Chapter 32

There are several things that have changed in my life since becoming a Leech.

First, of course, is blood. I can no longer smell the nauseating metallic scent of blood; instead, human food has become repulsive to me. Nick told me that after a few weeks, my appetite would return to normal, but with the addition of blood intake.

Then, all my senses, from smell to hearing, have become sharper. I just realized that every person has their own unique smell, and to me, humans smell like... food. I try to hide my disgust and I was surprised to find myself wanting to approach the room service attendant who was cleaning our room. The blood coming directly from the source was more tempting than bottled blood.

Again, Nick said I just needed to get used to it.

He taught me a few things over the past two days, like how to hide my fangs and how to suppress my anger so that my eyes wouldn't change. A Volder's eyes would turn black when angry, as I had seen on Nick a few months ago. Meanwhile, a Leech's eyes would turn red, like blood. The darker the color, it meant the Volder who changed them was stronger. Like my eyes turning dark red and almost resembling black. That meant Alastair was one of the strongest, and the oldest, Volders.

I haven't thought of a plan to prevent Nick from hunting Alastair. He hasn't left me alone for the past two days, so I don't think he has found Alastair's location yet. I hope he never finds it.

"Eleanor?" Nick's hoarse wake-up voice made me turn to him. He stood at the bedroom door rubbing his sleepy face.

"Oh, did I wake you up?" I couldn't sleep, so I was watching TV.

"No." He walked over to me and sat next to me. "You weren't in bed when I woke up. I was just worried." He replied, looking at the TV screen in front of us with a slightly furrowed brow. His words made me want to hug him.

"Are you watching this?"

My gaze shifted to the TV screen showing a series about vampires. "Well, yeah. I'm learning." I replied, trying not to smile to look serious.

Nick turned with a smile that slowly turned into a thin smile. "I'll teach you everything, Miss Heather."

"Oh really? You're very kind, Mr. Shaw."

"I am very kind."

"What should I do to repay your kindness?"

He looked serious for a few moments, making me unable to hold back my smile. "I can't decide what I want most." He murmured, looking at my smiling face seriously, "Too many."

"How about this for now?" I asked, cupping his jaw with one of my hands and leaning towards his face. I just intended to kiss him briefly, but when my lips touched his, Nick's arm encircling my waist stopped me in place. Both of my hands moved to hug his neck without stopping the kiss at all. I couldn't explain in detail what I felt when Nick kissed me. His touch, his warm body temperature, his scent that I knew so well made me feel safe. Like a pair of perfectly fitting puzzles, I was no longer alone.

I pulled my face away when I was almost out of breath, Nick's blue eyes looked darker. For a moment he looked at me with an amazed look, as if I was something very precious to him. My chest felt tight because of the feelings I had for him.

"A good choice, Miss Heather." He muttered with a slightly hoarse voice. I gave him my best smile before kissing him again and releasing his embrace from my waist. "It's time to sleep, Mr. Shaw." I said as I stood up and walked towards the bedroom door.

"And you just made me unable to sleep." He grumbled, but he still followed me from behind.

"Oh!" I exclaimed as I was about to exit the shower cubicle, "Nicholas!"

"What?" the smile on his face slowly began to look like Greg's annoying smile. Some foam still clung to his freshly shaved jaw.

"Get out." I protested without taking my eyes off him. He was only wearing his pajama pants, some scars adorned his broad chest and back. I tried hard not to look at his chest for too long.

"But I'm not finished yet." He replied before turning his back on me, but his gaze still looked at me through the reflection in the mirror.

"Nick. Get out." I repeated, trying to reach for a towel two meters away from the shower where I was standing. I almost came out of this shower naked a few minutes ago. Although the shower cubicle was covered in clinging steam, he could still see my silhouette behind it.

"Just a little longer." He answered slowly, then he smiled again... Greg's annoying smile! "You can come out, Eleanor, I won't peek." But his eyes didn't shift from the mirror.

Yeah, right.

"I'll wait." I replied, trying to grab a towel to dry my body, then put on a light blue sundress. Lana packed some of my clothes and left them with Greg when she visited. Lately, my skin has become more sensitive than usual, Nick seems to think it's normal for a newly changed Leech. So now I wear simpler and lighter clothes like a loose dress instead of jeans.

Staying in a hotel for 4 days without being able to go out at all almost drove me crazy, even though Nick accompanied me almost all the time, but the only thing I could think of when I was with him was how I could change his mind about not hunting Alastair. And that didn't make me feel calm at all.

Nick was on the phone when I came out of the bathroom, he looked at me with a frown and then handed me his phone. "Greg wants to talk to you."

I looked at his phone suspiciously and then back at him. Nick shrugged, "He says he wants to talk about Miss Morrel." I took his phone from his hand and placed it against my ear.

"Eleanor?" Greg's voice sounded quite normal. Has he forgotten what we talked about a few days ago about Lana?

"Yeah?" I replied, a little annoyed. I still felt very angry with him.

"Go to the bathroom and turn on the shower."

"What?"

"I don't want Nick to hear our conversation."

And he thought going into the bathroom with Nick's phone wasn't suspicious? "I just showered." I muttered.

"Okay, just go somewhere without Nick around."

I didn't move from my spot at all. "What's wrong with Lana, Greg?"

"It's not about Lana."

Oh, now I get it. I turned to Nick and raised both eyebrows, "Hey, it's your turn to shower."

"You haven't finished talking yet?" he asked with a pouty face, then started walking to the bathroom.

"Greg is very chatty when it comes to Lana." I replied as I placed his phone back on my ear after Nick had entered the bathroom. Just to make sure, I went to the pantry in the next room.

"Hey. I heard that, Eleanor." Greg grumbled.

"What's up, Greg?" I asked impatiently. I still felt very annoyed with him.

"I found Alastair's location

"Redforest National Park. Erik seems to be close to finding him too. I can't ask Erik to delay reporting it to Nick, he's very loyal to him."

"California?" I asked in panic. I was a bit incredulous. Vampires I read about in Twilight preferred gloomy and cold cities, like Forks. California is quite... warm. But well, they are Volders, not vampires.

"Yeah, Redforest National Park is in California."

"Have you tried talking to him?"

"Not yet. Nick even disappears from the room if I mention his name."

Greg sighed, "He's always been like that."

"What should we do now?"

"There's only one way, Eleanor." From Greg's tone, the way he was about to mention wouldn't be easy.

"What?"

"You have to meet Alastair. Prevent his suicide plan, or at least make him postpone it. However, you have to make him go into hiding. At least we need time."

"How can I leave without Nick knowing?"

He was silent for a long time before answering me, "I haven't thought about it."

"I'll find a way. Where's the address?"

"One of the cottages inside Redforest."

Is he kidding me? "Which cottage?"

"I don't know. But his cottage will look more luxurious than the others."

Very helpful, huh? I sighed with a bit of frustration. "You'll come with me, right?"

Greg fell silent again. "Nick can track me, Eleanor. He's my brother."

"So, you mean... I'll go alone?"

"If I could go alone, I wouldn't ask you to go. Right now, only you can do it."

Alone? I'm not sure I want to face Alastair alone, let alone if I meet... "What if Elizabeth is with him?"

"She's not with Alastair."

"How do you know—"

"Elizabeth is already dead, Eleanor."