My Aunt stood on the front steps as I was escorted up the property by two towering men. One looked like he was chiseled out of stone by the gods themselves, his muscles hard and imposing. The other, by the looks of him, was definitely a first-generation hunter. Tall, slightly muscular, but not much else to be desired. When I glanced up at my aunt's face, the disappointment was clear. The sternest in her expression made me feel like a small child once again, caught and reprimanded.
My aunt is tall, with an air of authority that commands respect without needing to speak. Her sharp features are framed by dark, straight hair that falls neatly to her shoulders, always kept perfectly in place. Her eyes are cold and calculating, a piercing shade of blue that seems to see straight through anyone she looks at. She carries herself with the poise of someone used to being in control, her posture always straight, her movements deliberate. The lines of her face are stern, her jaw set firmly, as if she's always preparing for something to go wrong.
She wears a look of unwavering discipline, the kind of person who doesn't believe in second chances. When she speaks, it's with a voice that leaves no room for argument, carrying the weight of years spent training and leading. But behind the harsh exterior, there's a flicker of something deeper—something protective, though never shown easily.
"Explain yourself." She said with a scowl and her arms firmly crossed.
"I have nothing to explain, I was catching up on my missed lectures with Professor Corvin." I decided that I needed to skirt as closely to the truth as I could. "I was studying in the library for half the day and lost track of time. When I met up with professor Corvin he invited me to his office to go over missing material. I do want to get decent grades in college. You know for my future."
"And that future has changed. You were supposed to drop out of that school. We talked about this, Elizabeth." My aunt scolds, her voice sharp and disapproving. "You're no longer going to be needing a career, as your only job will be to be a good and loyal wife."
"That's a load of shit." I screamed. "You can't force me to marry anyone, and you certainly can't force me to have any of their children."
"Go…to…your…room." She said with a hot anger that made me cower.
"Fine, but this isn't over." I screamed before marching inside and up the stairs to my room.
As I laid there on my bed, my mind spun with the weight of everything that had just happened. A vampire. A true vampire. I still couldn't wrap my head around it. Corvin. My unremarkable professor who dressed like he belonged in the 70s, with his vintage sweaters and round glasses. A joke, really, if you looked at him at a glance. But I had learned the hard way not to trust appearances.
I couldn't have guessed, no, I never would have guessed, that behind that mild-mannered, almost comical façade, was something far darker. A predator. A master of deception. A creature from the shadows. And I, a foolish, naïve student, had played right into his hands. I had stepped into his world without knowing the rules, without understanding the cost, and had nearly paid with my life.
But there was more to it than just that. The more I thought about it, the more it unsettled me. Was he planning to kill me tonight, or had that all been part of the game? He said he planned to change me, to turn me into something else, something like him. Or was it more likely that he had just been toying with me, like a cat with a mouse, testing the waters to see how far he could push? Was I just a plaything to him?
No.
I knew better. I sensed better. The way he had looked at me in those final moments, with that darkness in his eyes, told me everything. It wasn't just a sick game it was more primal than that. If the society hadn't shown up on campus grounds when they did, I had no doubt in my mind he would have taken my life. Whether that meant changing me into something... else, or draining me dry, I couldn't say. But he wanted me. My blood. My life.
And that realization hit me harder than anything else. I wasn't just a curious student to him. I wasn't some pet or accessory to be collected. No. He wanted me in a way that was far more dangerous, far more personal. The thought made my skin crawl.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. This wasn't over. It couldn't be. The game was far from finished, and the rules had just changed.
The minutes dragged on like hours, stretching thin as I tried to process everything that had happened. I couldn't stop replaying the conversation with my aunt in my head, the harshness of her words, the weight of the decision that was forced upon me. The words sacrificial lamb kept echoing in my mind, and I couldn't shake the feeling that I was standing at the edge of a cliff, with nowhere to go but down.
After a few hours trying to force sleep I got up out of bed and began to pace. The room felt suffocating, as I paced back and forth, my steps heavy and uncertain. My fingers instinctively reached for the bookshelf, brushing the spines of the books that had once been my escape, now just another reminder of the life I couldn't live.
I moved toward the window, unable to continue my pacing. The night outside seemed vast, but also closed in, like it was holding its breath, waiting for something to happen. The street below was empty, no signs of movement, no sign of him. Still, I couldn't shake the unease creeping under my skin, that feeling that his eyes were still on me, even from a distance.
I let out a slow breath, pressing my hands against the cool glass, feeling the chill of the night seep into my bones. Maybe I was imagining things. Maybe I was just overthinking. But I couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to this, more to what Corvin had planned for me.
I stood there, staring out into the dark, until time seemed to bend, stretching the seconds into a tangled mess of uncertainty and dread. I wanted to scream, to break free from this cage I had been placed in, but no words came. Only the deep, gnawing sense that whatever came next, I wasn't ready for it.
I stared out my bedroom window, scanning the street below for any sign that he was watching the house. My fingers tightened on the windowsill as my thoughts raced. A sudden shift in the air made me freeze. I felt a presence behind me, and my breath caught as I spun around, fists raised.
But it wasn't him.
My aunt stood in the doorway, balancing a plate of food in her hands. Her face was drawn with the kind of weariness that made my chest tighten, though I wouldn't admit it.
"I brought you something to eat," she said quietly, crossing the room to set the plate on my nightstand.
"How generous of you," I shot back, the sarcasm sharp enough to make her flinch. "Starving me doesn't fit your ethics anymore?"
Her lips tightened. "Elizabeth, we wouldn't have to go to such measures if you didn't force our hand the other night." Her voice was calm but carried that familiar parental sternness meant to force compliance.
It only made me angrier.
"So what, you think locking me up until it's time to marry is keeping me safe?" I spat, taking a step closer.
She stiffened, her hands clasping together as though bracing for an argument. "Elizabeth, it is your duty, and you should wear it with pride," she scolded.
I laughed, bitter and unrestrained. "It's the twenty-first century. This isn't the Dark Ages, and it's not some backwater tradition. I have rights."
Her eyes narrowed, the weariness giving way to a harder edge. "If you were anyone else, I might agree with you. But you're a hunter. You were born into this life. That means you have obligations to your clan, to your lineage, to the survival of us all."
Her words slammed into me, but I didn't flinch.
"You mean my duty is to play the sacrificial lamb? Lay down my arms and become a broodmare for the next generation? For what? So you can sleep better at night knowing the bloodline's intact?" I snapped.
Her jaw tightened, and her gaze softened in a way that made my stomach twist. "It's not about me, Elizabeth. It's about all of us. The survival of the clan demands it."
I shook my head, backing away from her. "Then the clan's doomed."
The silence that followed was suffocating, broken only by the soft scrape of the plate against the wood as she pushed it closer.
"Eat something," she said, her voice quieter now. "You'll need your strength."
And with that, she turned and walked out, leaving me alone with the stifling weight of her words, and the scent of food I didn't want to touch.
I stared at the food for a few minutes before finally reaching for a piece of toast. If I was going to escape this place, I'd need my strength—and a solid plan. The spaghetti and garlic toast disappeared quickly, the food fueling both my body and my determination. Then I returned to the window, my gaze combing the darkness for any sign of him. I could sense his presence, lingering just beyond reach. But where was he?
"I need to get out of here," I murmured, the words barely audible as if saying them louder might shatter my resolve. "Help me."
A subtle shift in the air sent a shiver down my spine, and then I felt a hand rest lightly on my shoulder. I spun around, my heart pounding, and to my shock and disbelief, it was him, Professor Corvin.
"How?" I whispered.
"I'm not here, not really," he said with a warm smile. "A mere projection, but I am not far."
"They've locked me up here," I said, frustration edging my tone. "I thought about breaking a window and jumping, but I'm sure I'd break a leg from the fall."
He nodded, his expression thoughtful. "I'm sure you're right."
"I can't believe I'm asking this," I continued, resolve hardening in my voice. "But I need your help. Get me the hell out of here."
I walked to the window, the soft creak of the frame echoing in the quiet room. No bars, no chains. It had never been about the physical barriers; they were never there. The world outside had always been open to me—at least, in theory. But this... this was different. I could see it now—the dark sky stretched out before me, the distant echo of waves crashing against rocks, the cool, biting air that promised something both dangerous and freeing.
I gripped the edge of the window, the coldness of the wood grounding me in the moment. The drop below seemed impossibly far, but the feeling of being locked in this place, in this life, was far worse.
"You're insane," I muttered, barely hearing my own voice as I leaned out, looking at the ground below. The wind tugged at my hair, biting at my skin.
Corvin's presence behind me felt like a weight, but his words were light, almost teasing. "Perhaps," he said, that infuriating smirk still pulling at his lips. "Make your choice, society or freedom."
The word freedom lingered in my mind, and I shook my head slightly. I had always thought of freedom as something abstract, like a distant dream. But now it was here, real and terrifying, just outside the window. The world outside was so vast, so unknown.
"But what kind of freedom?" I asked before I could stop myself, my voice coming out quieter than I intended.
His gaze darkened, and for the first time, I saw a hint of something else in his eyes—something more than amusement, something more like understanding. "The kind where you are not bound by the rules of the world you thought you knew," he said, his voice low, controlled, and almost too calm. "The kind where you answer only to yourself... and to me, if I so choose."
My breath caught in my chest, the words hanging between us, heavy and strange. What did he mean by that? What was he really offering? This wasn't just an escape—it was a step into something new, something that felt like it could swallow me whole.
I looked out the window again, my mind racing. Freedom. I'd always imagined it, but could I really take it? Could I really leave behind everything I knew? The safety, the rules, the certainty, even if it was a cage?
"I need to know what I'm getting myself into," I said, more to myself than to him, the doubt creeping in, but I wasn't sure if I wanted the answer.
Corvin stepped closer, his presence overwhelming in the quiet of the room. "You'll find out soon enough," he murmured, his voice like velvet, like a promise wrapped in darkness.
I swallowed hard, knowing there was no turning back now.
Without another word, I stepped forward, letting the cool air fill my lungs. The drop below was still there, still looming, but it didn't matter anymore. I had made my choice.
And with that, I jumped.