The air feels heavier the second I utter the words out loud as if saying it out into the open places a heavy right onto the universe. Sure, it could be a coincidence, but nothing in this world is, especially when it comes to the schemes of Vampires.

    "Did you know they died on the same night?" I ask, turning around to face Levi with a curious gaze. He tries to brush it off and act unphased, but by the way he straightens his back, I can tell something's bothering him.

    "I did," He nods, his response quick and short.

    "And you didn't tell me... why?" I raise a brow, crossing my arms tightly over my chest.

    "I didn't think it mattered," He shrugged, tucking his hands into his pockets and holding his shoulders close, shooting off a quick glance to Thomas. 

    "Then why are you so nervous?" I ask, studying him as I take a step towards him. Something is up, there is obviously more to the story than mere coincidence. 

    "Can't help it, Mic. You just give me the biggest butterflies," He grins sarcastically, very clearly trying to distract me from pressing on further. 

    I roll my eyes, pushing past him with a huff and walking down the trail. I only stop when Thomas calls after me, turning on my heels in frustration, "I know you guys can't help it, and that you're compelled against telling me most things but it gets really fucking frustrating, especially when you make a joke out of it,"

    "Mic-" Levi is cut off from stepping forward when Thomas holds his arm out. The taller male leans over, whispering something in Levi's ear before they both nod. Levi disappears in an instant, Thomas casually strolling down the path to reach my side. 

    "What did you say to him?" I question, not making any effort to move as I look up at him.

     "To give you a minute. I was thinking we could walk back to your house, no Vamp speed," He grins, taking a step out of line and waiting for me to join him before continuing. "Plus, I bet you're not in a rush to get home and interrogate your sister,"

    "Why do you even care about what I want?" I scoff, my anger not directed towards him but coming out that way anyway. I avoid his eyes, looking down at my feet as we make our way to the exit. "I've killed hundreds of your kind and never shown a spec of sympathy for you whatsoever,"

    "Haven't you?" He responds almost mockingly, looking up as if recalling all the heartfelt things I've supposedly done for him. "You cut poison out of me,"

     "Which hurt you-"

    "Which saved me," He corrected, looking down at me with slight sadness in his eyes. I don't know why he looks that way, but it only makes me hold my arms closer to myself. "I'm assuming you've figured out who poisoned me?"

     I scoff once more, looking up at him at the memory of his scum bag father, "Yeah, Father of the year award there. Was there a reason he tried to kill you or...?"

    "He wasn't trying to kill me, he was punishing me," He informed, shaking his head with a dry smile. 

    "Wow, very extreme methods. What did you do to deserve that?" I ask curiously, slowly releasing my protective hold over myself. 

    "My Father doesn't take kindly to soft spots for humans, especially Hunters. He believes that he can... burn that out of me," He shivers slightly at the memory, his Adams apple bobbing as he swallows hard.

    "Aw, do you have a soft spot for me, Bloodsucker?" I tease, maybe subconsciously trying to take his mind off the heavy topic. It seems to be the hand he needs, a smile overcoming his face as he turns to me. 

    "Lance is wrong about a lot of things," He teases back, stepping close to me as we walk down an empty road, the glow of the moon our only source of light. 

    We fall into a silence, not an uncomfortable or heavy one, but a silence nonetheless. The sound of the woods around us and our footsteps is all that reaches my ears as I search for something else to say, anything.

    "Can I ask you a question?" I speak, stopping and reaching my hand out to his bicep, halting his movements as well. 

    He turns to me, looking down to meet my eyes as he smiles, "You can but, I can't guarantee I'll be able to answer,"

    "Is Levi's mother dying the same night as my parents really a coincidence? It's not important at all?" I ask, a sense of desperation settling into my being. My bones ache for straight answers, for curiosity to be something of the past. But, I know the person in front of me is the last person able to give me that satisfaction, yet, I still turn to him for it all the same. 

    He looks at me sadly, searching for the words to say to give me as much information as he physically can, "Coincidences are very rare, especially in this life," 

    "So, no, then?" I sigh, lifting my hands to tuck my hair behind my ears. It feels like a whole other mystery is being tied into this massive plan. The death of Levi's mother, a hunter, isn't something wholly suspicious on its own. But, dying on the same night as two other, well-known hunters? That's something else. 

    Thomas opens his mouth, sealing his lips almost immediately as he looks around us suspiciously. My hands itch towards the knife in my boat at his behaviour, my shoulders squared as I prepare myself for defence. 

    "Come here," He whispers so quietly I barely hear him. I don't have time to react before he grabs me and speeds into the forest, holding me tightly between his body and a tree against my back. I don't fight the position, allowing him to hide my scent with his. 

    I look up between his shoulder and head, noticing the familiar position of the moon and it's shape.

    How could I be so stupid? Cleansing night is coming up, Vampire's will be all over town during the nights leading up to their big event. 

    Cleansing night is the biggest night for hunters and Vampires alike. For Vampires, it's the chance for most of their fledglings and even some of their more experienced members to drain the tourists and compel them all against remembering. For Hunter's, it's the most crucial moment in protecting the town. More humans die on that one night a year than any other. 

    My brows knit together in confusion, an ache forming in my temples as I whisper so lowly only Thomas and I can hear, "How did I not remember that?" 

    "Shh," He hushes, the noises of an outside person getting closer the longer we stand here in silence. If he had a heartbeat, I'm sure it would be thumping as loud as a thousand drums by the way he glares down at the tree line. 

    I feel my own heart thump in its cage, the adrenaline of a familiar situation working my hunter reflexes until I'm in the middle of flight or fight mode. My instincts urge me to reach for my knife and fight my way out of the situation, but I want to trust Thomas and, for whatever reason, he thinks hiding is the better option. 

    "Tommy? Is that you out there?" I hear an unfamiliar voice call out, branches breaking close to us as the voice approaches our location. "I can smell you!"

    "Fuck, okay," He mutters to himself, looking down at my eyes in slight worry before he quickly composes himself. "Do you trust me?"

    "I'm trying to," I nod, feeling a funny sensation due to the topic of our conversation paired with our close proximity. 

    "Okay, good. Just, don't say anything," He whispers before hooking his hands around my thighs and lifting me in a display of strength he mostly keeps hidden. He jams his knee under me, allowing me to fall limp between him and the tree before he darts his head against my neck.

    My eyes widen at his sudden pace and change of mood. I feel his teeth lightly brush against my neck, only a dull sensation instead of two sharp points meaning he's only pretending to have drawn his fangs. Getting over the shock, I close my eyes and lower my head behind his, seeing specs of a light flash over his hair. He's hiding my face. 

    "Tommy! I knew it was you, man, where have you been lately?" I hear another male voice, my vision still blocked even as Thomas slowly lifts his head and turns towards them, still lowering himself enough to protect my identity. 

    "I've been busy, Uriel. No hard feelings?" Thomas replies, a strange cockiness to his voice that reminds me of the act he first put on when we met. 

    "I can see that," The male, Uriel, chuckles. I roll my eyes, knowing he's clearly referencing my pretend limp body being drained. Sometimes, I forget just how much I hate their kind. "Mind letting me have a taste?"

    "I don't share. You'll have to find something to eat elsewhere," Thomas replies sternly, my fingers twitching beside me as all my senses scream at me to grab my knife. I press my forehead against his shoulder, trying to keep my heart rate lowered despite the adrenaline. 

    "Jesus, I can hear her heart beating from a mile away. Why don't you compel her to calm down?" Uriel ignores Thomas's obvious annoyance, branches snapping as he presumably gets closer to us. Thankfully, my knife is lodged in the boot out of Uriel's view. Thinking fast, I reach into the garment and pull the weapon free, hiding it at my side.

    Thomas glances at me from the corner of my eye, holding eye contact with him as I gently nod. It's like he can read my thoughts and believes the words as he turns back to the intruder, his voice lacing with that cockiness so familiar with vampires, "Fine, why don't you come do it for me?"

    "My man," Uriel snickers, twigs snapping as he gets even closer to Thomas.

    I close my eyes, pretending to be weak as I hide my blade. Thomas steps back from me, allowing Uriel to step up. Before his hands can reach my body, I spring forward and clamp my hand over his mouth tightly, gushing any noises as I jam my blade in his heart. His eyes flutter, his skin turning grey as I turn and press his back against the tree. 

    There's no masking the fury in his eyes as he looks between Thomas and I. A blaze so strong I swear I can still see it as he turns to dust beneath my fingertips. 

    "Let's get the fuck out of here," Thomas's voice breaks into my mind.

    It's an indescribable feeling, something foreign yet familiar. I've killed hundreds of Vampires before, more than I can count. But, not since mostly everyone I love has become one. It's like, now, I can see the soul lying bare beneath and the vision doesn't sit well with my gut. 

    "Mic?" He calls my name softly, his face appearing in my line of vision as he steps in front of me. He looks at me with concern and most of all confusion. I quickly tighten my face back into a neutral expression, clearing the cloudiness and doubt. 

    "Thomas," I repeat his name, tucking my knife away and wiping my hands on my sides. "Let's go,"

     He doesn't waste a moment before grabbing me tightly, hoisting me onto his back and taking off in a blur. No matter how fast he runs, my stomach twists itself into a knot quicker until I find myself shouting over the winds, telling him to stop. 

     He pulls to a stop in an empty car park, allowing me to slide off his back and fall onto the footpath lining the car spaces. I drop my head into my hands, my chest rising and falling rapidly. 

   "Hey, what's wrong?" He asks. Through the gaps of my fingers, I watch as he lowers himself down in front of me, his hands slowly reaching to delicately lace around my wrists. "Are you okay?"

     "I just need a minute," I dismiss, shaking my head as I keep my face concealed. 

     "Okay, yeah, that's fine," He stumbles over his words, clearly confused by my sudden change in demeanour. He pauses for a second, his thumb ever so slightly rubbing circles on my wrist, "Mic, you can talk to me,"

     I shake my head in my hands, my hair getting pushed around by my palms, "No, I can't,"

    "Why not?" He asks carefully, anticipating each word before he says it.

    "Because I can't, I want to be okay with you, with everyone but I just- I can't," I stumble over my words, feeling like a broken record on repeat as my brain scrambles to find words that explain this gnawing feeling deep in my chest.

    "What about Alex and Leila? Even Levi-"

    "Levi doesn't mean anything special to me," I snap harshly, dropping my hands from my face and looking into his eyes like a crazy woman, "That's why I kissed him because he doesn't cause this twisted knot in my stomach and I thought, maybe, if I could push myself to him I could push myself to accept what Alex and Leila are but it didn't work! Okay, it didn't work because I wasn't thinking of Levi I was thinking of-"

    I quickly cut myself off before I can finish my sentence and embarrass myself any more than I already have. He looks at me like he's just been shot in the chest, his eyes searching me like a lighthouse on a stormy night. If he knows what I meant, he doesn't seem to want to make a point of it.

    "I'm sorry for my part in your misery, Reid. I wish I could fix things for you, I really do." His response sounds automated, almost rehearsed or robotic-like. I don't miss the way he refers to me by my last name again, and I don't miss the way it makes me feel slightly sick. He looks like he's holding himself back from saying what he really feels, and that decision seems almost painful. 

    "Turn me," I dead-pan, my face turning to stone and my knees tucking themselves against my chest. He looks taken aback by my statement, even more so by the seriousness on my face. 

    "What?" He responds baffled.

    "Turn me, Thomas," I repeat, staring at him with a deathly chill. "Leila and Alex will have to watch me grow old and die. If I turn, I don't have to leave her and I can... I can make myself okay with what they are," 

    "I hear you, okay, I do," He says, leaning forward and lowering his voice as if someone is around to hear him, "But, you're too upset to make a decision like that right now, okay? I don't want you to be stuck with such a permanent mistake,"

    "I'm not too upset. It's what I want-"

    "You have no idea if this is what you want," He snaps, the darkness in him reminding me of how he was when we first met. An unquenchable thirst and undeniable anger blazing in his eyes. 

     "I don't get you," I shake my head, leaning back to get further away from him, "You're all about me making decisions for myself and what I want but you won't listen to me when it comes to this?"

    "No, I won't," He doesn't blink at his reply, staring at me with a seriousness that covers my skin in goosebumps. 

    I scoff, turning my head away from him. My face lowers as I remember the events of earlier, in particular, the sight of his bloodied wrist meeting my lips in the bathtub. I still have Vampire blood in my system. 

    Turning my head, I met his eyes as he seems to come to the same conclusion I do. Instantly, I lift my legs and kick him away from me, reaching into my boot in the same movement to rip the weapon from the footwear. 

    It's almost like a parallel to that fateful night at Yasmin's party. The way he quickly gets up and lunges towards me, grabbing my wrist and holding me away. However this time, he's fighting to stop me from something a lot different. 

    I toss my knife in the air, the blade flying until it lands in my unrestrained palm. He lets go of my other wrist and I take the opportunity to slip away from him, ducking out of his attempts to grab me. 

    With my knife clutched in my grip, I run to the other side of the empty car park, lifting the blade to my neck as I continue sprinting.

    Just as the tip of the blade pierces my skin, I feel my arm being ripped away from me and watch as my knife scatters somewhere across the lines marking the parks. I barely have time to process anything before wind engulfs me and my back hits a wall.

    "You don't want this, Reid!" He almost yells at me. For some reason, the decline back to using my last name stings something in my gut. 

    "You don't know what I want!" I snap, trying to escape his grip, his hands only closing around my wrists harder. He scoffs and shakes his head, my face burning at the sight of his dismissal. 

    "I know you better than you think,"

    "Oh yeah?" I challenge, my chest burning as he smiles mockingly and nods his head. Without giving myself time to turn back or doubt, rage and adrenaline fueling my decisions, I push forward and plant my lips on his.

    He doesn't waste a second before returning the passion, as if his body has ached for me for an eternity and is exploding under the feeling of my skin so close to his. He doesn't loosen the restraints on my wrists, not that I want him to or plan to trick him, his body only presses closer to mine in desperation, restricting me further. 

    My skin feels like it's been lit by the heat of the sun, my pulse firing under the blaze as guilt buries itself into my core. Guilt over the fact that I've burned for this for so long, like my parents are watching me now in shame and disgust. 

     He snaps his head back from me, his shoulders moving up and down as he lowers his head and keeps me restricted. The hair on his forehead ever so slightly grazes my chest as it fights to fill my lungs with air, his body stepping back from me as he looks to be in a silent battle with himself. 

    "Thomas?" I manage to call his name, so quietly I'm almost sure he wouldn't have heard me without his advanced hearing. 

    He shakes his head, slowly lifting his eyes to look at me. His face contorts in pain, physical or emotional, I'm not sure. 

    "That wasn't... that wasn't okay for me to do," He speaks, the pain never leaving his face.

    My eyebrows furrow, confusion replacing every other feeling once tingling in my body, "What? I--you didn't do anything, I made the move-"

    "I should have stopped you," He cuts me off, a sternness in his voice like a chill wind. 

    "Did you want to?" I ask, my voice so quiet it almost breaks in and out. I despise how vulnerable I sound, how vulnerable I feel under his gaze.

    "God no," He breathes. Something about the way a Vampire turns to a God who outcasts him in an effort to convey his passion sends goosebumps up my arms. The sincerity in his tone feels like losing and finding my religion all at once. 

    A cold, ticklish sensation nips at the skin of my neck. His eyes move from mine to where I slightly cut my neck before, his nostrils flaring as he spies my pricked skin, blood slowly trailing down my pulse.

    "Thomas?" I ask, pushing against his restraint only to get nowhere. My heart rate picks up, only pumping the blood further through my body, each pump of the organ reaching his ears like the sound of a dinner bell, salivating his mouth in preparation. I watch in horror as his eyes turn red, the skin underneath darkening.

    He doesn't seem like he can hear me, his blood eyes laser-focused on my wound. 

    "Thomas, stop-" My words cut to a scream as Thomas darts forward, sinking his teeth into my neck as I thrash around in his grip. My attempts are fable, my body too easily restricted by his strength. I can't help but curse myself for letting me get into this position. 

    Pain seers through my neck, travelling through every vein in my body. It doesn't feel like when Levi drank from me, it feels like acid is being poured into my bloodstream and pumped through my heart. I scream in agony, unfamiliar with the pain. 

    His hold on me turns more aggressive, his teeth sinking even further into me, blood pooling out of my skin and down my chest, escaping his awaiting mouth. 

    "Thomas!" I scream once more, thrashing my body around like a wild animal. He's not phased by me at all, his shoulder barely moving despite my kicks and jabs. 

    My body feels weaker, my muscles and blood burning inside of me. I clench my eyes shut, tears of pain slipping from them as I do so. 

    "Tommy, please, stop," My voice breaks, the tips of my fingers numb. 

    Within seconds, I feel the air around me wrap me in a cacoon as if sheltering me from the pain as it slowly leaves my body. The wind zips by faster than it ever has, my feet hitting the ground in no time as my eyes open.

    I feel his hands leave me, air blowing my hair back as I look around my surroundings, making eye contact with Alex's widened eyes.