BLOOD ATTRACTION

VICTORY STORM

When all your certainties disappear and you no longer know who you are, all you have to do is run away.
Escape from them and your thirst for blood…
Your blood!

Vera has just discovered the existence of vampires and now she has to escape. On the run between Dublin and London, Vera becomes the prey of a bloodthirsty and ferocious species, because in her blood hides the weapon to destroy the vampire race. Chasing her is Blake, one of the oldest and strongest vampires in the world, but a strange fate awaits them. What should be a confrontation between good and evil will result in a strange and explosive attraction that will change the course of their lives, revealing the secrets that are hidden in the past of both.

Text copyright © 2023 Victory Storm

http://www.victorystorm.com

Translator (pt --> eng): Matheus Festino

Publisher: Tektime

Cover: Victory Storm's graphic design - Stock: Pete Linforth by Pixabay

This is a work fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.

All rights reserved.

No part of the book may be reproduced or disseminated by any means, photocopies, microfilm or otherwise, without the author's permission.

Table of Contents

PROLOGUE

FIRST PART FORTY DAYS BEFORE

VISITANT

CHANGES

MEETING

CLOSENESS

PROTECTION

SECOND PART THE MARBLE CASTLE

FRIENDS

THREAT

ISOLATION

OVERCLOCK

CLARIFICATIONS

STATEMENT

PART THREE ORIGINS

FAMILY

SAVING

CHRISTMAS

HERITAGE

ESCAPE

PROLOGUE

November 16th, 2018

«Vera Campbell.»

I nodded in agreement.

«Seventeen years, brown hair and eyes, pale face, not particularly tall to thin… small, insignificant» commented the Mother Superior with a tone full of contempt, sliding her gaze over my body standing before her, tense as a violin string.

The umpteenth stab in the clashes of my unattractive physique.

«From the notes of your last report card, it seems to me that underneath the physical appearance there is also very little» continued the nun in a stern and evil voice, leafing through my personal folder that covered her powerful desk.

«Truly, I never had a failure in the school report and I try not to…»

I protested. Okay, I was unsightly, but not ignorant!

Besides, it wasn’t my fault that I had often missed classes, because of my health.

« Did I tell you that you could talk?» shouted the woman full of indignation.

I felt faint, I had been standing there for almost twenty minutes tense, in front of the dean of the Catholic college, where I will certainly spend at least the next two months, far from my aunt Cecilia, my only true point of reference. Not to mention everything. I've been through in the last few days, not even the real reason for that forced stay!

«Motherless, unknown father. Entrusted to the care of Cecilia Campbell, a woman who abandoned the nun's habit to take care of her niece. Mmh... It also says here that you are sick... A very rare form of anemia» Read the Mother Superior on another sheet with a tone of total contempt.

I felt like I had been slapped on the face. I wasn’t used to being disgustingly treated when my health was discussed. Usually I was surrounded by affection and understanding.

«Well, there is even a recommendation here regarding your diet, rich in protein and lots of pork or beef, rare. No birds» commented the woman, as if she was about to throw up.

I couldn’t agree. She felt I was the main target of those gray eyes, which seemed to want to pierce me like daggers.

«As if that were not enough, it is also written here that you must drink at least once a month, 50cl of liquid taken from the arteriovenous system of pigs or cattles...

Oh my gosh! Drink animal blood? This is scandalous!» she let it escape, her face all red with disgust, continuing to read my file, in which, apparently, someone had taken the trouble to write about me and my life.

I appreciate her that was the only way you keep me alive and that my aunt had made a thousand sacrifices to save me, after I was entrusted to her after the death of my mother, who died shortly after giving birth.

Furthermore, my aunt always said that drinking blood wasn’t that shocking, because in certain countries in the East it was customary to drink the warm blood of a snake to fight rheumatism, so it wasn’t such a strange thing.

«doesn’t your doctor know that transfusions exist nowadays?».

«Yes, but unfortunately it has been discovered that for more immediate and long-lasting benefits, my organism reacts better when the digestive system is also involved» I whispered, stumbling over the words. Even I hadn't really understood why transfusions didn’t make me as strong as drinking my “hemodosis", as my aunt and I called it.

Sometimes anemia managed to weaken me to the point of losing consciousness. My “medicine" was enough and I quickly recovered my perfect hearing and sight and the feeling of fatigue, which I had felt before, completely disappeared.

The Mother Superior heaved a long sigh, sinking into the hard and black armchair on which she was comfortably seated, while I had not even been allowed to sit down

“ If you're here, it's only because Cardinal Siringer asked me personally, but I want to make it clear that this is not a refuge for misfits, but an illustrious college, which follows and respects the Lord's will”.

Priest Dominick had already told me about that prestigious college, formerly Melmore Castle, which stood on the sacred ruins of Melmore Abbey, one of the oldest abbeys and which withstood the various wars in Ireland. I knew I would be safe there, but at that moment I felt like I was in a dark and cold prison. Even the weather was against me. Winter was coming and I knew that for a long time I would not see the sun again. In addition, that area was very prone to precipitation and walls of fog.

If I wanted to survive, I had to find something beautiful, otherwise I would go crazy.

"Good. You can go. You will find Sister Agatha who will accompany you to your room, where you will find two uniforms that you must always wear, a gym outfit and the class schedule, which you must start attending from tomorrow morning.

You have an hour to pack your things and head to church for mass. Be punctual,” the Mother Superior dismissed me with a wave of her hand.

I made so much effort moving and turning that I felt like I had taken root.

I said nothing, turned around, opened the heavy door and left.

I had barely crossed the threshold of the office when a middle-aged nun, who had been waiting for me outside, nervously approached me, sitting in a dark walnut chair. “I am Sister Agatha. You must be Vera Campbell, the newcomer. She comes. I'll accompany you to your new room, which you'll share with Maria Kelson, a contemporary of yours. She is a little shy, but very devoted to the Lord… I would not be surprised if in the future she decides to take vows »explained the nun absorbed in her thoughts. All around me were cold, damp stone corridors and stairs. The silence that reigned in that place was chilling.

I could only hear the sound of our footsteps. It looked like it had been improvised designed for another era. Honestly, I didn't believe that places like that could still be inhabited, let alone used as a school for young people.

I continued to look around me in shock. To the right were narrow, tall, Gothic-looking windows that made the atmosphere even more sinister. I was so impressed by the austerity of that place, that I could barely hear the words of the nun, who continued to speak mechanically: «After the new laws on integration, our school also had to adapt, so this institution is open both to the male sex , like the female sex. On the ground floor are the classrooms, gym and cafeteria, while on the second floor is the dormitory. The west wing is reserved for males and the east wing for girls.

On the third floor, as you can see, are the various offices and private rooms for the professors, as well as a large library, which you can only access with permission from Sister Elizabeth. The chapel occupies the entire north wing, right in front of the vegetable gardens and stables.

To get to these, you have to go out and go around the school.”

Sister Agatha continued to speak in her flat but forceful tone. She also didn't seem particularly kind or warm. Was it possible that no one showed a little compassion towards the new inmates?

«Also remember that in the corridors you don't shout, you don't run and you must respect the schedules. Breakfast is at 7:00 am, lunch at 12:00 pm and dinner at 7:00 pm, after mass at 6:00 pm. Remember to always wear your school uniform when you leave your room and never leave your personal belongings lying around your room or they will be seized and thrown away”.

This wasn't a prison, it was worse!

We go down the stairs, walk along a long corridor and then turn left and find ourselves in another gloomy corridor with damp, dark walls. I felt damp seeping into my bones and a musty smell filled my lungs, making me feel nauseous.

“ This is the dorm. Your room is the third door on the right. The bath is at the bottom. Get ready that in fifty minutes we are going to pray» concluded the sister, before leaving.

"Thank you", I whispered, but only a small, inconsistent breath came out of my mouth.

I walked the last few meters alone and opened that terrible dark wooden door with the black handle that hid my room. A quick glance was enough for me: two beds, two bedside tables, two wardrobes to contain the bare minimum, two small tables with two chairs and a huge crucifix in the center.

My suitcase and some clothes were on the bed on the left, while in the chair next to the bed on the right, a girl was sitting attentively reading the book “In the hands of God”.

“ Hi, I'm Vera Campbell, your new roommate. You must be Maria?” I tried to talk.

The girl looked up from her book and smiling, she nodded.

She had a round, freckled face. Her light brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail and her green eyes looked kind.

She was wearing the uniform that I too would soon have to wear: a blue suit with a very sober cut and an abbey design embroidered on the breast pocket, and a white shirt.

My first thought was that blue didn't suit me, but I was too tired to worry about that.

Slowly, I opened the suitcase. It only contained the bare essentials that I managed to bring from home before the unexpected escape I had to make.

On top of the pile of dresses, I put a photo of me and Aunt Cecília embracing in front of the farm gate.

Seeing that image made my eyes itch.

How much I missed her!

I wish she had been there with me!

I certainly would never have allowed anyone to address me the way the Mother Superior had just done.

I placed the photo on the bedside table. I wanted her close, as much as possible.

«I'm sorry, but you'd better keep that photo in the bedside table drawer, otherwise it will be thrown away tomorrow» Maria told me, approaching me.

"But I...".

"I know I know. The same thing happened to me too... and the next morning my grandmother's picture was gone. Believe me »she assured me in a candid voice.

With a weary sigh, I put the photo away. It was too precious to allow anyone to throw it in the trash.

I sorted out the dresses and personal effects.

I was about to put the suitcase away when I realized something was missing.

The makeup case.

«My lipstick, my mascara, my eye shadows... disappeared!» I screamed indignantly.

I looked at Maria.

She just shrugged her shoulders and explained to me: “Lost! The nuns controlled your purse, as they always do with new arrivals, and threw away what doesn't serve you here».

I wanted to scream! Not so much because of the discarded cosmetics, but because I hated people going through my private things!

Practically at the end of my strength, I changed my clothes before Maria's embarrassed look, who went back to reading sitting in her chair.

I was right: blue didn't suit me particularly well!

I looked at the clock. I still had twenty minutes before mass. I took another look around the room.

It had gray walls and dark walnut furniture.

In short, depressing. Like everything else.

I threw the suitcase to the floor and threw myself on the bed.

I just wanted to forget. I closed my eyes.

The image of two ice-colored eyes looking straight through me immediately popped into my mind.

A series of shivers ran down my spine.

I swayed with fear.

This again! It was torment. That was its fault I was there.

I was so tired! I wanted so much to hear my aunt Cecília's voice reassuring me, as she always did when something went wrong.

I tried to think of her and picture her smiling face in my mind, but I couldn't take those terrible blue eyes away.

Finally, without realizing it, I fell asleep.

I was exhausted and unable to see my future.

Just a month ago, my life had been cut short and now I didn't know who I was or where to go.

Everything had changed.

FIRST PART

FORTY DAYS BEFORE

VISITANT

October 4th, 2018

Grade four in Biology.

I couldn’t show that bad grade to aunt Cecilia

For a month I kept repeating to her that I was going to recover from the insufficiency I had the other time and instead…

I knew she wasn't going to be mad, but I didn't want to make her feel disappointed since she helped me study for the test.

The bus stopped in front of the farm, just before the end of the way of the four Crosses, which ran through the thick pine forest of Landskare. "Terminal" yelled at me from the driver's seat Joshua, the driver, distracting me from my worries. "Thanks. See you tomorrow» I greeted him distractedly. “I see you soon, Vera".

A few meters and I crossed the farm gate. I saw Ahmed, our old Tunisian handyman, trying to round up the chickens in the coop. “Ahmed, hello! How was your day?" I asked him kindly. The man let out a murmur of pain. "Humid cold and backache" replied Ahmed. He was always a man of few words. After ten years of living together, He had already realized that he loved being with me and my aunt, but hated the rainy Irish climate, which often caused him any pain in his bones. "Come on, I'll tell my aunt to prepare the usual compress, which always gives you so much relief", I consoled him. Ahmed smiled at me gratefully. Without saying anything else, I walked through the front door of the house, apple pie scent. My favorite. This meant two things: first, that I couldn't tell my aunt about my poor evaluation so as not to spoil the day and second, Priest Dominick was at home, the nicest and most generous priest in the world.

He also loved apple pie, so Aunt Cecília prepared it whenever he visited us. I took off my shoes, coat and backpack at the entrance and headed for the living room, where my aunt was chatting amusedly with Priest Dominick. "Hello." «Vera, treasure, come, we were waiting for you for tea, invited me with her morbid and sweet voice, which always put everyone at ease»“Vera, hello. It's only been a month since I last saw you, but it seems to me that you're taller” the priest greeted me. “If I grew at least one centimeter every time you tell me, I would now be almost three meters tall” I replied laughing, Dominick too, roared with laughter. He was never offended by my jokes and his aunt no longer paid any attention to this. Then lunch arrived. The aunt served tea and apple pie. As soon as I sank my teeth into the fragrant candy, I immediately felt better, until I choked on my aunt's question. “How was school?” asked me. "Good". "Did Professor Hupper give you the biology test?". Is it possible that my aunt never forgets anything? How did you manage to always have the slightest thing under control? "No", I lied, trying to concentrate on the aroma of the tea. We were still finishing lunch when the phone rang. "I go there. It will surely be Duncan McDowell about the cattle I bought the day before yesterday, the aunt thought aloud. As soon as the aunt walked away (it was indeed Duncan McDowell on the phone), Priest Dominick gave me his full attention. “So how are you?” he asked me with a serious look. "Good". “Have you thought about what I told you last time about the love of God?”. «Yes, but I already told you that I have doubts about the justice of the Lord. In this world there are many things wrong. I don't see all that love you talk about». "It's within us". «Yes, but then why do so many people commit sins? Not to mention that often the luckiest are those who least deserve it», I got nervous.

The surrendered priest shook his head. He had been talking to me about love, mercy and divine justice for some months now and I kept bringing up episodes of everyday injustice or wars. «So, you never commit sins?». Here it is, the time for confession had arrived. "No, never" I challenged him. "It's already a sin to say a sentence like that," he scolded me. "Then. At least now I can tell you that I lied, therefore I sinned” I made fun of him. The priest looked at me confused for a moment. "And it all?". «Actually, I also stole money from my aunt to buy cigarettes, then I hit a colleague of mine and finally, I also cheated on the biology test», I concluded amused to see the shocked expression on Dominick's face. I couldn't control my laughter and this reassured the old priest a lot. “Did you do all this?” he muttered hesitantly. «But do you think I can smoke with all the problems I have due to my anemia? Besides, I could never steal money from my aunt, who already makes a thousand sacrifices to support us. The income he receives monthly is barely enough for us and we are two weeks behind on Ahmed's payment” I clarified in a firm voice. “But did you really hit a colleague of yours?”. «Not even close, although I don't deny that I would like to. Patty Shue is the most disgusting person in the world. Just because you're beautiful and nice, you believe you're superior to others,” I blurted out. "I already told you that you should ignore that girl". «Yes, but I can't do it, because it always annoys me. Says I'm cadaverous. Imagine the behavior of my male companions when they see me in their presence. A ghost would be less disgusting!». «Forget her». I let out a big irritated sigh. Just talking about Patty Shue put me in a bad mood. «At least tell me if it's true that you copied on the test» he asked me, trying to change his speech. «No, I actually had a four», I confessed in distress. “Aunt already knows?” “I don't know how to say it. I think this time, I'll pretend nothing happened» I planned. «Vera» looked at me again with a look full of criticism. "I'm kidding". “Did you do anything else, by any chance?”. "Actually, yes," I whispered in a thin voice.

«What thing?». «The day before yesterday, I had hemodosis on the sly». Priest Dominick remained petrified with shock. “Isn’t one dose every twenty days enough for you?” he asked me worriedly. «Yes, but lately I've been pushing my body too hard and I've found myself with low energy. At school we had a motor substitute, who doesn't know my problem, so he made me do a lot of grueling exercises». “But why didn’t you tell him?”. «I was going to tell her, but then that idiot Patty Shue started screaming at the teacher that she was “sick”, that is, I couldn't do this and that and I got irritated. I wanted to show that I could do them!” «You screwed up!». “You don't understand! In any case, my weakening was also my fault, because the day before yesterday morning I missed the bus and, since the aunt had already left with Ahmed for the McDowell farm to buy cattle, I walked about five kilometers on foot. I got to school an hour late, but they didn't get me into trouble because I told them I didn't feel well along the way». "I imagine that the aunt doesn't know anything about this whole story", commented the dismayed priest. "No. Only Ahmed knows, because he saw that I was in a bad way and I told him what happened to me», I finished. Meanwhile, the aunt returned to the hall with a big smile on her face. «What were they talking about?». «Nothing» we exclaimed in chorus. «Well, on the contrary I have splendid news for Vera. Speaking with Mr. McDowell, I learned that his son Ron is very good at science, so I asked him if he was willing to give you explanations» revealed the aunt satisfied. “What did you do?” I exploded furiously. Ron was a real math and science brain, but he was smug and intractable because of his breath that smelled like dead rats. "You listened very well and it seems you need them a lot, since you told me that after yesterday's test, you got an average of three and a half" whispered the aunt. Smug, intractable and traitorous! Damn you. How can you allow me to reveal my note to my aunt? I didn't tell your father that his son had an extreme need for sweets to freshen his breath. I was furious. “When did you plan to tell me that the last test also went wrong?” "I don't know. Maybe in another life” I tried to joke, but my aunt didn't seem to have much of a sense of humor.

I couldn't resist looking at Priest Dominick, who was laughing with the typical “I told you so!” expression. I realized that it was time to withdraw. «Then, I'm going to study», I said goodbye shyly. "It's better" said my aunt again with a threatening tone. "Good. So, good-bye and good-bye without me” I turned to Dominick. "To the next. Goodbye, Vera» greeted the priest, hugging me. I grabbed my backpack and another slice of pie and went upstairs to my room to reflect. I put the bag on the empty desk. How I would love to occupy it with a nice computer, but unfortunately we couldn't allow it. I changed my clothes, carefully trying to open the broken wardrobe door, in the hope that Ahmed would be able to repair it, and sat on the bed thoughtfully, munching the last crumbs of pie. The history report due the next day could wait. At that point I definitely had to find a way to get rid of Ron. Better dead than doing an hour of biology with him. I could tell him that my illness was contagious. I'm sure something like that would make him run away quickly. I stretched out on the bed and started planning a thousand solutions to avoid Ron and while he was there, to destroy that witch Patty. Finally I fell asleep and thought of nothing else. When I woke up it was almost dinner time. As my throat was burning, I decided to go to the kitchen to drink some grapefruit juice that I had opened that morning for breakfast. I was going down the stairs when I heard Priest Dominick's voice. «…hemodosis?». “Yes, I knew it. Ahmed told me. He just felt bad, I don't think it's anything serious. Did it seem changed to you? commented my aunt. «No, not at all, but the Order already has an eye on her. They keep asking me for report after report and often, someone comes to see how the situation is.

Apparently, from what I understand, they even pretend to be substitutes for their school. It's a shame!". «The important thing is that Vera doesn't notice anything! She must continue to live her life here with me. A quiet life,” murmured Aunt Cecília, her voice affected by emotion. «Take it easy! As long as Cardinal Montagnard is alive, nothing will happen to him. Despite Cardinal Siringer's requests, the Order cannot do anything without Montagnard's authorization and he would never allow anything to happen to Vera,” Priest Dominick reassured her. "Then". The two were silent. Finally, they said goodbye and the priest left. I stood at the top of the stairs. It was the first time I had heard of cardinals and this Order. Who were they? What did they want? But above all, why were they interested in me? I wanted to ask my aunt for an explanation, but I knew that this time I had to keep it to myself. No one was to know that he had overheard that conversation. Not the aunt, not Ahmed, not Priest Dominick. The next morning, I struggled to get up. I was up until two in the morning working on the history report, and then I couldn't sleep a wink because of the overheard conversation between the aunt and Priest Dominick. For the umpteenth time, I was running late and I didn't make it to breakfast. I left the house in a hurry, despite my aunt's reprimands that she didn't want me to get tired, and I barely caught the bus. I hadn't even entered the classroom yet, Patty Shue, accompanied by her two friends, Claire and Martha, approached me undulating her sensual hips, emphasized by a breathtaking mini-skirt, and gave me the deepest pout. malicious and spiteful he managed to make with those inflatable, scarlet red lips. «Vera tell us, how are you today? Do you foresee any fainting? Beh, in case you lose consciousness, we know who to call. I'm sure Ron wouldn't hesitate to give you mouth-to-mouth! Especially after his explanations, you will certainly need it!» that witch smiled. And so, the rumor had already spread about me and Ron.

Who could have humiliated me in front of everyone if not him? Fortunately, he had a hemodosis just a short time ago, so his eyes were very reactive. In an instant, my furious gaze darted to inquire as to the culprit. Behold! Ron was calmly at his bench copying drawings onto a sheet of paper. I approached. "Ron," I said in the coldest possible voice. “Vera, hello. You know, I was just thinking about you”. "Oh yes?". Of course, after what he'd done! «Yes, I was just giving you some simple exercises for this sheet so, the first time we meet, it could even be tomorrow if you want, we can go over them together. Here, for example, you must write the names of the parts of the body that I drew for you», he said with great emotion, showing me the sheet. I was amazed. Was it possible that he didn't realize what he'd done? Before that night, everyone would have thought that Ron, "Rotten Breath", and I were hanging out together. Without a doubt, he should thank Patty for all of this. I wasn't sure when or how, but after the morning classes, everyone gathered in the cafeteria, where there was a great buzz. During the afternoon, the first glances and giggles began. On the bus home, she had been engaged to Ron for a month, according to rumors circulating nearby. It wasn't long before they put up posters: “The love story between Pale Vera and rotten breath”. I was disgusted. When I got home, I found Aunt Cecília with her hair tied in a soft golden braid and wearing a huge green apron, determined to prepare canned tomatoes for the winter. I nervously kicked off my shoes and tossed my backpack on the floor before running to my aunt and loading her with my problems. «Bread and honey are needed here», he told me when he heard how much resentment there was in my voice when talking about Patty and Ron. "By the way, do you really think I'm going to tutoring with that bastard?" vented. Meanwhile, the aunt prepared lunch for me. «Eat to calm down», he said, handing me a slice of bread and ignoring my words.

I devoured the bread, continuing to talk, spitting out crumbs here and there. However, I finally calmed down. It was the honey. When I was nervous or angry, the taste of honey always had a relaxing effect on me. "Thank you," I finally whispered. «Well, now that you've had your lunch and let your heart out, I advise you to run to your room to study biology, if you want to change my mind about classes with Ron» exclaimed Aunt Cecília. " Oh thank you!". I ran to hug her. I knew you would understand! «You are my favorite aunt!» I added. «Obviously, I am your only aunt». We burst out laughing together and then she got me to study. I promised myself I would improve my science average. I studied biology three days in a row and at the end, I took an oral exam. Seven. That note was enough to convince my aunt to annul her engagement with Ron. I felt in seventh heaven. I didn't care if Ron took it the wrong way, because he felt rejected. We were almost together for real. Patty didn't like it either, because in the space of two days, my love story with Rotten Breath began to fade, until it was completely forgotten. One day, on my way back from school, I crossed the usual gate, which a few days ago had started creaking more than usual, and I ran home. “I must get him some oil,” Ahmed told me, referring to the gate, while he repaired a section of the fence, not far from me. “Hello Ahmed. Such as?" I asked him. «Today it is sunny, so everything is fine», he replied. Smile at him sympathetically. «I finish repairing this and then I'm going to do some commissions», he added. "Can I go with you?". When it was sunny, it was not possible to be at home studying. "It is better not. Father August has just arrived and I think he wants to see you», he replied, walking away with some boards in his hand. Father August, that squat old dwarf with the evil look. Neither I nor the aunt could see him, but once a month he came to visit us. Aunt Cecília explained to me that, deep down, Priest August was a good man and that they had been very close when I was little. He helped finance the health costs he had when I was diagnosed with that terrible anemia, so he would always be welcome, despite the fact that he seems to me to be a disgusting and unpleasant being.

Reluctantly, I entered the house. In the lounge, Aunt August and Father August were sitting on the sofa drinking coffee. "Treasure, you've arrived" the aunt greeted me with the same affection as always, even though I immediately noticed a vein of tension in her voice. "Hi, aunt. Good morning, Priest August». “Vera, how are you?” he asked me in a suspicious voice, as he continued looking at me from head to foot, as if looking for some clue as to a possible worsening of my health or something else. It always gave me the impression that there was something wrong, even if I tried to hide it. Despite the many years of acquaintance, he never showed me affection like Priest Dominick. "Well thank you". «Your aunt was telling me that you take your hemodoses once every three weeks». "Yes, exactly". "Very good. I advise you to always do what your aunt tells you and if you don't feel well, tell her immediately». "That's how I'll do it". "Good. You're still going to Priest Dominick's catechism classes, right?”. I sighed, already irritated by the interrogation. Every time, it was the same story. I hated that my health became a matter of state. «Look, I only worry about you». «Yes, but I'm fine, so I don't see any reason for all these questions», I blurted out nervously. The priest frowned. “So many people take care of you and do everything to keep you alive. Many important people like Cardinals Montagnard and Siringer take care of your health. You should show a little more gratitude!” muttered in a menacing tone. Montagnard and Siringer? Again these names. I couldn't let this opportunity slip away. "Forgive me. I didn't know I had attracted the attention of such important people, but... who are Cardinals Montagnard and Siringer? I tried to ask in a naive voice. Aunt Cecília's face was pale and tense, but she finally managed to open her mouth. “It's my fault. Actually, Vera, I didn't tell you a thing. When my cousin Annie, that is your mother, came to me, she was already in the last months of her pregnancy. However, at that time I was in a convent in Portugal and I didn't know anything about her. We haven't spoken for years. It was Cardinal Montagnard himself who put us in touch and who took care of you when you were born, before I returned to Ireland. Unfortunately, when I arrived at the clinic where they were interned, your mother had already been buried.

No one has ever known your father's name, despite the research carried out by Cardinal Siringer,” explained Aunt Cecilia eagerly. I was upset. “Why didn’t you ever tell me?” I asked in a whisper. "I'm sorry, but I didn't want to cause you any more pain, my little one," the aunt whispered to me, as her eyes filled with tears. I realized how much that subject made her suffer. I hugged her tightly and smiled at her. "Do not worry". Meanwhile, Father August finished his coffee. I was nervous. He probably realized that he had said too much, so he decided to leave, mainly to avoid further questions. Without adding anything else, he approached the door. "It's late. I have to go” he greeted us. We exchanged greetings and started to prepare dinner, without touching the subject related to my mother and my birth again, although my aunt seemed to be still a little shaken by what she had to reveal. A week went by without any special news. An icy wind had risen and everyone was indoors. Even Patty seemed to have calmed down. However I got another nice grade in biology. Over the weekend, the wind dropped and the sun warmed up again with its last autumn rays. I spent the whole of Saturday helping Ahmed with the usual farm work. Above all, she was his assistant. We oiled the gate, repaired my wardrobe door and finished fitting the room. “Are you going to Kevin to get food for the chickens?” Ahmed asked me at one point, trying to make fun of me. He knew he had a huge crush on Kevin Moore, the intern who worked at John McKaine's Agricenter. Blonde, blue eyes, dazzling and intelligent smile. In short, drop dead gorgeous. He was six years older than me and engaged faithfully to his beautiful Clara Shue, Patty's less obnoxious sister.

And was this worldly justice? Despite this, I continued to run after him, hoping that one day he would notice me. He was the one I had decided to reserve my first kiss for. I realized how pathetic I was, but I couldn't resist it. I was about to get into the car with Ahmed when Priest Dominick arrived on the bus. He got off the transport with an effort and approached us, swaying. It made me smile. When he walked, he really did look like a penguin. "Good morning. Are you going somewhere in particular?” he asked us with bright eyes. «We were going to buy food for the chickens» I replied immediately. «I imagine that all this desire to go to Agricentro is because you care about the well-being of your animals and not about a certain handsome guy named Kevin». I turned red to the tips of my hair. Why had I told him? Was it possible that I could never keep secrets? «Instead of thinking about these things, why don't you go home and keep your aunt company who prepares the preserves, while we go to the village? Tell auntie we'll be back in a moment, ok?». “By the way, how is your aunt? When she called me to come here, she was a little strange». "Then. He still hasn't fully recovered from the argument with Priest August.' "Priest August?". "Yes. The whole story of my birth and of Cardinals Siringer and Montagnard” I have kept succinct so that I can leave as soon as possible. Hearing those words, Priest Dominick grew noticeably paler. I didn't even have time to ask him if he was all right, as I was already walking at full speed towards home. I was torn between following him or going to Kevin. I chose the second option, with the condition that I would return home soon to understand what was going on. After a quarter of an hour of driving, he was there, a few steps away from me, determined to load parcels of compressed wood into an old man's truck. I got out of the car and approached him with the most dazzling smile I could muster. "Hello, Kevin," I exclaimed in an octave louder voice. “Vera, what a pleasure! Such as?" he greeted me, looking at me with his two blue eyes, which disturbed my nervous system.

How nice! He was always so kind! "Good and you?" I asked him, infected by the usual euphoria that filled my heart when I was near him. «Beautifully. I have explosive news and I want you to be the first to know it, since you are a great friend to me», she replied while ruffling my hair, as she did when I was ten. He had always been so sweet to me and this fueled my love for him even more. He came closer to me and whispered in my ear, sending shivers down my spine: "Yesterday, Mr. McKaine told me that he is very satisfied with the work I have done for him these five years, so he asked - me if in May, when the internship is over, I want to become your partner. This way, I can earn a lot more and seriously start making projects for the future. You know, a house, a family...». "Fantastic!". «Well... and this is where the second and most important explosive news comes...». I was so thrilled and happy for him that he wasn't into me anymore. «... I asked Clara to marry me!» More than explosive news, it felt like I had just stepped on a land mine. That little flush that colored my cheeks in his presence disappeared and the corners of my mouth felt flat. "You are fine? You've turned so pale,” she worried immediately. “It's just my anemia. Did you say you want to get married?” I managed to mutter in a state of constant apnea. «Yes, but obviously not before May! Clara says that early June would be the perfect time, with all the trees in bloom and the first warm sunny days warming us up», he said. At that moment, I just wanted to wish him a storm with thunder and lightning. I had just destroyed my dream! Besides, it seemed like no one noticed. I tried to give him a smile, but it came out as a kind of grimace. "Kevin, where did you put the bags of oats that arrived this morning?" shouted next to me John McKaine in his usual timbre of voice. At that moment I hated him too. If he hadn't proposed a partnership, Kevin would never have committed such a madness! I was so wrapped up in my dark thoughts that I didn't even realize that he had already walked away, followed by his boss. “Goodbye, Vera. Come back soon». "Goodbye, Kevin". Goodbye. I stayed there looking at his back further and further, before Ahmed called me to return home. "Will see. Home", "Yes, I'm coming". I approached the car and got in with my gaze fixed on the Agricentro.

When we were already far away, it seemed to me that I had started breathing again, or at least sighing desolate. “Get married, eh?” pronounced Ahmed. Glad I was the first to know about it. I looked at Ahmed for a clue about possible telepathy. «McKaine». McKaine had told him. Now I also felt cheated by Kevin, but I continued to believe in change. «Yes, but until May many things can change» I hypothesized. «They will get married», he prophesied with conviction. "We'll see". Ahmed shook his head and didn't open his mouth until home. I spent the last few kilometers on the road, thinking about a thousand and one things that could happen in the space of six months. Meanwhile, the aunt was waiting for us at home with a nice hot tea and two big slices of apple pie. At home there was the smell of sweets and apples, which perfumed the whole environment. In the hall, Priest Dominick was sitting on the sofa, determined to finish his last piece of pie. Sure enough, it was his second or third slice. It was really too sweet. “Did everything go well?” asked the aunt, concerned about the purchase and my mournful expression. “We already have the food. Kevin is going to marry Clara,” summarized Ahmed, before I could open my mouth. «Until May, many things can happen!» I specified confidently. “Vera, don’t say that! It's obvious that Kevin is very much in love» my aunt immediately scolded me, happy for the future union of the two young people. "I do not care! First Patty and now her sister! Those two exist only to ruin my life!” I vented furiously. «Instead of pie, would you prefer some bread and honey?» Aunt proposed to me candidly, knowing how much that calmed me down, but I didn't intend to let myself be corrupted. "I do not want anything!" I exploded before running to my room and slamming the door as two big tears ran down my face. I was desperate! My beautiful dream of love had been interrupted I wanted Kevin to be the one to marry in May. Why did life have to be so unfair?

CHANGES

I went through two hellish weeks.

Inside me emotions were churning, such as anger, frustration, sadness and revenge, while on the outside I appeared to be apathetic and close to committing suicide.

I didn't eat, I didn't talk, and I didn't sleep.

I weakened very quickly and when I refused to take hemodosis, Aunt Cecilia was so worried that she called Priest Dominick.

"How long do you plan to go on like this?" Dominick asked me, tired of my silence.

"Forever" I whispered.

“ Then you are an idiot. Of course, Kevin has his share of the blame because he always deceived you with those affectionate and kind gestures, but you were the one who built a castle without a structure. He never said 'I love you' and let alone he wanted to be with you, so he was confused with the crush of an immature girl, the responsibility is only yours. Be mature, because love is something else» vented Dominick furiously.

This was the first time he had spoken to me like that and I really wasn't expecting anything different.

I looked at him upset.

«So, tell me, what is love?» I mocked with an acid tone of voice.

«It's a much deeper feeling, which is built over time and being close to the other person in both the happiest and most difficult moments. If you really loved Kevin, you would be happy with his choice, because you would want his happiness and well-being. True love is not a selfish desire like yours!”.

I often thought of those hard words.

Eventually I realized that Priest Dominick was right. For that matter, what did I really know about Kevin, other than that he was always kind to his customers?

To be honest, I didn't know anything about him.

I didn't know what his favorite food was, what kind of music he listened to, what he liked to do in his leisure time, besides being with Clara, if he was disorganized or meticulous...

However, I won't be able to forget all those years dedicated to fantasizing about him and a possible love story of ours.

In a few days, I was able to eat, sleep and talk again.

Aunt Cecília was tremendously relieved to see me well again, however after she took my hemodosis and went back to being a loud mouth like before. For days I had tried to eat, preparing myself all kinds of food, but I gave up. My continual refusal to speak to her had made her despair.

Finally, I was happy to be the old Vera again.

So, it was almost night when the phone rang.

I was caught up in the umpteenth cliché romance novels, so I didn't pay attention to the phone. It was my aunt who answered it.

I couldn't understand what my aunt was saying, but I could understand that something serious had happened, because her tone of voice changed and she became very worried.

That was a short call.

"Is it alright?" I asked when I saw her coming back from the kitchen, where the phone was.

"Sadly, Cardinal Montagnard died of a heart attack".

"My condolences. Were you close?”

"Yes, I was very attached to him and I admired him both as a man and as an ecclesiastic” my aunt explained to me with tears in her eyes.

It was the first time I saw my aunt sad for the loss of someone and I didn't think she could suffer that way.

She remained serious and silent for days, tormented by her pain.

Finally, I decided to wait for Monday of the following week to arrive.

To go to school I had been called, a strike against the law of reducing teachers and because of that, I would have the whole day free and I was determined to take my aunt to the mall to do some shopping.

Even though I didn't have a lot of money due to my small weekly allowance, I had intentions of buying her a present even if I spent all my savings to do so.

I wanted to take her to the shops and buy her perfume, clothes or a book.

Anything that would make her smile again.

Luckily, that Monday came quickly.

I got up at the usual time, but then I calmly went downstairs to eat a little, after having showered and dressed myself carefully.

“ Vera, it’s too late! You will definitely miss the taxi!” my aunt scolded me, as soon as I set foot in the kitchen.

“ Today I don't have to go to school! There is a strike» I explained to her immediately with a big smile on my face”.

«Oh, yes, perhaps you have already told me about it... I don't remember» the aunt replied in a bedridden tone of voice.»

"Then. So I decided to go to the city, because I have to buy a book for school. Can you come with me, please? I knew that if I told my aunt I wanted to take her shopping, she would never accept it, but if it was school supplies, she would always be ready".

“ Okay, but not now. I promised Ahmed that we would talk about the new cattle that will arrive by the end of the morning, but this afternoon I can definitely take you to the bookshop »she assured me".

Postponed plan.

I usually hate putting off my plans, because always another mishap comes, spoiling everything.

I should have planned this for the day before.

So I was talking to myself not knowing what to do.

I ended up opting for television.

It made me not want go out anymore.

I was about to go back to my room to change my clothes, when suddenly, the doorbell rang.

I opened it.

It was Dominick accompanied by two tall, strong men, dressed all in black with the design of a white cross with a red drop in the center, embroidered on the coat pocket.

I was so curious about those two demonic men, never seen before, immobile in front of the door of my home, I paid attention to the disturbed voice of Priest Dominick, so he pushed me brusquely inside of my home and shouted my aunt's name.

«Cecilia, you have to go! Now!" Priest Dominick screamed terrified.

"What is happening?" asked my aunt, trying not to show her distress.

“ Now they know everything and they are coming!” Priest Dominick shouted again.

"They who?" I got confused.

Nobody answered me, but I realized that the aunt knew who the priest was referring to, because she raised her right hand to her mouth skeptic.

“ But how is that possible?” whispered my aunt in an almost inaudible voice.

“ They murdered him! They murdered Cardinal Montagnard, after making him confess! Now they know everything and you are not safe anymore. They will come looking for you and when they come, they will take Vera and kill her».

Me? But what do all of this have to do with me?

I was so skeptic that I couldn't open my mouth.

“ They shot him instead of using their usual way of attacking. That's why it took the Order so long to figure out who was guilty of the murder. I'm sure it was Blake. Only him and his gang are capable of a similar crime. Nobody knows what really happened, but it seems the cardinal told Blake everything, probably under torture,” continued Priest Dominick.

"That is terrible!".

“ That's right, and now we must flee. I've already booked you a room in a hotel in Dublin. When we arrive, we will receive new orders from Cardinal Siringer, who wants to meet us».

“ But how do we do it?” she sighed, the shaken aunt.

On that land was her home, her life.

And mine too.

“ We have to leave immediately. We'll travel all night if necessary. We will be escorted by two trusted members of the Order, under the coordination of Cardinal Siringer, who will first take us to the hotel and then to the prearranged place for the meeting. So get moving! Take the bare minimum and let’s go!” Priest Dominick began to shout again.

For a few seconds, which seemed like hours, the aunt and the priest looked at each other intensely in the eyes, after which, as if moved by an inexplicable force, the aunt grabbed me by the arm and dragged me up the stairs to my room...

In front of the door, she hugged me and whispered sweetly in my ear: “Don't worry. I will always be there to defend you. I will not allow anyone to hurt you. It was like this for seventeen years and it will always be, as long as I live».

"Auntie, what's going on?" I asked quietly.

"Relax. Now go to your room. You have three minutes to pick up the suitcase that is under your bed and fill it with what might be useful to you in the upcoming days. When we're away from here, I'll explain everything to you. I promise".

I had no other choice.

I ran to my room, opened the wardrobe and started to stuff the suitcase I pulled out from under the bed with shirts and pants. Some underwear, makeup kit and my savings. I was about to close the bag when I noticed the photo on the nightstand next to the bed. It was a photo of me and my aunt embracing in front of the land gate.

I loved that photo taken by Ahmed a few years ago.

I put that away too and zipped up the suitcase.

I walked out of my room, looking at it once more. That had been my childhood bedroom, my refuge.

I had hope that one day I could go back there, but something told me that this was a goodbye.

I closed the bedroom door with a veil of sadness.

As soon as I went down to the bottom floor, Priest Dominick grabbed me from behind and dragged me out of the house towards a black car, which was parked in front of the farm gate.

As soon as they saw me, the two unknown men got into the car and the stronger one got behind the wheel.

“ Who are those two?” I asked.

«There is no time for explanations» said the priest, making me get into the car, and then hurrying to help my aunt, who was two steps away from the car. At that moment, Ahmed arrived.

«Ahmed, you arrived at the moment of farewell. Goodbye» my aunt said goodbye, shortly before getting into the car pushed by Priest Dominick.

“ Close the door and leave. Goodbye, Cecilia. Vera, I will miss you», Ahmed said goodbye with a sad look.

«Goodbye, but maybe we'll see each other again» I comforted him, but he shook his head and left, at the same moment that the black BMW also left.

I felt unhappiness spread in my heart.

Compared to that, what I had felt for Kevin after learning about his upcoming marriage, it felt like a turmoil of emotions.

I liked Ahmed a lot and I never thought that one day I would be alone.

The car took off at full speed, I felt the sigh of relief from my aunt and Dominick.

Only I remained taut as a violin string.

"Is Ahmed not coming with us?" I tried to ask.

“ No, Vera. Ahmed has to stay and take care of our affairs. He will give the house to a charity and notify the school of your departure, informing them of your unexpected transfer due to health problems and then leave to Tunisia with the money I left him in a private checking account, to be used only in case of need. In fact, this has all been planned for years» explained the aunt, stroking my head.

All this was still incomprehensible to me. A thousand thoughts and pronounced phrases were spinning in my mind at an uncontrollable speed. I couldn't process a thought, as it soon disappeared to be replaced by something else.

Ahmed, The School, Kevin, Patty Shue. Ron, the farm… Them, Cardinal Montagnard Dublin, Cardinal Siringer.

So many, too many thoughts raced through my mind.

I thought about school. I was catching up on biology and I still had to get the history report grade.

Besides that, I was still mad at Patty for telling everyone that she was engaged to Ron.

What sense did all this have, if the next day I'm going to be who knows where?

I wouldn't see Kevin again, why take his marriage to Clara so seriously if I couldn't be there?

Maybe I'll be dead by May. I didn't forget that someone was looking for me after having killed a man. It was obvious that the same cruel ending was in store for me.

They…

They who?

Nobody had explained to me who these people were and what they wanted from me.

Tried for the umpteenth time.

«Please explain to me why all this is happening and who are they?».

The aunt looked at me with eyes full of sadness and despair. Priest Dominick, too, looked at me in anguish.

«Look, you are a special girl» my aunt began with an effort.

«In what sense?».

«You were born in special circumstances, unexpected and still in unknown places. Only Cardinal Montagnard knew the truth and when your mother died he decided to take care of you. Since your birth, you have shown serious health problems because of your anemia, but he did everything to help you survive and in doing so he noticed that there was something wonderfully unexpected about you. He didn't tell anyone what it was, but he decided to grow you in a protected environment. Later, he revealed to Cardinal Siringer, the head of the Order of the Bloody Cross, your birth and said only that it was the solution to his problem».

"What problem?".

«This will be revealed in due time, but know that your birth brought a lot of confusion in the Order. Cardinal Montagnard had Cecilia, a former member of the Order, brought back from Zimbabwe, tasked with raising you, while Cardinal Siringer demanded an external control, priest August. I only arrived later, when Cecília asked for a friendly help able to support her» intervened the priest.

So it wasn't true that when my mother died, my aunt was in Portugal, I thought.

«You know, I had never had a daughter and I was afraid of making a mistake with you, in addition to that priest August criticized all my choices and said that it had been a mistake for you to have been entrusted to me, because I had become too attached to you and that Allow me to be objective. Dominick was an old friend of mine and I trusted him blindly. In addition, he knew the Order and its laws, so he decided to get involved with the aim of giving you a specific religious education », my aunt told.

Now I understand why I never liked priest August.

I always had the feeling that he controlled me and my aunt did not feel comfortable in his presence.

But, at the moment, what astonished me the most was the reason for so much secrecy, especially on the part of my aunt, who was, after all, my mother's cousin.

I mentioned it to my aunt, who looked at me with an even more anguished expression.

«It was enough for me to hold you in my arms for just one minute, that I realized how much I adored you. You were the sweetest and most beautiful child in the world. Every time you smiled at me, the choice to abandon my vows to be with you became less painful. I realized that I could be happy that way, even though I served the Lord in a different way. However... »began my aunt, but her words wouldn't come out.

"Yet she is not really your aunt, even if she loves you as a mother loves her own child" priest Dominick finished the sentence for her with an air of suffering.

I was petrified.

Aunt Cecilia wasn't my aunt?

Everything but this.

This was too much.

I couldn't utter a word.

She was upset.

I looked at my aunt, beside me, in the back seat of the car, who was crying softly, repeating continuously: "Forgive me".

She seemed to me to go into a trance, into a state of semi-consciousness.

All my certainties fell to the ground.

Hours passed.

I remained in that state until we reached Dublin in the late afternoon.

I only remember that the car stopped right in front of a hotel, the Jolly Hotel.

The man at the reception didn't even ask us about the documents, he simply handed us the room keys.

Auntie and I were taken to room 112, while priest Dominick went alone to door 115.

The room was small with yellow wallpaper, as were the curtains and blankets.

There were two single beds. I sat on the one at the back, near the window.

I put my suitcase on the floor and watched the road lit by the streetlights outside the window.

"Are you hungry?" My aunt asked me, making me jump in fright. After revealing to me that she wasn't my aunt, she hadn't said a word to me.

"No, thank you".

"Are you sure? You haven’t eaten anything, not even at the autogrill where we stopped for lunch » she mentioned she worried.

I wanted to ask her why she was so interested in me, when I was nothing to her, but I didn't.

I shook my head.

Both without dinner, we got under the blankets, despite the fact that it was still very early.

I wasn't sleepy at all.

My mind was full of thoughts, but the one that was hammering in my head the most was: aunt, or rather, nun Cecília.

If this is even her real name.

I spent a thoughtful hour looking for a meaning, a logic on that whole subject.

Twenty-four hours ago I was zapping sitting on the sofa in the living room, while my aunt reorganized the kitchen and now we were in a very uncomfortable bed, in a ridiculous hotel room, with a perhaps unknown woman.

This all made no sense to me.

I want my house and my aunt back.

I realized that it had been more beautiful to live in complete ignorance and illusion than to face the crude and unfair reality.

If priest Dominick tried to talk to me about divine justice again, I would destroy him!

Yet now I was there. Trapped in that absurd reality, close to the person that, until recently, I loved more than anything, while now I feared not really knowing her.

I couldn't be silent anymore.

“ Why have you taken care of me all these long years?” I asked her very quietly.

I was convinced she hadn't heard. Not because she was sleeping, but because I knew she was in a deep sleep, but I felt my throat burning and my chest heavy and suffocating me, and the words came out stupid and insecure.

"Can't you imagine?" she answered me with her usual familiar sweetness.

“ Because they ordered you, right?”.

“ No, silly. Because I like you a lot. Even if I am not really your aunt, for me, you are my girl, you are the most important thing in my life. I had hoped to be able to communicate all this to you in all these years together”.

Yes, I knew she wanted me well. She always helped me in times of difficulty, she was always ready to support me and never made me want anything, despite the various economic restrictions. In everything shs did, she showed her love for me and I always saw that and welcomed it with open arms.

She had been a mother, but also a friend, since because of my health, I was never able to make friends. All my mates have always been suspicious of me, living with an aunt and being frequently sick, and being Patty Shue's number one enemy, everyone's number one friend.

«I know you love me and I love you too, but all this news has short-circuited my brain. I no longer know who I am, who you are...» I vented.

"You're right. I wanted to tell you the truth so many times, but the Order strictly prohibited it”.

“ You could have told me on the sly. I pretended I didn't know anything about Priest August and Dominick.

The aunt began to laugh.

I laughed too, I smiled and realized that everything was back to normal.

Cecília was always my dear aunt, who listened to my foolishness and laughed at them.

“ Listen, Vera. I am very sorry for not having told you the truth, but I did it for your own good. I promise you that when we find Cardinal Siringer, I will ask his permission to tell you the whole truth. At this point, it's only fair that you know the whole story» said my aunt very seriously.

«Well, I still need to know who wants me dead», I tried to play it down.

"I will never allow you to be harmed," she stated determinedly.

That night, the aunt didn't want to tell me anything else.

We continued to talk all night, but about our old life on the farm, seeking solace at least in the memories.

MEETING

The next morning, my aunt and I got up very hungry and terribly sleepy, yet our senses were alert.

As we changed clothes to go down to the hotel restaurant for breakfast, we kept looking at the door in fear of seeing it broken down by Priest Dominick, due to the umpteenth tragedy or another unexpected escape.

When we were ready to go downstairs, my aunt opened the door and found in front of her one of those two men who were dressed in black, who had accompanied us to Dublin.

When we arrived at the hotel restaurant for breakfast, my aunt explained to me that those two men were chosen to defend me from their attacks.

"They who?".

«They are people devoted to evil and obscurity, ready to sacrifice the lives of others for theirs» explained my aunt quickly, adding her bacon to the plate.

"Isn't that survival instinct?" I asked, disoriented.

«No, not in their case... anyway, now eat» my aunt ordered me.

I ate a big breakfast, but before I was done, Priest Dominick arrived, his face strained and exhausted.

He hadn't closed his eyes all night.

“ Good morning” we greet him.

"Good morning. How are you?".

"Tired" whispered my aunt.

"Me too. I'm on my knees. Also, I just got a call from Cardinal Siringer. We have an appointment around three o'clock at the old St. George Abbey, on the outskirts of Dublin».

It was the longest three hours of my life.

Me, Auntie and Priest Dominick were confined to our room, with the two henchmen at the door, until the appointed time.

There wasn't even a television in the room to distract myself and Auntie and Dominick only mentioned people I'd never heard of who might be present at that meeting.

Finally, I lay in bed thinking, but my mind was too tired and affected by all these events to be able to reason clearly.

I fell asleep slightly and when I reopened my eyes, it was raining in torrents outside. I loved rain, but at that moment it only served to make the thought of the encounter that I would soon have and that would certainly change my destiny forever more depressing.

I dragged myself reluctantly to the door, where two men were waiting for us. They escorted us to the black BMW that would take us to St George Abbey.

It was humid air and I felt the cold penetrate me to the bone.

I couldn't calm the shivering even inside the heated cabin of the car.

Half an hour later we were in front of a very old stone building. They accompanied me to a secondary door that led to a staircase. I was curious about the lower floor, immersed in darkness, from which the sound of running water could be heard. I tried to get closer, but Priest Dominick pushed me up to the top floor.

I looked at him suspiciously and he explained to me briefly: «Old crypt in disuse».

We walked down a long corridor before reaching a door.

The two men stopped.

“ This is the office of Abbot Kirk, member of the Order. Come in. We'll stay here on guard» said the taller one, laying his hand on the holster of his gun, which I hadn't even noticed before.

Instead of reassuring me, that gesture made me panic.

I hadn't realized until then how much danger I might be in.

I entered that majestic room with my heart beating fiercely in my chest.

Inside were five men.

From the clothes, I immediately realized that the one sitting at the large desk, which took up most of the room, was Cardinal Siringer. To his left was Priest August, who only nodded to me in greeting, and next to him was the huge figure of a gray-haired man, who was looking at him more than insistently. Later it was explained to me that it was Abbot Kirk.

To the cardinal's right were two other men, muscular and robust, identical to those who had accompanied us there.

After the various formalities, the cardinal turned his serpentine gray gaze on me and in a voice that was acidic and cold, like the temperature of that room, he said to me: “And so, you are the famous Vera Campbell in flesh and blood... I hope you understand the situation”.

"Actually, I...".

I had no idea what was going on, but the cardinal had already turned to my aunt and Priest Dominick to explain the current situation.

“ Cardinal Montagnard was killed with a pistol blow to throw us off track, but it is obvious that they did it. There must be a spy among us... one of the new members of the Order, I suppose. Whoever it must be told Blake's group that we were in possession of a weapon to defeat him and his group of mercenaries. Once in possession of this information, they began to move to investigate. A few months ago, we found some members of the Order tortured and murdered, but none of us thought anything of the sort until Priest August's secret sources told us what had happened. Apparently they were convinced that this weapon was an object and they began to search inside our headquarters, but without results, until someone mentioned the name of Cardinal Montagnard as the keeper of such secret.

Only Blake would be able to enter consecrated land due to his great powers, but I never thought it would reach this point. He probably discovered that this weapon was intended primarily against him, so he tried to destroy it by all means. When he found the cardinal he must have discovered that this instrument was a person and not an object. Unfortunately, no one saw or heard anything other than the shot, his office and his private rooms were in order, so we assume that Cardinal Montagnard spoke».

"I don't believe it. Cardinal Montagnard would never put Vera's life in danger,” my aunt interrupted him with the utmost indignation.

"I am sorry to say it, but the cardinal must have confessed, as this night Blake and the others broke into the farm we had given you for this mission," revealed Cardinal Siringer in a booming voice that brooked no retorts.

« Ahmed!» I screamed fearing the worst for the one I considered part of my family.

"Do not worry. He is also in Dublin at the moment. This morning, my sources informed me that he booked the flight to Tunisia, scheduled for this afternoon. I put one of our men to protect him », he assured me without, however, softening his tone of voice.

I thanked him.

Then we return to the previous subject.

Cardinal Siringer calmed down and told us the latest discovery.

“ We don't know how it happened, but all documentation about Vera and her origins has disappeared. A few days before, Cardinal Montagnard told me that he had made an extraordinary discovery that would put all the trumps on our side.

We had made an appointment for the following week to talk about it in person. In any case, the cardinal, before dying, managed to write a note that is currently being analyzed. We believe it hides a coded message or a particular indication, but so far nothing has been discovered”.

“ What did the message say?” asked my sad aunt.

“ It was written exactly this: Love generates new love. Only this can save from condemnation”.

We all look at each other a little stunned.

With all the things he could write in the last moments of his life, he chose a very obvious sentence. It was a typical catechetical teaching. He reminded me so much of Priest Dominick's teachings. He often told me.

"Nothing more?" tried to ask my aunt.

«No, with the exception of some papers related to family trees of families of humble origin who worked in the mine, which date back to four hundred years ago».

Silence fell between them, but before the cardinal opened his mouth again, I wanted to take the opportunity to clarify his ideas once and for all.

«Excuse me, but who are they? I can't believe that all this is happening because of me” I timidly asked the cardinal.

The latter turned all red and glared at my aunt and priest Dominick.

“ Don't you know anything? But how could you hide from her that there is a group of vampires who are tearing the city apart looking for her to kill her!».

Vampires? Maybe I misunderstood, but I didn't use to repeat that word so as not to be ridiculed.

«A group of?» I asked again, looking for the look of my aunt, who insisted on staring at the tips of her feet with a guilty look.

«Vampires! Do you have in mind those men who reject divine grace to rise and nourish themselves with human blood?” mocked the cardinal, seeing my expression mixed with disbelief and fear.

At that moment, I tried to remember all the vampires I had seen in my life on television, but nothing came to mind except a cartoon that I watched when I was seven, in which the protagonist was a cowardly vampire puppet, but with a good heart.

I doubted that the vampires that the cardinal spoke of were similar to the puppet.

"I didn't know they really existed," I stammered.

«No one knows, because the Order of the Bloody Cross has precisely the duty to keep this reality hidden. Yet, they exist! It is very difficult to find them because they can transform into other creatures and they have supernatural strength. It is impossible to kill or capture one of them without first weakening them with holy water or silver...».

«But then what use do the weapons that the two men who accompanied us here have?» I asked.

«Our guards have very special weapons, loaded with pure silver projectiles» he explained to me proudly.

"And then?".

"Then we burn them".

«And this Blake, why is he considered so dangerous?».

“ Because he is different from everyone else. He is the only vampire immune to silver or anything else, but Cardinal Montagnard has discovered that within you is the weapon capable of defeating him. He is the source of our problems, because for every vampire we burn, he turns two more into vampires... he is very good at this because he manages to control himself when he feeds, thus leaving his victims suspended between life and death, until they give in to vampirism and, many times, later decide to follow it, even though vampires are generally solitary creatures and do not like connections with others for more than brief periods».

“ But why do you want me right away?” I insisted strongly.

«This is the real secret that Cardinal Montagnard took to his grave. I only know that you are special because of your blood. Do you really believe that I would keep you on that monthly income for all these years if it weren't for a very precise reason? Apparently, your anemia makes you unique, but I believe this is simply due to the fact that...” commented the ecclesiastic, but before finishing the sentence, shots were heard outside the door.

We were all startled at the same time before the two men broke down the door, yelling at us to escape.

“ How did they know you were here?” asked the maddened abbot, who had been silent until now.

"It doesn't matter. Hurry, Matt, take Vera down below. Go through the crypt. There you will find a small door, where you can enter. Follow the tunnel that leads to a staircase that will take you inside an abandoned building on Change Lane,” the cardinal ordered authoritatively to one of the two men on his right. Wasting no more time, Matt grabbed me by the arm and led me out of the room, but I had no intention of abandoning my aunt. She was my whole family and I didn't want to leave her.

I tried to protest, but my voice was drowned out by Priest August's shouts and the cardinal's orders.

My aunt also tried to reach me, but was stopped by the cardinal himself.

Finally, I screamed my aunt's name with all my might, trying to free myself from that man's iron grip.

"She belongs to the Order and she must fight," Matt told me, trying to drag me down the hall to the stairs on the right.

In a desperate attempt to see my aunt again, who had stayed inside the abbot's office, I turned around and saw for the first time three hooded men coming from the other side of the corridor, running towards us. As soon as they reached the living room, they took off their hoods.

The three had black hair. Two of them immediately entered the room, uttering a chilling, inhuman scream that sent shivers through my entire body.

Instead, the third man stopped and stared at me. For an instant, our eyes met.

I noticed his blue eyes, almost the color of ice, which penetrated me like an animal before its prey.

I felt pierced by those sheets of ice.

I stood for a moment marveling at his face. He was young.

I don't know why, but I was expecting an old man, not a boy who should have been Kevin's age.

He had a very handsome face, except for the harsh, menacing expression. My gaze rested briefly on his lips and I read in them: "It's her."

I couldn't decipher anything else as I stumbled down the stairs.

Thankfully, Matt held me tight and grabbed me so I wouldn't fall.

We quickly ran down the stairs, until we reach the dark crypt.

I couldn't see almost anything, but Matt kept running until he reached an area that was a little brighter.

Gradually, my eyes got used to that darkness.

The floor was all wet and I wet my shoes.

At one point, the man stopped, looking carefully around.

“ Blake is close. I can feel it”.

I couldn't hear anything, but I got scared anyway when I saw that he took the gun out of the holster.

I looked around but saw nothing. It was too dark.

Suddenly, I saw a shadow fall over Matt.

It was the man with the blue eyes. The vampire.

Matt aimed the gun at him and fired, but he gave him a swift and powerful blow against his hand, which made him lose the gun and the projectile went off in the dark.

«Run away!» Matt shouted at me, before defending himself against an attack.

He didn't have to repeat it twice, even though I was once again enchanted by the look of that vampire who was staring at me threateningly.

Wasting no time, I quickly ran to the back of the crypt. It must have been a huge place.

I was tired, scared and alone.

At last I arrived at the door the cardinal had spoken of.

I tried to open it, but it was locked.

I ruined my hands trying to open it, but I couldn't do it despite my best efforts.

I didn't know what to do, so I just gave up and looked for an alternative hiding place.

I saw a small hidden room to my left and went inside.

It was empty, but there was a small cavity, barely visible, right next to the entrance.

I decided to stop there and wait, crouched on the ground. I was hoping Matt would catch up with me soon.

There was practically no noise anymore.

I wanted to go back to my aunt. I had never walked away from her before, and I certainly didn't want to do so now that I was in danger. I was also tremendously worried about her. I wished with all my heart that nothing bad had happened to her.

Without realizing it, I felt two big silent hot tears run down my face.

Soon, I was invaded by sobs and chills.

I Was afraid.

I wanted to go home, to Ahmed, to my aunt and Priest Dominick.

I felt alone and desperate.

I shuddered at the thought that something bad could happen to all of them.

And it was my fault.

Me and my anemia.

Why did it have to happen to me right now?

I hated it. With my birth I had only caused worries and deaths. I wished I had never been born.

I was still so wrapped up in my pain between sobs that I didn't even notice how time had passed. I didn't even have the courage to move.

I just remember that at some point, something touched me, scaring me to death.

I looked everywhere for a human figure, but I ended up finding only a cat looking at me with two beautiful eyes that glowed in the dark.

I tried to pet him and he rubbed against my legs purring.

That small gesture made me smile.

“ And you, what are you doing here, little one?” I whispered to him in the hoarse voice of crying.

The cat continued to curl up with me.

Finally, he jumped out of my arms.

I could see him better, despite the blurred vision of tears and darkness. His fur was pale, his muzzle smoky black, and his eyes emanated a golden light.

I was very surprised to find a cat right then and there.

I always wanted a cat, but My aunt was extremely allergic to their fur, so I had never been able to get one. Not even when I found a small black mongrel on the road and locked him up in my room all day so my aunt wouldn't see him, did I manage to keep one.

I remember how my aunt immediately started sneezing and breathing badly, soon I told her that I had found a kitten.

It came to mind her troubled face as she told me to get him out of there as soon as possible.

Priest Dominick, who took the cat, ended up saving me, promising me that he would find a loving family capable of taking care of him.

Who knows what ended up with that kitten?

I heard nothing more from him.

Anyway, after that episode, I got the urge to have a cat.

At that moment, that cat seemed like a little divine consolation, to help me not feel so alone.

It was the first time I was without my aunt and that made me feel lost, especially in this situation, where I risked dying.

I wanted my life back.

I am devastated to think of all that I had lost.

I started to cry again, not realizing that a few tears were falling on the cat's fur, which, meanwhile, I continued to gently caress.

I didn't know how much time had passed, but feeling the cat's soft fur in my hands reassured and relaxed me in such a way that I ended up falling asleep exhausted by emotions.

It wasn't a true deep sleep.

All kinds of images, related to the past and the present, continued to pass through my mind, but everywhere were those blue eyes that promised me death.

I ended up waking up startled.

I felt disoriented, but the hard ground, the cool wall against my back, and the uncomfortable position immediately reminded me where I was.

Quickly, I tried to recall the latest events.

The cat.

It was no longer on my legs and I didn't know where It was.

“ Kitten, where are you?” I whispered, looking around the dark room for it.

"It’s gone," murmured a voice from across the small room, making me jump in fear.

«Matt?» I said hopefully.

Soon after, I heard slow footsteps towards me.

Suddenly, a black figure approached in front of me.

I recognized the black shoes.

Then my gaze lifted to the pants. Black.

Then a long black leather trench coat, open at the front, revealing a slightly unbuttoned black silk shirt.

I didn't remember Matt wearing a raincoat.

Taken by nervousness, I raised my gaze even more quickly, until I was again hostage to those blue eyes, which managed to stand out despite the low light. It was him. The Vampire.

I stifled a scream.

My fear made him bend the corners of his mouth in a satisfied, yet threatening smile.

“ I'm not Matt, sorry. Allow me to introduce myself. Blake” introduced himself, bowing. Despite that apparent kindness, he perfectly showed his cruel satisfaction at having found me.

Blake. It was him. The invincible vampire who wanted me dead at all costs.

I continued to stare at him, not realizing that he had held out his hand to help me up.

I realized that I had no way of escape, but I tried to get up without him. I was too afraid to touch him.

I leaned against the cold wall and got up, despite the pain in my legs, which had been curled up in an awkward position for I don't know how long. I immediately felt a tingling in my feet and that made me lose my balance for a moment, but the vampire with a quick movement grabbed me by one arm and lifted me up.

That sudden gesture made me terrified.

If we had been in another situation, I would have gladly thanked him, but at that moment I only realized that I was in the hands of the enemy.

I tried to push myself free, but his grip was firm and after my attempt it became even more rigid, almost painful.

"Let's go," he ordered me in a tone of voice that brooked no reply.

“ Where are you taking me?” I asked hesitantly trying to keep my distance.

«Out of here» he answered me absently, accompanying me to the door through which Matt and I were supposed to escape.

I didn't utter a word, but I knew that door wouldn't open, so we'd have to go back and maybe I could call for help when we got there.

Lulled by my hopes, I allowed myself to be transported without protest.

Blake pushed the door a little, without letting go of my arm, and it creaked open.

I saw all my hopes disappear, but I had no intention of leaving without at least seeing my aunt again.

So I started to plant my feet, despite the tingling that still bothered me.

«Wait, I want to see my aunt Cecília», I pleaded him.

"No" he replied simply, continuing to drag me along the new corridor that appeared before us.

In that case, I didn't accept an answer like that.

"I'm not leaving here without my aunt!" I raised my shrill voice with all my courage.

The vampire stopped and turned to me with a murderous glare.

I didn't care if I had provoked his bloodthirsty instinct, I had no intention of giving in easily.

I was a nervous wreck. I could feel the tears in my eyes again, but I returned his gaze anyway.

«We’ll leave now, without your aunt and you will stop screaming. Have I made myself clear?”.

"No" I mumbled desperately.

“ Would you rather I kill you here right now?” he shouted already irritated by my insistence.

It felt like he had slapped me, the sentence was so violent.

I couldn't add anything else.

I surrendered to his fist and his determined and quick step.

Suddenly, I tripped over something that made the floor dirty and fell awkwardly to the ground, scraping my knee and tearing my pants there.

As soon as I saw blood come out of the wound, I immediately covered my knee for fear that the sight of blood would excite him, since he was a vampire.

I looked at him, hoping he hadn't seen the scene, but he was already there, staring at me indifferently.

«Take it easy, I won't lose my head over two drops of blood» he vented irritably as if he had read my mind.

As I began to stagger, he slowed his pace.

Finally, we reached a wooden staircase that led to a hidden trapdoor in the attic.

“ I have to open it. You stay here. Woe to you if you try to escape. I swear I'll catch you again and make you pay», he threatened me, letting go of my arm.

He stared at me for a moment and then started up the stairs.

He barely got to the top when he started picking the lock.

The time had come.

The time to escape.

He was about to open the trapdoor, after having broken the padlock with his hands like steel claws.

Wasting no more time, I broke into a run despite the pain in my injured knee.

I ran at full speed. The important thing was not to look back and keep the goal in mind.

I felt a shout of rage behind me, but I ignored it and ran even faster than before.

Luckily, I had recently had hemodosis, so I was in good shape.

A few more meters and I would reach the stairs to go up to the abbey.

I was already touching the railing. One more step and...

I felt a grip on my left arm and then it covered me completely, taking my breath away.

I was thrown back against his chest.

Blake had me.

I turned around and shouted in his face: "Leave me alone!"

I didn't even know where the courage to face him so openly came from, but I couldn't take it anymore. I was about to explode and I didn't care if he wanted to kill me right then.

I refused to make the poor, helpless victim. I felt a strength and pride rise within me.

I looked at his face in disbelief at my reaction.

“ I want my aunt, is that clear?” repeated the dose.

“ Your aunt is no longer here. The entire abbey was evacuated three hours ago,” he explained to me calmly.

“ Where did they go?” I asked quietly, unsettled by the thought of being abandoned.

"I do not care. I found what I was looking for”.

I ignored his allusion.

"I just want to know if she’s okay".

"I think so".

«Do you think?»

“ When she ran away with the cardinal, her arm was bleeding. That's what I was told,” Blake said hurriedly.

For a moment, my legs sagged with relief at the knowledge that she was still alive, even if injured.

I sighed heavily for a moment, but it only took a split second for me to realize I was alone.

“ Well, shall we go now?” he asked in a tone of voice that certainly didn't take no for an answer.

I really didn't know what to do, but for now I was alone and the vampire's strength was clearly greater than mine.

No one would come to protect me, not even Matt.

“ What about Matt?”

«If by Matt you mean the man who escorted you, I took care of him»

"What do you mean by that?" I stammered, refusing to think he was dead because of me.

"Anything. Let's go now".

"But I...".

"No more questions. Get on your feet and hurry,” he ordered, dragging me back to the open trapdoor.

My knee throbbed and I was exhausted, but I didn't want to lean on it.

Climbing the stairs was torture. My knee kept bumping against the steps. Besides, I was beginning to feel the fatigue of the race. I knew that with my health problems, I should avoid too much physical activity, otherwise I would need to take a hemodose earlier than usual, and in that case, I had no idea how to get it.

When I came out of the trapdoor, I was in an abandoned building, with moldy walls and large windows.

Outside it was already dark and it continued to rain.

“ But what time is it?” I asked, disoriented.

When I entered the abbey it was just before lunch and now how come it was already dark?

Maybe there was an eclipse.

"It's almost five"

"What? But how is it possible?

«You were hiding in that hole with that cat in your arms crying and you ended up falling asleep. You slept for three hours before waking up. You didn't even notice my presence», he explained to me, making me blush with embarrassment. He saw me cry, a luxury I never grant, with the exception of a few occasions.

Only my aunt had seen me cry once and that had made me very upset at the time.

I didn't let anyone see my weaknesses and now I felt lost in the eyes of Blake who had seen me in that state.

My eyes were probably red too, and my face was still pale, as it always was after I’d cry.

«Who knows what a monster I am now?» I dedramatized.

"I don't know. It's the first time I've seen someone cry. Generally, people scream and beg me to spare them, they don't cry thinking about their aunt or their house», he replied, looking at me with a questioning air.

“ And how do you know that?” I asked him, calling him you.

“ You were talking in your sleep. You kept repeating aunt, Ahmed, house, farm, vampires. You also spoke on my behalf», he informed me, grabbing his cell phone and sending a message to who knows who.

I knew I talked in my sleep. Auntie always told me.

It was always something that embarrassed me and at that moment I blushed even more.

“ So where are we going?” I asked him to distract him from me once he started looking at me curiously.

This question made him serious again.

"My house".

"Where?" I asked again in astonishment.

Blake didn't have time to say anything else, a clacson in the road unexpectedly honked.

"It’s them. Let's go" he said, grabbing me by the arm again.

"Them who?"

"Vampires, obviously."

«Look, for me, one gives and one arrives. There's no need...” I tried to change his mind about feeding me to his friends, but he let out a roaring laugh that broke all my defenses.

I couldn't believe it. I had made him laugh.

"I have no intention of sharing you with my friends, if that's what you think," he assured me in a clear voice.

He led me out of the building, warning me not to make scenes once outside.

"My friends don't like setbacks," he advised.

I obeyed.

We left. It was stopping raining.

We were in the center of the city, in the midst of many passer-bys. How is it that no one realized the danger they were in when walking calmly through the streets of a city full of vampires?

I let myself be dragged to a blue Ford parked right in front of us. In the back seats were two people, or rather vampires. Both were pale and blond. The one behind the wheel was very fat and old.

I wanted so much to run down the road and get away, but Blake's hand was too strong.

«Don't even try» he told me. Could he read minds?

In an instant, Blake opened the car door and had me in the backseat, then sat down next to me.

As soon as the door closed, the driver put the car in motion without even asking for directions, while the other vampire beside him began to stare at me.

Meanwhile, the car took off at full speed, making me swing right and left, causing me, at one point, to bump into Blake's arm, who ended up reassuring me of my instability and decided to hold me against him.

However, this time his grip was firm but gentle.

He found me with my face pressed against his shirt, right where it was unbuttoned.

I've always had a great sense of smell and I couldn't not smell his scent, so masculine and sensual.

I was about to give in to that reckless sense of danger when something caught my eye. The man sitting in front of me was looking at me intently.

“ Blake, this human girl has a very strong odor! I've never smelled anything like this coming from a human. It's really overwhelming. It's driving me crazy!" the man blurted out unexpectedly.

Initially, I worried that I hadn't washed well that morning, despite my shower.

Then, noticing how the vampire was licking his lips, I began to get seriously scared. Involuntarily I hid even further into Blake's chest, and he was immediately aware of my discomfort.

«Will, stop it!».

«Please don't say you didn't notice her perfume» teased him.

“ I noticed. It's private. It took me a while too before I could approach without attacking her, but then you'll get used to it." Blake tried to reassure him, but the other vampire seemed more and more ravenous and close.

He continued to stretch across the front seat to get a better sniff of me.

My heart started to pound with fear.

I realized too late that that sensation excited him even more.

In an instant, I found myself being assaulted by Will who tried to attack my neck with his elongated canines and hypnotized gaze. Luckily Blake intervened just in time and grabbed him by the neck before he could reach me.

"Control yourself!" the furious Blake shouted at him.

"I am unable! This smell is too strong,” shouted Will in turn, struggling.

“ Remember what Cardinal Montagnard told us. Her blood is a weapon against us. I want to consult Jack Marley before I turn her into a vampire or do anything else,” he warned, and Will returned to his seat.

So it was true that Cardinal Montagnard had told him something about me. Good thing he had warned them not to bite me, so I could buy time.

I was still lost in my thoughts when the car stopped in front of an old abandoned building with small windows.

I was taken over again by the fear of being trapped alone in that hovel.

“ Blake, please, get out quickly and take that girl with you before I jump on her too,” said the driver, who had not opened his mouth until then.

"Yes sorry. Thank you, Peter,” Blake greeted him, getting out of the car and helping me out.

We head towards the gloomy building. Blake continued to grab me by the arm, even as he unlocked the metal door with the keys he took from his raincoat pocket.

Outside the car, it was very cold and I started to shiver as I was wearing a simple long-sleeved sweater and a light denim jacket.

Shortly afterwards I was taken inside the structure. I was amazed by the scenery I came across.

I was suddenly in a large, very luxurious and heated apartment. There was a large living room, with a large white leather sofa facing the wall, on which a fifty-inch plasma television was fitted.

The walls were decorated with several paintings of varying sizes.

Behind the living room, there was a modern kitchen with a rounded shape. On the left, there was a huge table that seats twelve with as many chairs, while on the right, between the living room and the kitchen, it was possible to glimpse a spacious bathroom, half hidden by doors of colored and frosted glass.

Above the bathroom, there was a small attic, in which a bed could be distinguished.

The whole apartment had been decorated in an industrial style, as could be seen from the shape of the chairs, the sofa, the stairs leading to the attic and the electric kitchen with the steel counter.

«This place is beautiful!» I exclaimed, as I walked slowly into that large open space.

"You're the first person to say so," Blake admitted, startling me. I couldn't believe it.

“ You'll be here for a few days, so make yourself comfortable. I've never had non-vampire guests, so if you need anything, feel free to ask,” He added later, taking off his raincoat. I suddenly felt like a guest and not a prisoner.

Blake also seemed more relaxed and with no intention of harming me, so I humored him by pretending to be comfortable. Besides, I didn't think he meant to harm me, otherwise he would have killed me in the crypt already, or he certainly wouldn't have saved me from Will. A small part of me felt safe with him, even if I didn't know for how long.

I sat down calmly on the white leather sofa.

As soon as I leaned on that soft sofa, I realized how tired and aching my muscles were. I leaned against the back of the sofa, breathing deeply.

“ Do you want to go to the bathroom to freshen up?” he asked me, trying to hide his discomfort with the kindness.

This change of his surprised me a lot and for a moment I thought that he would not be a barbarian animal having that ability.

Above all, until now, he had not yet shown that he wanted to harm me. Apparently it looked better than what Cardinal Siringer had described to me. He was certainly less dangerous than Will.

I really needed a bath, but I didn't dare be so confident.

I got up from the sofa and immediately noticed that I had left a huge dirty stain on the white leather. I had slept for hours in that hole in the crypt. How could you think I wasn't that dirty?

If I was at home with my aunt, I would be scolded.

"Oh my God! I soiled the couch. I'm really sorry. If you give me a sponge, I...” I immediately tried to apologize with a guilty look. I had just ruined his perfect paradise and was afraid I had pissed him off.

«It’s alright. I'll take care of it. You wash yourself and I'll order dinner in the meantime»

"Why? Do you vampires eat?” I let it slip without realizing it.

“ Not usually, but you do, I suppose. Do you have preferences?

I wanted to refuse, but the rumblings of my stomach and tiredness got the better of me.

«Red meat, if possible», I stammered in embarrassment, heading to the bathroom, wondering if I was going to poison myself.

«Okay», he said to me, taking the cell phone out of his pants pocket.

Meanwhile, I locked myself in the bathroom. The tiles were green, like those on the floor, though a lighter shade.

I could choose between the bathtub or the shower.

I chose the fastest thing. I didn't want to stay in that bath for too long and afterwards the opaque walls of the shower would protect me from possible indiscretions.

I quickly undressed and quickly got into the shower. The jet of hot water fell on my head and back, instantly relaxing me.

I lingered under that jet for a long time before using the oak-scented shampoo I found on the edge of the tub.

I rubbed the soap on myself calmly, pampered by that scent that vaguely reminded me of Blake's.

I realized that I was so tired and upset that I couldn't be as alert as I wanted and should be.

After cleaning myself up, I cautiously stepped out of the shower and noticed that Blake had hung two towels and clean but oversized clothes over the edge of the tub: a green sweater and black sports pants that fastened with a tie at the bottom. .

He probably wanted to make sure I didn't do stupid shit again, like the couch thing.

I dressed quickly and got out of the shower with my hair still wet, streaming down my back.

The clothes smelled like Blake and that scent enveloped me in a tender embrace. Despite being a vampire, Blake had a really good scent. It was the first time I was in contact with a man's intimacy: his house, his clothes, his perfume...

As soon as I entered the lounge, I saw him fumbling with the stove and emptying two shopping bags, which were propped up on the kitchen counter.

That very familiar, almost intimate atmosphere that had formed reassured me, so I decided to approach.

Besides, Aunt Cecília always said that you get more things with good manners, so I decided to behave in a kind way.

"Here I am! Do you need help?" I asked, seeing him struggle to light the gas.

Blake stared at the stove before turning to me. He had an unreadable look, but he watched me for a long time. Finally, he approached, grabbed a lock of my wet hair and with a very slow movement began to play with it. He seemed mesmerized, as I was by his magnetic eyes and the unexpected caress, which sent shivers down my spine.

Then he suddenly pulled his hand away from me, as if he'd been burned by that contact, and continued to stare at his immaculate kitchen.

“ You are dripping on the floor. The hair dryer is in the cupboard under the sink » he muttered in an annoyed yet troubled tone.

I mumbled some kind of apology and ran to the bathroom to get the hairdryer. I dried my hair as quickly as possible, trying to comb it as best as I could.

«I brought you this» I heard a voice behind me, which made me jump in fright.

I turned around and was facing Blake. He was passing me a bag.

"Peter, the man who led us here, brought you some things thinking they might be useful," he told me.

I took the bag and opened it. There was a comb, a toothbrush, a moisturizer and a package of pads.

"Thank you," I whispered, but Blake had already left the room.

I combed my hair in a hurry, letting my hair fall softly down my back.

After I prepared myself, I felt much better.

I also put a bandage on the injured knee and went to Blake.

He barely saw me, he immediately informed me about dinner.

«I sent Peter to buy something to eat. I hope it all goes well. I sent him because he was turned into a vampire a few years ago and he knows the current habits well. »

I peered into the bags.

There were several frozen ones, a mashed potato prep, and four big, thick beef steaks.

Since I saw Blake completely lost, I decided to take charge of the situation.

I immediately grabbed the meat and started looking for a frying pan.

Fortunately, I found it along with plates, cutlery and glasses.

I took what was needed and prepared the table.

I showed Blake how to light the stove.

«First you have to turn the knob and then press the button to turn on, see?».

Then I heated the skillet well and put two steaks. The smell of the food made a hole in my stomach. I was terribly hungry.

I made them bake a little. I liked them rare.

Finally, I put my plate on the table and sat down, ready to enjoy that steak.

Blake sat down next to me and began to watch me, intrigued.

Under his inquisitive gaze, I cut the meat with the knife, letting the blood from its interior drip onto the plate.

It looked like butter, such a shape was tender.

I put a big mouthful in my mouth and savored that taste I had been used to for years, but which I always defined as delicious.

I immediately noticed Blake's once again unreadable gaze. It was impossible to know what he was thinking.

“ Do you want some?” I asked him to break the ice.

He nodded, “I must admit that watching you made me want to try that steak too. I haven't touched normal food in ages».

I tried to ignore the meaning of that last sentence and concentrated on cutting a piece of the meat and putting it on a plate.

I was amazed by his refined and elegant way of cutting the meat and taking it to his mouth, chewing it slowly.

"Good," he admitted after he'd swallowed a mouthful.

I smiled at him satisfied, continuing to eat.

“ Doesn’t all this blood disgust you?” he asked me again.

"Not really. I'm used to it. At home I eat it every day» I revealed.

"Are you a vampire too?" He teased me.

"No, I'm anemic" I explained in a light tone of voice.

"It's not true," he declared with a firm tone of voice and a wary look.

«I assure you. I have a very rare form of anaemia, which makes me extremely weak. So I have to follow a certain diet. It's always been like this since I was born,” I said, hoping not to reveal anything compromising.

«You are not anemic» he confirmed with conviction.

“ I tell you yes”.

His determination started to make me nervous.

“ You don't smell like an anemic, weak and insipid. On the contrary, yours is intense and persistent. It's so strong that you can feel it from afar. It was precisely because of this characteristic of yours that I was able to find you quickly in that crypt. Therefore, you are not anemic”.

«Rather yes».

"No".

"Yes".

That conversation was starting to send me into a crisis.

Auntie wouldn't lie to me about something like that, but it's also true that in the last few days I've discovered that many of the things I had always believed were just a bunch of lies.

However, I could not believe that this too was a hoax. I got really bad and weakened easily if I didn't take my hemodoses. I had to be anemic.

But what if there was something more serious?

Auntie wouldn't lie to me about this!

I was troubled by this doubt that was sown in my mind. No, it wasn't possible! But...

I felt my eyes fill with tears. A little more and it would have given in. I got up and Blake did the same.

With all the strength I had left in my body, I shouted at him with contempt: “But what do you care, vampire? I'm anemic. End of discussion».

For a moment Blake looked at me in disbelief, but he recovered quickly and immediately tried to piss me off.

«Okay, don't think about crying again» he teased me, seeing me on the verge of tears.

Under other circumstances, I would have proudly pulled myself together and ignored those manipulative teasing, but right now, after such an overwhelming day, my mind wasn't so reactive.

I acted without thinking and smacked him full in the face with all the strength in my body. In that gesture were all my despair and anger. It was all his fault I found myself in that situation!

For a long second Blake didn't move a muscle as I let the tears fall. It was the first time I hit someone and I was upset. He was shaking with rage and frustration.

Suddenly, Blake grabbed my arms with two lethal arms, emitting a ferocious roar that stopped my breath as he brought his tense, angry face close to mine, fixing me with his icy, menacing eyes. I glimpsed his elongated canines protruding from his mouth.

I realized what I had done and I felt myself breaking down.

I fell asleep.

I dreamed that Kevin called me. I was trying to reach him and when I finally managed to hug him, I discovered that it was Blake.

CLOSENESS

When I woke up I discovered that it was already morning.

I looked around and my new situation immediately came to mind.

I got up and went downstairs.

As I walked down the stairs, I decided that this was going to be a defining day. I wanted to know what Blake wanted to do with me.

I had to know. I was tired of beat around the bush.

I tried calling him but got no response.

There was a sepulchral silence in that house.

Maybe he was really alone.

Blake was probably out.

Was there a better time to clear the way?

It was my moment.

Without making a sound, I approached the front door and put my hand on the handle.

“ Did you call me?” Blake exclaimed behind me, making me turn in a click.

I found myself in front of Blake's half-naked body. He was completely wet, with a blue towel around his waist.

«I... Yes… I thought I was alone" I stammered, crossing myself with him beautiful eyes, surrounded by a few tufts of rebellious black hair, which fell over her face, while a few drops of water ran over him chest, following the line of him pectorals and of his flat, muscular belly.

He was even more beautiful than I imagined.

Suddenly I felt my heart pounding in my chest and my throat burning. Seeing him that way had affected me and it wasn't a little.

“ So did you want to go for a walk with?” he asked me wryly, bringing me back to reality.

«No, I just wanted to make sure the door was securely closed. You know, I was afraid that someone with bad intentions...» I lied shamelessly.

«Do you take me for stupid?».

I couldn't answer before those gaping eyes that had turned menacing again.

Wasting no more time, he dragged me away from the door, towards the kitchen.

«Prepare your breakfast and woe betide you if you try to deceive me again» he ordered me with an authoritative tone of voice.

I didn't dare to contradict him. I opened the fridge and took out the fruit juice that Peter had bought the day before.

I only drank one glass. I wasn't hungry, so I didn't eat anything.

Meanwhile Blake had started to dress. He was wearing blue jeans, while his torso was still bare and seemed to be more serene.

I absolutely had to face it!

"Blake, I need to know something" I started calmly and decisively.

"What?"

I gathered my courage.

"What do you want to make with me?".

Blake looked at me for a moment, then let out a bitter laugh.

"Let's me see... You've used escape more than once, despite my threats. Last night you slapped me and you don't seem to want to submit to me.... You exceeded all limits, making me lose my patience more than once. I assure you that for much less, I would have undone any other" he confessed to me.

I was determined.

"Soon?" I pressed him.

"I don't know. There is something in you that I want to find out, but first I need to talk to a person" he answered me with a serious air.

"Could I go back to being with my aunt until you tell that person?" I tried.

"No."

"Why not?" I whined.

"Cause I decided that way."

I lost my patience again.

"But who are you to decide about other people's lives?" I shouted angrily.

"Is it possible that you can never accept a decision of mine without raising arguments?".

"Obviously not, since this concerns me and only me!".

"Should I consult you?" asked Blake sarcastically.

"Exactly, and I would tell you that I am absolutely against the idea of remaining trapped in this gilded cage. You don't realize the sacrifice you are asking of me."

He knew that I was testing his patience again.

"Sacrifice? I sacrifice myself, not you. If it were up to me, I would have devoured you alive, at least you would stop nagging me with your whining and making me lose my temper with your scent so irresistible. With you in the vicinity, I have to keep my instincts in check all the time. Be thankful that I have great self-control, instead of being like Will! And as if that wasn't enough, sometimes your scent becomes even sweeter and more attractive, like just moments ago. I don't know what happened, but you, my lady, are surely a weapon against me, since sooner or later you will make me go crazy. Sorry to bother you, but you are the most dangerous among us. Cardinal Montagnard warned me about you, warning me not to let myself be tempted or there would be consequences. I want to find out why you smell so hypnotic and then I will decide whether to kill you immediately or turn you into a vampire", he explained angrily.

"I don't like either perspective" I fought back, causing him to completely lose his temper.

With a firm step, he came at me and held me by the throat.

His hands were cold. It was the first time he had touched me with his bare skin and it was electrifying as a sensation.

I didn't know how to explain it, but he couldn't scare me.

My heart began to beat harder and harder again, but not from fear, but from an undefined emotion that was much deeper and more impetuous.

"You are not afraid." It was not a question, but a simple realization. It was the truth.

"This perfume again…" he continued, running his hands along my neck with delicate movements.

He brought his nose closer to the hollow of my throat.

I was so aroused by its proximity, I didn't think about the possibility that he might bite me.

I felt the cold tip of his nose travel down my neck to my left cheek.

It felt like I had received an electric shock.

Our faces touched, I could feel his cold breath on my skin, while his eyes bewitched mine, lulled into that apex of sensations never before experienced.

This time he seemed to be the one bewitched by me, as his body leaned completely against mine. Through his shirt I could feel his muscles contracting against me, pushing me against the kitchen counter.

I accidentally put my hands on him bare, still wet skin. It was exciting to feel him soft and cool skin.

Meanwhile his gaze became even more intense, but remained inscrutable.

I wanted to ask him what was happening, but no words came out of my mouth.

I realized that I didn't have any self-control.

I seemed to be the victim of a force acting on me and on my mind.

For a split second our lips touched, setting my veins on fire.

I gently slid my hands down his back to his chest, when suddenly his cell phone rang.

It was like a shower of ice water, which brought us abruptly back to reality.

We pulled away in an instant as if contact with each other had scalded us.

My heart was pounding and I noticed that Blake was slightly shaken.

He gripped his cell phone too tightly as he read the name over the screen so that I couldn't tell.

"Marley, is that you, finally! Where are you?" he answers relieved, heading for the bathroom.

I couldn't hear the rest of the conversation, but I knew that man was the one Blake wanted to consult to find out what risks I was taking by turning into a vampire or something else.

I was absolutely determined to find out how to hurt him. Shaken, I went back to my room. My life was anticipated to be very brief.

As soon as I reached the stairs to go up to the attic, I saw Blake dressed in black come full speed out of the shower, grab his raincoat and leave.

"When I come back, I want you to be here" he ordered me sternly, before closing the door behind him.

My hope of being able to escape immediately vanished as soon as I heard the key turn in the lock. I resigned myself to standing there, waiting for him.

Surely he was meeting Marley somewhere.

I turned on the TV and threw myself on the couch, but I had no desire to watch TV, so after not even half a hour, I turned it off and went into the bedroom.

I was worried about what Blake would find out on that date, but I didn't want to think about it.

I went through his things, but found nothing interesting. Finally, I threw myself on the soft bed and let my thoughts wander free in my mind, trying to forget where I was.

I was relaxing, when I heard the door open.

Could it be that Blake was back already?

I leaned over the banister and Will appeared.

He was alone and from the agitation he was showing he seemed to be looking for something.

"Where are you?" I know you are here.... I can smell you! Come out or I'll find you!" he shouted hungrily.

I felt the blood freeze in my veins.

He was looking for me.

I was doomed.

Blake wasn't and I was sure he would be able to jump me this time and kill me.

I was scared to death.

I pressed myself against the bed hoping he wouldn't see me

From my position I could see that the vampire, growing increasingly impatient, was still searching the entire house for me, from the kitchen to the bathroom.

It wouldn't take long for him to come up the stairs and find me.

In fact, a short time later, I heard him coming up the stairs giggling.

"There you are!" he said, approaching quickly with an unreassuring look on his face.

I could see in his eyes the hunger he had and the desire to find me that was setting his body on fire.

I couldn't say a word. I was paralyzed.

A few more steps and...

"Will, stop!".

I heard Blake's sonorous voice. I couldn't see him, because I was afraid to look away from Will, but I could feel his strength.

Meanwhile Will threw himself on the bed and I narrowly avoided him, but soon after he managed to grab me by the sweater and drag me under him.

I saw his face deformed by craving and his canine teeth stretching as he came closer and closer to me.

I screamed in terror.

I was already about to bite myself, when Blake reached us on the top floor and slammed him violently throwing him off the bed, away from me.

They started fighting violently again.

They looked like two crazed animals, until Blake pushed Will off the railing below, causing him to fall to the floor below.

I leaned over to see his crushed corpse below, but instead I saw Will get up as if he was nothing. He had supernatural strength.

Beside me, Blake threw himself down, where he started beating him fiercely again.

Only later did I notice the arrival of Peter, who with a feline leap launched himself over Will's back.

"Blake, grab the silver!".

Just in time, Blake broke free from Will and ran to the couch, lifted a white cushion and picked up a large silver coin.

Meanwhile, I went downstairs to the lower floor, trying to deflect myself from the impending fight. I was terribly worried that Will might hurt Blake.

Again, it would have been my fault...

Meanwhile Blake approached the vampire and pressed the coin to his forehead, making him cry out in pain. After a few seconds, I saw Will passed out on the ground.

"For a few hours you won't give us any more trouble" muttered Peter exhausted.

"Thank you, Peter. If you hadn't warned me, I would never have made it in time."

"You're welcome. It didn't take much to figure out where you intended to go when you called me to tell me you couldn't make it to the meeting with Marley. Instead, you surprised me! I thought Will was lying when he told me that contact with silver had no effect on you!" exclaimed the amazed vampire.

"Right."

"You do realize that this makes you unique in our genre and.... Invincible!" admired Peter.

"Don't exaggerate... What are we going to do with him?" Blake changed his speech, indicating Blake's passed out body.

I was about to step in and thank them for their help, when I felt a terrible chill on my back.

I turned around and realized that I was standing right in front of the wide-open entrance door.

It only took me three steps and I walked through the door. I found myself on the road under a cloud covered sky.

It looked like he was going to snow.

I turned back to the three vampires in the house.

Blake and Peter were too busy moving Will to notice me.

That was my chance. I had to run and find my aunt.

I started to run. At first slowly, not very confidently, but then I quickened my pace.

I turned around. No one was following me.

I kept running without stopping, until I was far away, on a road in the center of Dublin.

It was very cold and many people looked at me in amazement that I was wearing only a sweater.

I started wandering around the city aimlessly. I didn't know what to do, nor who I could contact, since I had no address except that of my house, now abandoned.

How could I contact anyone and let them know I was free and that they could come and help me?

I didn't even know where the Jolly Hotel was and the city was huge.

Finally, I had an idea.

I went to some church.

Surely all the priests knew Cardinal Siringer, I thought confidently.

I entered the first church I found.

Once inside, I saw only an old lady who was lighting some candles.

"Excuse me, could you tell me where I can find the pastor of the church" I asked the lady kindly.

"He is ill. I'm sorry. If you want to talk to him you will have to wait until next week" she answered me courteously.

I thanked her and left the church disappointed.

I walked for a long time through the streets.

I don't know how much time passed, but I began to feel rumbling in my stomach. It must have been lunchtime and I remembered that I hadn't even had breakfast. With no money and the hope in my heart to find my aunt, I continued to walk slowly and relentlessly through the unknown roads of Dublin. All afternoon I wandered aimlessly in search of some place of worship.

Meanwhile, night was falling and the lamps were already lit.

Suddenly, I found a small church that stood in front of a square.

I rushed in hoping to find an available priest and my prayers were answered.

I found the pastor of the church praying sitting on a bench. I approached him.

He was relatively short, almost completely bald and wore subtle little glasses.

"Excuse me, Father".

He interrupted his prayers and looked at me.

"Tell me, my children" he replied smiling at me.

"I need your help" I told him.

"Certainly."

"I absolutely must speak to Cardinal Siringer. Can you help me?".

"In what way?".

"I don't know. Maybe you know how to get in touch with him through other people."

"Little daughter, you have entered the house of God, not an investigative agency" he replied in a voice that was sweet, but cloaked in nervousness.

"I beg you, I urgently need to contact him".

"Okay. So now you stay here and pray that the Lord will help you, in the meantime I'll see what I can do" he promised me, getting up and heading to the sacristy.

I stayed on that bench for a long time praying.

Without a watch I lost track of time, I was very nervous about what the pastor was going to tell me.

What seemed like an eternity passed.

Finally, the priest returned with a half smile.

"So?" I asked him agitatedly.

"Have you prayed enough?".

"Yes."

"Well, then I warn you that in ten minutes the church closes."

My mouth hung open.

"What about Cardinal Siringer?".

"You will see that the Lord will help you."

I couldn't believe it. That priest had tricked me.

I was shocked.

Priest Dominick would never do such a thing.

"Thank you" I muttered angrily, before leaving.

As soon as I left, I was surrounded by the cold and damp.

I hated the humidity and besides, it had started to snow. I continued on my way aimlessly, until I was exhausted and sat down on a bench in a park, slightly whitened by the first snowflakes.

For a long time I sat there admiring the landscape, but it was very cold, so I decided to walk a little to warm up.

It must have been dinner time because all around there was not a living soul.

I was completely alone, under the snow and a little hungry.

It all seemed so unreal to me. I didn't know what to do.

I got lost in my thoughts again and didn't realize the world around me, until a voice brought me back to reality.

"Hello" I heard, resting a hand on my shoulder.

I turned around startled.

It wasn't Blake, but two unfamiliar boys.

One was tall, with oriental facial features, while the other was quite fat, had red hair and his face was covered with freckles.

They were looking at me with a strange light in their black eyes.

They smiled as they continued to approach.

"Are they vampires?" I asked. This was to be expected, since I had a strange lingering odor that attracted them.

The two boys burst out laughing and then the taller one replied, "If this is what turns you on, we become vampires".

At that moment, I was afraid that I had bumped into two sex freaks right away.

I really couldn't understand where my luck was.

I had lived seventeen years of my life in total tranquility and now everything was happening to me.

I couldn't stand that change of fate any longer.

"What do you say you join us? Come on, we'll have fun!" the fat guy exclaimed, giving me an odor of alcohol that could knock anyone out and made me extremely nauseous.

I swore that if I ever went back to my old life, I would never regret Ron the Breath again.

I preferred him a thousand times over.

I didn't even have time to contest, the fat man pushed me back hard.

"Ahia" I whined, causing them to laugh.

Then they unexpectedly stopped laughing, cast each other a look of understanding and approached me together, giving me such a shove as to make me fall to the ground on the snow-covered leaves of a bush.

Things were getting really bad.

I was beginning to regret running away from Blake's warm, cozy, protected apartment. At that moment I wished I had him around more than anything else in the world. I couldn't think of anything else.

It was useless to kick and protest against the two boys, they threw themselves at me anyway.

One of the two actually stuck his hand under my shirt.

I felt my stomach twisting.

I screamed in anger, but the two boys kept laughing and getting excited, while one started stretching the elastic in my pants.

"Wow, under these big clothes, it’s the paradise!" said the oriental man in a husky voice.

A few seconds more and the irreparable would have happened.

I could already imagine the newspaper headlines: "Girl who escapes being turned into vampire found dead, raped by two drunks."

"Leave me!" I screamed with all the strength I had in my body.

All useless.

"Leave her!".

I immediately recognized that voice. It was Blake and he sounded very angry.

He was the angel who had answered my prayers.

It was enough to grab them from behind to throw them ten feet away from me, causing them to crash into an oak tree.

Then he approached me. My clothes were wet, my belly was bare, my hair was full of leaves, and I was trembling all over.

He immediately covered me gently and took me on his lap.

All I remember is that he held me tightly close to his neck, filling my lungs with his perfume, and then I lost consciousness in his arms.

When I woke up, I was still in his arms.

We had just entered the apartment.

I realized that I was shaking uncontrollably.

"You're freezing" Blake whispered to me, realizing my awakening.

Without wasting any more time, he took me to the bathroom and put me under the shower.

He gently positioned me in the spacious shower and when he opened the water, he held me still close to him.

The water was steaming and we showered together, even though we were dressed.

I let myself go, leaning against his chest, lulled by the hot stream of water and his caresses of my hair.

I let him do what he wanted without complaining.

I was upset, but I felt tremendously safe. I couldn't believe how good I could feel in his arms, at that moment I just wanted to be with him.

I knew that what I was feeling was not fair or wise, but I couldn't help but surrender to that pleasant sensation.

A few minutes passed before I let go of Blake.

I lifted my gaze and lost myself in those wonderful eyes, I felt myself sinking into those blue abysses.

Only after a long moment did he look away.

"I'll leave you alone, so you can wash better and change. In the meantime, I'll prepare a dinner for you," he whispered before stepping out of the shower. I didn't even have the strength to answer.

For a moment I felt lost without him, then I started to remove my soaked clothes and wash myself thoroughly.

I washed again more times at the points where I was touched by the two perverts.

I couldn't believe I had been saved by a vampire, just the one who was supposed to end my days.

He had taken care of me several times, despite my terrible temper. I was grateful to him for that.

I got out of the shower. I found my clothes, the ones I was wearing when Blake took me there, ready, clean and patched where I broke when I fell into the crypt.

I put it on, dried my hair with the hair dryer, and looked in the mirror.

I had a different face, very tired and pale.

Probably in a few days I will need to take a hemodose. I was still wondering how I was going to do it, when a little smell of meat came to me and whetted my appetite.

I came out of the bathroom and quickly made my way to the dining table.

There was an appetizing steak, ready to be eaten.

"Sit down" Blake invited me, as he pulled the chair away from me to sit down. He had always shown kind manners, which always left me stunned.

Without much ceremony, I tasted the steak. It was delicious and very tender.

"Good" I exclaimed satisfied.

"I am pleased. It's the first time I've ever cooked in my life" Blake confessed embarrassed.

"Thank you. Thank you really ... for everything" I whispered hesitantly, hoping he would understand that I meant not only the meat, but also having saved me, first from Will and then from those two drunk boys.

"Rest assured. In return, don't run away anymore. Now eat and think no more about it" he urged me frowning at the thought of what might have happened to me if he hadn't acted in time.

"And you don't eat?".

"I already fed" he informed me with a disgusted tone of voice.

"The two perverts?" he surmised.

"Only one and I can swear to you I found more alcohol than blood in those veins. The other one Peter got him. He was the one who found you and then rushed to call me."

"I have to thank you for all you've done for me."

"Yeah. He's the one who mended your clothes and did the shopping."

"What a heart of gold? Too bad he's a vampire!" I let slip. I was discovering a whole new reality. I had realized that you didn't have to be a vampire to be a monster and that sometimes behind a certain cruel nature, a lot of generosity could hide.

"He chose it."

"I doubt that anyone would wish to