When he stood up, the moonlight spilling through my window caught his face and his eyes, sharp and red, gleaming with something far more dangerous than anger.
"Father…" I whispered.
One look at him was enough. He was furious!
My father is the most respected vampire lord of this generation, one of a few who is immortal in our bloodline.
"Where have you been, Ivy?" he asked, his voice low, controlled, as he began pacing slowly across the room.
I knew that tone too well. It would have been easier if he had shouted. His silence always meant something worse.
His gaze swept over me, lingering on the stains on my clothes, the blood I hadn't bothered to clean.
"And why," he continued, quieter now, more dangerous, "is there blood all over your body?"
My throat tightened, words slipping completely out of reach. I could have lied, I should have lied. I could have told him a human had discovered what I was, that I had no choice but to kill him.
That excuse existed. Layla had used it once, years ago, when her boyfriend found out she was a vampire.
She had come home shaken, but alive. Father had listened, silent and cold and the next night, the boy had disappeared. Just like that. Problem solved. No punishment. No questions.
But I couldn't use that excuse.
Because I wasn't Layla.
I was expected to be perfect. Careful. Untouchable.
Mistakes weren't tolerated from me.
And what I had done tonight… wasn't careful.
If I had been thinking clearly, I would have locked my door before leaving. I would have covered everything better, erased every trace. But I hadn't been thinking. Not then.
So I stood there, frozen beneath his gaze.
"Answer me!" he roared suddenly.
I flinched, the sound tearing through me.
"I—I went out to…" I started, my mind scrambling desperately for something believable, something that wouldn't get me killed.
A knock cut through the tension.
From the window.
I stilled, my senses sharpening instantly and then I smelled him.
Relief washed over me so fast it almost made me weak.
Anthony.
"She's with me, Father."
He stepped in through the window with effortless ease, calm as ever, like he had walked into this exact situation a hundred times before. His arm slipped around my shoulders, pulling me slightly to his side, grounding me in a way I hadn't realized I needed.
Father didn't respond immediately. He simply watched us, his expression unreadable, before turning toward the window to glance outside. When he faced us again, his gaze was sharper.
"And what exactly were you both doing, Tony?" he asked. "Why does Ivy have blood on her hands? I trust you weren't out causing trouble."
I remained silent. I didn't need to speak anymore. As long as Anthony handled this, I might survive it.
"Ivy wasn't feeling well," Anthony said smoothly. "We stepped out for some air. You won't believe it, we were attacked. A forest wolf. It came out of nowhere. Good thing Ivy reacted quickly."
Father stepped closer, his eyes narrowing slightly. Then he inhaled, slow and deliberate, circling me like he was peeling back layers I couldn't hide.
"That smell…" he murmured. "That isn't from an animal, Tony."
My chest tightened.
"It is," Anthony replied without hesitation, his tone steady but firmer now. "Ivy needs to clean up."
He nudged me gently toward the bathroom, his hand lingering just long enough to reassure me.
"Go."
I didn't argue. I couldn't.
Behind me, I heard him add, "She's not well. Let her rest."
There was a pause, a long heavy one before Father finally stepped back.
The door closed.
Only then did I exhale, gripping the edge of the sink as the tension drained from my body in slow, shaky waves.
That had been too close.
I didn't sleep that night.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw him.
Darius.
The way he looked at me. The way he begged. The way his voice broke as he realized no one was coming to save him.
"You deserved it," I muttered under my breath, though the words didn't feel as solid as I wanted them to.
My fingers drifted absently to my thighs, memory flashing through me—his touch, my mistake, the way I had given myself to him so easily, like I hadn't known better.
Stupid.
The word echoed louder this time.
He really did deserve it.
Because if Father ever found out the truth, what I had done, how careless I had been, what happened to Darius would feel like mercy compared to what he would do to me.
Death would have been easier.
Only…
I couldn't die.
****
The next day at college, the chaos hadn't settled. If anything, it had only grown worse. The whispers followed me the moment I stepped through the gates, curling around me like something alive. I forced myself to keep walking, my expression blank, my steps steady as I headed straight for class.
Olivia spotted me the moment I walked in, her lips curling into a slow, satisfied grin. "Well, look who finally decided to show up," she said loudly, leaning back in her chair. "The girl who wanted my boyfriend so badly she had to beg for him."
Laughter broke out instantly.
Something hit my shoulder.
Then another.
Crumpled papers flew across the room, bouncing off me, falling at my feet as voices rose around me mocking, taunting, tearing me apart like I was nothing more than something to step on.
I didn't react.
I walked to my seat.
Sat down.
And waited for it to pass.
By the time classes ended, I was being avoided entirely. Not ignored—avoided. Like I carried something infectious. Something people didn't want to get too close to.
But this hadn't started today.
It had only escalated.
Sasha and her group had made sure of that from my very first week. I had outperformed them too easily, too consistently. Of course I had. I was a vampire, I could absorb an entire textbook in minutes if I wanted to.
They just didn't know it.
I didn't go home immediately.
Instead, I turned toward the restroom.
The same one.
The moment I stepped inside, the silence wrapped around me again, heavy and familiar. I moved to the mirror, staring at my reflection as I adjusted the tape on my face, the fake injury, carefully placed to make everything look believable, to make me look human.
Normal.
The door behind me was yanked open.
Hard.
I froze, my gaze lifting slowly to meet the reflection in the mirror.
Darius's friends stood there.