2
Sophia’s POV
I knocked on the door of Jenny’s house once and waited patiently for her to come get the door. It took a while before she came to open the door. Immediately she did that, she turned around and began walking to the direction of the stairs sluggishly.
“Uh…what’s wrong with you?” I asked with a raised brow as I walked in and shut the door behind me. Clearly something was wrong with her…or she just woke up. That was probably the better option.
“Just…keep quiet, I’m trying to get back to my beauty sleep,” she mumbled as she trudged up the stairs. I rolled my eyes. Of course she was only acting this way because she had just woken up.
“Maybe I should just go back home if you’re that displeased with my presence,” I joked, feigning annoyance as I spun around on my heels and began to walk to the door.
“Jeez, you can’t even take a little play?” She grumbled. “Fine. I’m sorry. You know I’m pleased by your presence. Don’t go,” she said in a robotic voice.
I chuckled and shook my head as I turned around and walked to the couch, dropping my bag. She slumped on the couch opposite me and buried her face in the pillow. She let out a dramatic scream.
I rolled my eyes but chuckled. Jenny was the overdramatic kind and I had gotten used to it. I wouldn’t even ask for another best friend. And I even enjoyed her dramatic antics most of the time.
“Why didn’t you call me to tell me you were still coming?” She groaned. “I wouldn’t have gone to bed. And now you have ruined my sleep.”
I scoffed, raising my brow. “I didn’t think you’d be asleep by-“ I paused to check the time on my phone. “6pm?”
“I was napping. I wasn’t expecting you to come,” she answered with a casual shrug.
“Why not?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Because,” she answered. “You didn’t seem like you were going to ask your parents.”
“Yeah well mom was against it at first,” I answered. “I was able to convince her. Okay, maybe manipulate her a bit. But it worked anyways and now I’m here. When are we going?”
Jenny’s face brightened up instantly. She has always been, and will always be an advocate for doing bad things. Like what we were about to do now. She grinned at me. “I don’t know…I guess, 9pm?”
“Will your parents not find out that we’re going out at that time of the night? I thought one of your neighbors, was like, a spy for your mom and dad?” I asked and she nodded.
“Yeah, but then I already told her that we were going for s reading sleepover at Veronica’s house.” She shot me a devilish grin. I raised a brow at her.
“Who is Veronica?” I asked.
“No one,” she exclaimed and burst into laughter. I shook my head.
“How are we going to get I to the club anyways?” I asked her. “Are you even sure we should go?”
“Uh. Yes, duh! After this, we might not be chanced to go again,” she said, getting up from the couch and rushing to come and sit next to me. “Monday is our final paper. You wouldn’t have any excuse to come and spend the night with me or whatever. And besides my mom is flying me out of the country once my exams are over. Your parents know you don’t have any other friend than me so it simply means we most likely would not have the opportunity to do this again.”
I bit my lip. She was right. I wouldn’t have the opportunity to do this again, with her. Until I get into university and there was a high chance that wasn’t going to come to the same university as I was. Her parents were planning on enrolling her into some fancy private university although she wanted to come to the same one as me.
I sighed. “Okay, fine. But how are getting in anyways? I don’t want any security to come and escort me out of the club. That would be too embarrassing. I wouldn’t be able to handle that level of embarrassment.” I pouted.
“Oh you ought to have known that I got us covered,” she answered and winked at me. “Come, let’s go to my room. We need to get you dressed. And your hair, dear God. I can’t take you out with your hair like this,” she complained as she dragged me off the chair and dragged me up the stairs.
“Why? What’s wrong with my hair?” I asked, suddenly feeling self conscious and I touched my hair. I had oiled it very well before I left so that the coils wouldn’t get entangled. And I had made it I to a sleek ponytail and it seemed pretty okay.
“Nothing. I just don’t like it that way. How about I help you straighten it huh?” She asked and continued without waiting for my reply. “Yes, we’ll straighten it. Oh, and do you want a dress or a skirt?”
“Skirt and t-“ I began but she cut me off.
“Yes. A dress will be nicer. I have a lot of them. And we’re the same size anyways so it will fit you perfectly,” she answered and forced me to sit in front of her vanity mirror.
She quickly untied my hair and combed it before straightening it so it was now falling to my hips. Then the helped me with a little bit of make up. It was mainly mascara and lip-gloss though. After that, she looked for clothes to give me and she wouldn’t even let me pick the one I wanted.
After a while, she settled on a green, off-shoulder, mid-thigh length dress that she hadn’t worn before. It was tight on my body and I felt a little bit uncomfortable with it but she brushed it off. She gave me a pair of heels to go with it and then she quickly went to freshen up and then dress up.
“We’re ready to go,” she answered as she came out of her closet, looking gorgeous. “Oh and, here’s your ID.” She handed me a fake ID. “Let’s go.”
3Sophia’s POV. The security barely even checked our ID as he allowed us into the club. Jenny grinned at me and nudged me a bit before tucking a strand of her hair between her ears. This was my first time at a club, but it certainly wasn’t Jenny’s first time so I had to follow her every step. I didn’t even know what to order, but I wasn’t ready to have alcohol. Not yet.Jenny had a bright smile on her face as we managed to push past a sea of sweaty bodies and get to the bar. We set there and she grinned at me before turning to the bartender. “Give me a margarita, please.”“And me too,” I said. It wasn’t like I knew what to order anyways. I tucked my hair behind my ear and looked around. It was a Friday night and a lot of people were here. My eyes was most especially on the ladies. The way the were blending in effortlessly here and their flashy designer bags that they didn’t hesitate to show off.“Let’s get on the dance floor,” Jenny said, giggling a bit after one sip of her margarita
4 Ian’s POV. I could hear the heartbeat of different people. Some fast, some normal, some oddly slow. I could smell the blood. Hot, running. Fresh. Just how I liked it.I closed my eyes, trying to shut everything out and just enjoy the music and whiskey. I couldn’t feed. Not now. I had my fill just a few days ago and feeding now will not be the best option. It might only attract attention to me. I had a way of attracting attention to myself anyways.Running my hands through my hair in frustration, I inhaled deeply and the smell of hot, fresh blood clouded my senses. Gritting my teeth, I downed my shot of whiskey and rubbed my face. The bartender came over to me, looking at me with suspicious look. “Do you need anything sir?” He asked.“Another glass,” I answered.“But sir, you’ve been drinking for a while and I suggest you take water first. You’re going to have a terrible hangover tomorrow,” he told me.I stopped myself from narrowing my eyes at him. Did he think I cared? Did he thi
5Sophia’s POVMy heart was pounding wildly in my chest as I watched this beautiful stranger. He watched me back, a small smile on his face. He was actually indulging me in this. I couldn’t believe it.I bit my lips hard enough that it almost drew blood. But then I stopped. I knew some people hated the sight of blood and he might be one of them. I didn’t want to scare him off like this.I gulped. I wondered what mom and dad and the twins will think when they see me here in a bar, trying and failing miserably to flirt with this handsome guy.He kept watching me, as if trying to consider whether it would be worth it to indulge me.My heart was still pounding wildly and I feared that he could hear it with the way he was giving me this amusing, knowing look. Finally he answered me. “Where would you like us to find out?”I shrugged. I didn’t think it would be nice to leave the club and go anywhere with a stranger, dressed like this. Dad might be on his usual nightly patrol with his men and
6Sophia’s POVThe groan that escaped his lips stirred something in me as I stared up at his face while he finished in my mouth. It was like all I wanted was to pleasure him. That and nothing else.He ran his hands through my hair and massaged my scalp gently as he shot streams of cum down my throat. I swallowed greedily and he slowly removed his cock out of my mouth.I bit my lips as I watched him with hungry eyes. I could feel wetness pooling in my thighs and all I wanted was more. All I could think of was more. I wasn’t sure I was in my right senses anymore.As I stared into his eyes, it was like I could see storms in them. His breathing was calm and steady while I breathing like I had just finished running a marathon.“Get up,” he said huskily, staring down at me with a kind of dominance and seriousness that made me shiver.I took in a shaky breath and then slowly rose up from the floor. He grabbed me by the waist and slammed his lips on mine, kissing me savagely. I moaned slightl
7Sophia’s POV. My eyes fluttered open slowly and a satisfied sigh left my lips. This bed was very soft, making the sleep enjoyable but it still didn’t feel like my bed. My eyes finally opened clearly and I looked around, taking in my surroundings.Yes. This wasn’t my bed. It wasn’t my room. And neither was it any of the guest rooms in Jenny’s house, or her room too. Panic slowly began to creep into me. I sat up hurriedly and the sharp pain that occurred between my thighs brought back my memories.I remembered. Each and every single thing.Heat spread over my body slowly, from my feet to my cheek as I recalled every single thing that happened in detail. I looked around the room, searching for the stranger that had given me the best fuck of my life.He wasn’t anywhere around. Frowning slightly, I pushed my lazy bones off the bed and walked to the bathroom to check but he wasn’t there either. I frowned.Where had he gone? And why did he run off early? When? Had I been so deep in sleep?
8Sophia’s POVA knock on the door had me jumping up from the bed and wrapping the blanket around my body and walking to the door.“Who’s there?” I asked cautiously.“Me, of course. Who else?” Jenny answered with the usual sass in her voice. I narrowed my eyes before unlocking the door and opening it. She stood outside, leaning on the wall with her arms crossed. A bag was slung over her shoulder and I suspected that was where she had kept my clothes.“Was the ‘d’ that good?” She asked as she pushed past me and walked into the room. I rolled my eyes again as I closed the door and locked it behind us.“Good morning to you to,” I answered with enough sass in my voice, just like hers.“You haven’t answered my question,” she murmured.“And you haven’t replied my greeting,” I answered her. “Why are you cranky this morning?”“Me? Cranky? Lol I’m not,” she said flatly as she took off the backpack and removed my clothes. She threw them to me and I caught them expertly. A shirt and a shirt.“Uh
9Sophia’s POVI got down from Jenny’s car and slammed the door shut before leaning down to the window level. “Thanks for the ride,” I told her with a grin.“Whatever,” she answered with an eye roll. “Walk straight and don’t let your mom suspect anything. I swear I will tell her you sneaked out while I was asleep.”I pouted. “So you’ll deny me?”“Yes,” she said without mincing words.“You still haven’t told me about what happened,” I reminded her.“What happened when?” She asked with a raised brow. She started the engine of the car and I could tell she was ready to speed off once the conversation doesn’t suit her anymore.“Yesterday night. With you and the guy you were dancing with,” I answered.“Nothing happened,” she replied flatly. “And I’ll talk to you later. And oh, please keep the pills well. I will not tell your mother that I was the one who took you there.”“And what will you tell her then?” I asked, raising a brow.“That you’ve been following bad friends of course,” she shrug
10Sophia’s POV*A week later*“Sophia!”I groaned, turning around on my bed and cuddling my teddy. I wasn’t ready to wake up. Not yet. And I didn’t understand why mother was waking me so early in the morning. I was done with school after all so I had enough time to sleep if I wanted. It was Sarah and Simon she had to be disturbing about school.“Sophie,” she called out again and the door to my room pushed open. “Why are you still sleeping?”“Why am I – mom, why not?” I mumbled sleepily.“Sophie, what’s the day today?” She asked.“Um…Monday?” I asked. “It’s Monday. You’re supposed to be with Sarah and Simon, not me,” I mumbled, snuggling mh teddy.“No, Sophie. Today is Sunday, you’re supposed to be backing,” she said with a sigh.“Packing?” I asked, opening an eye. “Packing for what? Ooh. Shit! I have completely forgotten about it!”I sat upright instantly and rubbed my face. “I’m sorry, I forgot.”“It’s fine,” she replied and smiled at me. “Good morning sweetie.”“Good morning mom,”
130Ian’s POVWe found her.The moment I caught her scent, faint but still there, it was as if the world narrowed down to that one thing—Sophia. Her pain, her suffering, all of it came crashing down on me, sharper and more real than anything I’d felt in my life. I didn’t say a word as I surged forward, faster than I ever thought possible, driven purely by the need to get to her. To save her.The place where they kept her was a decrepit warehouse, reeking of blood and decay. It didn’t matter. None of it mattered except her. I could hear the low voices of the men inside, smug and unbothered, unaware that death was coming for them. I could feel both Jacob and Jenny behind me along with some of my most trusted men. I closed my eyes tight, inhaling and trying to get my mind in the right place before I barged in and killed them all. I kicked the door in with a force that sent it flying off its hinges.The room was dimly lit, filthy, and reeking of pain. And there she was, chained in the cor
129Ian’s POV.I was losing my mind.Days had passed since Sophia had been taken, and every moment she was gone felt like a thousand knives twisting inside me. The search parties I had sent out were turning up with nothing. We had scoured every inch of the vampire realm and beyond, using every resource, every contact I had, but still, nothing.I couldn’t even focus. My thoughts were a constant barrage of worst-case scenarios. The thought of her being hurt, tortured, or worse—dead—was a poison spreading through my veins. I’d promised to protect her, and now she was out there, somewhere, suffering because of me. I was her king, her protector, and I’d failed her. It was a failure I couldn’t accept.“Anything new?” I asked Jacob, my voice tight with desperation as he walked into the room. I could tell from his face that the answer was no.Jacob shook his head, his expression grim. “We’re still searching, but—”“I don’t want to hear excuses,” I snapped, my voice louder than I intended. The
128Sophia’s POVMy head throbbed as I slowly came to consciousness, the world around me spinning in a haze of confusion. My body felt like it was on fire, every nerve screaming in pain. I tried to move, but my arms were bound tightly behind my back, my wrists raw from the rough rope. A sharp metallic taste lingered in my mouth—blood, my blood.Where am I?The room around me was dark, cold, and smelled of damp earth. I struggled to focus, but my mind was clouded, drifting in and out of consciousness like a bad dream. Every time I tried to concentrate, the fog pulled me back under. I didn’t know how long I’d been here or how many times they had moved me. I only knew one thing: I was in deep trouble.A sudden movement snapped me back to awareness. Footsteps. Heavy, deliberate. I tensed, my heartbeat quickening. I couldn’t see them, but I knew they were close. My captors. Whoever they were, they’d been keeping me in this state for what felt like days—dosing me with some kind of drug that
127Ian’s POVThe pain in my shoulder throbbed, a dull ache spreading through my entire body as I pushed myself upright. My vision blurred for a moment, the effects of the werewolf bite still lingering. Everything felt wrong. Sophia was gone, taken, and I had been left behind. The thought of her, out there with those monsters, twisted my insides with a mix of anger and fear. I could sense Jacob and Jenny here with me but I didn’t know when they had come in here.“Where is she?” I muttered, my voice hoarse as I tried to push away the haze of pain.Jacob appeared in front of me, his face tight with worry. “We don’t know. The werewolves retreated after they took her.”That statement alone ignited a burning rage within me. I staggered to my feet, gripping the edge of the table for support. My body screamed at me to stop, to rest, but I couldn’t afford to. Sophia was out there. Alone. In danger. And I had failed to protect her.I swore under my breath, the bitterness of it sitting heavy on
126Sophia’s POVThe darkness of the night surrounded us, thick and silent. Ian and I had fallen asleep in the vampire realm’s castle, wrapped in the warmth of each other’s arms. For once, everything seemed peaceful. The council’s constant pressures, the growing threat of rebellion—it all felt non-existent. In this room, it was just Ian and me.But peace, I was learning, never lasted.I stirred awake, not because of a sound, but because of a feeling. Something wasn’t right. My instincts had been sharpening ever since I became a vampire, and right now, they were screaming at me. I sat up slowly, blinking into the darkness, my heart pounding. I glanced over at Ian, still sleeping beside me, his face calm and unbothered.That’s when I heard it.A low, guttural growl echoed from just outside the window, followed by the sound of something—or someone—scraping against stone. My breath hitched, and I moved to shake Ian awake when the window shattered.Glass rained down on us as dark, hulking
125Ian’s POVI walked out of the chamber, going after Sophia, my chest rising and falling heavily while I made sure to keep my senses alert just in case Aldric wanted attack from behind. I wouldn’t put it past him. It was something he could do. In his moment of rage he could forget that Sophia was with me and she was not tm be harmed.I sucked in my lower teeth, my heart pounding hard and loud in my ear. Truth be told, Sophia had been very reckless. Very reckless with the stunt she just pulled. Didn’t she understand that I was doing my best to keep her safe and so that the council wouldn’t see her as a threat? Why did she have to go and destroy my efforts with that stunt? Why didn’t she realize that it was exactly what they wanted, and she fell for the trap.I ran my hands through my hair as I finally found her standing in the balcony of her room.I opened my mouth to speak but she beat me to it. “If you’re here to scold me, just do it and get on with it please,” she murmured icily.
124Sophia’s POVThings weren’t going the way I had expected them to go. I didn’t know if it was safe to say that things were going terribly wrong. I didn’t like all that was happening. First it was m with the whole new powers I didn’t know about, then Jenny getting kidnapped and turned against her will, now it was the council not accepting that she was one of them. They kept calling her ’human”. And it irritated the shit out o me.“Ian, I’m sorry but this girl has to go,” one of the ladies said through gritted teeth. I didn’t know her name. I hadn’t ever bothered. There was no reason for me to. However, I did recognize Viktor and Aldric. And I needed to have a word with them. Especially Aldric who seemed to have taken on Viktor’s talkative role.“She cannot,” Ian snapped.“Are you being for real right now?” The lady snapped, her eyes narrowed on Ian. “She is so fucking disrespectful. She doesn’t know her bounds. She will cause harm for us!”I studied the lady. She looked like she was
123Jenny’s POV I had always imagined the vampire realm as something grand, magical even. Maybe a mix between some ancient gothic castle and a supernatural paradise. But as I stepped through the portal with Jacob, Ian, Sophia, and Lyanna by my side, I couldn’t help but feel… underwhelmed.It wasn’t terrible, sure, but it wasn’t the breathtaking spectacle I had built up in my head. Dark, gloomy, and cold, the place looked like a knockoff medieval village with way too much stone and far too little color. If vampires were supposed to be these all-powerful, ageless beings, you’d think they’d have upgraded their décor a bit by now. I mean, come on, hadn’t they ever heard of modern architecture? Or at least a pop of color?“This is it?” I muttered under my breath, side-eyeing Jacob, who clearly heard me.His lips twitched, but he didn’t say anything. Just squeezed my hand a little tighter.“Welcome to the vampire realm,” Lyanna said, her tone flat as she gestured ahead. “It’s not about aes
122Jenny’s POV I paced back and forth in the living room, my nerves bouncing around as if they had a life of their own. My fingers kept twisting the hem of my shirt, and I couldn’t stop myself from glancing at the door every few seconds. Jacob and Ian were finally coming back from the vampire realm, and even though I knew Jacob would be fine—he was always fine—it didn’t stop the nagging feeling in my chest. Things had been tense lately, and I couldn’t help but wonder what they’d come back with.When the door finally opened, my heart skipped a beat. Ian walked in first, his usual calm aura in place, followed by Jacob, who looked a little more stressed than usual. I could tell by the tightness around his eyes and the way his jaw was clenched. My heart leapt when I saw him, though, and a huge part of me just wanted to run into his arms, to wrap myself in him and forget about everything else. But the air between us had been different since I… changed. Since the kidnapping.Ian caught my