Once Bitten *On Hiatus*

𝕱𝖔𝖗𝖙𝖞 𝕹𝖎𝖓𝖊

• 𝓚𝓲𝓽𝓮 •

Mae stared at the wall, and while she was physically there in front of me, she didn't seem to be mentally there. Noah had briefed me on what happened - how she watched Seraph kill the man who made her face twist in terror. And while I wish I could have faulted him, been pissed off at him, I couldn't. I didn't know a lot about Mae's past, but I knew her mentality well enough to know that if someone could bring that amount of fear out in her, they needed to go.

But she'd let him touch her head. She watched what he could do and allowed him to do the same to her. And even though it didn't seem like he pushed thoughts into her mind, it didn't mean he wasn't capable.

Luca glanced at Mae when Noah explained that she'd hugged Seraph.

'He hates everyone,' Noah concluded, 'but I don't think he's able to hate her.'

Luca rolled his shoulders and rested his head back against the seat, his eyes leaving Mae to look up at the ceiling. 'I think we need to accept the fact that Seraph is now a part of her life, whether we want him to be or not. The guy killed someone for her.'

Mae's eyes fell to the floor.

She wasn't hearing any of what we were saying. To her, it looked like I was working and Noah and Luca were just there to keep her silent company.

"Are you alright," I asked.

She jumped at the sound of my voice in the quiet room, turning to me with wide eyes. "Yeah, why?"

She just saw someone murdered right before her eyes and she was asking me why?

When I just stared at her, she huffed a laugh. "I'm fine. I thought Seraph would be different. I thought that he was close with Zero, so that immediately put him on my list of people to stay away from...but he killed someone. For me."

Luca's head raised, her words almost matching his to a tee. While Mae showered, getting ready for breakfast, Luca had been the one to bring up that Seraph needed to be put on "Mae-duty". We were going to talk to her about it over breakfast, to see how she felt, but that was completely blown out of the water.

"Do you trust him," I asked.

She tilted her head, her eyes drifting to the floor again. "I...don't know."

Luca and Noah shared a look. She may not realize what she insinuated with those three words. What a monumental moment it actually was that she didn't automatically go into a tangent about how she hated vampires. How none of us could be trusted.

Did she realize her mentality towards us was changing? Was it due to Seraph, or was it due to the other two vampires in front of me?

I wasn't stupid enough to believe I played a part in her change. Due to shit going south in South District, I wasn't able to be around as much as I wanted to be. I saw Noah and Luca getting closer to her. I saw how she didn't glare at either of them anymore.

She still glared at me at times, but I figured that was because of who I was to South District.

A knock at my office door pulled my attention away, and before I could tell the person to come in, they opened the door and stepped inside.

Luca and Noah froze, and if I had a heartbeat, it would have stopped.

My father closed the door, his eyes on me.

I stood, trying my hardest not to stumble as I did so. He never came to visit. Not during the day, at least.

He was so tall - much taller than me. He had to damn near duck under the door frame when he walked in. His strength was not hidden by gaudy clothes like other District rulers. He liked to show South District that he doled out his punishments and he made sure he was fit to do so. It was really the only time he showed his face to the people.

His black eyes moved and landed on the one person I really did not want him anywhere near.

Mae sat so still I didn't even see her breathing as she looked up at him. Meeting his eyes.

So not the best thing to do. Seraph could melt your brain by touching you...my father didn't have to touch. He just needed eye contact.

"Father," I said. "How can I-"

"You're so tiny," he said to Mae.

Oh, fuck my entire fucking life.

Luca bristled, clenching the seat below him. He couldn't fight Titus. No one could.

Mae still didn't move. Didn't blink.

"So," Titus murmured, "how is it you're causing so much trouble?"

Mae blinked finally, but wisely stayed quiet.

If anyone could trample over any semblance of trust she felt for vampires...it was him.

"First," he stepped towards her, and I clenched my teeth, "you send my son on a wild goose chase to find you in your pathetic attempt to escape. Then, you not only instigated a fight with Zero, you stabbed his eye with a silver fork, forcing him to remove it. And then you somehow got Seraph to kill someone after he'd gone months without doing so."

She continued to stare up at him, and I saw a little tremble dance up her spine as she craned her neck to look up at him standing in front of her. If she made the wrong move, if she said the wrong thing, she'd be dead and none of us could stop it.

When she stood, Luca closed his eyes.

She sighed. "I ran because Zero killed my children. As you may know, us sheep are driven by emotion."

I wanted to go over and cover her mouth to keep her from speaking. Noah was staring at her with barely contained horror, and Luca looked like he was about to puke. Titus was not the person to lose your cool on.

"And what do you know," she said, "the moment I come back, the little dicked piece of shit shows up. I don't know whose account you're going off of, but anyone knows he is the one always instigating shit with me. And lastly, Seraph killed someone who used to abuse me. And I'm not sorry about any of it."

My entire body had gone cold as I stared at her for possibly the last time I'd ever see her alive.

My father raised an eyebrow.

And then the scariest thing of all happened.

He smiled.

I about fucking fainted.

"One more mishap," he lowered his voice, "and you're going to wish you were merely just a blood whore for these three."

She opened her mouth - probably to say something snarky back - but she closed it so quickly I heard her teeth click together.

My father barely spared me a glance as he turned towards the door. "Keep an eye on your pet, son. Before I allow Zero to take over her ownership."

When the door shut behind him, I looked at Mae. I expected fear. I expected her to be shaking, worried that any little move she made would cause my father to snap. Because that's how I felt.

But all I saw on her face was rage.