He kept his eyes locked on mine as he let his face step by step return to human structure. His face took on the standard human surface, his teeth retreated to the typical size of a man's teeth, and his crimson eyes gradually got back to the right shade of green. He made one stride nearer to me and grinned however this time, I shouted with all the breath left in my lungs. Sufficiently uproarious to shock my mom back to the real world. Adequately boisterous to wake Balrus whose drowsy eyes unexpectedly showed up as he looked at us from over the steps.

"I disdain you," I shouted. I mixed to my feet, coincidentally found the kitchen, out the secondary passage, and into my mom's nursery. Also, when I had run sufficiently far, I tumbled to my knees and sobbed.

Seven years later

 I gave up on my mother after lingering briefly on the front steps of my high school.Despite her promise to pick me up, she wasn't coming.She never paid attention to me.As I put the hood on, I nervously crammed my hands into the pockets of my jacket.Even though it was freezing outside, I still enjoyed walking.I rarely became cold.It seemed as though my body's heat always kept me warm.

I made my way out of the school grounds and into the boreal forest that was nearby.High up in the sky were enormous mixed spruce trees.The scent of the trees delighted me.It smelled like petrichor and Christmas.A woodsy candle that matched the distinctive and organic scent of the forest was impossible to find.

As Steller's Jays chirped among the tree limbs, my black Converse shoes sank into the damp soil.The approaching polar night caused the sun to set continuously throughout the day.Before being trapped in a few months of blue darkness, this marked the final 24 hours of sunlight.

I didn't care that it was risky to roam the forest alone, especially without a rifle or other means of protection from the dangerous wildlife that lived there.Because I had nothing to lose in the event that a wolf decided to kill me, I didn't hesitate to take the chance.Valerian would not be able to hold me accountable for a minor mishap.

However, he could blame my parents for failing to safeguard me.

My family.the people who erroneously sold me for their son's life.In this situation, I tried to see myself as a hero, but that didn't help the pain of my depression.There was a reason why my parents hated me, but it had nothing to do with anything I could control.I was astonished when they finally told me the truth about my real father, but I also felt like a lot of the details were left out.They only gave me the fundamentals:He was a vicious vampire who hated my mother.There is nothing more or less.Since they informed me the day I was traded to Valerian, they have not discussed the matter.The back of a hand was imprinted on my face whenever I asked a more in-depth question about my father over the years.I finally gave up.He would have made himself known if he really wanted me to know him and cared about me, and if he was mean to my mother, maybe it was best that I didn't meet him.I didn't require a third parent to smother and despise me.It turned out that I resembled my father in every way, and my presence brought back painful memories for my mother.Despite my understanding, it did not give her permission to continue her previous attacks on me.It appeared as though she was abusing me in order to get even with him.

It broke my heart to learn that Sirius wasn't my biological father, but it made sense.When he realized that we didn't look alike, he had glared at me.Although he had initially accepted me as his own, he turned into a hypocrite when he discovered I was half-vampire.It provided an explanation for my oddly expanded canines, which extended a little bit too far from my other teeth.The bullies at school were particularly interested in my teeth.They advised me to visit a dentist to have them removed, and they referred to me as a "little vampire" (if only they had known how accurate they were).I refused to smile because their words made me feel so self-conscious about my teeth.At first, I didn't smile all that much.Every aspect of my life had been a circus.Why would that make me happy?

Sirius completely withdrew from me when he discovered the truth about my life's origins.He projected his hatred toward me because he has a painful past with vampires.Again, something I had no control over.Something that I was not a part of, but he thought I was like them because I had vampire blood in my veins.Cold, ruthless, and thirsty for blood, ready to eat the next innocent person I saw.But because I still ate human food and never craved human blood, I didn't think that was how it worked.Perhaps it was a situation related to maturity.Perhaps that was the reason Valerian desired me on my 18th birthday.

Oh, crap.Was I going to develop a bloodlust and begin to hunt down innocent people?Before my anxiety took over, I quickly dismissed the idea.

The familiar path that I had traveled alone a thousand times as a child led me deeper into the forest.I was captivated by every nook and cranny on this path, which always led straight to my house.Without missing a step, I could walk with my eyes closed.

A large number of swans were taking a bath in the Chena River as I turned around a sharp turn, and the trees opened up to it.They were my favorite kind of animal because of their stunning beauty.As I made my way toward the riverbank, I reached into my backpack in search of some leftover crackers.I tossed them into the water after breaking them up into small pieces.The swans paddled eagerly toward me and ate the bread crumbs.As they swam together and craned their necks, I felt at ease and content, but as the beautiful birds scurried off in a hurry and began to sink further into the river, that feeling quickly faded.I quickly turned around when I heard branches snapping.My throat was closing in on a scream, and I gasped.I was only a few feet away from a large brown bear sitting on his hind legs.It was probably one of the few remaining survivors making its way to its den to hibernate.As it watched me intently, my feet were firmly planted in the dirt.I wanted to run, but I was pinned against the river, and I couldn't swim well enough to risk it.I prayed that the bear wouldn't see me as a threat and would move on, but I was naturally cursed with bad luck and bad omens.As it sped up its assault on me, the bear let out a ferocious growl.As my brain frantically considered which way I should run, my heart sank to the bottom of my stomach.I simply fell to the ground, cradled my knees in my chest, and covered my head with my arms because I didn't know what else to do.A familiar growl roared in front of me as a sudden gust of wind passed me.I squinted uncomfortably at the present circumstance.In front of me, Valerian stood defensively as the bear stopped suddenly.

To me, his arrival seemed illogical.Since his annual visit the year before my birthday, I hadn't seen him.When he arrived, his presence captivated me and relieved me of the ongoing conflict between my heart and mind.He wore dark blue jeans that perfectly hugged his curves, a black shirt with a tight fit, and a black leather jacket.I had the urge to drown in his light, but I had to control myself from doing so.In order to ensure that his illness had not recurred, he went through the usual medical examination with Balrus.My parents then left us alone in the living room so we could talk and get used to each other.I was more abrupt with him than usual.The uncontrollable sensual tension that crept up my thighs and caused me to clench my legs tightly together was something I laid on him for.He whispered, "it's almost time," tilted his head seductively, stared at me, andHis voice made it sound like he was so hungry and eager for the terrible future.My words became constrained in my voice box, and all I could do was let out an erotic whimper of tension.I couldn't help but picture his arms around me as he grabbed a ball of my hair and pulled me up to his lips during our conversation last year.I was embarrassed to admit that I craved him at times.I blamed my adolescent heart for its absurd longing for him, and I hated him for the way he made me feel.

He said his goodbye to me the same way he had in previous years before he left.He kissed my birthmark on the wrist gently, which caused heat to creep up my skin.The heat got stronger and more exhilarating with each passing year.

I forced myself to concentrate on the situation in front of me and pushed the embarrassing memory out of my mind.

As Valerian exhaled, his adrenaline-filled breaths caused his shoulders to rise and fall.What I was seeing was beyond belief.He wasn't crumbling to ashes; rather, he was burning inside.It was captivating and beautiful.I stood to look, but Valerian stopped me.

He ordered, "Don't move," and his red eyes remained fixed on the bear.The bear backed away after a while and fled into the thicket of the trees.

With a palm outstretched, Valerian turned to face me.He graciously lifted me from the ground after I reluctantly accepted.

He raised his head and asked, "Are you insane?This is where you're going to get killed.

“I’ve been walking these trails for years and this is the first time I have been confronted by a bear,”

 I scoffed as I dusted the dirt off of my skinny jeans.

"You are reckless," I said.

"Well, put the blame on my mother for not picking me up from school for the ten thousandth time in a row," she replied.

She must be keeping an eye on you.Maintaining your health is in her best interest.As a flame burst from his green eyes, his jaw dropped.As I lifted my bag off the ground and twisted my arms through the straps, I grinned.