bChapter /bb194 /b

    834b%/bb25 /b

    Haider’s POV:

    I could feel her eyes on me, even as I spoke to Archie about what to do with the money I had won. It was a bizarre feeling. Her words were on a constant loop in my mind.

    My focus was on her, the small figure in ck who had managed to rattle me more in five minutes than any opponent ever had.

    “You know what to do,” I said to Archie, my voice calm as I patted his back.

    He quirked a brow, a hint of yful mockery in his expression. “You sure you won’t keep any of it? Man, what a Gary Stu.” Heughed, the sound loud and infectious, but I knew he wasn’t actually making fun of me. It was his way of acknowledging my absurdly generous habit of donating my winnings ito /ithe local orphanages.

    “Orphanage Persephone again?” Archie asked as he pulled out his phone. He had already memorized the bank ount number, the transaction a familiar, routine thing for him now. I nodded, not paying any attention anymore. My eyes were already fixed on the figure in ck, who had turned her back on me.

    “Hey, I’m gonna leave, okay? You handle things here,” I said, already on my way. He seemed taken aback, his phone half- raised.

    “Only one race?” he asked, a hint of disappointment in his voice.

    “I don’t have time. University tomorrowi,/ii” /iI lied, waving a dismissive hand.

    I was already on my way to Ro–no, Sienna. I corrected myself. She had put her helmet back on.

    Just as I reached her, she finished talking to whoever she was on call with. She turned to face me, the nk visor a window into nothing. I couldn’t help the smile that stretched on my face, a confident, teasing grin.

    “So… how about a dinner date while we talk?” I asked, my voice low. I was joking, of course. I expected her to reject me, to scoff, or to simply walk away. But what came out of her mouth then stunned me.

    “Alright. Let’s go to the restaurant near my ce.” Her voice was t, devoid of any emotion, but the words were a shock to my system. I tilted my head, my smile fading.

    “Are you… going to drink my blood again?” I asked. It was a stupid, reckless thing to say, but I couldn’t help myself. Well, it would be quite stupid of me to just go along with her “near her ce” knowing what she was.

    My logical side reminded me of dad’s warning. But my body was rooted to the spot, a strange, electric anticipation coiling in my gut. Right now, I felt confident because there was a crowd behind us, a small, safe distance between us and the world. But if I left with her… who knew what would happen?

    “You’re afraid?” she questioned, her voice almost like she was teasing. But there was no lilt to it, no hint of a smile. It was a simple, t question. But I didn’t deny it. “Should I not be? Only an idiot wouldn’t be afraid.” She seemed to be a creature of blunt truths, and so I would be one,

    too.

    She sighed then, the sound soft and weary thing. “Alright, you can pick then. Let’s leave this ce, though. We can’t talk

    b15:29 /bbThu/bb, /b18 Sept

    here. And also-

    She walked closer, her body a small, menacing shadow. She grabbed my cor, her fingers a surprisingly firm grip on the fabric, and pulled me down. The action was so sudden, so intimate, that my breath hitched in my throat. I could feel the heat radiating from her body, a strange, electric warmth. The scent of roses, so faint in the alley, was a powerful, heady

    perfume now.

    “Stop speaking about that stuff so loudly,” she whispered, her voice a low, raspy sound that sent a jolt of pleasure and fear down my spine.

    I quirked my brow, a yful glint in my eyes. “Drinking blood?” I whispered back, my voice so low it was almost a hum..

    She sighed again, the sound a mix of exasperation and a strange, grudging eptance. “Yes.”

    “Alright. Whatever you say, Lisichka,” I said, a slow, knowing smile on my lips. The word, a nickname in Russian for little fox, had juste to me. It suited her perfectly. Although, I wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was the eyes?

    I pulled away with a grin, leaving her with her thoughts. As I waved and walked to my car, I could feel her eyes on me.

    She’d gone stiff for only a moment before following behind me and making her way to her own car. From there, I sped out. She followed, her car a silent shadow in my rearview mirror. I decided to make my way toward the twenty–four–hour diner I frequented after races. What better way to wind down than with a steaming mug of chai and a te of greasy waffles and pancakes?

    Fortunately, she didn’t wear the damn helmet inside the diner. The bright, fluorescent lights of the diner and the chatter of thete–night crowd seemed to make her ufortable, and I watched her from the corner of my eye as she took it off. Her jet–ck hair fell around her shoulders, and her face, so pale and so hauntingly beautiful, was exposed. We took our ce at a corner table, a safe, quiet space in the loud, boisterous diner. The ce was mostly full with chatter, a cacophony of sound even at thiste at night, so there wasn’t a high chance of people overhearing us.

    “Shall we order something first-“I cut myself off before frowning and leaning down closer to her. The scent of roses hitting me again. My throat went dry. I thought this every time. But she really smelled good. Wasn’t it unfair? Wasn’t she a vampire, a creature of blood and death? Why didn’t she smell like blood? And death?

    Her eyes, those beautiful, unreadable onyx pools, shot to me then with a frown as she asked, “You can order whatever.”

    “Oh… I was just going to ask if iyou /iknow… can you eat human food?” I whispered thest part.

    She stiffened, her ibody /igoing rigid. She scoffed, a dry, humorless sound, and answered. “Yes. I can.”

    “Oh.” I pulled back. “That’s great, then. The chai here is to die for. And the pancakes are good too.” I noticed her pursing her lips, a slight, almost imperceptible nod.

    After I finished ordering, the old waitress left with a smile and a nod. I turned to look at her. She’d already had her eyes glued to me, her expression a nk te.

    “iAm /iI handsome?” I asked, a teasing lilt to my voice. It was a test. A way to see if she would break her cool, indifferent facade.

    She nodded to my surprise instead of shying away or just scoffing. “Subjectively. Yes.” She said.

    b15:29 /bThu, 18 Sept

    I hooked my brow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

    “You talk like a yboy. It takes away from your handsomeness,” she said matter of factly, shrugging her shoulders and looking out the window.

    I froze. A yboy. Yeah, people had told me that before. But… “I don’t usually speak this frankly with others,” I said with a frown. And it was the truth. No one intrigued me like her. No one was worth the effort before.

    “Let’s get to the point here,” she said, her voice cutting through my thoughts like a knife. She set her hand lightly on the table, her back straightening. “Tell me exactly what you remember from that night. Because as a human… you shouldn’t remember what happened.”

    I pursed my lips. “Why not? And… what are you going to do if I tell you? Wait.” I paused, the thought urring to me then. “Can you also erase memories?”

    She shook her head. “No, I can’t.”

    My frown deepened. “Well… then are you going to kill me?” I asked, the words a quiet, simple question.

    She paused, her gaze locking with mine. “I don’t know what kind of movies or TV series you’ve been watching… but it’s not that serious. You knowing is strange, but it doesn’t warrant anyone killing you…

    33

    I nodded. “But what if I told someone about it?”

    Her gaze shifted then, a quick, almost imperceptible nce over my shoulder, before she looked at me and down. Her eyes, those beautiful, dark things, seemed to be sizing me up, weighing my worth. Wow. You could really tell what she was thinking now. ‘Is he stupid?‘ was stered all over her forehead.

    “No one would believe you. Even if they do… you aren’t influential enough to have your own army of people to go against our kind. Unless you n on taking over your grandfather’s mafia. Which I highly doubt.”

    I stiffened then at her words.

    “Wait. My grandfather? You know who I am?” I questioned.

    AD

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