Blood on Fire

Chapter16

How is she in the building? Into my apartment? Vampires couldn't enter without permission, right? That's what all the stories said. That's what I believed. I stared at her, piecing things together. Then she glanced at me with a small smirk, like she could read my mind.

“Seriously, human? You don’t remember?” Veronica’s voice was half amused, half annoyed as she leaned against my kitchen counter, arms folded like she owned the place.

I blinked at her, still confused, heart pounding from the way she just walked into my apartment like she had the key. The room was dim, and her presence filled it like smoke. "How did you even get in here? I never invited you."

A knowing smirk curled on her lips. “You don’t remember letting me in?”

I shook my head, still trying to understand. “No. Stephen was the one who brought me home that night.”

She slowly started walking toward me, heels clicking lightly against the floor. I backed away without realizing it, until my back hit the wall. My breath hitched. Veronica stopped just inches from my face. Her scent hit me like a wave, sweet roses mixed with wine. My knees weakened. There was something in her eyes that made me forget how to think, how to breathe.

“You were drunk,” Veronica said softly, her voice low, like a secret we only shared. “Before Stephen arrived that night… I was the one who brought you home.”

I blinked at her, confused.

“You kept muttering about revenge,” she continued, her gaze never leaving mine. “About the monster who murdered your parents and brother.” Her words struck deep, and my heart started to pound.

“The bartender…” I said slowly, trying to make sense of it. “Stephen called, and he answered. How?”

Veronica gave a slow, sly smile. “Oh, that?” She shrugged like it was no big deal. “I told him to do it.”

I stared at her. “You told him?” My voice wavered. “But… how would he even listen to you?”

She leaned in slightly, and for a second, the air felt heavier, charged.

“Because I compelled him,” she said, her voice suddenly sharp and cold, like ice running down my spine.

My breath caught.

Veronica tilted her head, her eyes glowing faintly in the dim light. “It’s one of our tricks. Look into someone’s eyes deep enough… and they’ll forget, obey, or remember whatever we want them to.”

I stood frozen.

She leaned in even closer, our noses nearly touching. I could feel the warmth of her breath on my lips, taste the wine lingering in the air.

“Still don’t remember?” she whispered, a teasing glint in her eyes.

“W-what are you talking about?” I asked, voice shaking. But a flicker of memory returned me stumbling on the sidewalk, someone holding me up, lips brushing against mine. I had thought it was a dream.

She smiled, reading my face. “How about this?”

Then she kissed me.

Soft but sure. Warm. Bold.

Time stopped.

A rush of heat exploded in my chest. My thoughts vanished as if someone had hit a switch and turned them all off. Her lips moved slowly against mine, and for one dizzy second, I let her.

Then it hit me. The memory. That night. The wine. The roses.

It was her.

She was the one who stole my first kiss.

I gasped and pushed her back, breath ragged. My heart thundered in my chest.

“What the hell is wrong with you?!” I shouted.

She stepped back a little, casually fixing her jacket like nothing had happened.

“Now you remember,” she said with a shrug. “My bad.”

I clenched my fists, trying to calm the fire inside me.

“Get out,” I growled.

She didn’t move.

“I said, get out of my apartment!” My voice cracked from the emotion boiling up, confusion, anger, betrayal… and something I didn’t want to name.

Veronica chuckled lightly, completely unbothered. “Relax, human. It was just a kiss. Not the end of the world.”

I stared at her like she’d grown horns. She turned toward the door, then paused.

Her voice dropped into something colder, deeper.

“Be careful, Selene.” I blinked. That was the first time she’d said my name.

She looked at me over her shoulder, the teasing smirk gone. Her face was unreadable, but her eyes, those haunting, siren eyes, were serious.

“The one who’s controlling people like Wendy... they’re not done yet. And they’re closer than you think.”

Then she vanished. Just like that. Like smoke. Gone.

And I stood there, stunned, my heart still racing from her kiss, her warning echoing in my mind.

What just happened?

Now I stood under the shower, letting the hot water pour over me like it could wash away everything, her kiss, her words, the chaos in my head. But no matter how long I stayed there, it wouldn’t.

My fingers slowly traced over my lips.

I couldn’t believe I’d let her do that. Veronica. A vampire. A woman. The same woman who stole my first kiss, and then had the nerve to do it again like it was nothing. Like it belonged to her.

God, my blood boiled just thinking about it.

How did she get under my skin like that? I should’ve pushed her away the second she leaned in. But I didn’t. I froze. I let her kiss me. And even worse, some part of me... didn’t hate it.

I clenched my fists.

“This is insane,” I muttered.

But it wasn’t just the kiss. It was everything. My life was flipped upside down. Stephen lied to me. Vampires walking in the daylight. Friends turning into threats. And Veronica, always two steps ahead, always smirking like she knew things I didn’t.

I tilted my head back, water soaking my hair.

Then my thoughts shifted to Wendy.

What was going to happen to her? Was she safe now? Or was whatever dark force controlling her still out there, waiting?

No. Not waiting.

Hunting.

Stephen said the one behind all this, the thrall-master, was close. And tomorrow, we'll face them. Whoever they were. Whatever they were. I took a deep breath, steam filling my lungs.

People were getting hurt. Innocent people. Like Wendy.

And I wouldn’t let anyone else die or become a monster, not on my watch.