In Your Dreams

Chapter 35

"Julian?" I whispered and took in my surroundings.

I was in an unfamiliar room on a bed with a dark, grey comforter. The entire room was decorated in grey, black, and white, and there was a skylight above the bed that allowed the moonlight to shine through.

"You better not die on me ever again," Julian threatened, his tone joking. His voice sounded more enticing than I remembered, and everything about him drew me into him even more. His brown eyes were hypnotizing, making this all feel like a dream. 

When I tore my eyes from his, it suddenly all clicked, snapping me to reality.

"I'm—I'm alive?" I asked, confused. "But how?"

"Tristan tried to bring you back to life, but it didn't work. We thought that it was just too late. He tried to talk to you on the other side, but it was like you weren't there either. Then I remembered that I gave you my blood when you were thrown against the wall, which means—"

"I'm a vampire?" I finished his sentence.

Vampire.

The realization hit me. I was no longer human. I wasn't sure I would ever make the choice to turn, but with that choice made for me, I wasn't sure how I felt about it all. I would live forever without ever seeing my family again. I would live forever like Julian. I would have to drink blood to survive. I began to feel my face, then mouth to check for fangs.

"It doesn't work that way," Julian chuckled. "But yes, you are.  My blood turned you when you died. That's why Tristan's powers didn't work on you."

"I remembered the King saying something about how Tristan would be able to talk to Eretria on the other side if he killed her. He can talk to the dead too?" I sat up more.

"Yeah, he can."

Maybe he could talk to my family...

"I'm sure he would if you asked him to." Julian gave me a reassuring smile and put his hand on mine.

It felt like electricity was shooting up my arm, but in a good way. The feeling nearly took my breath away; I took in a sharp intake of air. My eyes immediately locked with his to see if he felt it too. He was breathing hard and clutching chest. I knew then that it wasn't just me.

A magnetic force was pulling me towards him.  Butterflies raged in my stomach as I slowly got closer to him. Just when I got only an inch from his face, Julian grabbed the back of my neck and crashed his lips against mine. That feeling came back from when we kissed the first time, but it was more intense and more addicting. It was like fireworks exploded behind my eyes, and it felt like the sun itself was burning between us. My hands reached up from his chest to around his neck, making the kiss deepen.

Julian pulled away only inches from my face.  His brown eyes stayed on mine as I was trying to catch my breath.  All I could think about is how I could drown in those honey-brown irises. His hand slid from behind my neck to my cheek, and with every movement, a tingling sensation would follow.

Julian's eyes searched mine and widened.  "Soulmates," Julian whispered, bewildered.  He looked at me with such intensity, and I could somehow feel it—love and wonder.

"Did you say soulmates?" I asked, surprised.

"I never thought I would find mine, and you were here this entire time." Julian raised his eyebrows in disbelief and continued to stroke my cheek.

"This is what it feels like to have a soulmate?" I reached my hand up in awe, trailing it along his jaw.

He nodded and leaned into my hand. "It's because you were human before. Only vampires can feel it.  Everything is heightened with our species."