A Vampire's Muse

Chapter 7

The sun was just beginning to rise, bathing the city in an almost ethereal hue of gold and orange. I’ve always loved the serenity in early mornings when the streets were bright yet void of their usual bustle. The sound of the tree leaves rustling through the wind and the birds chirping made me calm. Well, except today, I wasn’t in the right headspace to appreciate the peace and calm.

I unwrapped my towel, let it fall to the floor and positioned myself in front of the mirror. I stared at my reflection for a few moments, studying the bright red hickeys on my body. Then, as if my reflection was another person, I frowned at myself and muttered, “You idiot.”

Flashbacks of last night ran through my head. I could vividly remember how Calum Reed’s body looked—unexpectedly muscular—and how his moans sounded. My skin tingled as if it had a life of its own and was reminding me how good his touch felt. The memory sent a shiver down my spine.

What happened last night was great, probably even the best I had. I did not regret it at all. But that was the thing…I wasn’t supposed to like it. Clearly, assassinating Calum Reed when he’s at his most vulnerable was now out of question. How could I when I couldn’t even think straight myself?

I picked up my hairbrush and began fixing my hair. It was only when I slicked my hair back did I notice that the spots on my neck where I was bitten last night were gone. I held up a hand to touch my skin but felt not even a sign of a blemish.

Leaning forward towards the mirror to take a closer look, I examined my neck once again. Nothing. It was as if last night didn’t even happen.

“What the hell…” I mumbled under my breath with a confused frown.

My thoughts were interrupted by a loud, disturbed crow outside my window. It was frantically flapping its wings while cawing relentlessly. I jumped in surprise and immediately wrapped my towel around my body once more before heading on over.

When I opened the window, it perched on my sill instantly. I noticed a piece of paper tied around one of its feet. It was yet another sight to be confused about. I wasn’t expecting a letter from anybody at all.

I scattered some seeds for him to snack on before I untied the paper.

Avery dear,

It was rather rude of you to leave me as if I were a mere fling. Return to my manor as soon as you can and bring the clothes you stole from me.

-Cal

I scoffed, crumpling the note as my hand formed into a tight fist. “I was only going to borrow the clothes, not steal them!”

Tilting my head to look over my shoulder, I eyed the pile of clothes I threw on the floor by my bathroom door. My clothes from yesterday were soaked with sweat and had flecks of vampire blood on them, so there was no way I was going to wear them again. Well, that and the fact that his luxurious clothes—made from the finest silk I’ve ever seen—were tempting. But it wasn’t like I wasn’t going to return them afterwards!

The nickname was surprisingly the least of my worries.

“Ugh, if only you weren’t so good in bed, I would’ve—” I cut my sentence short and shook my head. A blush crept up to my cheeks as my mind was once again filled with images from last night. “Whatever.”

I wrote down a short response before tying it onto the crow’s foot. With yet another loud caw, it noisily flapped its wings and flew off to the direction of Calum Reed’s manor.

---

“You’re back.”

I flashed a smile at Jared before fishing out a few copper coins from my pocket. I slid them to him from across the bar. “I am. Also, here you go.”

He stared at the coins and then at me, confusion etched on his face. “This is way too much money for your usual drink.”

“No, that’s payment for the whiskey Kyle took yesterday,” I laughed. “He filled two flasks.”

Jared put down the glass he was wiping dry with a cloth before chucking the money into a drawer. With a sigh, he replied, “You should tell him to stop instead of paying for his stolen drinks every time.”

“It’s fine. He thinks it’s a fun game, and I don’t want to burst his bubble,” I joked.

The bartender opened his mouth to respond when something behind me caught his eye. I turned my stool around and saw Kyle himself marching down the lobby without losing his stare on me. I couldn’t tell whether he was mad or concerned…or both.

I tucked a stray lock of hair behind my ear. When he got within earshot, I had no time to say anything as he suddenly grabbed my wrist and hurriedly dragged me out of the building. I could only stare at the back of his head in worry.

Then, the realization sunk in. He was most likely going to ask about whatever happened yesterday.

He brought me to the alley behind the building, only letting go of my wrist once he trapped me in between himself and the wall. Our close proximity made my heart skip a beat. It didn’t help either that he kept his intense gaze on me, but I was too much of a nervous wreck to maintain eye contact.

“I have so many questions, I don’t know where to start.” My hunch about him being worried and angry at the same time turned out to be correct, based on his tone. “I feel like I panicked way too much that I might’ve been…seeing things,” he trailed off for a moment, most likely momentarily reminiscing about the strange events from yesterday. Then, he snapped out of his thoughts, chuckling at himself as if to remind himself how ludicrous they were, before continuing, “So, I’ll let you explain instead, Avery. Speak.”

We grew up and trained together, but it was the first time I heard him sound so stern like that. “What do you mean?”

My mark burning away at my skin. Calum Reed suddenly barging in to find me. My sickness. It was all too complicated to explain. Not to mention I was also supposed to keep Calum Reed’s real identity a secret if I didn’t want people to think I was crazy.

“You know exactly what I mean,” he placed his hands on either side of my head to make sure I had nowhere to go. “What is going on?”

“Nothing. I was just sick and then I got better now.”

“What about that man? Why was he looking for you?”

I forced a laugh. “Oh, him. Umm…He had a job for me, that’s all.”

He was silent for a few moments, so I slowly and hesitantly turned my head to look at him. He was so close that I could spot the freckles sprinkled along the bridge of his nose and the specks of green in his blue eyes. If I lean in just a tiny bit more, our lips could touch. The thought made my rapid pulse ring in my ears.

But before I fully melted into his eyes, he sighed and stepped back. “You know, Avery, if you’re dating a nobleman, you can tell me. I won’t tell anybody else if you two want to keep it private.”

“What?” My jaw dropped as I stared at him in disbelief, although deep down, I was also glad that he seemingly decided to dismiss my steaming skin as a mere hallucination brought about by his panic.

“That man yesterday was your lover, right?” Kyle shrugged. “You two seemed like you missed each other badly. Didn’t you tell him you were sick?”

I was speechless for a few moments before I finally got my bearings back. The last thing I wanted was for Kyle to think I was Calum Reed’s lover, but I guess it was a more plausible explanation than telling him that he was a vampire and I was his personal blood bank.

“Oh, right,” I chuckled and raised my hands in mock surrender. “You got me.”

He laughed with me. “You could never keep a secret from me, Avery. I know you.”

“Yes, of course.”

He wrapped his arms around me and patted my head. “I’m happy for you.”

“Thank you,” I replied in a soft voice. I let myself relax into his embrace, but my heart throbbed painfully in my chest. I already knew a long time ago that I had no chance to be with Kyle the way I wanted to, but it hurt a lot more than I thought to hear how happy he was about me being with another man.

“Look,” he pulled away from the hug, but his hands remained on my shoulders. “If he makes you cry, I will interfere. Got it?”

“You don’t have to do that,” I chuckled.

“No, I have to!” Then, he stepped closer to hug me once more. “You’re like a sister to me. I can’t let a man break your heart.”

I laughed at the irony.