CHAPTER TWENTY

The city was a slumbering giant below. I could still feel Ellie's warmth on my lips as I descended in the elevator, a ghost of her presence clinging to me. The conversations of the last twenty-four hours replayed in my mind: her shock, her fear, her tentative acceptance. It was a gamble I hadn't expected to win, a risk that could shatter our carefully constructed world.

Crimson throbbed with a different kind of energy than the city. The bass pulsed through the floor, a primal heartbeat mimicking the one that used to pound in my own chest before… before Lucian. As I exited the elevator I saw Lucian sitting at his normal booth, waiting for me.

They were ALL waiting. Lucian, Seraphine, and Dimitri, arranged like predatory chess pieces around the plush velvet sofas. Lucian, with his ageless face etched with concern, Seraphine, her elegant features betraying nothing, and Dimitri, ever the jovial brute, radiating a strange mix of amusement and apprehension.

The air crackled with unspoken questions.

"Kaelen," Lucian greeted, his voice a low rumble. "You've been… preoccupied."

"The girl," he continued, cutting straight to the heart of the matter. "She's still with you?"

I met his gaze unflinchingly. "Yes."

Lucian's brow furrowed. "You haven't… compelled her?"

"No," I replied, the word clipped.

A silence descended, heavier than the bass thrumming below. Finally, Lucian spoke, his voice laced with a familiar blend of exasperation and protectiveness.

"Kaelen, you're playing a dangerous game. She's human. Fragile. One wrong move, one moment of weakness, and..." He trailed off, the unspoken consequence hanging heavy in the air.

"I know the risks, Lucian," I said, trying to keep the defensiveness from my tone. "I wouldn't have told her if I wasn't confident I could handle it."

"Confidence isn't enough, Kaelen," Lucian countered, rising to his feet. "We've lived for centuries by following a strict code. Secrecy is paramount. Letting a human into our world… it's reckless. It jeopardizes everything."

Before I could respond, Seraphine intervened, her voice smooth and calming. "Lucian, enough. Kaelen isn't a child. He made a choice, and we need to trust his judgment."

She turned to me, her eyes sharp and assessing. "You know what you're doing, Kaelen? You know the control it requires?"

"I do," I said, meeting her gaze. "I wouldn't risk everything for a fleeting infatuation."

A ghost of a smile touched Seraphine's lips. "Then I support you. If you believe you have the restraint to keep her safe, then I have no objections. You of all people know the consequences of losing control."

My gratitude toward Seraphine was immense. She had always been the most understanding, the most pragmatic of our little family.

Then Dimitri, bless his bluntness, lumbered forward, clapping me on the back with enough force to make me stumble. "Well, I say good on ya, Kaelen! Been a long time coming. And if you happen to drain her dry, well, the worst that'll happen is you'll spend a few decades wallowing in self-loathing. Plenty of time for that later, eh?"

My eyes narrowed, and I shot him a look that could curdle milk. He just grinned, unfazed. The thought of hurting Ellie, of taking her life, was enough to unleash a wave of pure, unadulterated fury, and Dimitri's comment only amplified it.

"Dimitri," Lucian cut in, his voice a warning rumble. "That's enough."

Dimitri shrugged, raising his hands in surrender. "Just sayin', mate! It happens. We've all been there." His words were a stark reminder. We had all been there, lost in the bloodlust, unable to control the hunger.

But I wouldn't let it happen with Ellie. I couldn't let it happen.

"I understand your concerns, Lucian," I said, turning my attention back to him. "But I assure you, I have everything under control. This isn't a threat. It's… something different."

Lucian still looked unconvinced, his brow furrowed with doubt. But he knew better than to push me. He knew I had my reasons, even if I wasn't ready to share them yet.

"Very well, Kaelen," he finally said, his voice softening slightly. "But I'm watching you. We all are. Don't underestimate the darkness within you. Or the consequences of your actions."

I nodded, the weight of his words settling heavy on my shoulders. The night was young, and the shadows were long. But for the first time in a long time, I felt a flicker of hope, a fragile promise of something more than just survival. Now, I just had to keep Ellie safe, and somehow, navigate the treacherous path ahead.

Lucian sighed, the sound carrying a weight that belied its brevity. It was the sigh of a parent burdened by a stubborn child, the sigh of someone who had witnessed centuries of mistakes and understood their inevitable repetition. But beneath the exasperation, I heard something else – a reluctant acceptance, a flicker of understanding.

"We need some breakfast," he said, his voice laced with a sardonic edge. "Who smells particularly putrid tonight, Kaelen?"

And then, the smile. It wasn't a broad, jovial grin, but a subtle upturn of his lips, a crinkling at the corners of his eyes that spoke volumes. It was Lucian's way of saying, "I still think you're an idiot, but you're my idiot." All was forgiven, for now. He still had faith in me, he still trusted me.

I returned the smile, a genuine warmth spreading through me, easing the tension that had been coiled tight in my chest. It was good to know, even after everything, that we were still a family.

Pushing myself up from the plush sofa, I walked towards the opening of the VIP room. The dance floor was a seething mass of humanity, bodies pressed together, bathed in strobing lights. The music was loud, relentless, but beneath the surface din, I could hear something else – the murmur of thoughts, the thrum of emotions, the faint, irresistible scent of life.

I closed my eyes for a moment, focusing, opening my senses like a floodgate. The cacophony of the club sharpened, resolving into distinct strands. Fear, desire, greed, all the base emotions that fueled human existence. And then, I found them.

Two distinct signatures stood out from the crowd. One, a man, radiating a sickening aroma of guilt and self-loathing – an adulterer, cheating on his wife with a woman half her age, reveling in the thrill of the forbidden. The other, a pair, clinging to each other, their auras tinged with desperation and a distinct lack of ethics – petty thieves, eyeing the wallets and purses of unsuspecting dancers.

Nothing spectacular, nothing that truly piqued my interest. But tonight, I was beyond picky. Tonight, I was hungry.

Turning back to the group I said "An adulterer near the bar, and a pair of pickpockets by the DJ booth." I spoke loud enough for them to hear.

Seraphine simply nodded, her movements fluid and graceful as she rose to her feet. Dimitri, on the other hand, let out a loud whoop, cracking his knuckles with unnerving enthusiasm. They were both gone in an instant, melting into the crowd, the predatory gleam in their eyes hidden from the oblivious humans around them.

With the hunt underway, I went back to that plush velvet sofa and sat down beside Lucian. The anticipation wasn't pleasant, but it was a familiar ache. Soon, the edge would be taken off, and I could focus on other things. Like not killing Ellie.

Seraphine and Dimitri returned shortly after, their faces wearing the self-satisfied expressions of predators who'd successfully stalked their prey. They deposited their meager hauls – a few wallets and a handful of regrets – on the nearby table. Lucian, ever the pragmatist, sorted through the spoils, distributing the meager rewards. It was enough to sate them for the night, a temporary fix to their perpetual hunger.

The club continued to pulse around us, oblivious to the dark game being played in its shadows. I remained on the sofa, the velvet cool against my skin, the anticipation slowly morphing into a dull ache. Soon, the edge would be taken off, and I could focus on other things. Like not killing Ellie.

But that was proving to be monumentally difficult.

The thought of her, the taste of her, the way her skin felt beneath my fingertips… it was a constant, gnawing temptation. The bite had been impulsive, reckless. A moment of weakness I couldn't afford to repeat.

"What?" I asked Lucian, breaking the heavy silence that had settled between us. He was staring at me, his dark eyes unreadable, a flicker of something I couldn't quite decipher dancing within their depths.

He waved a dismissive hand, a gesture I knew all too well. It meant he was holding something back, something he deemed too difficult or too dangerous to voice.

"No. Tell me," I insisted, my voice laced with a sharp edge. I needed to know what he was thinking, what he was seeing. Lucian had always been my anchor, my confidante, my mirror. I couldn't navigate this new, treacherous landscape without him.

Slowly, deliberately, Lucian leaned forward, closing the space between us. His gaze intensified, piercing through the carefully constructed walls I'd erected around myself. "I am merely concerned about you, Kaelen. I know how this will end..." He trailed off, leaving the unspoken words hanging in the air.

I knew what he meant. He knew my history, my struggles, my insatiable hunger. He knew that I was teetering on the precipice of losing control, of succumbing to the darkness that resided within me.

"Lucian, my dearest friend," I said, my voice softer now, a plea for understanding. "I know you worry. I am aware that it is difficult to 'control' my urges, so I plan on embracing them."

Lucian raised a skeptical eyebrow, his gaze unwavering. "And how so do you plan on doing that?" The question was laced with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension. He'd seen me try to rein it in before, and each attempt had ended in disaster.

I got up from the sofa and sat beside him, close enough to feel the faint warmth radiating from his body. "We have done it thousands of times. Just a quick sip. Ellie will have to agree to let me drink from her."

Lucian shook his head, a slow, deliberate movement that conveyed his disbelief. "You really believe this 'girl' will be okay with you drinking from her?"

"It will be my one condition. To keep her safe, she will have to. I already proved I am unable to not bite her while in 'intimate' positions. This way I can keep the hunger at bay and still ravish her physically. You and I do it all the time with humans." I gestured towards Lucian's lace-wearing pet, who was perched on a nearby stool, sipping a cocktail with an air of delicate boredom.

"And what about me?" Lucian asked, his voice suddenly quiet, almost vulnerable. "Where do I stand in all of this?"

The question hung in the air, heavy and laden with unspoken history. For centuries, Lucian and I had been everything to each other. Friends, brothers, companions, lovers. It was all we knew. Our bond was forged in blood and shared experience, a connection that transcended the limitations of time and mortality.

Suddenly, Ellie felt like a sledgehammer to that connection.

I honestly didn't know the answer. The realization hit me with the force of a physical blow, leaving me breathless and disoriented. I had been so consumed by my obsession with Ellie, so focused on satisfying my hunger, that I had failed to consider the consequences, the impact on my relationship with Lucian.

"Vampires aren't monogamous creatures, Kaelen," Lucian reminded me, breaking the silence with the stark, cold truth.

I knew this. We both did. Yet, the unspoken question lingered between us. Would I be content with sharing Ellie, or would my possessive nature demand her complete and undivided attention? Would I be willing to sacrifice centuries of loyalty for a human I barely knew?

I didn't have an answer. Not yet. But I knew one thing for certain: I had to have Ellie in every sense. I had to possess her, body and soul. And I would do whatever it took to make that a reality, even if it meant jeopardizing everything I held dear.