Once Bitten *On Hiatus*

𝕾𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖞 𝕿𝖍𝖗𝖊𝖊

• 𝓜𝓪𝓮 •

Zero's father wanted me dead simply because I healed someone? Because I was showing kindness to the sheep, and therefore didn't deserve to be a vampire? I saw where Zero got his stupidity from. How could saving someone be considered punishable by death?

I crossed my arms and sat back in my chair, glaring at the floor.

"Mae," Luca said, leaning forward. "Do you realize what you did?"

I turned my glare on him. "Of course I do. I went there to heal her. I did what I did because I meant to do it."

He smiled gently. "Right, but there are only two people in South District that can heal someone to that degree without any physical repercussions. Titus and Doyle."

I didn't know who the fuck Doyle was, but why the hell did I care? Who knew I'd get reprimanded for healing someone? Actually, who knew someone would tell Titus I'd be better off dead?

"And Doyle is," I asked.

"Zero's father," Noah muttered.

Out of the four of them, Noah seemed more pissed about the situation than I did, and that was saying something. Titus brought me back, turned me into a vampire, and now he was considering allowing my execution? Make it make sense, because I didn't know how.

And of course Zero's father was the one wanting me dead. Zero was taken into holding because he killed me - which one would think would be a normal consequence to murdering someone. However, I wondered if it was different since I was a human. Or maybe Doyle didn't feel like he needed to be held any longer because I was technically alive.

But the execution. That was the one thing I wasn't able to wrap my head around.

"I won't let the execution happen," Kite said.

I looked over at him, and he stared at me with so much...passion, that my stomach warmed at the sight of it.

I tilted my head.

"None of us will," Noah responded quietly.

I really wasn't worried about the execution. I was more just trying to wrap my head around his reasoning. I was powerful? Wasn't that a good thing? Or did he feel threatened?

Maybe he should feel threatened.

Titus wanted me to reign myself in? He created me, created the vampire I was. The vampire I never asked to be. And when I finally use my powers, it's a problem?

Cute.

My list was growing. Zero. Titus. Doyle. I didn't delight in the idea of murder. Hell, I didn't really want to - save for Zero. I knew the risks and the consequences of taking another person's life. But did I think for a second that if I killed Zero, Doyle wouldn't come after me as well?

Luca leaned back in his chair and kicked his feet up on the table between us, and Kite let out an annoyed sigh.

Luca smirked at the noise.

"We need some normal," Luca said. "Don't we, princess?"

I looked at him at the pet name he hadn't used in what felt like forever. When my eyes met his, he gave me a wink and a smirk. 

Noah smiled slightly, as if he could tell what the pet name did to me. If I would have had enough blood in my system, I likely would have blushed. Small mercies, I guess.

"Zero's father wants me dead," I say. "How are we supposed to do normal?"

"None of us will allow that." Kite's voice made me look at him. He was still seated behind his desk, but there was an intensity behind his eyes that I don't think I'd ever seen from him. His eyes never strayed from me, and I felt warm all of a sudden.

My death did a number on all of them.

"I don't think you even realize how powerful you are," he said after a moment. "My father has no idea what he created when he turned you. You are a new vampire, yet you have the abilities of someone who has been a vampire for hundreds of years."

I looked down at the floor. "I didn't want to be a vampire at all."

It was the truth. In those last painful moments, I had pleaded with them with my eyes to just let me die. And while when I first woke up, I was full of so much rage towards them because I thought they changed me. The rage hadn't subsided. Pissed off didn't even begin to describe what I felt when I thought about everything. And the fact that I couldn't forget one single detail didn't help.

There were often times I wanted my mind to work differently. Where I wished I could forget things, or that I could block it out. But I remembered everything. Every color, smell, taste, feeling. Everything. The good, the bad, and the horrible.

Noah reached over and touched my arm, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I glanced at him.

"Maybe not," he said. "But a part of me is still happy you're with us."

I had to fight back the immediate urge to tell him how I wished I was dead. Because, did I really? I hated how it happened. Hell, thinking about it for longer than five seconds made me itch to reach out to Zero with my mind and see just what I could do to him even with the distance. But I didn't.

Because I wanted to see his face when I killed him.

I sighed and tilted my head. "Normal would be giving me my room back instead of keeping me up throughout the night with training or..."

I glanced at Seraph, who smiled slowly, those dimples peaking out just a bit.

"Or whatever else we've been doing," I finished lamely. "And as sad as it sounds, all I want is to have alone time. Sit in my room and read."

They were silent. Exchanging glances with each other.

Normal was something I craved. Not the sitting in a room holed up because they were all afraid I was going to be killed - a lot of good that ultimately did, by the way. I knew that I'd never be allowed back out into my own cottage. Those were for humans. But I wanted my own space.

"That can be arranged." Kite smiled slightly. "Though...I'm not sure I want you back in your old room. But I will get you a room ready."

Had I known it would be that easy, I would have asked before. Spending my time with the four of them was great, but I missed being alone. They were so on edge since I came back. They were all walking on eggshells, besides Seraph. Luca and Noah never seemed to know what to say or do, or whether they could even touch me. Kite was caught up with whatever it was he was caught up in, and I didn't see him much outside of training. I was with one of them most of the time, sure, but it was getting awkward.

I hated things being awkward.

I thanked Kite and leaned back in my seat. I'd allow this awkwardness to go on for one more day. Then I'd corner them one by one.