Fangs

*Seven

Chapter Seven - The Truth About Us

Caleb's POV

"I tried to tell her, Caleb, but she wanted to make sure you were okay!" Markus stated the moment I turned around.

I didn't answer, instead I stared at Chloe. She stared back at me with wide eyes full of fear.

"What just happened?" She demanded, glancing at Markus.

He didn't answer her, so she looked back towards me.

I let out a breath. "Next time, just do as I say." I stated.

This was bad - very, very bad. She knew. A human knew about me. If she'd just left when I told her to, or if we'd just stayed at the apartment, then she would be safe. She wouldn't have been involved in this dangerous world.

"Tell me what's going on!" She responded. "Why did he say human - how could you move so fast?"

Markus sighed. "Chloe, he's a..."

"A what? He's a what?" She asked. "What are you?" She demanded, her gaze returning to me.

"A vampire. I'm a vampire." I whispered.

She raised an eyebrow. Before she could reply, I made my eyes turn red.

She gasped and stepped backwards, but soon noticed that her life wasn't in immediate danger when my eyes faded back to blue.

She didn't scream or run, yet. There was still time.

I glanced at Markus. "I wanted to avoid this." I said.

"Your brother...i-is he one too?" Chloe asked.

I stared at her in shock. She wasn't denying it.

"Yes. My father is, too."

"What about the rest of your family?"

I hesitated. "Dead."

"Oh...I-I'm sorry."

"Look, Chloe, I'm not going to hurt you. You know what I am, and I'm not going to let it change who I am." I stated. "Do you believe me?"

"I don't know what to believe." She answered. "Prove that this is real - that you're a vampire."

I nodded. In an instant, I was in front of her, steadying her as she stumbled backwards. My eyes were red.

She stared at me in shock, not sure whether to accept the truth, or hide from it.

I noticed that she was staring at my eyes, fascinated - like any human would be - by them.

"I'm a werewolf." Markus stated suddenly.

Chloe and I looked at him in shock.

"What are you doing?!" I asked.

He sighed. "If she knows about you, then she should know about me too."

"And if she runs? What then?" I shot back.

"Who would believe her? Besides, you could just compel her to forget."

"I don't compel people anymore - I wasn't brought up to just cheat my way out of problems!" I responded.

"But what about when you feed?" He questioned.

I stared at him blankly. "Except for that." I added.

He smirked. "Told you--"

"Chloe," I sighed, turning to face her retreating figure. "Running won't help."

She stopped running and turned around to face us. She was about ten meters away.

"He's a werewolf, and you're a vampire...?" She whispered. "I'm going crazy..."

"No, you're not going crazy." Markus replied. "It's true. Would...would you like to see?"

I glanced at him. "Not here."

He nodded. "Come on. We won't hurt you - things can carry on as they have been. This doesn't change anything."

"We'd never hurt you." I added.

After a pause, she nodded. "This is crazy." She murmured as we walked back to my car.

"Can I drive?" Markus asked me as we walked - Chloe was in front.

"As long as you don't crash it." I replied, handing him the keys. "And you give it back."

---

"What's he going to do?" Chloe asked me as we walked further into the forest.

Markus was walking some way in front.

"Turn into a wolf." I replied. "Are you scared of us?"

"A little."

"You shouldn't be - there's nothing to be scared about."

"It's natural to be scared of things you didn't know existed until an hour ago." She shot back.

"But you don't seem scared." I stated. "If you were, you wouldn't have agreed to come here, or talk to me."

"You won't hurt me?" She asked, glancing up at me.

"No."

"Then I trust you."

"Okay - ready?" Markus called back to us.

I looked at him and nodded. Chloe did, too.

He looked down, closed his eyes and turned. I'd seen it before, but Chloe hadn't. She gasped in shock and stepped backwards. I was more focused on Chloe's reaction than Markus, so I missed the process.

Markus - now a grey wolf - shook his head and walked towards us.

"Go on," I stated, gently pushing her towards him.

She glanced at me nervously and approached Markus, who was now in front of us by a meter.

After a pause, he turned back and smiled.

"See? More cute, less dangerous." He stated.

"Let's go back to the apartment." I said. Markus and Chloe nodded.

As we walked back to the car, Markus stopped.

"Can you hear that?" He asked me.

"Now is not the time to play the 'can-you-hear-that' game, Markus." Chloe deadpanned.

"He's not playing - I hear it, too." I murmured, also stopping.

Chloe stopped, too. "Hear what?" She asked quietly.

What Markus and I had heard was rustling and twigs snapping. It was getting louder, so whatever it was, was heading straight for us.

It couldn't have been an animal - the sounds were too sharp and loud to be an animal. It was a person.

The sounds soon became loud enough for Chloe to hear. She stepped towards us.

"What is it?" She whispered.

I shrugged, turning around in a slow circle. When I found the exact place the sounds were coming from, I faced it and stepped forwards slowly.

"What are you doing?!" Chloe hissed quietly, pulling me back. "Don't you watch horror films? Whoever walks towards the noise is the first to die!"

"Shh!" Markus and I responded together. "Be quiet!"

"Markus?! Caleb?!" A vaguely familiar voice stated.