Julian led me back to the ballroom, and it looked like no one noticed my absence, aside from the King and Queen, who were staring at us from across the room. I could see Julian sharing a look with Gabriel before giving him a nod. When the King and Queen stood, everyone stopped what they were doing to give their attention.

"Welcome! Thank you everyone for coming tonight in honor of Claire Fields. I know some of you are wondering why we are throwing a ball in honor of a human, while some of you must be angry. We want to show all of you that we can finally live peacefully with humans. We can get along and thrive. Claire has accepted us from the moment she came here. Yes, she was a little apprehensive at first, but she has treated us like we weren't different. Because of Claire, I firmly believe that we will be able to expose ourselves and live together without issue. You won't have to hide what you are; you won't have to live in the shadows. I know this must be scary for some, but we could slowly out ourselves once we can show the humans that we don't need to drink directly from them. I hope to get everyone on board with our crazy dream of coexisting. So, with being said, thank you everyone for coming and enjoy the rest of your night," the King boomed. I could see why this man was King; he was not only powerful, but a fearful man who commanded respect just with the tone of his voice.

Some people clapped, some cheered, and others looked enraged at King Gabriel's speech. People began to move to the tables on the other side of the ballroom to be served dinner. The waiters and waitresses set soups down first, then a plate of chicken parmesan with a wine glass that held thick, red liquid. When they set the glass down in front of me, I stared at it, knowing what it held.

The idea of drinking blood was disgusting to me, especially after drinking both Tristan's and Julian's. I couldn't imagine drinking the hot, copper-tasting liquid all the time, but to them, it was a means of survival. A few people at my table were watching me silently while I pushed away my glass.

I looked up at all the watchful eyes and hesitantly asked, "Does anyone want my glass? I don't think it would do me any good."

They did what I didn't expect them to do; they laughed. My cheeks turned red with embarrassment, and I wondered what I said that was so funny. My brother would've understood. He was always good in social situations. Me on the other hand, am clueless.

My glass was picked up and taken from behind me. As I followed the hand back to its owner, I found Tristan drinking, and my heart skipped a beat. My body heated up with the close proximity of him, despite the residual anger I still held.

"It's getting late, Claire. I'll walk you to your room." His voice had an edge to it, and I took it as a command and not a suggestion, which kind of got on my nerves, but after the whole thing with Collin, I complied without complaint. I didn't have any more fight in me tonight.

I turned back to everyone at my table and smiled before excusing myself. Their eyes followed me as I walked away with Tristan, and I felt bad about leaving a ball that was technically in my honor. I wanted to be mad at Tristan and yell at him again, but I remembered what Julian said so I decided to hold it in. As we were walking, I noticed we passed my room.

"Uh...my room is right there." I pointed out like he didn't race in and save my life a week ago.

Tristan grabbed my hand, and sparks erupted throughout my body. "I know."

He continued to pull me through different hallways until we stopped in front of a door. He opened it and led me inside. The room had the same layout as mine, but it looked more like a boy room and was a little bigger. It was decorated with black, navy, and white with some clothes sprawled out on the floor.

"Where are we?"

"We are in my room," he answered while while he sat down in an arm chair and kicked his feet up on the coffee table.

I didn't peg him for the messy type.

"Uh...why?"

Tristan's face looked strained. "Um...well, I wanted to talk to you."

"I didn't think you would want to talk to me after what happened," I replied while sitting across from him.

Tristan's eyes bore into mine, and he exhaled slowly. "I'm sorry about earlier, Claire. I didn't mean what I said about going home with Collin. He's just not a good guy, and you kept fighting me on it."

I could tell his apology was genuine, even though he was struggling to maintain composure.

"I'm sorry too, I guess. You just make me so mad with how bipolar and confusing you are."

He shot a glare at me. "I am not bipolar."

"Uh, yes you are," I argued while crossing my arms. "You seem like you are trying to be nice one minute, and then you yell at me the next. You're hot and cold."

He looked like he was trying really hard not to lash out. Tristan clenched, then unclenched his jaw while bouncing his leg. He opened his mouth and then shut it before saying anything.

"You don't have to say anything. Julian told me that you say things out of anger and not to take it to heart, so I'm going to try, okay?" I looked up through my dark lashes, and he visibly relaxed.

"Okay," he finally responded. "I'll try to be...nicer."

I suppressed a grin. "That would be nice considering that I probably won't be going anywhere for awhile."

"Yeah, I don't think my parents are going to let you leave," he snorted and leaned forward. "I guess we should try to get to know each other then."

My heart kept at the thought of him finally coming around.

"Uh, yeah. Sure. What did you want to know?"

I was slightly nervous about him asking personal questions. I got lucky that I didn't need to tell Julian anything. He seemed to know my past when he first touched me. He can also read my mind, so there's no hiding anything from him anyways. With Tristan, it is hard because I would actually have to open up to someone, and it's something I haven't done for awhile.

"Um..." he glanced at the ceiling. "Where are you from?"

My body relaxed. "I'm originally from Valley City, North Dakota."

"I've never heard of it," he replied.

"That's because it's a small town. Only like 7,000 people live there."

"Oh," he exclaimed. "What made your family move to Maine?"

"Uh..well.." I began to feel flustered. "My family didn't move here."

"Your family sent you here by yourself?"

"No, my family died about six years ago in a car accident. I was sent here by the state." My voice sounded small and distant.

Tristan's eyebrows raised and the usual hardness in his eyes vanished. I wasn't prepared for any pity. I got enough of that from people when I became an orphan.

"Claire, I'm sorry. I didn't know. No one told me." He started to reach towards me, but pulled his hand back like he wasn't sure what to do.

"I don't need your pity. I've had enough of it to last a lifetime." I was shocked at my bitter tone.

He got quiet for a moment and nodding. "I understand."

His words surprised me. I thought my attitude would make him yell, but there was no hint of anger. Instead, it looked like grief.

"You do?"

"Yeah, I do. I've had enough pity to last a lifetime too," he said as he looked away, the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

I gave Tristan a sad smile. "When I was little, my cat killed a bird, and I was hysterical. I couldn't stop crying about how the bird would never grow up. My dad sat me down and told me to pity the living, not the dead. He said that the living are stuck with experiencing loss and pain, but the dead are set free. So, I guess I understand why people have pitied me, even though I don't like it."

"Your dad is a wise man." He smiled back.

A humorous laugh escaped my lips. "A lot of his advice was movie references, actually. I never knew what I was going to get when he spoke."

A melodious sound escaped his lips. It was the first time I've really heard him laugh, and it was an amazing sound. I giggled a little and looked away shyly. For some reason, Tristan had that effect on me. When I looked back, he was sitting right next to me, and his face was close to mine. The heat between us was intoxicating, and my breathing hitched. I never have been this close to him before, and I noticed the faint freckles scattered on his nose and cheeks. When my eyes moved back up to his, I felt like they would consume me.