Scarlet Night © Rachel Morales, 2008-2009

Warning: I retain full and exclusive legal rights to this story, its plot-line, and the characters within it. Unauthorized publication or duplication of this piece is prohibited. Actions of the previous nature will be persecuted.

a/n: This chapter is dedicated to cCc/Momo/Queen, who has begged and begged for an update enough for me to feel guilty and get on it! Thank her for this! Love you cCc!

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“The Nobles”

...

I came to not very long afterwards. In fact, it was so soon after that we hadn’t even moved from the forest yet. I blinked open my eyes blearily, rolling my head to my side where Marcus sat, still working on Jon. My roommate seemed to be in much less pain than he was before I’d passed out. It steadied my shivering heart to think that he would probably make it. If he had died because of me, well, I don’t know what I’d have done. A sudden movement against my scalp made me notice the fingers that were threading through my hair gently. I looked up to see who it was, and for the second time that night, my entire body froze up.

‘Cellie…’

“It’s been a long time, Rii, hasn’t it?”

The beautiful vision of my past smiled down at me softly, running a hand through my grime caked hair, my head lying against her thigh. She felt real, her touch was familiar and gentle. Black eyes were soft, but full of emotions. Elation, worry, love…everything I was feeling reflected back at me through shimmering obsidian. My heart pounded as I stared up at her, my body filling with a burning happiness that was stronger than anything I’d ever felt in the past. I tried to push myself up, but was held down by Marcus’s power as it continued to heal me.

“Don’t you even think about moving!” he scolded firmly before turning to the Cellie clone. “Thank you, you really saved us there.”

“Not a problem. Sorry we’re late. We were held back a few miles away. They sensed us coming,” Celeste said. ‘Late? For what?’ I thought. My stunned mind wasn’t quite able to put two and two together.

“It’s fine, Lady Noir. Just help me make sure that this one doesn’t move. Orion, you need to stay still,” Marcus ordered, as Cellie continued running her fingers through my hair to relax me.

I didn’t say anything to him, didn’t acknowledge him. I just blinked up at the woman staring back at me, completely at a loss for what to say. Was she really Cellie? She looked like Cellie. Was it a dream? No, too real for that. Was I dead? She was supposed to be.

“Cellie, is that really you?” I asked, reaching up a hand to touch her.

My fingers brushed her face. Her skin was soft, but strangely cool to the touch. She smiled beautifully at me, a sad, regretful smile that made me want to hold her close to me and never let go. Well, I wanted to hold her and never let go regardless, but that is beside the point. An indescribable amount of emotion I couldn’t quite name welled up inside of me as I traced the gentle curve of her cheek.

“I’m really here, Rii. I’m real.” She kissed my palm, and my heart fluttered. God how I’d missed her.

“Thank God…for a minute…I thought…”

The words ‘I was dreaming’ lingered unsaid in the air, but they were heard by her nevertheless. Cellie placed a kiss to my finger tips, and nuzzled my palm. Her hands threaded through my hair. She bent forward, leaning her forehead against mine. She looked into my eyes and I clenched her forearms with my fingers.

“I’m here.”

My hands clenched tighter, holding her firmly to me, in fear that she’d disappear.

“I’ve been so lost without you,” I breathed in response. I forced myself not to cry in sheer happiness as I curled my fingers into the bouncy waves of her midnight hair.

“I’m sorry, Orion.” Her eyes were filled with sorrow. They were as black and deep as I remembered them. She opened her mouth to say something else, but was cut off by Marcus.

“Lady Noir, you should get going. They still need help in the clearing. I will handle this.”

His voice broke whatever spell my emotions had cast over my mind. I was suddenly back in reality, where there is more than just Celeste, where there’s a battle going on, and people I care about could be hurt. Cellie and I pulled apart, me leaning my head back in her lap as I turned my head to look at the doctor.

“Lady Noir?” Marcus called.

‘Waiit… did he just call her Lady Noir?’ She turned her pitch-black eyes on him, amusement dancing in their depths.

“My parents will take care of it, Doctor. The Knights are strong, but the two strongest have fled. Those peons out there are like flies. They are no match for Purebloods.”

Wait…Purebloods? My heart skipped a few beats. Purebloods? The Noirs? Did Cellie just say that her parents were vampires? Born vampires? My eyes went wide as my breath caught in my throat. That’s right the Noirs were the noble family my mother said she’d been assigned to protect for twenty years. The Chosen were contracted by the Purebloods to protect them from the Knights. It only made sense Camille and Sebastian were Noble vampires.

Why hadn’t I put it together earlier? I felt so stupid.

Another sudden realization hit me then. It seemed as if my eyes had suddenly started working for the first time in my life, and I noticed all of the things I couldn’t see before. ‘Sorry we’re late,’ Cellie’d said when she arrived. The Noirs were our backup, Celeste and her parents…her Pureblood parents. Or course, if her parents were vampires, didn’t that mean…? I sat up abruptly, pushing Celeste back, and dispelling Marcus’s power with a little of my own.

“You’re a vampire?! Cellie, what the fuck!?”

“Orion! I just told you not to move! You’re going to reopen your wounds!” Marcus scolded angrily. I raised a hand to silence him.

“You deal with Jon. I’m fine,” I said curtly. I wasn’t trying to be rude to him. I was just shocked and confused by the fact that my best friend was a…a... Basically, I wanted answers.

“I saw you die. I watched you breathe those final breaths right before your heart stopped. I thought you were gone forever.”

“I didn’t die, Rii. Well, I guess kind of did…When a born vampire reaches maturity, their mortal functions stop. It is like death, but we reawaken about a week later once the vampire genes have been activated,” she explained. I was so confused. Vampires “die”, and then wake up? What? So, she was alive? I thought she was gone, but she was alive? Betrayal clenched my heart painfully.

“You’ve been alive this whole time, and you never bothered to let me know.” Celeste averted her eyes guiltily, her face growing sad and remorseful.

“You don’t understand, Rii. You had to think I was dead. Everyone had to think I was dead.”

“What does that even mean?! Here I’ve been for two years, Cellie, two years I’ve been nearly sick with how much I’ve missed you. Then, poof! You show up in the middle of the night, totally alive!”

“Rii…please jus--”

“No! Listen to me, Cellie! How could you not tell me something like this?! I’m your best friend!”

I was angry, angry and upset. I felt betrayed. How could she have been alive that whole time? How could she sit back while I was suffering, grieving for her, and not let me know she was alright? She scooted closer to me, her pale, slender hand moving to cup my cheek just as she had back in the hospital two years ago. It was cool, but soft. I couldn’t help but lean into her touch, my own hand coming to cup hers gently.

‘Why does her touch calm me so instantly, even when I’m livid with her?’ I thought, staring into her saddened, night colored orbs.

“You think I wanted to? Do you think it was easy for me, to see you suffering so much and not be able to tell you the truth? To see you get hurt, and not be able to rush to your aid?” Her eyes were soft, slightly glazed with unshed tears as she spoke. I calmed a little at her words, guilt filling my heart slightly. I’ve always been a little quick to jump to angry conclusions when I feel I’ve been betrayed.

“You were watching me?”

“Always. I was always with you, Rii.” Then I remembered.

“The dreams.” She smiled at me warmly, her thumb caressing the skin just under my eye.

“Yes. That is one of the basic abilities of my kind. We can use a person’s dreams to communicate with them, look at their memories, see what’s been going on in their lives.”

“I knew they were too real. Oh! So when you said we’d meet again soon you meant…” She laughed.

“Yes, Rii. I meant this. I’m sorry I was so vague about it, but your powers make it difficult for me to stay in your mind for too long.” I just stared wide eyed at her.

“I can’t believe it. Cellie, I’m sorry for--” She placed a finger on my lips before I could finish apologizing for getting so angry with her.

“Don’t be sorry.” She pulled me into a tight embrace. “You have every right to be upset with me. I wish it could have been different, Rii. I really do.”

“Why did you have to be dead, Cellie? What kind of trouble are you in?”

I held her tightly, my arms wrapped firmly around her waist, my nose buried in her hair. She was cool to the touch, her heartbeat slow, but present. She was alive, she was there. The scent of her honeysuckle shampoo tickled my senses, and I smiled. Yes, it was definitely her…definitely my Cellie. My heart swelled up with joy, having her there with me.

“I’m in the same kind of trouble you’re in, Rii. The Knights...” I pulled away from her, searching her eyes for answers.

“What do they want?”

She smiled at me softly, running a hand through my hair in a soothing gesture. She pulled me close again, nuzzling her face into my shoulder softly. Her tenderness had my heart buzzing, it was beating so fast. It’d been so long since I’d been near her, had her stroke my hair so affectionately. I figured I just forgot what it felt like. Of course, I was quite stupid back then.

“They want me,” she said. I gripped her tighter, anger and possessiveness taking hold of me.

“They can’t have you.”

She laughed again before settling her face into the crook of my neck and breathing in deeply. It felt so good to hold her like that. I felt complete, at ease even as my heart pounded in my chest. I heard her murmur something unintelligible into my skin. A sigh of appreciation sounded, cool air puffing across my neck, before she pulled back abruptly. She backed away a few steps, panting lightly. I watched her in confusion, wondering what I’d done to upset her. She must have sensed it, because she lifted her gaze and smiled at me sweetly.

“Sorry, Rii. You smell too good.” I blinked at her owlishly.

“Smell too goo--? Oh! Oh! Sorry, I didn’t even think about that!” I cried, lifting a hand to my neck and rubbing nervously. Her eyes followed the action, and she bit her lip as if she was strained.

“It’s not your fault, Rii. Sometimes I still have trouble with my control, and you smell so good…I..” She trailed off, looking ashamed of herself.

“You should probably eat, Lady Noir. The journey must have taken a lot out of you, and to fight as soon as you arrived without rest… You must be thirsty.” I turned towards the voice, having completely forgotten that there were other people in the forest with us. I’d been so distracted by Celeste. I tend to tune everything else out when she’s around.

“Ah, you’re right, Doctor. I am a bit famished,” Celeste answered. I tilted my head in confusion. Marcus had been talking to her as if she were some kind of princess or something.

“Why do you keep calling her Lady Noir?” I asked. Marcus laughed lightly.

“Remember what your mother said about vampires, Orion. Purebloods are like royalty. The Noirs are one of the Five Noble Families, one of the oldest,” he explained. I turned my eyes on Cellie. She smiled at me sheepishly.

“We have a lot to talk about, Rii. Oh, and Mr. Doctor, just call me Celeste.” He smiled at her.

“Lady Celeste, you need to feed,” Marcus reminded. He’s such a worrywart, but I suppose it comes from being a father. Cellie just smiled at him.

“There’s no one here who I can take blood from right now. You’ve already lost too much strength healing these two,” she said.

That’s when I noticed it, the slight hint of red in her usually endless, black eyes. Their eyes turn red when they’re hungry. How interesting. I blinked slowly as the memory of my first meeting with the vampire squadron. All the Knights we’d faced that night had eyes that were glowing red, except for the two leaders. I wondered why the Knights would show up hungry if they knew they might have to fight. I wondered why Damien and Angelo would let their squadron do such a thing.

“We’ll figure it out back at the house. It feels like they’ve finished in the clearing,” Marcus said. The blue power around his hands dissipated, leaving Jon looking much more likely to live than before Marcus had gotten to us. The wound in his neck was closed up and bandaged.

“Orion!”

“Dad!”

We all turned towards the voices to see my mother and Kisha running towards us with worried expressions. My mom rushed up to me and wrapped me in her arms tightly, squeezing as if she were afraid I’d float away. I hugged her back with equal strength. Seeing her fight all of those vampires, nearly dying, it made me so much more appreciative of her. It reminded me of how much I loved her, how much I’d miss her if she were gone.

“Shit, look at him,” I heard Kisha’s voice say. I figured she’d just seen Jon. My heart lurched in guilt. I looked over at her, my eyes shifting between her saddened face and Jon’s unmoving form.

“I’m sorry,” I said. Green eyes rose to meet my gaze. “I couldn’t protect him.”

“Rii..” A cool hand squeezed my shoulder comfortingly as I averted my gaze to the ground. I couldn’t stand looking at him anymore.

“No one blames you for what happened to him, Orion. I’m sure when he wakes up, he will thank you for having saved his life,” Marcus said. It didn’t make me feel any better about the situation.

“Don’t beat yourself up about it, Newbie. He’ll be okay,” Kisha added. I looked back at her. Her eyes were soft and comforting. She didn’t blame me, none of them did. So, why couldn’t I stop blaming myself?

“Kisha, grab him and let’s get back to the house. I trust you’ve taken care of the bodies, Katherine,” Marcus said.

“Camille and Sebastian are taking care of it right now,” my mother said, pulling away from me. They were taking care of it? ‘Why do I smell smoke?’

“I’ll go get them and bring them back with me,” Cellie said before darting off into the trees in the direction of the clearing. I stared into the darkness for a few seconds before turning my attention back on the other people who were there with me.

“Let’s get going then,” Kisha said, slipping her arms around Jon, and lifting him princess-style into her arms. He didn’t look as bad as he did before. Maybe he’d be okay.

I couldn’t help being amused by the picture they made. If he was awake, he’d have been making a huge scene about being carried like that by a girl. Then he’d get punched by Kisha, and whine some more about what a harpy she was. I smiled a little at the thought. I’d have missed him, even if he is a pain in the ass. I felt a tug on my arm and broke out of my mind to look towards my mother. She smiled at me, turning, and pulling me back in the direction of Marcus’s house. I silently followed.

********************************

Once we’d reached the Johnson house, Kisha took Jon into Marcus’s home office where the Doctor continued his work until he could heal no longer. Jon would live. In fact, he’d be just fine in the morning with maybe a stiff neck as evidence he was ever hurt. The only worry was that he’d been bitten twice within a week. The effects of the venom were really hard on the body, and being shot up with the anti-venom so closely together could cause his body to go into a shock induced coma. So, it was that night that would be a critical time for him.

Kisha stayed with him to keep an eye on his vitals, and I thanked her for it silently. Marcus collapsed into a chair in the living room, breathing heavily, and looking slightly pale. My mother sat down next to him with a glass of water, helping him drink it quietly. Her hair shifted, and that’s when I noticed the two small puncture wounds in my mother’s neck.

“Mom! You’ve been bitten!” I cried out suddenly.

“Katherine? I thought you said you didn’t sustain any injuries,” Marcus said, looking worried. My mother raised her hand to her neck with a little giggle.

“No, I’m fine. Camille and Sebastian were a little worn after they finished up the battle,” she said, pushing her hair back to reveal another pair of puncture marks on the other side of her neck.

“You let them both bite you!?” I cried. Marcus didn’t look too happy about it either. She just laughed harder.

“Katherine, it’s not funny! You shouldn’t have let two Nobles feed off of you after a fight like that,” Marcus said. She just stared at him with amusement.

“I’ve been feeding them both for twenty years, ever since I was first stationed to protect them. I think I can handle it,” she said. We both stared at her like she was crazy.

‘Well, she is kind of crazy…’

“What are you, their set blood donor or something?” I asked. She giggled and smiled at me.

“Yep! Every Pureblood has a set donor nowadays, to decrease the amount of Turned created. It’s been working quite well, actually. Usually it’s a member of the Chosen, because we taste better, and give more nourishment. Since I have unusually strong blood, even for a Chosen, I am able to feed the both of them without a problem. You’re probably the same. That’s why those Hunters targeted you,” she explained. That made a lot of sense. Vanessa had said my blood was quite potent.

“Still, Katherine. Your energy is low and you’re exhausted. You should have waited a little while before feeding them,” Marcus chided. She just smiled at him.

“Don’t be such a worrywart!” A knock on the door stopped whatever Marcus was going to say in response. He went to rise, but my mom pushed him back down, and went to open it in his place. In a rush of cool air, I was wrapped in yet another pair of arms.

“Ahh, mon garcon! Mon cher! Êtes-vous blessé?” It was Camille. I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Woah, Camille! Calm down with the French, ok?” I chuckled. Sebastian came up behind me and put a hand on his wife’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry, Orion. She was beside herself when she found out you’d been injured.” He carefully extricated her from my person.

“Come now, ma reine. You’re worrying him,” he chided. Camille looked up at me with tear filled eyes and smiled.

“I’m sorry, mon cher. I was just happy to see you were alright,” she said. The gentle French accent calmed me just as it always did.

“It’s ok, Camille. I get it.” I smiled.

“Celeste! Oh my god, it’s been too long!” my mother’s voice shouted. Celeste walked in and embraced my mother tightly in her arms.

“Momma! It’s so good to see you!”

I couldn’t help but smile. Now, Celeste and I, we’re not related in any way. But, she’d always called my mother, Momma and my father, Papa. Since, essentially, we both had two sets of parents. I’d never quite gotten comfortable enough to call Camille and Sebastian “Mom and Dad”. Guess I’m just old fashioned that way. The closest I ever got was calling them Aunt and Uncle when I was younger. Now I just call them by their names. We all moved to the living room to sit on the couches and talk.

“So, has anyone sustained any injuries that should be taken care of?” Marcus asked as he glanced over the people in the room. My mother just laughed and patted him on the head like a child.

“Quiet you. You’re hardly in any condition to be healing anyone.”

“We are fine, Monsieur. Katherine’s blood has helped us heal whatever minor injuries we did acquire.” Camille smiled at the doctor warmly. So, vampires had healing capabilities. Like she could read my thoughts, Cellie leaned over to whisper in my ear.

“We don’t have healing powers. Well, none of us three do, but we do heal quite rapidly. Even faster if we’ve fed from someone with strong blood.”

That made sense. She moved a hand to brush a few blond strands of hair out of my eyes. Her fingers were even colder than she’d felt back out in the forest. It scared me a little, because the last time I’d felt her skin so cold was when she’d laid dying in the hospital. I looked up into her eyes with concern, only to notice that they’d become a deep red color, almost glowing back at me.

“Cellie, ma ange. You have ignored your thirst for too long.”

Celeste looked away from me quickly, her eyes darting to the ground in shame. I wondered why she was so upset. It wasn’t her fault that she was born a vampire. It wasn’t her fault that she needed to feed. So, why did she look so guilty about it? I wasn’t going to judge her for that. I wouldn’t be afraid because of what she was. I placed a tanned hand over her cold one, letting blue eyes and black lock as I smiled at her.

“You can feed from me, Cellie.”

“No!” The answer was so quick and so vehement, it left me confused. Why not? I had strong blood. I knew it. Vanessa and her mate Luke had tracked me for weeks just to get it. So, why wouldn’t Cellie drink from me?

“It’s okay. I’m not hurt anymore. Not even tired. You need to, right? Your skin is so cold. It must have been a while.”

She seemed surprised by how much I’d figured out about her kind all on my own. Still, she shook her head and rose, backing away towards her parents.

“No, Rii. I can’t do that. I could never…”

“Why not? We’re friends right? Don’t friends help each other out?” I asked. I was starting to get a little frustrated at her denial. I didn’t care about how grotesque her situation was. I didn’t care that she wanted my blood. So, why couldn’t she just accept my offer?

“Friends don’t drink each other’s blood, Rii!” Her eyes were as fierce as her voice.

“Cellie..”

“I’ll do it,” Kisha said, interrupting our almost fight. I glared at her before switching my gaze back over to my best friend demandingly.

“Rii, you don’t understand. I-I don’t want to hurt you.” Her voice was trembling a little, and she was clutching the wall like she was trying to hold herself back.

“Bu--”

SMACK

“Ow! Kisha, what the hell?!” She just glared down at me with those fiery green eyes of hers.

“I said I’d do it, Newbie. Go sit your tired ass down,” she ordered, before grabbing hold of Celeste and dragging her away.

For a minute my friend looked as if she were going to protest, but Kisha was having none of that. She forced Cellie away with a strong hand. I caught one final flash of apologetic, reddish-black eyes before both women disappeared down the hallway. I didn’t understand what had just happened. Cellie had seemed so set on not drinking from me. Was there something wrong with me?

“You’ll have to forgive her, mon cher. Ever since she awoke from her maturation, Cellie has been having a difficult time adjusting to her new lifestyle,” Camille explained, breaking me out of my thoughts. I turned my eyes onto the older woman’s beautiful face, questions bubbling into my mind uncontrollably.

“It is our fault, for raising her in the presence of humans like we did,” Sebastian said in that rich, European tone of his. I felt my face scrunch in confusion. He smiled at me.

“Most Pureblood vampires do not mingle with the humans until after they have already matured,” he began, leaning his elbow on his knee and resting his chin against his flattened palm. He sighed.

“But, we didn’t want that for our daughter. The Clan was happy enough to keep her locked away in the Main House, but Celeste wasn’t like others of our kind. She was so vibrant and alive.”

Camille placed a hand over her husband’s free one.

“We decided that for her benefit, Cellie would be raised like a normal child. She was just never meant to be locked away like some fairytale princess,” she said.

“When she met you, she begged us to let her stay with you. She never wanted to leave you. How could we refuse?” Sebastian continued. He frowned a little before he spoke again.

“Unfortunately, raising her the way we did left her much too compassionate towards humans. She knew what she was. She knew what would eventually happen to her, but she was so enthralled by you that she didn’t even think of it until the maturation process began.”

I was starting to understand a little. Cellie was raised in an environment where she’d befriended many humans. In fact, since she was very young she’d always been around them. So, to her, it was not as easy to have to drink the blood of beings she’d become so close to before her maturation began.

“Cellie refused to eat the first month after she awoke,” Camille said. I blinked at her in shock, my heart twisting in my chest sympathetically. I wouldn’t have been able to either.

“We had to feed her cold blood, from the hospital’s store room. She did not take the offered Chosen as her donor, and she absolutely refused to hunt on her own. She refused to be around humans, in fear of doing something terrible that she would regret. But, she needed to build a tolerance to the smell of blood. She needed to be able to resist the urge to feed whenever she smelt warm, human flesh.”

The hair on my arms and legs stood up on end when Sebastian said that. It was so odd to hear someone talk about people like that, like they were food. I won’t lie. I was a little uncomfortable. But, I trusted Sebastian and Camille so much, that knowing what they were, how they thought, wasn’t so terrifying.

“Is it really that hard?”

Black eyes met my gaze briefly.

“It is for the newly mature. Thirst is something that can not be understood by those who have not experienced it. But, to give you some perception, it is like a starving man being taunted with the smell of good food, and then being expected to resist eating it.”

I suddenly felt guilty for getting so upset with Cellie earlier. She just didn’t want to hurt me. She didn’t want me to see the monster she thought she was. But, I wished she would understand that I didn’t think she was a monster. I thought she was perfect. In my eyes, she was my guardian angel.

“The consequences of Cellie being so sensitive about hunting live prey has caused her to have a lack of control when it comes to particularly delicious smelling blood. In the two years since she matured, she has been trying her hardest to improve her control. But, her lack of experience with the stronger smelling blood, Chosen blood, has left her slightly weak to it,” Sebastian explained. Camille smiled at me again, giggling a little.

“And, Orion, my love, your blood is one of the strongest I’ve ever smelled in all my centuries of life,” she said.

‘Uh….centuries? How old is she?’

“Yes. I did not know you would have such a strong power inside of you. It is awfully late for you to have developed them,” Sebastian added with his own throaty chuckle.

His face lit up in a warm smile. I was still stuck on the whole idea of the centuries Camille had apparently lived. How old was she? Was Sebastian as old as she was? If they were so old, why did they wait so long to have a child?

“Ah, I’m sorry I didn’t explain well enough! I was shocked myself,” my mother’s voice said softly, reminding us that there were still two other people in the room with us. Well, kind of. Marcus had dozed off against the chair he was sitting in.

“No, it’s alright, Katherine! Cellie told us how much power she’d sensed in him, but like we said, she hasn’t much experience with Chosen. To her, all of them feel really powerful!” Camille chirped with a beaming smile. “But, really. We should have expected more, mon amour. He is the son of The Reaper.”

Sebastian laughed a little.

“Yes, I know. But, I haven’t smelt blood this strong since Crimson.”

Everyone went silent for a few seconds. I considered the new name that’d just been uttered. Was it a person? It had to be, right? Crimson is a woman’s name, and he was talking about the scent of her blood. ‘She must be powerful if she smells that good, right? I think that’s how it works. The more powerful, the better scent and flavor.’

“Speaking of her, I think it’s about time we took Orion down to meet her.” I looked over to my mother, our identical eyes locking gazes.

“You’re right,” Marcus’s sleepy voice said. Apparently he’d woken from his little nap on the couch.

“Do you know when she’s free?” my mom asked. He rubbed his tired, brown eyes, and shook his head.

“I’ll give Headquarters a call tomorrow, and see if we can make an appointment.”

“That sounds good. I’ll give Henry a call too. He’ll want to be there to see his son’s first meeting with her.” My dad would want to see it? Was this Crimson person really important or something? Was meeting her some kind of rite of passage for Chosen?

“You’re right. It’ll be good to see him again. It’s been a while. We can do all of that tomorrow though. For now, I think it’s time we all got to bed. Lord, Lady, please follow me. I’ll show you to your room,” Marcus said, bowing in respect. Camille giggled cutely, patting him on the shoulder in a friendly manner.

“You can call us by our names, Doctor,” she said. He smiled.

“Then you should both call me Marcus.”

Sebastian nodded, clapping a hand on Marcus’s sturdy shoulder. I suddenly noticed how pale they both were, having them stand next to Marcus’s tall, dark skinned frame. I mean I’d noticed before, having grown up with them around and all. But, it seemed even more pronounced with Marcus in the room. Were all vampires like that, or was it just Cellie’s family? Vanessa had been pretty pale too, but it was night time, so I didn’t really get a good look at her skin tone. Same thing with the Ricci brothers, too dark outside to tell. I watched silently as they all walked away.

“Well, we should get to bed as well, Orion. It was quite a night.”

“Yea,” I murmured quietly. I followed as my mother made her way down the hall that lead to the guest bedrooms.

“You did well tonight, sweetie. I’m proud of you,” my mother said, her blue eyes looking at me with a pride in them I’d never seen before.

I mean, my mom was proud of me for whatever I did. But, I supposed she really enjoyed watching me excel in the field she’d worked in for so long. She enjoyed watching me use all the things she’d taught me in the previous week. It made me want to be better, stronger, if only to live up to her name. After all, the Reaper’s son can’t be a wuss, can he? I smiled at her, pulling her into a hug and kissing her on the cheek.

“Thanks, Mom. Good night.”

“Good night, Orion.”

With that, I opened the door to my room and closed it quietly behind me. I turned around and nearly yelped in surprise when I was met with two, big black eyes staring directly into mine. I scowled and pushed her back. She laughed at my pissy reaction.

“Cellie! Don’t do that! Scared the shit out of me!” I whispered angrily. She smiled.

“Sorry, Rii! You’re just too much fun!” She leaned against the desk in the room, peering up at me curiously with moonlit, jet black eyes. I leaned my back against the door.

“So…what’s it like?” I asked her. Sadness flashed across her gaze, but it was gone in an instant.

“I don’t know how to explain it, Rii. It’s like nothing of this world. I don’t want to talk about it now, though. It’s a long, frustrating story. Let’s wait until tomorrow,” she said.

“Alright.” I moved towards my dresser.

“Man, I’m tired!” She flopped down on my bed with an exhausted sigh as I frowned at her.

“Cellie, that’s my bed.” She looked at me, amused.

“I know, Rii. It’s been so long since we slept together. Come on! It’ll be fun!” she said, patting the spot next to her excitedly.

My heart stuttered in my chest at her wording. We hadn’t slept in the same bed since we were really young. It wouldn’t be appropriate to...we were fully grown. I felt my face heat up as I looked down at my best friend. Mischievous, dark eyes stared up at me in amusement. She always did love it when I blushed. She was wearing what she always wore to bed, a long t-shirt and a pair of boy’s boxers. Shit, a pair of my boxers. She looked unfairly good in them…her legs were so long and pale and…no! I didn’t let myself go there.

“Cellie, as much as I love you, I’m not going to sleep with you,” I said calmly as I tried to fight the vibrant blush threatening to take over my face. She just laid down and snuggled into the pillow, peering up at me through a curtain of curly black hair.

“Rii! Please! We’ve been friends forever! I just want to be near you.” She pouted at me cutely, and I found myself unable to deny her. Seriously, she has the cutest puppy-dog eyes I’ve ever seen in my life.

“Fine, fine,” I muttered, pulling off my fighting outfit.

I tried not to blush as I pulled on a fresh t-shirt and clean pair of sweatpants. Letting Cellie see my scrawny, half naked body was one of the most embarrassing moments of my life. Though, I supposed she’d already walked in on me in various states of undressed a million times while we were growing up. She’s one of those people that need to learn how to knock before opening doors. I tied the drawstring of my pants, wishing I’d showered beforehand because I felt so sweaty and dirty. I just shook the dirt from my hair really quick.

‘Whatever…I’m fucking tired. I’ll shower in the morning.’

With that, I pulled the covers back and settled underneath, my best friend snuggling up against my chest automatically. Her body was warm, her heartbeat normal. I supposed that's what human blood did for them. It made their bodies keep running smoothly. I was glad to see that she’d managed to feed off of Kisha. After the story her parents told me, I knew it must have been hard for her. But, I supposed Kisha’d be the perfect person to get her to move passed that problem. That girl doesn’t take kindly to people disobeying her.

It was strange, lying in a bed with Celeste again after all those years, after the two years I’d thought she was lost to me. It wasn’t bad though, just different. Instead of bony lines, she was all soft curves. Instead of childish cuteness, I saw angelic beauty. My heart throbbed against my chest strangely at the sight of Cellie so relaxed and gorgeous. Moonlight filtered over her pale, doll-like features lighting her porcelain skin beautifully.

“Rii, I’m sorry about before…I didn’t mean to--”

“It’s fine,” I said, squeezing her tighter. “If it were me, I’d be the same.”

I felt her smile against my chest, her small hands settling over my heart as she nuzzled my shoulder lightly. Holding her in my arms after having missed her for so long was amazing to me. An odd feeling came over me then, something I’d never felt before that made my heart flutter. Leaning my cheek against her silky, black hair, I pondered it. It was like happiness, but stronger. I didn’t quite know how to label it. The love and devotion was still there. My need to protect her was still there. But, somehow…it almost felt stronger. Then there was that fluttery feeling. Had it always been there, and I just hadn’t noticed it until that moment?

“It’s okay now, Rii. I’m not thirsty any more. I won’t bite you.” I kissed the top of her head, hating the self loathing tone of her voice.

“I wasn’t afraid that you would.”

There was a long period of silence then. I thought for a while that she’d fallen asleep.

“I was…” she murmured…and then the world went black.

...

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TBC!

a/n: please review!!

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Translations:

Ahh, mon garcon! Mon cher! Êtes-vous blessé?- ah! My boy! My dear! Are you hurt?!

Monsieur- mr./sir

Ma ange- my angel

Mon amour- my love

Ma reine- my queen