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     Silence.

     Silence surrounds me like a thick blanket, blocking me from the outside world as I lay back on the couch, my head resting comfortably on the armrest, my legs draped over the other one. My eyes scan the book I'm reading with fascination and excitement. I rush through the flurry of words as I turn to the next page, eager to know what happens next. 

     The library is the only place I can find quiet freedom away from my hectic home life. In other words, it gave me a break from my brothers. This place is like an escape from the constant worry and protectiveness my three brothers possess.

     I feel like I've been reading for an hour when in reality, it's been a lot longer. I finally lift my head from the book to notice it is dark out and it's raining. Rain taps the glass as it falls from the night sky.

     "Excuse me, miss." My eyes focus on the old librarian. Her grey hair is over one shoulder, her brown eyes warm as she says, "I'm sorry, but we're closing now."

     I sit up, bringing my legs to the floor and stretch, raising the book in the air as my arms lift over my head. A yawn escapes my lips whilst answering, "Sorry, I didn't realise how late it was." She smiles because I come here often enough for her to realise how easily I get lost in a book. 

     I stand to my feet, walk to the bookshelf and place my book in the small gap I had made when I pulled it out.

     I guess I'll have to find out what happens tomorrow.

     I grab my bag from the floor and reach in to grab my phone. When I finally manage to find it, the signal shows no bars. It's most likely a consequence of the rain, which seems to be coming down much heavier than a second ago. 

     Shit. I wouldn't be able to call my brothers for a ride.

     That was always a rule with them. Whenever I went anywhere, I always had to have a lift from one of them...

     ...But not tonight.

     A sigh escapes my lips as dread washes over me, realising I didn't have a coat or an umbrella.

     Absolutely brilliant. Way to go, Rose.

     I place my hand on the glass door, knowing that soon I will be drenched. I turn to face the old librarian as she approaches the door, "Goodbye." I say softly, then walk out into the freezing cold rain, the wind whipping at my skin and causing my ebony hair to stick to my face.

     The cold rushes in, meeting the warmth of my blood, my only defence against the chill. Goosebumps erupt all over my body to protect me from the cold. It's all no good, my teeth constantly chattering as I cross my arms over my chest, a desperate attempt to keep warm as I run my hands up and down my arms.

     I pace along the pavement, my long sleeve t-shirt sticking to my body like a second skin. It was pitch black out tonight, only a spot of light shining down every few yards by the few street lamps that had been placed.

     As I continue to pace, the rain manages to soak my clothes quicker than if I was to walk slower, but all I cared about was getting home before I got into shit with my brothers.

     And trust me, that would not be a good thing at all.

     Paul was the most strict.

     He was always so overprotective, and he had been like it since our parents died in a car crash when I was five years old.

     I don't remember being in the car with them when it happened, but I was and somehow, I had miraculously survived without a scratch. Since Paul was eighteen at the time and our parents left us a ton of inheritance money, he was able to take full custody of us and take care of us.

     Paul was now thirty-three. My other brother Felix was twenty-eight, and Ivan was twenty-five. I was the youngest, only just having turned twenty.

     If you saw the four of us together, you wouldn't think I was related to them. I had black hair and bright blue eyes, which I didn't share with any of my brothers. Felix and Ivan had golden brown hair, whilst Paul had dirty blonde hair. They all shared chocolate brown eyes and a muscled physique, making all the girls they passed stare at them.

     It was hard for me to walk through college without having girls approach me to gush about my brothers. It was one of the reasons I found myself alone quite often, preferring the comfort of the library.

     Obviously, when I wasn't forced to walk in the rain afterwards.

     Fuck this.

     I stare down the street as I come across an alley, my eyes switching between the two options. If I continue on down the street, it will take me roughly half an hour to get home, but If I short cut through the alley, I'll be home in at least half that time.

     Come on, Rose, It's only an alley. What's the worst that could happen?

     The bitter chill bites at my skin, my fingers becoming raw red as the rain continues to pile onto my already-soaked clothes. I make my decision and rush through the alley. It's completely dark except for a motion sensor light which comes on as I walk past, and that's when I halt in my tracks.

     My eyes squint as I try to make out the two figures moving at a safe distance from where I'm standing. Their heads seem to snap in my direction, the motion sensor alerting them to my presence.

     What on earth were they doing?

     A chill races up and down my back, not from the cold but from the unease that creeps in.

     My eyes grow wide as I make out the two figures properly. One of them has the other held against the wall, his hand around their throat in a tight grip. The one against the wall stares at me, pleading with their eyes as they seem unable to speak or move, for that matter.

     What the fuck was happening? I needed to call the police!

     I mentally face-palm myself. That's right. My phone is dead, for fuck sake.

    A scream tears from my throat as I witness the one holding the other's throat, bring his face to their neck. When he pulls back, pieces of torn flesh are spat from his mouth onto the ground as blood pools from the open wound. Within seconds he lets go of the now-dead man, his body falling to the ground as he steps away from the body, his focus now on me.

     Not good!

     I turn to run but feel strong arms snake around my waist, propelling me from the ground, and allowing my feet to dangle in the air.

     How the fuck did he get behind me so fast?

     "Please don't hurt me." I tremble, the cold night air long forgotten as adrenaline pumps through my veins and my heart-rate spikes. When he doesn't respond to my plea, I try another tactic even though I'm scared shitless. I swiftly and forcefully kick out, trying to make contact with his groin or any other sensitive area.

     When he groans in pain, his grip around me slackens, and I use the opportunity to break from his hold, running through the alley. The motion sensor turns on once again and distracts me long enough for my steps to falter. It was a distraction that was going to cost me my life as I stumbled to the floor, the man's chest pressing into my back.

     Terror washes over me. I can feel his arousal pressing into my lower back as he crawls over me.

     The determination to not be raped pushes me to flip my body around, kicking my legs out and catching him in the jaw. I crawl backwards, turning in the process as I rush to my legs and run once again, adrenaline aiding my distressed state.

     I feel something collide with my side, my body hitting the hard brick wall. The impact causes me to groan in pain as I cradle my shoulder, which had taken most of the impact. Tears are streaming down my face now, mixing with the rain as they slide down my cheeks and onto my lip. My tongue reaches out, licking them from my lips as I taste the saltiness of my tears.

     He stands roughly a few feet away from me, his body towering over my crouched one. I bring my legs up to my chest, pushing myself further into the wall as he kneels down towards me. He brings his nose to the crook of my neck, my face grimacing as I await for the pain. He breathes in, "hmmm, you smell so delicious." He coos, his breath fanning my neck, causing me to shiver In disgust.

     If only my brothers were here...

     "Where's a delicacy like you been hiding this whole time?" His use of words has me on edge. They imply that he's some cannibal, and judging from what he did to that other man, I fear I may be right.

     I refuse to answer him, spitting in his face. My face bounces off the wall, the sting of his slap left behind on my cheek. I shake the pain away, placing a facade up to hide the fear within.

     You fucking bastard!

     I narrow my eyes at him, taking note of his features in case I miraculously survive this encounter. His hair is a dark auburn, and his eyes that watch me with amusement, are a dark blue. His attire was a black suit which seemed out of place considering he was standing in an alleyway. A mustard tie broke up the blackness of the suite, a badge with the initials 'R.T' easily visible as the light reflected off of it.

     If I manage to escape, I want to be confident that'd I'd be able to have this bastard put behind bars.

     Again if...

     His eyes shift, my eyes widening as his eyes turn from a dark blue to a pool of black, red veins trailing along from his pupil to the edge of his eyes. His voice is dark as he commands, "Show me that pretty little neck of yours."

     My mind is muddled by his words, wanting to protest to his command, but my body betrays me as I incline my head to the side, pulling my dark hair out of the way and giving him a perfect view of my neck.

     I watch as he licks his lips, two sharp points growing out of his top lip. I squint my eyes, realising they're incredibly sharp fangs. I struggle with my body wanting to run as he brings his teeth to the soft flesh of my neck. I shiver, feeling his fangs trace along the edge and then, without warning, he bites down hard, drawing my blood into his mouth.

     I scream, but he muffles it with his giant hand. I scream for what feels like forever. Finally, I need to stop and gasp for air, tears pooling from my eyes at the excruciating pain.

     I fight with my body once again, and this time I succeed, bringing my arms up and pushing at his chest, forcing him to retract his fangs from my neck. "Shut up!" He tries to command me again, but this time I have complete control of my body.

     "No," I retort. His eyebrows furrow, his eyes narrowing in... I can't tell whether it's from fear or shock as I place my hand over the wound on my neck. I feel a strong sense of authority pulse through my being as I command, "Get away from me."

     I'm surprised when he stands to his feet, his expression showing reluctance. He examines me for a second, and then just like that, he's gone. As if by some inhuman speed, he was able to escape my view quicker than I could blink.

     It must have been the blood loss delaying my senses.

     I press my hand against the wall as I stand on shaky legs, blinking back the tears which are still sliding down my cheeks. I use the wall for support as I navigate my way through the alley, finally managing to make it out to the other end.

     I turn the corner of our street as I make my way back home, the front door now in view.

     We lived in the much wealthier part of London. Our house, like all the others here, was massive, being at least two times bigger than the average house. We had four bedrooms with their own bathrooms and another bathroom downstairs, two studies which only my brothers used and everything else a typical house was expected to have.

     I reach into my bag before I scramble with my keys to unlock the door. Just as soon as I'm about to place my key in the lock, the door opens aggressively, almost flying off its hinges as I come face to face with Paul.

     I gasp as I'm pulled into his chest, as he engulfs me In a tight hug. "We were so fucking worried," he says. I can't help the tears that fall and the overwhelming relief that I had survived crashing through me. "Hey, what's..." his words trail off as I pull away from him.

     His brown eyes zero in on my neck, the wound being masked by my dark hair, so he couldn't possibly have noticed it. His shoulders tense, his nostrils flaring as his arms turn to fists at his side, his knuckles turning white. "Who hurt you?"

     My eyebrows turn up in disbelief, "How did-"

     He cut me off, "Who the fuck hurt you?"

     Before I can answer, Felix is at the door, relieved to see me as well, but when he notices Paul's enraged disposition, he frowns. "What's wrong?" He asks, his eyes flickering between us, looking for an answer.

     Paul is dangerously silent for a moment, and I have no time to respond before Paul grips my arm, pulling me towards him and removing my hair from my neck. "That's what's fucking wrong." Felix's features compress as his nostrils flare in anger. He doesn't say anything as he already knows Paul will do the talking for him, "What fucker did this to you?"

     "I don't know." I answer honestly, "he was dressed in an expensive suit and had red hair and blue eyes."

     Paul doesn't wait a moment longer, grabbing his keys from the kitchen side and heading towards his black Mercedes, parked on our drive.

     I step between him and the driver's side of his car, "Where are you going? We need to call the police." I instruct, but he doesn't listen, pushing me to the side as he unlocks the car and jumps in, the engine humming to life. "Felix, please," Felix averts his eyes from me as he watches our brother put the car in reverse, "can't you talk some sense into him?"

     He shakes his head, "I agree with him." I stare at him in utter disbelief, feeling helpless as I watch Paul reverse off the drive and go speeding off down the road and out of sight, the noise of his car staying with us a while longer before that too faded.

     What did he think he was going to do?

     "Come on, let's get you cleaned up," Felix says as I stare at the end of the road where Paul had disappeared. I earnestly hoped he wouldn't get himself hurt or do anything he couldn't come back from.

     I reluctantly pull my eyes away, turning to walk inside the house. I step into the downstairs bathroom, discarding my drenched clothes as I turn on the shower, steam filling the room as I step in.

     I let out a deep breath as the water gently cascades down my body, helping to loosen my tightened muscles, the stress leaving me too. I allow my mind to become dull, everything that surrounds me becoming a foggy illusion, my mind reeling over his features again and again. I place my hands against the white tiles, my legs threatening to buckle as I remember how he made me feel so vulnerable...

     ...so weak.

     I shut the water off, sick of my own thoughts. My skin is now red raw and shrivelled as I step out and onto the tiled floor. Opening up the cupboard on the wall, I reach in and grab a white towel, wrapping it around my body.

     I lean against the sink, my eyes trailing up to the mirror. My eyes zero In on the now red raw mark left behind by my attacker. Two identical teeth marks, which have now scabbed slightly to stop the bleeding.

     Hopefully, they should disappear within the week, but in the meantime, I would have to cover them up with makeup. I reach up to touch the marks, a hiss escaping my lips at how sensitive it feels.

     My eyes flash back to the memory of his eyes changing colour before he bit me. I had never seen such a thing happen to anyone. I figured it was just a hallucination from my wretched state, but something deep within me knew that wasn't the case.

     I was going insane.

     I gripped the sink tightly, grounding my teeth together before I left the bathroom to go change. I pause just as I'm about to ascend the stair, hearing Paul, Felix and Ivan having a heated conversation In the living room.

     He was back! Thank god!

     "We need to put an end to..." Ivan trails off as I lean against the door frame. All chocolate brown eyes now looking towards me. "How are you doing?" Ivan asks, his eyes examining the bite mark on my neck.

     "I've been better," I say, downplaying how truly mortified I feel. A calm facade that I've put up seems to have them fooled as I sit down on the grey sofa, my bare feet sinking into the soft grey fur of the rug. I breathe in, my words becoming lodged in my throat as I try to steady my pounding heart.

     "Rosalyn, what's wrong?" Felix scoots over to me, placing his arm around the middle part of my back, rubbing his hand up and down gently to soothe me.

     "Wh-what did you do?" My question was aimed at Paul, his eyes flashing before his features became tight with anger.

     Felix and Ivan both turn their attention to Paul as well, a look of understanding between the three of them, leaving me in the dark for the moment.

     "Nothing." He shrugged, but I could tell he was angry that he had been unable to do anything. "I couldn't find anything on him," his eyes trail carefully from Felix to Ivan and then to me ", so we've come up with a few rules to help keep you safe."

     Oh...?