The Vampire & the Rebel (Completed)

Part 2: Chapter 25

There was a deep underlying satisfaction I found in my routine tasks, since my days had fallen into a pattern at New Haven.

Every morning I worked on training and maintaining my fighting skills, every afternoon I practiced in the shooting range, and every evening I put a group of youth through their paces. There was a nostalgia in teaching because it reminded me strongly of my time with Hadron when he had first taught me.

The group was composed mainly of boys, but there were a couple of girls as well, and all of them seemed to hang on my every word in a way that made me feel uncomfortable with the pressure to live up to their imaginings. While many of the other adults still clearly held reservations about my actions, the youth seemed perfectly happy to apply an unrealistic level of hero worship on what I had done mostly to survive while hunting my quarry.

I tried to reinforce that my vamp count was the last thing they should emulate, because I didn't want them recklessly throwing themselves into the fight with dreams of empty glory, but it didn't seem like they were interested in listening to that. I repeated the importance of caution and preparation while I tried to drill as many survival skills into them as possible.

For the first time, I understood Hadron's reluctance to let me start on my journey. It seemed justice of the highest order that I would have to watch these reckless children—for they were little more than that—dream of attempting things that could very well be deadly to them.

Still, it was a task worth doing so I dedicated myself to my time with them.

Once I finished with my evening training duties, I usually was captured by Lucas. At first, I had attempted to escape to be alone, but I swore he seemed to have nothing better to do than lie in wait to drag me into forced socializing, not only with himself, but also with any other person who he decided to include. The man seemed to be on friendly terms with everyone, to the point where it was exhausting.

If anything, he was even more talkative than he had been when we had both been in Vienne's home, probably because now I was in on so many of the secrets they had been keeping. He was annoying and overwhelming, but I couldn't help but like him just a bit.

Tonight, however, I was in the clear, because Rene had gone into labour early in the morning, so Lucas was well occupied, his mind was far from trying to be my friend.

I almost considered, for a moment, going to see how things were progressing, but I decided it was better to leave the situation alone. Eventually, everyone in the compound would know Lucas's news, including me, and I could only hope that everything would work out and that Rene and the child would both survive the process.

Since I had the night off of being friendly, I made my way up to the roof of the residential building. I passed a couple of people in the halls, but neither of them disturbed me with anything more than a nod of acknowledgment that I returned. I walked to the edge and leaned on the railing, feeling the wind and revelling in the freedom of the moment as I looked out at the dark buildings below me.

Like happened so often nowadays, whenever I wasn't busy my mind wandered to her. It had been almost a month since I had seen her last and I was no less conflicted than in that moment when she kissed my cheek and left, if anything, it was worse than before. It seemed not to matter how near or far she was, she was in my mind.

And I could not keep myself busy enough to evade the truth. I wanted to give her what she wanted, and the fact that it was a terrible idea did not affect my desire in the slightest.

We had nothing in common. She was a bloodsucker, I was a human.

The fact that she was dangerous should have been enough reason for me to want to keep her at arm's length, but when had danger ever stopped me from going where I wanted to go before?