Eleven Years Earlier..."Carter, wait up!" I called, running as fast as my short legs could carry me. But he didn’t stop. If anything, he walked even faster. My chest heaved with exhaustion, but I pressed on. “Carter!”“Stop following me.” His voice was cold, so unlike the boy I thought was my best friend.“But you didn’t tell me what’s wrong. Did something happen?”“It’s none of your business. Go back home, Kerry.” He didn’t even look at me.“Carter, please! Stop being so mean!” My voice broke into a sob, tears already pooling in my eyes. At this time of day, we would usually be at my house, watching cartoons or playing video games. But for the past two days, he’d been avoiding me, and I didn’t know why.Hearing my sobs, Carter finally stopped. He turned around, his face softened with a flicker of guilt. “Alright, stop crying. You’ll make your eyes all red.”“Did I do something wrong? Why don’t you want to play with me anymore?”He hesitated. “I have... more important things to deal
I still couldn’t believe it—Carter had been in love with me all along. It felt like a dream, or maybe a cruel joke. How could I trust his words? The boy who had once been my best friend had ignored me for years, treating me as if I didn’t exist the moment he got together with Emily. And now he expected me to believe he had done all that out of fear of losing me? It didn’t make sense.At lunch, I sat with Emily for the first time in weeks. To my surprise, she didn’t rush off to be with David. I thought she’d be thrilled that Carter wasn’t bothering her anymore, but instead, she seemed unusually subdued.“Why are you worrying about this?” I asked, puzzled. “I thought you wanted him to leave you alone.”“Of course I do,” she said, stirring her drink absentmindedly. “But it’s… sad, you know? We used to be best friends. It’s hard to feel like I don’t matter to him anymore. You understand, don’t you?”I didn’t. Or maybe I didn’t want to. Her emotions were hers to process, and I wasn’t about
School flew by that day. Carter’s presence loomed over me, impossible to ignore. His gaze felt like a physical touch, always lingering. Emily must have noticed it too, though she chose not to say anything. Strangely, she didn’t seem thrilled about Carter’s attention—odd, considering how eager she’d been to push him away just a week ago.“Do you want to sleep over at my house tonight?” Emily asked as we walked out of the school gates.“No. I’ve got studying to catch up on,” I replied with a shrug. “Besides, Silas is too busy with Tammy these days to notice me. I’ll be fine.”Emily nodded, her expression unreadable. We said our goodbyes, and I watched her climb into David’s car without a second glance at me. A flicker of irritation flared—she didn’t even offer me a ride, knowing Silas wasn’t here yet. I dismissed the thought. She probably wanted alone time with David.Standing alone on the curb, I scanned the street, hoping to see Silas’s car. This was the second time this week he’d bee
The Night Dweller was a place of nightmares. A bar where vampires mingled among themselves, feeling free to behave as wildly as they chose. The only humans who came here were those who had close relationships with vampires. I always knew that some humans were obsessed with vampires, some even hoping to become one themselves. There had been cases of humans in the past who willingly volunteered to be fed on by vampires, hoping they might also turn. This had been labeled as illegal by the government, and anyone caught—whether human or vampire—was taken into custody. But I knew personally that, despite the risks, some people still went the extra mile to achieve this.Places like The Night Dweller defied such laws. Humans could get fed on by vampires for satisfaction—it was some kind of weird fetish. The only reason I knew about this was because I had once heard Emily talking about it; her stepbrother used to go there. As someone who was terrified of vampires and blood, I had never though
"What the fuck?" My eyes locked with Silas. He quickly shoved the girl sitting on his lap away, causing her to fall flat on the ground. I watched as his eyes turned crimson red, matching the blood stains on his lips. "Get your fucking hands off her!"Deric smirked, amused by Silas’ outburst. Before I could react, he shoved me forward roughly, making me stumble. I nearly fell on my face, but Silas caught me, his arm wrapping protectively around me. His crimson eyes scanned my body, checking for injuries. Despite the nausea twisting my stomach at the sight of him, the memory of him feeding on that girl still fresh, I couldn’t bring myself to push him away."Wow, you didn’t tell us you had such a beautiful pet, Silas. I thought you were the sharing type," Deric said. I didn’t know who he was or why he suddenly cared about me, but his presence screamed danger. One look at him, and I knew I needed to stay far away."Don’t even think about it. We’re leaving," Silas growled, his voice low."
"Are you dating Carter? And don’t bother lying—I’ll find out myself if you are."Emily didn’t look happy. For the first time, I saw my best friend staring at me with anger and distaste. I couldn’t believe the first thing she said to me that morning was about Carter. What was her deal? For some reason, Emily had become obsessed with Carter ever since he stopped paying attention to her."What brought this on?""Just answer the question. Everyone’s talking about it. There’s even a picture of you leaving school in his car, Kerry. Why didn’t you tell me you were dating my ex?""Because I’m not dating him," I said firmly. "Silas was supposed to pick me up yesterday, but Carter offered me a ride instead. And yes, he did ask me out, but I was going to tell you as soon as I got to school. There’s no point in hiding it from you, Emily, so I don’t understand why you’re so mad.""I’m mad because I never thought you’d agree to date him, knowing we used to date. Do you know how selfish you’re being
I stood in front of the mirror, admiring myself with a big smile. My hair was styled in a high ponytail, giving me a playful and energetic look. The vibrant yellow top I had chosen perfectly complemented my sun-kissed complexion, while the shorts showcased my toned legs. My favorite sneakers added a touch of sporty chic to the outfit.As I took in my reflection, I felt a surge of confidence. The combination of the ponytail, the bright colors, and the comfortable yet stylish attire made me feel ready to take on the world. I twirled around, the fabric of my shorts swishing gracefully with each spin.Feeling fabulous, I grabbed my phone and snapped a quick selfie to capture the moment. It had been so long since I felt this good. Despite trying to deny it, I’d been looking forward to this day for a while now. The thought of going on a date with Carter filled me with excitement, even though I still worried about Emily not responding to my texts. But I convinced myself not to stress. Emily
The Elthon hillside was a popular tourist spot in our town. It was essentially a large rock encircled by a small valley. Lilies and lavenders grew abundantly, and in summer, the entire area bloomed with color while the sweet scent of flowers filled the air. I'd been here only a handful of times, mostly during my parents' happier days. I also remembered coming here once with Carter—back when things were simpler. At fifteen, I could never have imagined my dad would vanish from my life, or that Carter and I would grow apart. Yet here we were."You remember this place, right?" Carter asked, his gaze fixed on the horizon. His expression was calm, but something about his tone unsettled me."Of course. Everyone in town knows this place," I replied. "We came here together once, too.""Yeah," he said softly. "This was actually where I fell in love with you.""Really?" I chuckled. "That’s hard to believe.""I’m serious, Kerry. We were eight. You were standing over there, admiring the lilies. Th
I hadn't been in school for a total of three weeks, and honestly, it was the last thing on my mind. Silas had a job now; he was planning to build a real estate firm from scratch without his father's support. It would take a while before he saw his dream through, which meant Octavia was mostly my responsibility during the day.When I got the call from my father, I didn’t think it would be about me missing classes. I couldn’t help but think, after all that has happened, is that all my dad cares about? He hadn’t come to see me even once since I was brought home. I had a feeling he was avoiding me, and when he finally called me, it was to scold me about missing classes."Are you kidding me?" I asked, anger and genuine shock evident in my voice."I'm serious, Kerina. I know you're dealing with a lot, but school is important. If you want to study something else, we can figure it out.""Dad, school is the last thing on my mind right now.""I'm sorry, sweetheart, but you need to put your life
Kerry's POVIt’s odd. Being a mother was odd—not in a bad way, though. I suppose I just wish I’d had enough time to prepare myself for it, and I wish there wasn’t always a threat looming over my daughter’s head, one I couldn’t do anything about. I could tell Silas, of course, but I had a feeling Asher wouldn’t like that. The last thing I needed was to anger him; he might actually take Via away from me this time.Anyway, aside from the negatives, it was refreshing to look at the world from a different angle. I’d always thought of myself as just human—nothing special. But now I was learning that my lifespan far surpassed that of a human. I had enhanced strength, better vision, and, with enough training, I could grow a killer pair of wings like my dad. It was strange at first, but once the idea stuck, I found that being supernatural wasn’t as bad as I’d thought. Still, I was thankful I didn’t have to stick to just one diet like Silas.“Trust me, it’s not as bad as you think,” Silas had s
Kerry's POVAsher doesn't return, and I doubt he will anytime soon. But his words keep echoing in my head. Something still doesn't make sense. It's hard to believe he would do all this just to get to my daughter."At the end, it's all about you," I say to my daughter with a sad smile on my face. The baby doesn't cry, not since Asher handed her back to me. I would have been worried about this abnormal behavior if she were... well, normal. I worry that she will get hungry very soon, and I have no idea what I’m going to do then. I don't think I can stand feeding her blood; it would freak me the hell out. It was one thing having to drink blood while pregnant, but a completely different case entirely to feed it to my infant child.She looked so human too, except for the unusual crimson eyes. She was a beautiful baby, and there was no doubt she would grow up looking like her father. There would be so many expectations. Asher would come back, no doubt, and he would create more problems for m
Sera stares at her ex-husband, the man whom she had given her heart to at one point. There were all sorts of emotions going through her, but the one that simmered under her skin and had her storming forward was rage. Pure rage! She felt like killing the bastard man with her own hands!Silas was quick to put some distance between him and Kerry's father before Sera flung a vase at him. The angel evaded the attack, his eyes wide with disbelief as he watched Sera reach out for something else to throw at him."Sera, please, we don't have time for this.""How dare you! How dare you show up here after all those years!""Sweetheart, please calm down," Bill, who had been stunned, finally reacted. He moved forward to stand by his wife. He looked at Seth with confusion—Bill didn't know what relationship the two of them had, but he'd never seen Sera this angry before. "Let him talk first.""Do you even know who he is?" Sera glared at her husband. Her vision was going blurry as she teared up. Her
"What the fuck!?" Silas is pissed—scratch that, he feels like fucking murdering someone right now. The only thing that feels worse than his anger is the fear that makes his skin crawl. "I've only been gone for a few hours!!"Bill doesn't say anything. The man hasn't even looked at him throughout the argument, and this only makes Silas more pissed. "I begged you not to do this! I was against this fucking abortion, and yet you went behind my back to do it! Now you have no fucking idea where she is?!""I am sorry, I should have protected her better," Bill says. The regret and shame are evident in his voice. He hadn't meant to let his guard down. One moment, he was by Kerry's side, and they were about to begin the procedure. The next moment, his vision went blurry, and he had no idea what the fuck happened. When everything cleared up, Kerry was gone. It happened so fast that Bill found it hard to believe.He had searched for her, of course. He had hoped that perhaps she had left on her ow
" Lay here, please.""This won't take long, will it?""It depends, sweetheart, but I assure you, you will be fine once this is over," the man says. I look over at Bill, who is standing in the corner of the room."He's an old friend of mine. Nothing will go wrong."I nod my head and push down my anxiety. I get on the hospital bed, the sickly smell of drugs and chemicals making me slightly nauseous. However, I tell myself that this is a one-time thing. Once this is over, I will never have to go through it again.I relax against the bed as the sedatives I had been given earlier take over. Soon, the room starts spinning, but I could swear I see a figure appear in the corner of the room before everything goes dark.When I wake up, I find that I am in an entirely different room than the one Bill had brought me to. I push down my panic, not wanting to overreact over nothing. Perhaps I had been taken to a different room after my... abortion. It’s strange, though... I don’t feel any different
I could hardly sleep that night. It didn't help one bit that Silas had insisted on us spending the night together. I was afraid that my wild thoughts would somehow reach him. Even though he had promised me never to read my mind, I was afraid he might go back on his word, especially in a situation like this. The weight of my decision kept me awake and tense. On more than one occasion, my hand had curled around my stomach. I had imagined how my baby would look, but now I was never going to get the chance to hold him or her in my hands. I had selfishly chosen myself over the innocent child."Kerry?""Hm?" My eyes pried open. I had given up on pretending to be asleep after the first two hours. Silas had simply stated, in an unimpressed voice, how he could hear my heart beating faster; he knew when I was awake or not. Even if he didn't have his enhanced hearing, I'm sure he would be able to tell I wasn't asleep by how tense I was. The room was dark enough that I couldn't make out anything.
Bill and my mom arrived later that evening. The moment I opened the door, Mom rushed in and wrapped her arm around me tightly. "Oh, sweetheart, thank God you are alright." She must have assumed the very worst when I called her on the phone. I kind of felt bad for making her worry so much."I'm alright, Mom," I told her. I helped her with her things. Bill didn't say anything to me; he was saving the conversation for when we were all comfortable. Silas came to greet his dad and stepmom, and he and Bill seemed to be very tense around each other. Silas avoided eye contact with his dad even as he showed him around the house. I was worried that what I had said might have somehow messed up the relationship between those two. The last thing I wanted was to make things complicated. Being pregnant was a hard pill to swallow; being pregnant with a hybrid baby that might possibly kill me was even worse. But once I got over the fear of the danger my pregnancy would bring, I found myself excited at
I felt like crying, but I think I had already shed all my tears earlier that day. I lay curled up on the bed, feeling worse than I ever had in my entire life. To me, no situation could ever be worse than the one I found myself in. I had been hurting so badly for the past week, and to think Silas knew about my pain and chose to keep the reason behind it to himself. Did he hope I would never find out I was pregnant until I was pushing a baby out of me? I thought he loved me and had promised to always protect me no matter what, but now he had decided that he would rather protect his unborn child than me. That was a betrayal on a whole different level.I was mad at him, and honestly, I wish I could hate him enough to just fuck off entirely, maybe move away somewhere I could get my thoughts together. But the thought of how hurt Silas would be at my actions made me discard the idea immediately. I'm such an idiot; I always thought of him first despite everything that had happened. Despite ev