Jason hadn’t been expecting to see Selene. Half of him was thrilled, while the other half of him had been hoping never to see her again. Vampyres were never wholly accepted into society, and if his family ever found out, they would not be happy. His father might understand, but his mother, not too much.

Watching her sleep, he thought about waking her. Looking over at the clock, he noted the time. Dawn was in five hours; she could sleep a little longer.

Jason didn’t know what to think of her, didn’t know exactly how he felt or what exactly it was that he was feeling. When she had first tried to feed on him, she had said two things had caught her off guard.

Selene could see his thoughts but not taste and take them, and he looked like someone she had known a very long time ago. Jason had been prepared to kill her, but like her, when faced with what she looked like, he hadn’t been able to move. She was beautiful.

Slinking away to his light blue bathroom, Jason splashed his face with cold, refreshing water.

“What have you gotten yourself into, Jason?” he asked his reflection

“I wouldn’t worry about it.” Jason spun around, slamming his hands on the porcelain sink counter behind him. His heart was going a hundred miles a second.

“Will you please stop doing that!”

“My apologies,” she said with a slight smile. Calming down, he watched her look over her shoulder towards the living room. “I caught sight of your assignment. It’s incorrect.” Jason walked past her and picked up his paper from the coffee table.

“Not according to my books.”

“Politics,” she scoffed. “They didn’t bring down the barriers in peace. In fact, the Council had nothing to do with it whatsoever.” Selene grabbed the top book on the stack on the coffee table and flipped through the pages mindlessly. “Oh, what a waste of paper. This is all—”

“My father is part of the council, Selene.”

“Congrats to you,” she said, dropping the book back onto the table with a loud thump, “this is all still lies.”

“Fine then, you tell me what happened then?”

Jason watched her purple eyes sparkle as her face lit up with a radiant smile. “I brought down the barrier. I had the power and the blessing of She of the Light. Report that and see what kind of a grade you get.” Jason grabbed a notebook and dug through the coffee table drawers for a pen. Once settled, he met her gaze evenly.

“All right then, talk.”

***

Jason sat in class, staring blankly at the board. He didn’t mind school but was thankful it was his final year at the University. But as he saw the time click by, he found himself thinking of the night and of Selene. The latter was the problem. He was spending more time with Selene than with his own girlfriend.

Jason could see the fury in her light brown eyes of late. He felt terrible, but things had become complicated since he met Selene. Woe onto him, he thought to himself, quoting his favorite poem.

The bell chimed, and he was eager to rush out. That was until his Professor called him to a halt. He adjusted his bag on his shoulder and walked back to her vast oak desk, past his fellow classmates who rushed by him.

“Yes, Professor?”

“Here’s your paper,” she said, returning it to him. “I gave you an A+. I must know, though, how did you know this?”

Jason took his paper, almost bursting into laughter. Selene had not lied. “My, uh, father, he discussed it with me.”

“Hmm, he shouldn’t have.” She looked at him thoughtfully. “I must ask you to not discuss this with anyone. I hope you understand.”

“Oh, uh, yes, I guess I do.”

“Good.” She smiled and looked at the paper in his hand. “I’m glad he was able to recount everything about Selene. She was a good woman.”

“You knew her?”

His Professor laughed. “Oh, my dear boy, indeed I did. She left an impression on all of us. She was strong, willful, and quite brilliant in terms of magic. Not to mention, she was exceptionally beautiful, thoughtful, and quite wise for one so young. I often wonder if she is still alive.” She looked past him, love in her eyes. “I wonder about her brother as well.”

“She has—had a brother?”

“Oh yes. His name was Eris.” Her eyes glazed over. “He was a good man.” She shook her head and smiled at her relived memories. “Tell your father I said hello, Jason.” He turned her back to him, her honey-gold wings fluttered as she began to tidy up her desk. Jason left the room, looking back only a few times to see if she was all right. He noted that she was distracted as she reorganized the same pile of papers two to three times.

Jason had just stepped out the door when he heard someone call his name. He looked down the bustling hallway. Heading towards him was Miranda, his girlfriend. Her brown eyes glared into his. Jason leaned against the wall and waited for her to get closer. Like him, she was a Touched Born. She was not, however, one of the Noble Bloods, like himself. She was striking, with her brown hair that fell like waves down her shoulders, shimmering in the sunlight, with high cheekbones. However, her beauty was currently marred by her obvious fury.

“You’re hiding something.”

“Hello Miranda. You look beautiful today.” He leaned forward to kiss the top of her head only to have her shove him back into the wall.

“I’m surprised. I’ve hardly seen you in the last two months. Now, what are you hiding? I can see it all over your aura. What are you hiding?”

Jason sighed. “I am entitled to my secrets.”

“Not in a relationship, you’re not.”

“I’m not having this argument again.” Jason moved his hand through his blond hair and let out a sigh.

“Then tell me what you’re hiding. You’re keeping a secret. You’re not allowed to keep secrets. It’s not fair!”

Rubbing his temples, he looked down at her. “Miranda, I will not have this stupid, pointless argument again. I love you. Why isn’t that enough for you? Does it mean anything to you?”

“No…I mean, yes. Look, it’s hard, okay. I see you, and I see your aura, and it bothers me to know that there is something you can’t or won’t tell me.” She wiped away at her cheeks, at the imaginary tears that had not fallen.

“Miranda, this is nothing against you. I just don’t want to talk about it. Besides, talking about it doesn’t guarantee it’ll go away.” Jason took her face in his hands. “Miranda, I love you, and I love that you care, but please, if or when I want to talk about it, I will.” Jason bent down to kiss her. She tasted like cherries.

“Very well.” She laced her arm through his and pulled him along. “So, have you heard?”

“Heard what?” he asked, letting her pull him along.

“One of our classmates got attacked by a Vampyre a few days ago.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I’m guessing it was one of those Vampyres living on the town’s outskirts.”

“Why?” he asked, trying to control his emotions.

“Because it’s part of their so-called ‘code.’ They attack and feed and take away the thoughts and memories of the attack.”

“So how do you know she was attacked if she doesn’t remember?”

“Her neck silly. She woke up in her car. Her neck was sore, so she checked it out, and low and behold, two puncture wounds.”

“I wonder why the Vampyres do that.”

“Who knows? Someone really should do something about those Vampyres, though. They’re a menace.”

Jason stiffened. “I don’t think so.”

“Why not? All Vampyres are a menace. We are food to them for the love of all that it bright.”

“I don’t think so,” he said softly.

“Why?”

“Didn’t you see the news the other night?”

“Yeah, so,” she began with an eye roll, “what does that have to do with anything?”

“You know how the Vampyres work. That was the Vampyre who had killed those people. He was reported to be dead. Murdered, burned, and beheaded. No Witch could have done that. Shadowlings couldn’t care less. A Vampyre did that. We’re not just food to them. They respect us. They respect life. They respect that we are all living beings with souls and lives, Miranda. We’re more than food to them.” Jason stood there and stared at her. He noted the look in her eyes. She was reading into his aura. Jason dug into her mind. She suspected that he knew more than he was telling her. Jason calmed himself.

“What aren’t you telling me?”

“Something that doesn’t concern you.” Jason pulled away from her. “Stop reading my aura. I don’t read your thoughts whenever the hell I want, so just stop. Why can’t you just trust me?” Jason saw the hurt in her eyes, but for some reason, for once, he just didn’t care.