Chapter Twelve

Please leave if you're gonna continue distracting me." I said, sneaking glances in his direction even though Clio was against it. She secretly cursed at the vampire. Her kind had never got her this humble, yet the presence of a vampire.......an extremely beautiful one at that had gotten her this subservient?

Probably it's the blood sucking part that got her this hyperventilated.

"Nope, I'll pass." The so-called Tristan said, slouching down his seat, picking up a book in order to enforce his guise of being a properly mannered student. It was only now I noticed his Australian accent, faint yet it stood out in all the voices I've heard. My eyes strolled to the librarian whose dull green eyes were fixed on us. Our eyes locked and I sharply turned away, facing the ample text although two blue orbs were burning a hole through me.

"You don't speak a lot, do you?"

"You're Australian?" I asked in reply, raising my head to look him straight in the eye. Normally, I could have shunned him but my curiosity in this case was taking over.

"It's the accent, isn't it,?" A small grin appeared on his face as he dropped the text on his spread- open thighs, probably unable to cope with the facade anymore. "I spent my early decades in Australia and came over to the U.S centuries ago but still haven't dropped the accent, wonder why." He explained, staring at me in scrutiny.

Ignoring his absurd stare, I decided to linger on with the questions. "And how old are you?"

"Old enough to know that's rude?"He scowled.

I shook my head in agreement, looking to the side, watching my knuckles turn white from clenching them way too hard, leaving the air filled with a taut tension and an uncomfortable silence.

This was...... awkward?

One thing was sure, studying was definitely out the window.

A question which burned at the back of my mind suddenly popped up. I turned to him with curiosity burning in me. "Does your kind really drink blood?"

He gave a sickly sweet, fanged smile which gave me the answer, chasing my curiosity out the window. I squirmed in my seat, looking away from his lucid gaze. "Would you like a salubrious tableau?"

"No thank you." I plummeted. I had to get out of here, listen to Clio's inward whimpers but my body betrayed me, leaving me trapped in the chair. Probably my thrown-out-the-window curiosity came back crawling in.

"And you werewolves, are you sordid flesh eating creatures?"

My temper flared a bit and I quickly rushed to the defense of my kind. "No,we only hunt animals not humans. We are not cannibalists, after all we are still half-human." I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms. "Not that I can say the same for your kind."

"Only if need be."

"Okay, why are you here? What do you want with me?" I bristled, getting straight to the point. This was wrong, every cell in my body was screaming danger but I remained still. I was going to suffer from brain damage anytime soon.

"You're special."

If I was drinking something, I might as well as shocked on it by now. "Say what?"

"You heard me, I'm not gonna be repeating myself." He crossed his arms, looking me straight in the eye. I had never been rude to anyone apart from my father (he deserved it anyway) and didn't want to start now. "Dude, quit the banter and get your vampire ass outta here." I mumbled but I knew he heard.

"Tristan,you are testing my patience! And you young lady, you're really gonna open your damn legs for him?"

"N-no ma!" I stuttered,my face flashing red with embarrassment.

"The old lady has an antenna for some particularly weird looking human ears." Tristan whispered in my ears, my reaction to him by laughing at his jokes baffling me. The consciousness of his lips against my skin was consuming me, making my face to heat more if it was even possible. After managing to make my face straight, we just stared at each other in a nifty silence. Probably we might end up being friends after all.

"I meant what I said."

"Of course." I replied sarcastically.

"You're not a normal lycan."

"And how do you know I'm a lycan?" I asked, narrowing my eyes. He looked at me like he was beholding some stellar object. "You are one of the most beautiful werewolf I've had the pleasure of meeting."

My face heated up as I pushed a tendril of hair behind my ear. "Well you sure do have your way with words. Not bad for a bloodsucker." Butterflies were soaring through my stomach at his words. This wasn't right, I shouldn't be conversing with a vampire.

"Ok, what's-"

"I can tell by your scent, genius." He smirked, probably knowing that I was oblivious to the fact vampires could interpret scents just like wolves. Both races were so similar.....why such a huge chasm between them?

"So I ask again what makes you so special?"

"I don't know, you tell me?" I looked away from the forlorn Anatomy text, looking straight at him. "What do you see that makes me so special?"

"Well the aura you carry around......"

"What's wrong with my aura?" I asked curiously.

"It's quite exquisite, it tells of an imperious, innocuous, stubborn and feminine- it's quite complicated, nothing in comparison to you now I've met you. I take it's your wolf?"

I nodded. "And you find that exquisite?" I asked with a half grin.

"Fascinating even. And your scent is just like a summer bushfire......" I laughed incredulously, interrupting his statement.

"A summer bushfire? Really?!"

"Yeah, something like that. A summer bushfire mingled with burning roses, honey, strong at the same time, alluring."

I laughed at his choice of words. "You sound like a disgruntled poet."

"Oh really?" He came closer, his legs brushing past mine underneath the table. I removed my glasses, my gaze down as the heat crawled its way back to my cheeks. He was a flirt alright.

"Stop that." I mumbled.

"Stop what?"

"Mr Noah and you inconspicuous, lecherous brute of a lady, get out of my library!!" The old lady thundered in the library, the few people present staring at Tristan and I.

My breath hitched in my throat,my mouth dry.

Inconspicuous lecherous brute of a lady, that was rather.....harsh?

"Get out, you deaf or what,girl?" The voice thundered again in my rather sensitive ears. I registered my environment seeing Tristan offering his large hands to me as Clio let loose a string of profanities and curses against the old librarian, my claws extended as I dug them into the pit of my palm, drawing the crimson liquid.



"Hello..... Earth to.....uhmm I realize I don't even know your name." He said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. I turned to him, barely acknowledging what he said.

"The old lady's still barking?"

I stood up to meet the pudgy old librarian who in turn glared at me, her green eyes forming the strongest of whirlpools, her voice taut with derision.

"GET. OUT!"

Taking my reading glasses and jottters, I scurried off with Tristan who simply strolled behind me, his face lit with amusement as the second tower of books crashed behind us.

**********

I laid on my back, my eyes fixed on the ceiling above me with Bre and Miles's voices chattering in the background. A whole month of coming to New York, meeting new people, not seeing Derek for over two weeks and having friends I never thought I would ever have. A human was understandable- they were in every nook and cranny of the world but a vampire?

Life was so capricious and I only wonder what other hidden meanders I had waiting for me. The Summer Moon feast was coming up soon and we would have to journey back to the pack's settlement. Luckily, the evaluations I had been eagerly preparing for had passed, making it easy to journey back without problems. I absent-mindedly played with tiny pints of flames on my fingers staring at the ceiling of Mile's dorm while thoughts of Tristan strolled amongst my other thoughts. He seemed to immediately sniff out my blood the moment it was bleeding cause when we left the library, he offered to help lick the wound to enable it heal.

From everything I've gathered, vampires are gross.

"Hey Sophi, you're listening or what?" Bre's voice broke through my reverie, bringing me back to reality. I ran my hand through my lengthy, silky tresses, getting up from the bed to face her and Miles who sat in another bed. The dorm was empty cause all the boys decided to party off the weekend while Miles decided to stay back for this weird rendezvous of ours. I was quite unsure about this whole rendezvous but didn't want to drive. I still haven't got my license and didn't want to risk being on the road too often.

"What?" I asked with a bland expression.

"Why? I was talking about my freaking birthday!! I'm gonna be 18!!"she shrieked, enthusiasm lacing her voice as her blonde tendrils framed her perfect oblong face.

"Oh really?" I asked, faking a non- plussed expression.

"You zoned out." Miles observed in a gentle voice. "You guys were boring me." I said, flopping the rest of my weight on the bed.

"Oh,we were boring you? Or are you too busy thinking about something or a special someone?" Bre susurrated mischievously and I immediately shot up, scowling at her.

"Quit that Derek stuff."

"Who is this Bre's brother you guys keep talking about? I haven't seen him once. You sure guys aren't making him up?" Miles asked, trying to lay his head on Bre's lap who in turn shoved his head off.

I rolled my eyes.

It was way too weird for these two to be friends.

"Whatever Renda, I bet your brother isn't as good looking as me." He puffed his bare chest in a futile attempt to prove his masculinity.

"Ya wish." I muttered sarcastically.

"I'm not talking about Derek. My brother's old news. I'm talking about Tristan."

My eyes shot wide open. How did she know?

"News travels fast, darling." She smirked victoriously, patting her florid shirt in an attempt to ease her ever fluent movements on the bed which being next to Miles restricted, earning him a kick from time to time.

"Yeah. Hey why don't you tell me about your little espionage?"

" No darling, you're telling us how the hell you met Tristan."

"Wait, what does Tristan have to do with all of this?" Miles asked again, oblivious as ever.

"Shut up, Miles!" Bre berated. Miles kept mute. Basically, humans would fuss about being in their dorm room and all but being with Bre, a few raucous kicks usually got the messages through.

A poignant knock came through the door. The sable feeling wavered stronger and damn, Clio knew that feeling all too well. Bre's eyebrows raised in response.

'Speaking of the devil.....' She muttered silently not wanting to be heard but I heard her. Miles stretched his dandy legs and walked over to the door only to be left non-plussed by who came in.

Inhumanly beautiful as always, the vampire was dressed in a tight fitting plaid shirt over tight sky blue rugged jeans. His whitish blonde hair shone among all the hues of hair in the room even compared to Bre's and Miles blonde hair. He towered over Miles by a whole five inches making Miles seem average in comparison to him.

I shot up from my sitting position. "What are you doing here?" I asked.

Bewilderment was an understatement for how I felt.

I subconsciously trailed where I had dug my claws into my own hands. There was barely a scar left,no showing any form of injury. Miles and Bre's gaze were fixed on me, radiating anything you could think from anxiety to nervousness from me. I pushed past them, grabbing Tristan by the arm and locking the door behind us in the corridors which stretched into more rooms.

" So what the hell are you doing here?!" The impact of his cold skin against mine, immediately made to avert my hold on him.

"Are you always that low in temperature?" I asked, concerned for him. I looked up to meet his neon blue eyes which had turned dark with a shade of red, giving his eyes a light purple hue.

"We are dead obviously, sort of."

"You just fed." I observed. The shades of red which swirled around his eyes reminded me of a rogue who was brought to our pack a few years ago. In retrospect, the rogue was executed.

"So you brought me here in order to continue? Well if you ought to know, I'm no prey." I bared my canines at him ominously in a bid to prove my point before quickly retracting them in.

"Oh come on you stubborn tiger, I'm not gonna drink from you that's what the humans are for. Although I won't deny your offer is quite tempting."

"Well since you have nothing to do, I was actually doing something before I came." I made an attempt to return to the room but he grabbed my arm, slamming me into his built chest, his arms slipping around my petite waist.

"Did you know since the day I saw you, you've never quite actually left my head?"

Clio had no say in this. His huge hands wrapped my waist spread around her a strange sort of warmth she revelled in. But I had to do something. If it was up to this wolf, I would have lost my virginity way, way back.

Fixed in this juxtaposition between us, my claws elongated as I torn through his skin drawing a dark hued blood. The sight enthralled me to stay but fuck curiosity, I had get of here before giving in to Clio's whims. Perhaps this was the side which controlled my Dad but I would never be like him.

I made a move to superspeed back into the room I came from, after Bre could help me. She was way more proficient in these situations than me,who could barely use my own flames to my advantage.

I slammed into a large brick obstruction, knowing that this was anything but the door. His purpish-hued eyes bore into my hazel ones making me cringe back in fear. The unleashed wanton side of Clio was gone, replaced by a need to get the hell out of here.

"Don't test me, tiger." He susurrated, the sable aura I got from him, increasing by the minute. His arms were stretched forward and I made a move to see what his arms were beckoning to. A human was pressed against the wall, his face a bloody red as all his veins bulged out like some sort of force was controlling the crimson liquid in his veins. His mouth was so tightly shut that he couldn't scream or shriek for help. I gathered a bundle of flames and slammed it into his chest, the imperative action making him lose contact with the human whose body slumped on the ground. I supersped towards him to check his pulse, probably a doctoral instinct, but.....he was dead. His heart had stopped, never to be heard again.

"You bastard! You've killed him." I cried but it only came out in mere whisper. He was a vampire but I had never expected him to reveal his murderous intent so easily.

The door behind Tristan unlocked, revealing Bre who locked the door behind her.

"What the hell is going on here?" She asked in a hushed tone, confused. A rush of wind swirled around me, a tightened hold on my hand materializing as soon as I realized Tristan was besides me. I wanted to yank off my hand and rush over to Bre only for his grasp to tighten if that was even possible.

"Get back into the room and get that human of yours to call the police. She is with me." Before I realized what was happening, he had my hips swung over his shoulders, superspeeding out of the scene.

***********

"I'm sorry."

The capricious action of his swirled itself in my head continuously by those repeated words.

"Sophi, aren't you gonna say something?"

Those words made me jerk my head towards him. "How do you know my name." I asked, livid. This turn made a whole new consciousness of the height we were standing on. Somehow,he brought me to the peak of a building within the East hostel quarters, the lethal, prodigious height making me want to puke anytime I looked down, the erratic sound of my heartbeat sounding rather loud in my ears.

Wasn't I supposed to be a lycan?

"At least you said something."

I looked forward to the beautiful sunset, the huge star settling perfectly in the orange, purpish hues of clouds, the best air the lousy city could offer during the day, lurching past my face. The whole campus was deserted, save for a few students who moved around from time to time. I guess it had something to do with the weekend. He made me leave the safety of the crafted iron railing to the rooftop where we sat. I didn't even have an idea which building we were on. I sighed, all the anger in me washing away. He deserved a chance, I guess.

"Why did you kill him?" I asked in a hoarse voice.

"He saw us. I couldn't have a human running around, telling everyone he saw Tristan running in the speed of light. It was imperative I put an end to him."

It didn't even cross my mind for a second. Humans were not used to such things and if that human went around telling everyone that, Tristan would be in the spotlight and further investigations would reveal his true identity, pulling off that facade of the college's most hottest guys around.

"Do you always have to solve it all by ending a life?"

"Vampires are creatures of the night. We live by killing others. It is our fate and the path we have been coerced to thread." His eyes turned to me. "So it seems you haven't-" He trailed off, looking away.

"Haven't what?"

"Killed someone?"

I found that particularly amusing. He must have killed for centuries and he found it hard to say those words. What a weird vampire. When it came to these nocturnal creatures, I thrived on curiosity.

"What? It's weird I haven't?"

"No,it just tells how cute and innocent you are." He said, his index finger making a slight contact with my nose. Clio didn't quite appreciate that, her anger was still bottled but needless of it, I went all red, using my hair to shield my embarrassed blush.

"And now I can tell your wolf doesn't like that. She's quite the stubborn one, isn't she?"

I opened my lips in a bid to ask him how he knew but something told me there was more to come, this wasn't a first after all.

"Am I forgiven?"

His now neon- blue eyes were gleaming with hope, endearing even, making him more beautiful than usual, if that was even possible.

"I guess," I said, pushing my hair from my face. How this beautiful creature even looked at a mundane she-wolf like me, I didn't know, I was just lucky I guess.

"Now I have my own fair share of questions." Tristan said, his features now in a grimace. The lack of playfulness in the atmosphere made my thoughts flicker back to Bre, she caught me leaving with a vampire. What was thinking about me now? I was way too curious for my good.

"I've got to go now." I said in an attempted to pull my lethargic body weight up. My feet slipped over the sharp edges,my legs dangling as my claws dug into the edges instantaneously. I took deep breaths, calming my self as I shut my eyes tight.

I slowly opened my eyes to find my back pressed against Tristan whose fingers dug into my waist, my heartbeat taking sporadic patterns.

" Careful there,Tiger. I don't want you in pieces yet."

I jerked my head from his hold. "Yet?"

His face lit into a grin and I found myself smiling at him.

"How did you conjure up those flames? For all I know, werewolves don't possess such special gifts."

Ugh, he was back to this topic. I wanted to look anyway but at him but the precarious height made it impossible.

"First of all, get me over the freaking railing." I cursed, finding myself holding onto him.

In the blur of a few seconds,he had over the railing with me leaving the safety of his taut muscled arms, landing unto the support of my wobbly feet.

"So?" He asked, wanting to linger from where we ended.

"So what?"

"Quit playing dumb." He warmed but it showed no sign on his face so I lingered on.

"I don't get you." I grasped the iron bars, looking away. "Sophia, I'm being serious."

"You never told me how you knew my name." I was stupid enough to warm up to a vampire for the sake of some goddamned curiosity but giving away a special part of my race, nope, not happening.

" Sophi-"

A blur of wind whirled past us, interrupting Tristan from what ever he was saying. The sable aura spoke before I could even avert my gaze from Tristan. In front of me a beautiful redhead creature. Tall, the same height as Tristan with ethereal features which could have me believe a god did walk amongst men. From his green eyes to those soft pink lips of his which had me engulfed in a myriad of emotions ranging from admiration to absolute lust. I thought Tristan was beautiful but he.......was ethereal.

Those jawlines were so sharp,if I placed a finger on it,it would sink into the flesh like a poigant blade, summing the murky look which settled on his features. He raised a red eyebrow at Tristan, looking between the two of us before his eyes settled on me, like completely accessing me from head to toe for a nanosecond before completely averting his gaze from me. I dropped my head not wanting to give the impression I was staring. Suddenly, Clio's defences kicked in, obliterating most of the latter feelings. I was between two vampires, of course nothing could go right from here.

" What are you doing with the she-wolf Tristan?"