. It's like a horrific movie playing in my mind, the mortal version of Bogdan being hunted down by Axel and thrown into a new, immortal life of hazy uncertainty.

"He must have been terrified," I whisper.

Kelly lets out a humorous laugh. "No, Finn. He wasn't terrified. He was hungry, which is exactly what Axel wanted." My immortal version of my best friend pauses, allowing his words to sink in. "Do you understand what I'm saying, Finn?"

I nod. Axel said something about Bogdan having a past where he drank from tons of humans – to the point that he couldn't help himself.

Now I know why.

"I understand," I whisper faintly. "He was Immortal X."

"...Yes."

Emotions war within me. Even though Bogdan was using me as a pawn in his game, he was doing it to save humanity from the same fate of the past. That speaks volumes about him...but so does the fact that he used me as bait to accomplish it.

I chew on my bottom lip, squinting up at the ceiling while all the new information catches up with my emotions. Somewhere in the distance, I hear a door quietly open and close. I tense in bed and turn towards the door.

Kelly shakes his head and collects his device from the ground. "That's my cue to leave."

"What? Why?"

He gives me a small smile, and maybe it's the light playing tricks on me, but I swear there's the same twinkle of kindness in his eyes as there used to be when he was human.

"I need to go feed," Kelly admits. "I know how to keep myself away from you Finn, but it's difficult. Your blood is more powerful than you realize."

I swallow hard and clutch the blankets to my torso. "W-well then who is coming here next?"

He snorts and opens the door. "You know the answer to that, too. But maybe it's a good thing. From the sounds of it, you and Bogdan have quite a bit of catching up to do..."

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A/N: Ah, and thus the plot thickens!  What do you all think about the new revelations about Bogdan?  Do you think he has any other plans up his sleeves?