Chapter 4: I Am a Vampire

Candy wrappers littered the floor; I had finished an entire jar of White Rabbit cream candies on my desk. I sat amidst the sea of wrappers, lost and utterly bewildered. The food I cooked yesterday remained untouched, and the candles on the chocolate cake had long since burned out, leaving only a layer of clear wax melted over the surface.

The light in the room was dim, yet I could see everything with unsettling clarity. Realizing I should probably ask for a leave of absence from the shop, I picked up the phone to call Solano Thorne.

"We're sorry, the number you have dialed is not in service..."

A professional, icy female voice repeated the same phrase over and over. How could the candy shop’s number be disconnected? Had Solano forgotten to pay the bill again?

I forced myself to stay calm and looked down at the ring on my right forefinger, which was shining with a piercing brightness. I had to find the man who bit me to understand what was happening.

As I turned the silver band slowly, I noticed a tiny letter 'W' engraved upon it.

'W'?

What did it mean?

By evening, it began to snow again. I rushed out the door and found that, as long as there was no sunlight, everything felt normal.

The sky was overcast. Standing on the street and watching the crowds pass by, I was suddenly hit by an overwhelming hunger. A sharp screech of brakes rang out; before I could react, a blue sports car surged out of nowhere and sent me flying.

"Miss! Are you alright? Are you hurt?" The driver rushed out of the car, sprinting to my side and kneeling down in a panic.

A sharp sting shot through my left arm. I glanced down; my sleeve was soaked in blood, and the gash on my hand was deep enough to show bone.

The driver was frantic, fumbling for his phone to call an ambulance.

I, however, found myself staring blankly at his neck. Because of his agitation, the veins in his throat were bulging and prominent. Watching those pulsing vessels made me feel even hungrier.

"Miss?" Seeing me stare at him like that, the driver likely thought I’d been dazed by the impact. He supported me, asking with deep concern.

"I'm fine." I swallowed hard and glanced back at the wound. Sure enough, it was knitting itself back together at an incredible speed.

"But your injury..." He froze, rubbing his eyes. "Your injury?"

"Just a scratch." I stood up and walked away quickly, ignoring his calls from behind. Just then, I had felt an uncontrollable urge... I wanted to bite him!

Standing at a street corner, I reached out a trembling hand and slowly touched the two small indentations on my neck.

I was beginning to understand what I had become. I tried to recall the face of the silver-haired man who bit me, only to realize I could no longer remember what he looked like. He must have done something—was I under some kind of hypnotic spell?

Enduring the intense hunger, I jogged all the way back to my loft, locked the door, and collapsed onto the floor against it.

I stayed inside for three full days until the hunger became unbearable. I finally ran out.

It was dark now, but the crowds on the streets had not thinned. The neon lights of Evermore flashed, making the night as bright as day. I stood alone on the corner; though the wind was bitter, I couldn't feel the cold at all.

"Miss, do you need some company?" Suddenly, a flirtatious, magnetic voice came from behind me, dripping with charm.

Someone took my hand.

I opened my mouth slowly, then bit my lip hard before turning around.

Standing behind me was an exceptionally handsome man. He looked mixed-race, with mid-length black hair tied simply at the nape of his neck with a ribbon. He had beautiful, alluring eyes—the color of a clear afternoon sky.

I hesitated, wondering if I should make him my first meal.

Clearly, he mistook my calculating gaze for infatuation.

"Don't be afraid. I'll make sure you pass away in total bliss..." His perfectly shaped lips uttered a deadly invitation. He narrowed his stunning eyes as a long, cold hand gently stroked my neck. He opened his mouth, and his fangs glinted coldly...

He was a vampire!

I stood there, stuck between laughter and tears.

Watching this man in his long black trench coat smile like a high-end club host, I paused for a moment before bursting into laughter. Then, I slowly tilted my head back, took a breath, and bared my own sharp fangs at him.

It was just teeth; everyone had them. I wondered how he would feel if he knew I was comparing him to a midnight gigolo.

The man, who had been smiling with such seductive grace a moment ago, froze instantly. Such a dazed, stupid expression on such a flawlessly handsome face was truly a sight to behold. After a long silence, he finally snapped out of it, retracted his fangs with a look of defeat, and sighed dejectedly. "Oh... you're one too..."

I laughed until I shook. Aside from the man who bit me, this man in the black coat was the first vampire I had ever met. I hadn't expected... that he would be just as clueless as me.

He couldn't even recognize his own kind.

"Don't laugh. I just arrived from the Demon Realm; I had no idea there were so many of the Blood Kind in the Human Realm..." The man was annoyed. "Albie told me the Human Realm was full of delicacies..."

Delicacies? My brow twitched, but I remained silent. Right, that was it—if he weren't a vampire, he would have been the one bitten just now. Former kin could now become food at any moment... To be a monster, yet desperately trying to stop oneself from acting like one.

"Albie?" A dog? Or... a cat? It sounded like a dog's name.

"Ah, he's my best friend," the man laughed, then looked at me with some hesitation. "That's how they say it in the Human Realm, right?"

Seeing him like this made me laugh again.

"Hello, I'm Alastor," he smiled, bowing like a gentleman and lightly kissing my cheek.

"Aurora Vance." I watched him for a while before I couldn't help but say, "Your eyes are very beautiful."

"Right? Albie says these eyes are made for attracting trouble." Alastor looked incredibly proud of himself.

"They look like the afternoon sky—a heavenly blue," I said softly, my voice drifting into the wind.

The afternoon sky. A heavenly azure.

That was a sight I might never see again.

"If you like them, Rory, I’m willing to look into your eyes and stay by your side forever." Leaning his tall frame forward, Alastor gazed at me, his blue eyes filled with an intense, lingering affection.

I shivered, goosebumps breaking out all over.

Alastor laughed and hooked an arm around me, pulling me into his side.

I swayed and tumbled into his arms, lacking even the slightest strength to resist. Alastor finally noticed something was wrong. "How many days has it been since you ate?"

"Three." I answered honestly.

"How old are you?" After staring at me with a strange expression for a while, Alastor suddenly spoke.

"Twenty."

"I mean since your First Embrace... after you turned into the Blood Kind."

"Three days."

Alastor looked at me, and suddenly, his expression turned tender as he stroked my cheek. "My poor child, were you abandoned by your Sire?"

I began to grind my teeth.

"Has no one told you how to be a vampire?" Alastor's handsome face was written with pity for a beautiful girl in distress.

"The Blood Kind?"

"Yes," Alastor nodded, his face turning serious. "You still belong to the Childe rank. You are at the lowest level and must be personally taught by your creator, never leaving their side until you are released."

"And what rank are you?" I asked, looking at this blue-eyed vampire.

"Me? Oh, I'm quite impressive," Alastor beamed immediately. "I am an Elder. I've lived for over six hundred years; I'm practically an ancestral figure."

"Really?" I arched an eyebrow, feeling skeptical. Could this smiling guy really be that powerful?

In the old legends, the Blood Kind were always elegant and melancholic. How could a vampire smile with such radiant sunshine? And... he couldn't even recognize one of his own.

"Without the protection of a Sire, you'll be mocked by other vampires... or even..." Suddenly leaning in close, Alastor narrowed his beautiful eyes dangerously. "Hunted."

"Oh," I replied.

"Wait? Shouldn't you be scared and beg for my protection? I could pretend to be your Sire, you know!" Alastor said mysteriously.

"I'm already dead. What is there left to fear?"

"You can't think like that. Being a vampire is actually quite fun. You can scare children, find a whole bunch of women... ahem... I mean, the Blood Kind is a noble race, standing above humanity. You must never let yourself be held back by weak human thoughts..."

Alastor spoke with great solemnity, but I felt the earlier part of his speech was more reliable, while the latter half was mostly fluff.

"Being personally taught by me makes you the very first, you know." Alastor looked like he was granting a great favor, then completely ignored my reaction. "Alright, let's find you something to eat first."

Perhaps because I was starving, I didn't object. I let him take my hand and followed him obediently.