Page 54 of BLOOD LUST | YANDERE VAMPIRES

THE SUN HAD BARELY CRESTED OVER THE SCHOOL WHEN SHE SLIPPED BACK INTO HER DORM.

The hallway was hushed, thick with the lingering quiet of early morning. Not even the birds dared to chirp this high up. Y/N's footsteps were slow and cautious, as though any louder thud of her boots against the stone floor might summon ghosts—or worse, Marcus.

Her skin still tingled.

Not from the cold.

From him.

Adrian's touch clung to her like some forbidden perfume: bruises in the shape of hands on her thighs, the burn of his breath between her legs, and the way his voice—low—echoed in her skull like a siren's curse.

But he was gone, and she didn't know why.

Y/N slipped inside the dorm, closed the door behind her with barely a click. The room was dim, the curtains drawn.

Aisha was still asleep, wrapped in her pale lilac duvet, only the frizz of her dark curls poking from the top. Julia's bed was empty—probably gone for a solo breakfast since she hadn't been there and Aisha would sleep through a tsunami.

Y/N let out a silent breath. She didn't want to talk. Not yet.

She padded to her vanity, peeled off her wrinkled clothes—Adrian's scent still clung to them, sharp and earthy and him—and turned the shower on. Water scalding. She let it run over her for too long.

Scrubbing, washing, cleansing.

As if she could rinse away everything that had happened between them. But no amount of soap could scrub out the memory of his hands in her hair, the way he'd kissed her like he wanted to break her, or the fact that she let him—begged him.

Her knees wobbled as she dried herself off. She stared into the fogged mirror. Her lips were slightly swollen. Her collarbone bore the faintest shadow of a bite.

Adrian had marked her.

What if actually Marcus knew?

The thought sliced through her like glass. He'd looked at her so strangely in the corridor, like he was sniffing something out.

She pressed her fingers to her temples. This can't get out. No one can know.

Especially not Aisha.

Aisha had always been her voice of reason and her oldest, truest friend. They'd grown up beside each other like matching vines—and though Aisha never judged her for her messes, this was different.

This wasn't just a mistake. This was lust, heat, a secret pulled taut between her thighs and stitched into her skin. This was Adrian.

And Aisha—sweet, steady, grounded Aisha—would not be impressed that she had fallen into the arms of a boy they both knew was dangerous.

"Where were you so early this morning..?" came a sleepy voice behind her.

Y/N jumped, towel still wrapped tight.

Aisha blinked at her from the doorway, her voice hoarse with sleep. "I went to pee and you weren't there? It was like 7AM; you know it's the weekend right.."

"Went for a walk," Y/N lied instantly. "Couldn't sleep."

Aisha tilted her head, eyes narrowing—not in suspicion, but in that way best friends knew something was up and were just waiting for you to spill it. Y/N turned away before she could crack.

"Well," Aisha said, rubbing her face, "you're lucky you're alive. Julia had a dream the wolves got you.."

Y/N froze mid-motion. "Don't say that," she mumbled, tugging on her hoodie. "Not funny."

Aisha grinned. "Relax. Anyway, we're doing something dumb today."

Y/N blinked. "What kind of dumb?"

"We're going into town."

She turned. "What?"

Julia now poked her head through the doorway, brushing her ponytail over her shoulder. "Morning ladies, we need dresses! The Winter Ball's in, like, three days, and I'm not—wearing my 12th Grade prom gown like some tragic side character."

"Also," Aisha added with a smirk, "you need to stop moping. What happened with Calixto happened. So unless you're planning to pine after a man who pushed you away and treated you like dirt.."

Y/N stiffened.

Julia looked at her girlfriend with sympathy, "You coud always try talking to him? You know.. demand an explanation!"

Been there done that Jules.

"I'm fine," she said quickly. Too quickly.

Calixto still burned in the back of her mind. His rejection had gutted her, even if she tried to pretend otherwise. He'd looked at her like he hated himself for wanting her—like her existence was his punishment.

And yet...Adrian hadn't hesitated? He'd wanted her. Took her like he meant it. Made her feel seen—in ways Calixto never had.

Still, Y/N didn't know if it was real.

If Adrian's touch was just lust or if she was projecting a thousand aching feelings into someone who might leave her just as easily. Especially when she'd woken up alone, sheets cold where his body had once been.

Was it wrong to want him?

Was it wrong to want someone at all, after Calixto?

? ★ ?

Y/N didn't say a word as they snuck past curfew checkpoints, out of the enchanted grounds, and toward the human town just outside Auragon's cloaking border. They wore oversized coats, scarves, and sunglassess that Julia stole from an upperclassman's stash.

The streets buzzed with life and glowed with lights and winter decorations. Music piping through stores. Everything so...normal. It made her dizzy.

They found a little boutique tucked between a florist and an old café. Velvet gowns, crystal-trimmed corsets, and ballgowns in shades that shimmered like moonlight.

It was a fantasy. The three of them melted inside. Y/N ran her fingers across a chocolate-brown gown that reminded her of Adrian's eyes.

Nope. Stop.

Aisha held up a navy silk dress with long sleeves and a high slit. "This. You're trying it on."

"It's too much.." Y/N murmured.

Aisha shoved it into her arms anyway. "Exactly."

The air in the small fitting room felt close, the fluorescent lights casting a stark, unforgiving glow as she slid the garment over her skin.

It was a deep, shimmering navy, tailored to cleave to her figure, subtly daring in its cut, subtly revealing. She adjusted the fabric, the cool material settling against her, and then stepped back, her gaze slowly lifting to meet her own reflection in the full-length mirror.

This was not the crumpled, tear-streaked girl who had spent days mourning Calixto's casual dismissal, her spirit as broken as a discarded trinket.

Not the trembling, uncertain girl who had recoiled from the raw, untamed power Adrian had ignited deep within her, a burning, dangerous flame that had both thrilled and terrified her to her core.

Y/N had her self-worth, and that was enough, because she didn't need the response from a man to tell her that. But then, as her gaze swept over her own stunning transformation, it snagged.

Her eyes, sharp and assessing, landed on the faint, blossoming bruise just beneath her collarbone again, a subtle discolouration against her pale skin, a silent, stark reminder.

Adrian.

Where was he?

Why did he leave?

Was it regret? Shame? Did he use her?

Or worse... did he walk away because he felt what she did—and was just as scared at the reality?

She blinked hard.

No tears. Not here.

When she stepped out, both Julia and Aisha stared. "You look..." Aisha whispered, hands rising to her agape mouth, and Julia, for once, was quiet.

Y/N, in that moment, didn't know if she wanted to find Adrian—or run from him.

She didn't know if she could survive it again. However, she had a sinking feeling someone else had begun to head towards her instead.