"Ivy… what are you doing?"
The fear in Darius's voice settled something deep inside me.
I watched him as he backed into the wall, his eyes searching mine for something familiar, something human.
I let him look. I let him realize, slowly, that whatever he was searching for was no longer there.
"You humiliated me," I said, my voice low and steady, stripped of everything that once made it weak.
"I—I didn't mean for it to happen like that," he stammered, the words tripping over themselves. "I swear, Ivy, it wasn't supposed to get out. Olivia took my phone, I didn't.."
"Stop."
The word cut cleanly through the air. He went quiet immediately, his breathing uneven, his composure already cracking.
For a moment, I simply watched him.
This was the boy who had smiled at me like I mattered. The one who had made me feel chosen. And yet, when it mattered most, he had let me become a spectacle.
I took a step forward.
He flinched.
A faint, almost amused breath left me.
"I trusted you," I continued, tilting my head slightly as I studied him. "Do you know what that felt like?"
He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
The silence suited him.
The distance between us vanished in an instant. My hand closed around his throat, and I slammed him back against the wall hard enough to knock the breath from his lungs. I didn't tighten my grip. I didn't need to.
"Too late," I whispered.
For a brief, foolish second, confusion flickered across his face—like he thought I might kiss him.
Then I leaned in.
And bit.
The moment my fangs pierced his skin, the world sharpened violently. Heat flooded my mouth, thick and alive with something deep inside me responded with terrifying clarity. It wasn't just hunger.
It was recognition.
Darius screamed, the sound raw and broken as it echoed around us. His hands clawed at my shoulders, desperate, shaking, but his strength was already slipping.
"Ivy—stop—please—!" he choked, panic tearing through his voice. "I'm sorry—I swear—I didn't mean it—I'll fix it, I'll tell everyone, just stop—please—"
I pulled back slowly, letting his blood trail down my lips as I looked at him.
"Fix it?" I repeated softly.
His eyes were wide, wet, filled with fear so pure it almost fascinated me.
He nodded too quickly. "Anything, anything you want just don't do this."
Anything.
I released him just enough for him to collapse to his knees. His hands flew to his neck, trying desperately to hold himself together as blood seeped through his fingers. His entire body trembled now, the weight of what was happening finally breaking through.
"Then beg," I said quietly.
He hesitated for only a fraction of a second before the last of his pride shattered.
"Please," he gasped, dropping fully, his voice raw and desperate. "Please, Ivy… don't kill me. I'll do anything. I swear I'll fix it. Just...just let me live."
I crouched in front of him, watching him unravel.
This was the version of him no one ever saw. Not the confident captain. Not the boy everyone admired.
Just this.
Fragile. Terrified. Exposed.
"You carved out my heart , so I will drink yours while it still screams," I murmured.
Before he could respond, I grabbed him again.
The world bent.
The walls dissolved into motion and shadow as I dragged him with me, his weak protests barely registering.
The city vanished, replaced by darkness and the scent of damp earth as we emerged deep within the forest, far from light, far from anyone who could hear him.
I let him fall.
He hit the ground hard, a broken sound leaving him as he tried and failed to move. His breathing was shallow now, uneven, his strength draining faster than he could fight it.
I walked toward him slowly, each step deliberate.
He tried to crawl back, his fingers digging weakly into the dirt, but he didn't get far.
"What… are you…" he managed, his voice cracking as he looked up at me. "You're not… human…"
A quiet laugh escaped me, low, sharp, edged with something unfamiliar.
"Of course I'm not, Darius."
I knelt beside him, close enough to hear every strained breath, every faltering heartbeat. For a moment, I didn't touch him.
I simply watched, letting the silence stretch, letting him feel it—the waiting, the inevitability.
Then I pressed my fingers lightly against the wound on his neck.
He jerked violently, a strangled cry slipping from his throat.
"Does it hurt?" I asked softly.
He nodded frantically, tears mixing with dirt and blood as they streaked down his face. "Please… Ivy… mercy… I won't ever hurt you again… I swear…"
I pressed a little harder, and his body tensed beneath my hand.
"You didn't think about mercy when you let them see me naked, i was a virgin," I said quietly.
The silence that followed was heavy, suffocating, filled only by the sound of him struggling to breathe. I didn't rush it. I let it settle. Let him understand.
"Please…" he whispered again, weaker now. "Don't… kill me…"
I studied him for a long moment.
Then I exhaled softly.
"I actually liked you," I said.
And I meant it.
That was the worst part.
Then I leaned in one last time.
This time, I didn't hesitate.
My fangs sank deeper, and I drank until the last of his strength slipped away, until his body went slack beneath me and his heartbeat slowed to something faint and fragile.
When I finally pulled back, he collapsed completely.
Barely conscious.
Barely alive.
I let him lie there.
Broken.
Helpless.
For a moment, I sat beside him, staring into the darkness as the taste of him lingered, as memories flickered through my mind, the way he smiled, the way I believed him, the way I let myself feel something I should have known better than to trust.
A quiet laugh slipped out, hollow and distant.
"Crazy bastard," I murmured, wiping the blood from my lips. "I actually kinda liked you."
A slow clap echoed through the trees.
I went still.
"Weldone, little sister."
I turned.
Anthony leaned casually against a tree, clapping lightly, a calm smile on his face as though none of this surprised him.
"You were merciful with this one," he said, his gaze shifting briefly to Darius's barely moving body. "Way too merciful."
My chest tightened.
"W-what are you doing here?" I asked.
"I followed you," he replied simply. "I knew something was off and you forget i could read your thoughts."
"I… I…" The words failed me. There was too much rage, hunger, something darker I couldn't name.
He raised a hand, stopping me.
"It's okay," he said calmly. "You can go home. I'll make sure this never gets traced to you."
I glanced back at Darius, then at him.
"But.."
"Just go," he repeated, firmer this time.
Something in his tone made it clear there was no argument.
I nodded slowly.
And then I let go.
The world folded into shadow, my body dissolving into the night as I disappeared, leaving the forest and everything in it behind.
By the time I got home, the guests were gone.
The house was silent, too silent.
No voices. No footsteps. Just that heavy, watchful quiet that always made the walls feel closer than they should be.
I slipped in through my window, landing softly, careful not to make a sound. My fingers lingered on the frame as I eased it shut behind me, sealing myself back into the room like nothing had happened.
For a second, I just stood there, listening. But as I turned something was off.
Someone was sitting on my bed.
A shadow of a figure, seated still and watching.
My breath caught in my throat as a sharp gasp slipped out before I could stop it.