Forbidden Feast

Ch. 1: I'm Mathew Darling

Being a Ventura was all Mathew knew. It never occurred to him he could belong to anyone else. The time he spent before he was adopted felt wasted until Dante, his oldest brother, rescued him from the darkness. Mathew believed in destiny and if two people were supposed to meet, they would. That was how he felt about Dante.

He was meant to meet Dante.

And going behind his back would be Mathew's greatest betrayal.

"Thank you," Mathew told the Uber driver as he climbed out of the car. The man happily got out and helped Mathew take out his suitcase from the trunk. The administrative office warned Mathew to expect chaos on move-in day and advised him to be prepared, but two days later, there were no signs of disorder. Only wet sidewalks and sticks ripped from branches. Soggy leaves littered the campus. Puddles of murky water crowded the edges of the sidewalk and the wet, earthy smell caused Mathew's stomach to roll.

Mathew had meant to move in with everyone else but couldn't.

Not when the storms were merciless and every time it thundered, Mathew felt like that kidnapped eight-year-old running from strangers with sharp teeth. He couldn't think about that now, though. If he spent too much time dwelling on the past, he would become trapped there.

Pushing himself, Mathew grabbed his backpack, taking out the gray leather pouch he received from the bank and checked inside. There were ten thousand dollars inside separated by five hundred bundles that were each wrapped in a tan rubber band. Mathew wasn't sure how much money he needed. Whenever he wanted something, one of his older siblings would descend with their black cards. Throughout his second life, Mathew had very little to worry about it.

As the baby in the family, Mathew loved his parents dearly, but his older siblings - Dante, Bianca, Nino, and Anthony - also raised him.

Grabbing a few hundred dollars, Mathew approached the driver with a smile. "Here, I really appreciate your help." Guiltily, Mathew's eyes darted to the puncture wound in this man's neck. He was never good at cleaning up after himself.

The stress of starting school obliterated Mathew's thirst but being surrounded by humans in a dorm pulled Mathew back to reality. He needed to be careful, and he needed to feed. The only thing that curbed Mathew's remorse was knowing this man never had to see Mathew again. Hopefully, this man never met another vampire.

"Oh, I can't—" the driver said, his eyes widening at the sight of the money. He had his hands up to reject the tip, but Mathew shook his head.

The magic inside of Mathew crackled, and his eyes flashed a bright, rosy red. Magic was one of the few things that warmed Mathew's blood and made his slow, icy heart beat faster. He compelled this human, mesmerizing him, "You'll happily take the money, and you'll quickly forget all about me. I was just another passenger."

In order to mesmerize a human, the victim had to be willing, and the request had to be something the human would actually do. Accepting the money without a problem, the driver smiled. "Have a nice day." Like that, he climbed back into his car and drove off.

Mathew's smile dropped as he looked around, surrounded by emptiness. Away from home, it would not be easy finding a reliable source of blood. Mathew knew he'd need to stay away from the sun. Thankfully, the sky should be gray and speckled for a while during the fall semester. Mathew didn't think he'd be here long enough to worry about the summer.

Usually, Mathew would call Dante as soon as he arrived at his destination, and he felt a little aimless, unable to do it. Mathew gathered up his bags and started his trek into the heart of Black Hawthorne University. The school itself stood on hills and uneven ground, offering a view of mountains in the distance. Everywhere Mathew turned, he saw stairs, hills, and old brick buildings. The construction of this place took the earth into consideration, not working against it.